We are now a family of four!!

I am very happy to announce the arrival of Charlie Paul Evans, born Thurs July 17. He's so new that all I have are the puffy-eyed shots which by the way I like to see even if they are blackmail worthy. There's something so special about women looking like the've been through a battle and the crazy drunk smile that says, "I have a baby now- so nothing else matters!" If you want the details, read on- if not that's perfectly o.k. too:
I was at work when I started labor but I didnt want to call Adams emergency number until I was for sure because I'd been having contractions for 2 weeks. So I measured them and they were 3-5 minutes apart. So I decided to do lunch at Cafe Rio.:) I called my doctor, he wasn't too excited because he had just checked me the day before and said I hadnt dropped and was still just dialated to 1-2 cm. I felt like they were getting really strong and my patients were getting worried about me. I decided to call Adam but he didn't answer his phone. I went to the bathroom and had some heavy duty contractions and then my water broke. I called Adam at work and he came and got me. Everyone at work was pretty excited- they had wanted my water to break in the therapy gym though- sorry to disapoint. When we got to the hospital I was already at 5-6 cm. By the time I got checked in, I was at 8 cm. I tried to get an epidural but it was maybe too late and didnt work. Everything went really fast. When I was already at 10 cm, they gave me another epidural and it eventually worked for about 30 minutes while I waited for my doctor to come. Then it had worn off enough I could feel the contractions and push. Two things I learned from my experiences: epidurals hate me and my body doesn't like pain. Adam was a great support, he patted my head and brought me ice chips. The nurse that was with me was so supportive to, maybe too supportive. She kept telling me I was doing good pushing and to try my hardest. I am a little competitive so I had to show her how strong I was and ended up with 2 tears and an episiotomy. Ouch... they had to monitor me for an extra 8 hours in labor/delivery to see if I would need extra stitches but thankfully I stopped bleeding and didn't.

it was so neat that they put baby Charlie on my chest right after he was born and he stayed with us until 6:50 until the next morning when he finally took a bath. His little eyes looked up at me and I thought how amazing it is that he can be aquatic in a dark noisy environment and then all of a sudden, he's in the light, breathing air listening to voices... It was such an awesome experience and I am even more in awe of the miracle of birth. It truly is such amazing.