The adventure begins!

The final hours of pregnancy- we left the house at 4am on 12/23/10 with many fresh feet of snow on the ground and no power at our house due to down power lines.

I was induced around 8am, labored until I was dilated to 9cm, and then ended up in an emergency C-section when the babies heart rates dropped to a scary place. In less than 15 minutes I went from standing, laboring with Chip in one room, to laying in bed getting an epidural, Chip got thrown scrubs and was told to "put these on and meet us in the OR" (where they locked him out and barely let him in, in time to see both babies pulled out within seconds of eachother), the epidural didn't take effect before things got under way in the OR so I got knocked out entirely, and then woke up to Chip holding our daughter and son (pictured below- this scene will forever be imprinted in my mind)...seriously, all that...15 minutes. The last thing I remember the doctor saying is, "these babies need to come out now!" and I saw her literally running around the OR. Everyone did an amazing job- worked like a well oiled machine- and Ruby and Owen joined us outside the womb for the first time. An amazing whirlwind for sure. One we will never forget.

So, as I attempt to remember and record our first few weeks as a family of five (including Kessler), I will start with the hospital, where we spent the first three days together in a 10x10 room getting to know each other. Stay tuned for pictures from our first days at home, and onward. And, on a final note, we are SO grateful to the doctors and nurses that worked over the Christmas holiday with smiles on their faces and love in their hearts for us and our new family when I am sure they would have rather been with their own families.

Owen (baby B) shortly after taking his first breath

Daddy gives Ruby and Owen their first baths.

I have to take this opportunity to talk about my incredible husband. I thought I was in love with him before 12/23/10...well, I guess I fell in love with him all over again and had feelings for him I never knew could exist. That is pretty cool after almost 10 years of marriage. He was so attentive to Ruby, Owen, and myself. It was a somewhat strange (and certainly unplanned on our parts) birthing scenario. I was unconscious as our babies were brought into the world and for the first 6-8 hours of their lives I was pretty out of it and in a drugged haze. I felt so helpless, not sure where our babies were sometimes or clear about how well they were doing, and unable to meet their needs in those first hours...not how I pictured starting my career as a mom. And, although feeling helpless is not normally comfortable for me, I remember feeling at peace with the situation and confident that Chip was taking care of, checking in on, and loving our babies when I was not able to. I remember feeling like he really was my hero, our hero...and that Ruby, Owen, and I were very fortunate people to have Chip in our lives.

The proud Nana and Papa

Our first family photo (not complete without Kessler of course :)

Love these three

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."
Dr. Seuss