Welcome Avery Grace!

Avery Grace Hardison made her grand entrance into this world Tuesday, May 8th at 9:34 am, weighing 8 lbs 3.9 oz, 21.5 inches long.  She is healthy, perfect, and absolutely beautiful.

*For those that don't want to read about the labor story, feel free to skip on down the the pictures, although I promise I'm not going into too much detail*

M and arrived at the hospital the night before at 6:00pm to be induced Tuesday morning.  Let's just say that Avery was planning on coming on her own and ended up not needing very much coaxing :)  By the time I had put on my gown and crawled into bed (around 8pm), my night nurse came in and informed me that I was having contractions, 7 min apart, although I could not feel them (how wonderful right?!, only wish that had lasted longer. :)  This continued on into the night as my contractions got STRONGER and LONGER completely on their own...  At this point, they were still thinking that I was going to be "induced" in the morning so that my doctor would be able to deliver me, so they were trying to have me hold out getting an epidural, so that I wouldn't get it and then not deliver for 16 hours later.  Well, around 3 in the morning, my water broke, and at that point, they realized, this was not practice, but indeed real labor, and I was able to finally get the juice and get some much needed rest.  Thank goodness.  My doc called in the morning and told them to go ahead and start pitocin at about 6 am (I was 6 cm), and when he came to check me an hour later I was 10 cm.  Talk about fast!   He then wanted me to "labor down" for as long as I could stand it in order for me to not have to push as long.  I called my parents in a panic, who were still at our house, and told them they needed to get moving!  An hour later we got the ball rolling, and after 20 minutes of pushing, Avery came screaming into my arms, sort of like I did 25 1/2 years ago :)  Like mother, like daughter. 

To my daughter, I cannot fully describe what it feels like to be your mother, hold you in my arms, rock you to sleep... But I do know that God has entrusted you to us, and I will spend the rest of my life striving to be the mother God has called me to be.  For now, I will use the words my daddy wrote for me when I was born, " A part of husband and wife comes together to form a unique third person, engineering and construction courtesy of God.  You argue about technical and theological definitions if you want, I will call it what it is- a miracle."  Thank you God for our little miracle.

Now for the barrage of pictures.  

40 weeks.  Headed to the hospital!

Last picture of a family of 2.

First pic as a family of 3!

"Birth" Day cupcakes!

Going Home!