We're Officially a BUNCH...

...or at least more than a couple.  Matt and I proudly introduce Jack William Bendell.  Jack decided to join us Thursday, March 24th at 2:12 pm.  On Wednesday morning we went for our 37 week Dr. appointment and he said that everything was fine. He was going on vacation and said he'd see me in April ... and that he thought I would carry to term ... maybe even beyond. However; I woke up around 4 o'clock on Thursday morning and couldn't go back to sleep.  At 5 o'clock I started having cramps and decided I should get up are read about Braxton Hicks--because I hadn't had any yet.  At 5:45 am I woke Matt up and told him that I thought I was having contractions.  We started keeping track of the contractions.  I was still doing some reading and I saw that if you went on a walk, the Braxton Hicks contractions would stop;  but if I really was in labor the contractions would continue.  So ...Matt and I went on a walk.  We walked around our neighborhood for about a half an hour.  We got back to the house at around 6:30.

Matt told me that he thought that if I went to work the contractions would go away.  Matt started getting ready for work and I continued to do some reading.  Matt was ready and he suggested that I call the Dr's Office.   I started calling the Dr's office to see if we should go there.  I couldn't get through on the phone.  So we started getting our stuff together for the hospital and for work, just in case.  We were driving towards the doctor when I finally got through on the phone.  I explained to the nurse that my contractions were every 2-5 minutes and had been going on for about two hours.  She said we should go to the hospital.  I hung up and told Matt what the nurse had said.  I decided to call back once more just to see if they would let us stop by and then go the hospital.  Well, the nurse laughed at me and said "We don't want you to have the baby here."  So again I hung up and told Matt that we needed to go to the hospital.

Matt and I got there, I had already pre-registered (thanks Lohman) so I only had one paper to complete.  We waited for a little bit before we were seen.  We went back into Triage, the doctor started asking me questions and observing me.  I told her I was just nervous that I really wasn't in labor...so she checked and I was dilated to a seven!  I looked at her and she could tell I was about to panic.  She said "don't panic, you are doing great."  I continued breathing while Matt got our bag from the car.  The doctor and nurse started moving very quickly because I have to have antibiotics because of my heart.  Matt got back and they wheeled me up to labor and delivery around 9:00.  I did get an epidural* and then I was able to call my mom.  She didn't believe me that her grandson was going to be born that day.

And ...in just a few short hours ... Jack was here!

Jack had a high respiratory rate and had to be sent to the transition nursery after we spent about an hour with him.  We didn't get him in our room until about 1:00am (3/25).

Matt ran home to pick a couple things and to get my parents from the airport at around 11:30 pm.  They were so excited to see us and take our first official family picture.

We were so happy to have our baby Jack in our arms.

* I had not re-read our birthing book (I was going to that over spring break) but after reading it Sunday morning, I found out that normally people dilate from a seven to a 10 in about 10 to 90 minutes...had I known that I wouldn't have had an epidural.  However, if that was the case, I probably wouldn't have been able to call my mom until after Jack was born.