Lincoln's Arrival

On day 12 of Lincoln's life I finally have time to write about his arrival. It's been a (mostly) beautiful transition to a family of four and we truly could not be more blessed by this addition. 

On December 19th, four days after Lincoln's due date, I had a non-stress test and a sonogram scheduled to check my amniotic fluid level. His heartbeat sounded good during the non-stress test, but the sonogram revealed that the fluid level was too low for him to remain safely in the womb. 

My doctor scheduled me to be induced just three hours later. Part of me was eager to end the pregnancy aspect and meet our son, but I felt mostly uncomfortable with the idea of being induced. I wanted the baby to come on his own. I'm still sad that I'll never know what his true birthday would have been had be come when he was ready, but I trusted God's plan for us and knew it was necessary to be induced for the baby's safety. Although I had to accept being induced, I wanted to avoid Pitocin if possible. Luckily, Lincoln cooperated and 45 minutes after the doctor broke my water I went into labor without the use of Pitocin. I could have had an epidural right away, and never felt a contraction (a benefit of being induced), but for some reason I felt like I needed to feel the labor pains, at least for a little bit. After an hour of strong and LONG contractions, I requested the epidural. It didn't work fully for a couple hours, but the pain was still reduced exponentially. After five hours of labor and two pushes, our Lincoln James arrived. The doctor and nurses couldn't get over how big he was, commenting that his hands and feet looked like they belonged to a toddler. He didn't disappoint when he was weighed, coming in at 8 lbs. 13 oz.! 

Unlike our poor Adeline who struggled with feeding and medical issues upon her arrival, everything went smoothly with Lincoln. He fed well, slept well, and only cried during diaper changes. What a relief! I only knew the trying times of raising Addie as a baby, so to have this peaceful, calm child was very unfamiliar and WELCOME territory. A true Christmas blessing. I'm sure glad that God promises not to give us more than we can handle =). With our strong-willed Addie, God knew that Lincoln would be the perfect addition to our family. 

Our first night in the hospital went well and I couldn't wait for Addie to come meet her little brother the next day. As we prepared her for the new role of big sister, I imagined her to be sweet, loving, gentle and totally in love with her brother. And that's exactly how it's turned out to be (95% of the time). Feeding time brings on some tantrums, but aside from that, she's completely infatuated and attentive to Lincoln. Tim asked our nurse for advice about introducing Adeline to her brother and she suggested Tim hold the baby and hand him to her while she sat with me. She also said that we should tell her that this was her Christmas present, "Her very own baby!" We did as the nurse advised and it was such a sweet moment--one I will always cherish! When given her "present" Addie ever-so-sweetly replied, "Thank you, Daddy"...even though I did all the work! Ha. The innocence of a child =). 

The entire experience of Lincoln's birth went as smoothly as possible. After two days we were discharged and eagerly went home to our baby girl. Addie excitedly welcomed us home and loved on her baby brother. 

Despite ten months of nausea, little Lincoln was worth every minute of discomfort (although I may not have said that during the first 20 weeks!). We are ever thankful for all your prayers and support during my pregnancy and Lincoln's birth. God listened and answered, as He promises to do, and we are eternally thankful for our healthy baby boy!