Ella Jean is here!

My computer has been out of order for a couple of weeks, so most of you have already heard but Ella Jean is here!!!!

Monday, February 18th, I had a normal day at work. I joined Mary Helen and Melissa along with the kiddos for lunch and then went to Melissa's that evening to discuss her watching Ella when I return to work. I made it home that evening pretty tired with swollen feet! We went to bed around 10pm. Me in the our bed and Jeramy in the guest bed, he was not getting any sleep because I was snoring soooo loud! Around 11:45 I got up to use the bathroom, when I returned to bed I got a cramping sensation in my lower abdomen. I thought "Is this a contraction?" Well no biggie, I will wake up if it persists! At 12:11 MY WATER BROKE! What the.....

After a short panic from Jeramy :) we finally mad it to the hospital around 1:30am on Febrary19th. By 3:30am Heather was already at the hospital! I really contemplated on calling her because I knew she would not go back to bed! :) Around 4am the nurses started the patossin. Mom joined us around 6am with some biscuits and cream filled dough nuts that Heather enjoyed and I really think it sent me into my first big contraction! (Big laughs in the delivery room!!!) As the morning went on my contractions got stronger and stronger... By 10:30ish I got the epidural and dilated from a 4 to an 8! Oh My!!! By 12:34pm Ella Jean was here. 6lbs 4oz 18 3/4 inches! I pushed for 14 minutes and the end result was a beautiful little girl with a head full of dark hair!!! Wow I suddenly don't remember all of the pain I just endured.

Jeramy was amazing during the whole process!!!! He is one proud daddy :) He was so excited and was able to coach me and watch the whole delivery at the same time. Talk about a new kind of love between a husband and a wife!

After we returned home on Thursday, Ella's bilirubin levels elevated and she had to sit on a photo light therapy mat for a couple of days. It was a very stressful couple of days. By the next Monday her levels had dropped back down. She still has some yellow color in her skin and eyes, but she is not having any problem eating, sleeping and going to the bathroom!

We are all doing so great and we are truly blessed to have such a sweet little girl! Thank you to everyone who has shown us sooo much love and support...it really means a lot to us!