Welcome to Our Family, Baby Jonas!

Jonas A. Grover

Born on April 6th, 2012 at 3:50 a.m.

Weight: 7lbs 10oz   Length: 20.5 inches

I feel like if someone pinched me I might wakeup from this dream. Did I really just give birth to this brand-new, perfect, beautiful baby? Am I really the mother of four (FOUR!) precious sons? The only way to describe how I feel would be overwhelmed: overwhelmed with intense relief, utter joy, and pure love for this sweet little boy who has joined our family, overwhelmed with the responsibility for caring for, nurturing, and raising these four special boys; overwhelmed with gratitude for my best friend and partner and my parents and parents-in-law for their constant support; overwhelmed with appreciation for my Heavenly Father for His outpouring of blessings on our family. I know there will be hard days ahead, as I adjust to this crazy juggling act that is motherhood, but for right now, I just want to snuggle my sweet new baby, soak in his perfect-ness, and enjoy this moment. Life is good.

The Birth Story:
After several nights of "false labor" (it didn't feel very false to me), I decided on Thursday morning to help kick start labor into action by chugging this delicious concoction of one part kool-aid and one part castor oil:

Like clockwork, the castor oil went into effect immediately and I started experiencing mild contractions just a few hours later. As soon as the contractions set it, I started to climb up and down the stairs, walked laps around the grocery store (the weather outside was too windy for much outdoor walking), and even tried jumping on the trampoline a little bit in order to speed labor along. When I was satisfied that I was actually in labor, albeit just the early stages, I called Aaron at work to put him on notice. Even though I tried to rationalize with him by explaining that I still had several hours of laboring to go before it would be time to go to the hospital, Aaron was worried that my labor would be fast and furious (as it had been with Ben), insisted on coming home immediately, instructed me to get my bags in the car, and told me that we would "turn and burn." And so, shortly after 7 p.m. on Thursday evening, Aaron, my mom, and I headed to the hospital.

When we arrived at the hospital, I was triaged, it was determined that I was still at a 3.5, and we were given the option to go back home and wait until labor was more intense or stay at the hospital and help things along by breaking my water. The choice was a no-brainer. We were ready to have a baby!

After being admitted, getting hooked up to all the monitors and equipment, and taking a few walks around the labor and delivery unit, my doctor arrived at 10 p.m. to break my water. With that, we hurried up and waited...and waited. It was very slow going; we spent the next hour or two just counting and timing the contractions. Growing impatient with each passing hour, we decided to see if pitocin would get the show on the road. It did the trick--it wasn't long before contractions were coming hard and fast--and I called for the anethesiologist to get an epidural. The epidural seemed to dull the intensity of the contractions for a brief time, but then very suddenly I felt an undescribable amount of pressure and the urge to push, and, unfortunately, wasn't getting any relief from the epidural. When the nurse checked me, I was at a 10, but the doctor was still 20 minutes from the hospital and I was instructed not to push. Those 20 minutes seemed to go on for-ev-er. When the doctor arrived an eternity later, I was ready to push. And push I did. Hard. One push later, I was rewarded with a healthy, squirmy, red, and crying baby boy in my lap.

Oh what a beautiful sight that sweet little boy was. I cried a few tears of relief and joy, holding him tight against my skin. Then he was whisked away to be weighed, measured, cleaned, and checked.

The Debut:
And so, with no further delay, I present my precious baby Joey:

Two of my favorite people in the whole world: my best friend and my bundle of joy.

I've delivered babies before, I've done all-nighters many-a-time, and I'm no stranger to sleep deprivation, but I have never experiences such extreme exhaustion as I felt after Jonas' birth. A combination of physcial exertion, lack of sleep, and an emotional rollercoaster, and I felt wiped out like I've never felt before. I have never felt so overcome by relief; I literally struggled just to keep my eyes open. 

Just moments after birth, Jonas found his thumb and started sucking away! So cute. He loves to suck his fingers, has made fast friends with his binky, and is a champion nurser already.

Look at that face! Humor me...several of the nurses commented that they see dozens of babies everyday but that Jonas was one of the most good-looking babies they'd seen. Yep, I know.

Just let it be said, that giving Jonas a name was a fiasco! We were determined to bring him home from the hospital with a name, but on day 2 with a nameless baby, I think Aaron and I were both feeling worn out with the name game after going over and over and over our list of names to no agreement. The bottomline: his name is Jonas A. Grover. Settled. We love the name, and we love little Joey.

After his little sponge bath, Jonas got his first hairdo.

Ta-dah!

The Family Comes to Visit:

My mom was no guest; she has helped me through the deliveries of each of my babies, squeezing my hand, helping my through contractions, and coaching me through the delivery.

Nana and Papa were tasked with watching the boys during our hospital stay, but got to spend a little time bonding with Jonas when they came to visit. Such a lucky baby to have so many people who love him!

Sadly, when the boys came to visit, they were all a little under the weather. As much as they wanted to meet and hold their new baby brother, we felt it was best to just let them take a quick peek. No family picture.

Max had a bad cough, so we wanted to keep some distance between him and Joey. Max was so upset and wanted to hold Joey so badly, that we let him give him a quick hug.

Ben is a bit oblivious to the presence of his little brother. I'm excited for these two guys to get to know each other--they will be best buddies soon.

Homeward Bound:

Jonas was greeted by lots and lots of love from his brothers, particularly Max. Max just could not get enough of baby Joey. Max literally sat with Jonas on his lap for at least an hour, whispering so as not to wake him, petting his face, kissing his forehead, and even thoughfully bringing him his binky when he was fussy. I was so touched by Max and his tenderness and natural nurturing towards his baby brother. Jonas is a lucky boy to have three super big brothers to love him and protect him.

Welcome to Our Family, Baby Jonas!