Karoline Marie Nielson is here!

How can I put today into words? Love, excitement, family, grateful, blessing, Karoline...just to name a few. It has been absolutely wonderful to welcome our new baby girl and I am in awe of my love for this new little one. I really couldn't be happier and feel incredibly grateful that our sweet Karoline (are you going to start singing the song?) made it here healthy and strong.
I guess I should start from the beginning of our adventure in labor and delivery though it was about as textbook as it comes. We had scheduled to be induced and I was supposed to be here by 7:30am. I woke up after a great sleep (thank you!) around 6:00am and was so excited to get ready, which really isn't the norm for me that early. Tucker got up a bit later and surprised me by saying we had gotten dumped on and it was still snowing. A bit crazy considering we had been having such a mild winter and had been teased with spring all week, but it will be something to remember. Anyway, once we got the ok to come in (thank you again!), we called Grandma to come over to watch the twins while we headed off to Alta View hospital.
Once here and checked in, my nurse Julie (who was the best nurse EVER!) started me on antibiotics for Group B Strep and pitocin to get things going. As great as it was that I was pain free, the contractions caused by the pitocin weren't helping things progress so we started the waiting game. It was actually kind of nice for Tucker and I to relax for a couple of hours and do some serious Sudoku, chat, and talk to family members.
My doctor came in around one and broke my water, finally! I soon started to feel the contractions and after a half and hour of that I was ready for my epidural. By then Cheri and my mom were there to keep me company and for that I am so thankful. Nothing like three people to worry about you and encourage you to skip out on the pain and go for the drugs! Soon after, Susie and Drew came and I had a full team to pamper me. I had been really nauseous so the constant cold washcloths on my head and neck were dreamy-thank you girls.
By 3:00pm, I had my Dad, Grandma Curtis, Richard and Cody there as well and it felt great to have so many loved ones there to support Tucker and I. Plus, Tucker's Dad and brother Tanner were truly the best to stay home with the twins. Then the boys gave me a blessing and I really felt comforted and even more ready to deliver.
Good thing because when they gave me the epidural only a few hours before, I was dilated to a four, but by then I had progressed to a 9. The nurse called the doctor and we were told to wait-no pushing yet! The time soon came at about 3:45pm. My epidural had worn off some so I was able to move my legs and feel some serious pressure, but no pain. It only took 3 sets of pushes and she was out. This adorable peanut was put immediately on my belly while they cleaned her up a bit and while I could simply adore her. She was perfect. The first thing I noticed was her hair. Neither Capri nor Roman had nearly as much (and both Tucker and I were pretty bald) so we were all suprised. The nurses then took her to check her out and she did great. She weighed 6 lbs 2 oz and measured 19 1/2 inches long. She scored an 8/9 on the Apgar test and was crying quite a bit to let us know her lungs were working great. The staff was congratulating me on such a beautiful girl with a perfectly round head as if she had been born by c-section instead. I waited in disbelief-she was here safe and sound and I loved her so much already!
It was such a different experience with Karoline than with the twins considering I could actually hold her and keep her to myself immediately after the delivery. It was also really nice to share the experience with my sister and mom who weren't allowed into the OR with the twins. Things seemed just perfect and the best way to describe how I felt was true joy.
Everyone came in to see her and oohed and aahhed, but then left to leave the three of us to bond. She was crying quite a bit and I soon saw the signs of a hungry little girl. Isn't it amazing that they have these basic instincts such as rooting? I decided to try and feed her and sure enough she latched right on! She ate like a champ for a good hour and I was so pleased to know she was already adding some calories. Because she measured small for her age, they had to test her blood sugar level, but she passed (thank you again!) and rather than having to get poked every 2 hours, she will only get poked every 6.
Right after she ate, we moved into the recovery room and she got her first bath. She actually really like getting her hair washed and was so calm after that. The nurse had to take her out and show her off with her new little pink and white gingham bow nestled in that dark hair.
I was starving by then so Tucker headed out for some food...no, I am way to picky about cafeteria food. I sat and held my little girl and she fell asleep around 7:00pm. That must have been a long 3 hours for Karoline because she didn't want to wake up until after 10:00pm! Tanner and Drew came and visited with us and brought us some beautiful flowers, seriously so sweet of them. We had a good chat while they held her and even got her to open her eyes for a minute. Since then, we had to wake her up, feed her again for an hour, change her first poopy and get some sleep...something I should be doing right now at 2:40am, but simply can't get over how excited I am to see her once she wakes up. Life couldn't be better and I feel like one lucky mom!