After many months of discomfort, precious Wyatt made his big arrival a few weeks before his official due date. I think its safe to say, mom was completely okay with this!  Documenting a birth is something I’ve always dreamed of doing, but thought would never happen, at least not for awhile.  There were just too many variables:  a husband who works odd hours and weekends, three young children, a full-time teaching job and a small business.  Not to mention, there were no guarantees when this little guy was going to make his arrival.  Lucky for me, the stars were aligned and fully in our favor!  I got the text that Wyatt was on his way early in the morning, on a non-teaching day.  This was perfect, with one exception.  I needed to find childcare and quickly.  Fortunately, an awesome friend and babysitter to my youngest stepped up to help us out.  Thank you so much Miss Tiffany!  This couldn’t have happened without your help!   I instructed Marcie to send me a text when she was 5 centimeters dilated.  Once the time had come, I went over to Sherman Hospital to begin the final stretch of the much-anticipated wait for this little guy.

Just three years ago, I gave birth to my youngest at this beautiful hospital, and walking through the halls brought back such great memories of my own experiences.  It was great to see so many family members camping out to keep Marcie and Dan company and to finally meet their newest family member.  I enjoyed getting to know Wyatt’s extended family and see how much love everyone had for one another and for this little guy they hadn’t even met yet.

It seems like every couple of years the trends change and there are new “rules” and exceptions for caring for newborns.  I learned that the new policy at Sherman is to “Wait for 8” hours.  Basically, the little guy was going to get wiped off and passed directly to mom. No bath and bed warmer for this little guy for the first 8 hours of his life.

After hanging out with Marcie and Dan for a bit, we decided to give them some time to rest.  Marcie’s epidural wasn’t working 100%, so she needed to work through the pain and regroup for the birth.

At approximately 4:40 pm we got word that Marcie was at 10 cm and it was time for me to head back to the birthing room.  And at approximately 5:04 pm, after maybe three pushes, Wyatt’s little cry filled the room. Wyatt didn’t cry for long though.  Once he was placed on his mom’s chest he was very “zen.”  He just looked around with one eye open (He reminded me of Popeye) 🙂 and was very quiet, while mom and dad stared at him in amazement.  I have to say, it was very cool witnessing this experience and not having to be the one who had to do all the work!

The nurses recommended they give Wyatt about an hour to adjust to his new environment before allowing visitors in.  Loved ones waited anxiously outside the room.  Big brother Jude got be the first to meet Wyatt and after a moment of taking it all in, it was easy to see he was in love with his new sibling.  After Jude had some time with his little brother, the grandparents got their chance to steal some time with this sweet little bundle.  It was clear to see that this is one loved and adored little boy!