Friday, June 24, 2011

One Week Later!

Hello There!
My dear sweet husband posted the baby information and wasn't sure if I used names of our children on this blog. So, here is a little bit more information on...
Caroline Marie Wessner I sent this out in an e-mail as well, so some of you may have it...but this is for those of you that I don't have your e-mail or for those of you blog surfing just curious about some random family that just had their 4th baby...

Greetings!

One week after our little peanut has arrived and I am able to sit in this uncomfortable chair long enough to write a skinny report on how she got here...EARLY!!! For those of you who just need the facts:



Caroline Marie Wessner was born on Friday, June 17 at 1:32 via c-section. She weighed 9 pounds 10 ounces and looks very much like her big brother Anson! We cannot believe she's here...



For those who want some details:

I am a large pregnant lady and many people don't think I'll make it to the seventh month. I have, however, never gone into labor...until Caroline. I was nervous about going into labor because my doctor was on vacation in Charleston and I didn't know if I would know what labor felt like. I'd be the crazy lady showing up delivering in the parking lot because I didn't know that I was in labor...and I've already had 3 kids!!! For those of you who don't know...all 3 kids (4 now) have been c-sections. So, my sister told me that I would certainly be able to tell the difference between real contractions and braxtion hicks. Here is the difference...you want to hit someone when you are having a real contraction. So, I was up for 2 nights wanting to pound my sleeping husband's face in and then I realized that perhaps I should call my Dr. So, I was tired and grumpy and scared last Friday and I called him on his vacation, apologized for bothering him, and asked what I should do. He sent me to his office where I was monitored and checked for "progress." For the first time EVER I had progress!!! I was 80 % effaced and 1 cm dilated. After the Dr. told me I said, "Really??? I've never done any of that before!!!" She said that we should go ahead and have a baby because there was no way I would make it until Monday. Monday was the day of my scheduled c-section. So I said, "Well, can you hand me my purse, I should call my husband." Well, for those of you who know us, you know we only have 1 phone...and I had it. So, Mike was heading downtown to get the kids to camp at our church so I left a message on my own answering machine!!! How nuts is that, "Hey Babe, it's me. The Dr. said we should go ahead and have the baby. Our Dr. is on his way home to deliver Caroline. Go ahead and pack the clothes I laid on the bed and just get here before Coach. (Coach is what we call my OB)" So, then Mike gets this message and calls me back. Thankfully my Mom was able to pick my kids up from downtown and Mike's parents were here by 10:45. It was so much fun seeing how all things had been planned and prepared. As I sat in the Dr. office I thought of Psalm 139..."all my days were ordained for me before one of them came to be...how precious to me are your thoughts O God, how vast is the sum of them." We planned a day and the Lord had a day already. There was almost a relief knowing that it was "time" and we were not pushing things. I was thankful to say the least. So, Mike showed up and the kids and our parents and we glowed with excitement to meet our newest gift.

So, we got the medical part out of the way (I really detest the epidural!!! I love how I feel, but I don't love the idea of a needle in my spine!!!) and I was wheeled back to have my baby. It was one of the harder deliveries I have had. I had some nausea which has never happened and felt a bit more pressure than in the past. However...to hear her cry and see her face...wow!!!

She looks like Anson. She's super cute and cuddly and now that she has milk (it took 2 or 3 days this time so she was slightly hungry) to drink she hits that milk coma and can be passed around from one doting sibling to another. The kids are smitten to say the least! Ella says, "When is my sister going to wake up?" They kiss her and check on her and constantly ask if they are the next one to hold her. I hog her, to be honest. You just never know when you are holding your last baby. I have also enjoyed just laying low. I am so thankful for all of you that have called and left messages and have signed up for meals. We were going ninety to nothing the last 3 weeks and even if I hadn't have had a baby via surgery I think I would have attempted to disappear! Whew! So, we'll be returning to the land of the living soon...until then I wanted to tell you all sort of what happened, why she was early and why I have disappeared a bit...I'm just falling in love all over again. With my baby...with my husband...with the God of Heaven and Earth that would not withhold this sweet treasure from our family. I can't wait for you all to see her...to get to know her...and for all of us to know the story God has for her.

So, thanks for reading this...for caring about us...and Caroline...Sweet Caroline.


Love,

Ali on behalf of the whole Team Wessner!

Friday, June 17, 2011

New Team Member!




We welcomed our newest member of Team Wessner today!

21.5" long and 9 lbs. 10 oz.!

Here are a few of the first pictures to enjoy.