A grand entrance

We are so happy to have our little brother join our family and especially considering the circumstances, that he is strong and healthy. Are you ready for a long detailed story?  Here we go:

Cooper's arrival was an exciting one!  The day before he was born was Sunday.  I was having contractions here and there, short and long, nothing even close to consistent.  It basically just made me uncomfortable through General Conference.  Any sign of contractions stopped after dinnertime.  I slept through the night and still nothing the next morning.  So I went about my day: took the girls to school, got a pedicure, shopped for a few baby items, and so forth.  It wasn't until 4:30 that something happened.  My water broke!  Although, I wasn't positive when it happened because it was more like I had to go to the bathroom.  Then the contractions started and let me tell you, there was NO mistake they were contractions.  At about 5:10 pm, I texted Rick "I think you need to come home".  I know.  Doesn't sound urgent, right?  No response.  After 10 minutes, I called him.  Luckily, he answered because he was actually in a meeting.  I told him my water broke and he needed to come home ASAP.  He says, "Ok.  I'm on my way."  I texted my mom to start heading our way.  Then I called my friend to see if she could take the kids until Gramma Judy got there.  She was still at least 20 minutes from home.  So I got in the bathtub to relieve some of the pain and Keira came in asking about dinner.  I told her Cooper was coming and asked if she could wait for a little bit since I couldn't move.  She goes running down the hall "Lexi!!!  Cooper is coming!!"  That was a small distraction from labor.  So cute, right?  Once Rick arrived home (about 40 minutes), my neighbor showed up, took the kids and Rick came to find me.  It was probably after 6 pm or so by now.  He timed a couple of contractions (there really was no need, but we wanted to be sure) and loaded up the car.  I couldn't walk at this point so he hauled me out of the tub, ran to grab an office chair with wheels so I didn't have to walk, and I laid down on my bed.  Suddenly, I felt the urge to push.  Oh dear.  If you know anything about labor, you probably know that when you feel like you need to push, you can't help it.  So I did.  What a relief from contractions!!  Anyways, Rick comes with a chair, puts me in it, rolls me to the garage, and loads me in the backseat of the car.  I couldn't get comfortable so I ended up half reclined with one arm around the passenger headrest and the other pushing against the backseat.  It was the best I could do.  Off we went speeding to the hospital.  On the way, Rick calls the hospital and lets them know our situation.  Not more than 5 minutes later, Rick turns around to see the head crowning so calls the hospital back.  "This baby is coming like NOW!!"  What is important to add is that on the way to the hospital was a lot of construction (go figure, it's Utah) so Rick doesn't even hesitate and finds his way out of the marked cones because "we were NOT having this baby in the car" he later said :)  We pull up to the main hospital entrance where at least 5 nurses were waiting for us.  All of them jumped in (or tried to considering the size of the car) and told me I needed to push.  2 more pushes and Cooper was here!  It was approximately 6:50 pm.  No one was paying attention to the clock, obviously.  Once he came out, I asked to hold him while they finished the post delivery stuff.  They cut the umbilical cord, took him inside with Rick, delivered the placenta, and helped me into a wheelchair to head inside the hospital.

Some other interesting bits:

-I planned to go natural all along using the hypnobirthing method so there were fewer surprises because of it.
-I tested positive for Group B Strep at 36 weeks.  There is no doubt in my mind I was inspired to tell my doctor my plan to go natural and labor at home as long as possible.  He suggested we use an oral antibiotic to at least try to kill the bacteria before delivery (it's not foolproof, but can be effective).  Cooper did not contract the bacteria which probably means the antibiotic must have worked.
-I was technically 2 weeks early, but based on my 20 week ultrasound, it would have been more like 1 week.  My doctor suggested keeping my original due date based on the 6 week ultrasound and it's compared measurements.

Cooper Lyman Bassett born 6:50 pm on October 8, 2012.  He was 8 lbs, 15 oz and 20 inches long.

 Our first family photo...we need a little bit of practice.

Cooper had some visitor's at the hospital:  his big sisters (both had some leftover coughing from a cold so we took no chances), Gramma Judy, Aunt Terri, and my good friends Desirae, McCall and Rachel (Rachel had to leave before we got a picture).

Our first week home:
Keira and Lexi wore their "I'm a Big Sister" shirt to school so everyone knew their little brother was finally here.

Snuggling with Mommy

Taking a nap anywhere he pleases

First bath

The girls serenading their brother