Elsie Ruth Jones

Our first family picture!

Elsie's first outing!

Look at that hair!

Our little Elsie was born on February 16th, at 5:49 a.m. weighing 6 pounds 10 oz and measuring 17 inches long.... I will take you back to the morning of 2/15/2011 (2 1/2 weeks early, due date: 3/3/2011)

It started out like every other morning... I got up at 6 am to get ready to go to school. That night it hurt my belly for me to turn from side to side or to get up to go to the bathroom, but that had happened before and I thought nothing of it. As Derrik and I were going our seperate ways at 7:00 I all of the sudden got weepy and said I wish I was done teaching, ha! I just didn't feel like doing it that day. (The day before was our Valentine Party and it about did me in- a bunch of six year olds with juice, cupcakes, sugar cookies, and Valentines in their system and you would agree) I was still totally fine though and made the trek to school. Derrik being the kind and concerned husband that he is texted me when I got there and asked how I was. I told him I was crampy and weirdly the cramps were coming every 7 minutes. After school I told Derrik that now the cramps were coming about every five minutes and he freaked. I refused to go to the doctor because I was positive they were not contractions. (cuz I know what they feel like ha) I agreed to let him call the doctor who told him to come in if they started to come every three. Let the timing begin... sure enough they were coming every three, and then 2:50, and Derrik was halfway out the door. I very reluctantly agreed to go, I was mad because I did not want to go and be sent home.

When we got to the doctor I felt so stupid because we walked up to the desk and Derrik said, we think she might be in labor. I'm just standing there and they are looking at me like, you look fine. We went into the exam room and they hooked me up and said, yep those are contractions! They checked me and I was at a three. The doctor came in and said you'll have this baby tonight or tomorrow morning! Derrik and I just looked at each other like, "no way" They had me walk around for two hours until I was at a five. They gave me an I.V. and then an epidural. But oh wait, the IV is swelling up my arm, and before they can start the epidural they have to do another one. Or you know, five more until they can finally get it right! That was the worst part- contracting, waiting for an epidural, and being poked over and over! That only lasted a little while though and once that epidural was going I was on cloud nine. It was the best feeling ever! I was so relaxed and feeling great!

So, Derrik and I went to sleep! They woke me up at about 5:00 and I was at a 10. The nurse broke my water and told me to push. It was so weird. I felt like more people should have been there or it should have been a bigger deal but it wasn't. I would push and then I would fall asleep, I was pretty tired. I pushed for an hour and then the doctor came in and suggested suctioning the baby out. I was all for it, I didn't feel like pushing any more. So with a couple more pushes and the assisstance of the sucker, Elsie was born!

It was a whirl wind after that. It was so surreal. Then my principal called... oh yeah, I was supposed to teach that day! Derrik was my scribe as I told him what to write for lesson plans for a sub and he had to run it up to the school. We were so unprepared for her to come early, but I'm soooo glad she did! I could still be pregnant right now, and I'm so glad I'm not!

We love our little girl! She is the CUTEST baby on the planet, and we love her so much!