Week 33 = baby's arrival!

Introducing Lydia Lori Moody.  Born December 19th at 3:13 pm.  4 pounds 11 ounces 17 inches long.  We didn't quite make it to our ultimate goal of 34 weeks but this little girl is doing amazing and making it clear that she was ready to come at 33 weeks exactly!  On day 36 of our hospital day she decided to have a birthday!

Wednesday night (which was exactly 5 weeks in the hospital) I started having contractions.  While they had me hooked up to the monitors the contractions started to increase.  This was definitely something new and different since everything has been so steady since we arrived at the hospital.  I was on the monitor longer than normal so they could continue to watch the contractions.  And then things started to get serious.  More contractions and so they decided to put in an iv.  It's possible the contractions could have started from dehydration so the fluids began to flow through the iv.  And then I started to show some signs of infection...chills, rising temperature, etc.  When the contractions continued and the on call doctor came in to have a look it was decided that I needed to start getting ready to deliver.  Kimberly and Brittany had been visiting with me.  Kimberly stayed a while longer and Darran and Mom came to the hospital.  Dad stayed with the girls since it was around midnight that things really started to change.

However, signs of infection started to decrease and so the doctor suggested I try to get some rest.  Mom and Kimberly left around 2am and Darran decided to sleep in the hospital with me that night just in case.  I got a little rest but not much.  The contractions really started to diminish so they took off the monitors and let me sleep a little bit more.  So it would seem it was a false alarm...or maybe not.  The next morning when my doctor came in he said to monitor some more and have an ultrasound.  My contractions were not as often as the night before but they were a bit more intense.  The ultrasound looked great so my nurse called my doctor and told him the results.  He said I could eat unless I'm having contractions.  Which the nurse told him I was.  So we held off until he came back in.

After a long discussion with him we decided the best thing to do was to deliver that afternoon.  Literally 45 minutes after we decided we were making our way down to the operating room.  I was surprisingly calm - though extremely nervous.  Darran got all dressed up in his scrubs and they wheeled me down to the room.  Got me all ready and then let Darran come in.  Not too much longer Lydia was born.  The c-section went well and I could look over to the side and see them working on her.  After awhile she finally let out a cry...that's what I had been waiting for.  After the nurses got her cleaned up and checked they brought her over to my face so I could see her.  She blew bubbles all over my cheek.  Then they took her away to the NICU.  Darran got to follow them and so did mom.  They finished up with me and then took me to a room to recover.

This was the first picture I saw of her.  When I got to meet her again in person she didn't have oxygen or the tube down her throat.  She was already making it known she could do things by herself!

Cleaning her up.

My bubble kiss.

The beginning of her NICU stay.

Darran in his scrubs!

The girls got to come meet her the next morning.  The timing couldn't have been better.  The very next day the NICU closed to anyone under 16...including siblings because of RSV season.

Talia loved giving her kisses.

And Eliza loved that she has dark hair!

Happy Daddy...

...and happy Grandma!

She already loves hearing Papa sing!

Lydia is doing amazingly well.  They're hoping to start trying to feed this afternoon.  Her stay in the NICU might only be 2 or 3 weeks!  We're so excited and feel like everything happened the way it was supposed.  But more importantly everything has felt like blessing after blessing.  This girl is a fighter but we know she's had a lot of help from her Heavenly Father.  In the next couple of hours I get to go home!  And then the second chapter of this adventure will begin!