Welcome Jacob

We were blessed on Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at 7:59 a.m. with little Jacob Lewis Peterson. He came into the world weighing 7lbs 12oz and 19 inches long. He has a full head of hair and a great set of lungs.

Jacob was welcomed to the world by his big sister Kimberly and big brother Matthew.

Both sets of grandparents were present and gleaming with pride when they saw the new addition to the family. Jacob makes number 3 grandbaby for my parents and number 30 for my in-laws.

My experience was probably the best out of the three. I am not sure if that is because it was on my mind that this might be my last so I had better live it up or because I was in a different frame of mind spiritually or because my husband told me I had to be nice to people. I know that sounds bad but I tend to not like having to depend on some stranger for multiple things. I have been known in the past to be a little mean to and about some of the people in the hospital. So Brian warned me that I needed to be nice and let them do things for me. Totally needed to hear that to put me in my place and it worked.

Our morning started out early on the 15th. We had to be at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. Luckily my parents came down the day before and stayed the night so we didn't have to worry about our kids. It had snowed that night and so we had a few inches on the ground heading to the hospital. We arrived on time and was greeted by very nice but tired people. One thing that was extremely different this time around was the fact I was in the women/newborn center for the first time. They designed this center around womens and babies needs. It was a very inviting feeling when we arrived. Nothing hurt too bad getting my IV and what nots. The only real concern I had was my nasty cold and cough I had developed a few weeks before. I was coughing extremely hard that morning and was concerned about this. So were all the nurses. When the drug doctor came in to talk to me, I expressed this concern and he was like oh well. If we need to do it again, we will. I was glad he wasn't too worried about it. We made our way to the operating room and first thing I noticed was the window that you could see the tops of the mountains. That made the room feel different from a normal operating room (and I have seen my share). Another thing that was new was Brian was allowed in there with me during the spinal. In fact, he held my hands thru the entire thing. That helped me a lot. During the spinal, I was concentrating on my Heavenly Father because I knew he was there with me. Surprising enough, it didn't hurt and drug doc had success the first time in. Oh and the best part... I didn't cough once. The surgery was pretty uneventful for me. I could feel the relief of when they removed Jacob from me... felt like I had lost a few pounds and a huge weight. The next thing new was I could watch them cleaning and doing tests on Jacob while I was being stitched up. I lost my cookies a bit during this time and had a hard time breathing but they always assure me it is normal and I am fine.

Not long before I was done being stitched up, Brian took Jacob to the NICU. When he arrived, he was greeted by a room full of grandparents snapping pictures and one Matthew with his nose pressed up against the glass. The neat thing was Brian had the video camera running on them so I could see their reaction. The grandparents were beaming and Matthew wasn't sure what to think. I am not sure if that reaction was for Jacob or seeing daddy in scrubs. Meanwhile I was all stapled up and wheeled out to a little room that was just for me. I was only there about 5 minutes when Brian and Jacob joined me. This was a new experience as well. With my last babies I wasn't allowed to see the baby for almost 2 hours after the birth. Here I was only 5 minutes out of surgery getting to have skin on skin contact with my Jacob. Talk about an amazing feeling. I also got to feed him for the first time and that was a neat feeling. No matter how many times I breastfeed a baby or for how long, the first time is always special. After that experience, Jacob had to go back to NICU for some more tests but Brian got to bring Matthew back to see me. That was also new. Matthew wasn't too sure seeing me in the hospital bed but he was cute. Brian and Matthew followed me up to my room where we were greeted by the grandparents. So far I am having a good experience. Not long after we got settled, the nurse brought Jacob in. After passing Jacob around to everyone (but Matthew... he wasn't sure yet), the nurse said it was bath time... right on my bed. This was also new! I got to watch him right in front of me get his first bath. So neat. Then right in the room, Brian washed his hair. The funny thing was my mom forgot to hit the record button on the camera during this and so we don't have it on camera but like I reminded her... I got to see it with my own eyes.

Not long after, Kimberly got to join us from school. She was so excited and right away wanted to hold Jacob. I was glad she wasn't shy or scared. Matthew followed suit with Grampie's help. It was neat to see them so excited about new little brother.

All my nurses were very nice and eager to help. I too was very nice back and it made for a good experience. I couldn't believe how quickly I felt better and was ready to go home. As nice as things were in the hospital, nothing beats being home.

Yes we are lacking a bit of sleep and the kids are trying our patiences but we are enjoying every minute having Jacob in our lives. We have been blessed with so many calls and visits. I can't believe it has been almost a week since Jacob entered this earthly life. It is almost Christmas and I feel so lucky to have received such a special Christmas gift this year. I do hope to get more cute pictures on here soon... when I have a moment HA!

Blessing to all!