finally!

Ok, so this is LONG overdue! So sorry! But we have just been having so much fun with our new little one! Here's our story...
My due date was April 1, 2009, but that came and went without much excitement...On Sunday, April 5, I was having contractions that were very strong and very regular. I had been having contractions for a few days, so my mom flew up from Arizona so she wouldn't miss anything, and we were sure this was it! So we get to the hospital and there wasn't any change in my dilation in the first hour that I was there...I did not want to be sent home! I continued to have contractions that kept getting stronger and stronger and were about 2 minutes apart, but no change in dilation came! I was so upset! So we went home, set with meds, to wait...and wait...and wait... :) My mom was great to help me with so many projects while we waited! We had lots of fun, accomplished a ton, and I love her for being there with us! Thanks, mom! I was set to be induced on the Wednesday the 8th, and this little guy was sure comfy where he was because he waited until the last possible chance to come out! We went back to the hospital on Wednesday morning and it felt great to know that this was the real deal!

I was induced around 9am, and the contractions got stronger from then on out. After the doctor broke my water, that was the most excruciating 30 minutes of my life until the epidural kicked in! But after that, it was HEAVEN! We sat for the next 8 hours watching movies and talking and sleeping, I didn't know that being in labor could be so wonderful! At about 7:30pm, the baby was finally in position for me to start pushing. So I pushed...and pushed...and pushed! We find out an hour and a half later that our little guy was face up, which was causing the difficulty with coming out. Once the doctor flipped him over, he came so fast! What a neat thing having a little baby is! BRIGDEN CASEY HEAP was born at 9:31 pm, and was 6 lbs. 2 oz. and 18 in. long. Once Brigden came out, he had quite a rough start. His apgar score was a 4, which scared us quite a bit! The main difficulty was with his breathing. They let me hold him for about 30 seconds and then whisked him away. Casey went with them. I was very blessed to have had my mom there with me, because I don't know what I would have done if I was alone without my new little baby or Casey. I was so scared, to say the least. Casey's parents got there right in time, which was a great blessing for them to be able to be there with Casey. I'm so glad that they came! As the doctor stitched me up, all I could think was 'what is happening to our little boy?' It was so hard not knowing and not being there with him! After I was taken care of, they wheeled me down to the lower floor and took me to my room.

I was able to see little Brigden in passing as we went by the nursery window, but it was about 3 hours until I actually could hold him again. :(

I was able to hold him and feed him and kiss him and love him, and then they took him to the NICU where he would stay the rest of the time that we were in the hospital. They kept him there mainly for precautionary reasons, just to make sure that the problems with breathing didn't have to do with an infection of any sort. Let me tell you, this little boy is a trooper! He is so tough! He went through a lot it those first few days and pulled through so strong!

He ended up having to stay an extra day in the NICU after I was discharged, but we couldn't stand the thought of going home, so we stayed in the parents' lounge at the hospital so I could feed him through the night and so we could go home as one little happy family together...

Overall, we feel so blessed with everything that happened surrounding the birth of our little son. He is healthy, despite the initial scare, and all was well with mom. We were so blessed with a wonderful doctor, wonderful nurses, and the on call pediatrician, without our prior knowledge, ended up being a family friend! We are so grateful for our wonderful family and friends that have shared our joy with us...Thank you!