It's A Boy!

On Friday, July 1 2011 at 4:42AM we welcomed into the world another beautiful baby boy, Emory Allen Johnson. Emory was 6lbs 3oz and 19 inches long. 

  

  

This little guy was set to arrive July 14th, but he had other plans and came 14 days early.  As much as we tried to convince ourselves that mommy wasn't in labor (Auntie Amber was not scheduled to arrive until July 8th and we hadn't even packed a hospital bag) there was just no stopping this little man from coming.  We made the call to Lolli late Thursday night to come up to Denver to watch Caleb.  Lolli arrived around 11:00PM and we were already in the car ready to go.  We arrived at Rose Hospital around 11:30PM to check in and we were in our room by midnight. 

Mommy was in quite a bit of pain at that point and she was sure the baby was coming any minute.  Not so much...  The nurse checked mommy's cervix and announced that she was only 2cm dilated and that this might not actually be labor. WTF?!?! How can this not be labor?? All the signs pointed to labor...massive pain in the back and long contractions only minutes apart, however the nurse said no. They instead told us that they would monitor mommy for 2 hours to see if mommy dilated any further, and if not, then we could return home.

So, wait for 2 hours in excruciating pain...alright.  We waited it out by walking around, taking a bath, talking on the phone to Auntie, Lolli, and Opa, all the while with the pain progressively getting worse and worse, and mommy and daddy getting really tired. We realized at this point that daddy had been awake for 19 hours (he woke up at 5AM to drive to Wyoming for a case but ended up coming back early because mommy was having contractions) and mommy had been awake for 17 hours and was about to work her butt off pushing a baby out.  We were both exhausted.  Had it not been for the painful contractions and very loud moaning, we no doubt both would have been passed out, daddy snoring louder than a trucker, and mommy generously drooling.

After what seemed like an eternity the nurse returned at 2AM to check mommy again.  "Good news," she said, "You're 3cm dilated."  A vision of mommy jumping out of the bed and slapping the nurse across the face flashed through mommy's head. How could we only be 3cm after all that? "You were right, you are in labor," she continued (and mommy pictures another slap, this time harder), "So we are going to go ahead and admit you now and get you some pain medication if you would like."  

Yes! Immediately. Please.

The drugs could not arrive fast enough, and by the time mommy actually had the epidural it was close to 2:45AM and mommy had managed to irritate all of the nurses.  In retrospect, yelling "Please, Help Me" probably wasn't the best way to make friends. 

The next check was scheduled for 4AM, but at 3:52AM mommy's water broke and daddy went to tell the nurse. When the nurse came to check mommy's cervix she was already 10cm dilated and the baby was on its way!  They called the doctor immediately who arrived 15 minutes later to deliver our baby. 

  

Mommy and daddy called Lolli and Auntie on their phones and placed them at the head of the mommy's bed so they could be there for the delivery too. After about 12 pushes, Emory was born at 4:42AM.  Since we didn't know the sex of the baby it was quite a surprise to see a little boy.  Words can't express the joy we felt when we first laid eyes on this little guy.  He is perfect in every way.

Emory looked just like Caleb when he was born. You would have sworn the two were identical twins. Their personalities though you can already tell are totally different. Emory came out just chillin. He laid up on the exam table with his legs crossed and hands behind his head. Emory is one calm little guy, a trait he most certainly gets from mommy.*  He goes with the flow, doesn't cry much, and sleeps and eats when he should.**

 

 

We had Lolli take Caleb to school as usual  Friday so he could have a normal day before he came to meet his little brother. When daddy picked him up to take him to the hospital he was really excited to meet the baby. We waited until he got there to tell him whether he had a brother or a sister. When he found out we had Emory he was thrilled (he wanted a brother most days).  He wanted to hold him right away and gave him a big kiss. Since then it has been a bit of an adjustment, but Caleb is a fantastic big brother. He is gentle, loving, and very helpful. The other day he looked at Emory and told him, "Em, you are my best friend." Mommy cried, daddy rolled his eyes.

Our little family is 4 strong now and we couldn't be happier. We love you so much Emory and look forward to spending our lives with you. Welcome to our little adventure!!!

_____

* Daddy insisted on a footnote here, as he didn't quite appreciate the subtle humor and thought we should explicitly state that daddy is the calm one. Yep, a very calm reaction indeed daddy.

** At our first visit to the pediatrician 3 days after Emory was born he had already gained 1 oz. At our second visit a week later, Emory had gained another 9 ounces! We have since affectionately given him the nickname "Hank the Tank" as this boy does not miss a meal.