Announcing...Quinn Edward Pope

He's here! The day Brad and I have been waiting for for over 30 months (yes...that's how long we dealt with infertility issues, in vitro, and our 41 week pregnancy), Quinn is finally here and he is PERFECT! He made his arrival on Tuesday, May 18th at 4:38 in the afternoon. He weighed in at 6 pounds 9 ounces and measured 19 inches long. He's a skinny long thing...cute as can be. I'll share some pictures and if you don't want the details of the labor and delivery, stop there, otherwise, read on to get the whole story! Hope you enjoy the pics...I'm sure this blog will be loaded with many more in the months and years to come!


Beth, my amazing Doula, my mom who has been completely God Sent, Me, Quinn, and Brad


After 30 hours of labor...Quinn and me


Proud Daddy!


My super sweet expressive Little Man!

Okay...stop reading NOW if you want to be spared the details, otherwise...here we go!

Monday morning, I went in to see Dr. Smith at 9:45 and was dilated to almost a 2. I asked him to strip my membranes and within an hour, I started having contractions. I wish I would have known that this simple procedure would have gotten me going so fast...we could have done it a week earlier!! Either way...I was having contractions but was determined to enjoy the day with my mom who had driven in the night before. We went shopping, out for lunch, and enjoyed some good talks and laughs that, probably for the last time, revolved around me and not around Quinn. By 3 o'clock, I called Brad at work and told him he had to come home because this was the real thing. Mom and I went for a mile long walk and although I had to stop and go when there were contractions, we still did the walk in under 20 minutes (just a heads up, I gauged my labor on how long it took me to walk a mile!),turned on
My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and took a nap. I woke up to the contractions getting worse but knew I still had a while left, so we made dinner and by 7 o'clock, we were ready for yet another walk. This time, the walk took almost an hour to go 1 mile! Yes...things were definitely coming along. Contractions were now almost a minute long and 6-7 minutes apart. They were strong enough to make me stop dead in my tracks and as horrible as it sounds, all I wanted to do was poop! It was so bad (for those of you who know me well, you won't be surprised by this one) that, much to my mom's dismay, I squatted across from my neighbor's yard. My mom tried to get me to get up and get going again, but my response was "The cold breeze feels so good against my bum...I'm fine right here!" Oh My Gosh...looking back, I'm dying laughing! What a train wreck I was!!! Anyway...we made it home without any further incidents =)

Brad was waiting for us and I must say he was absolutely amazing throughout the entire labor. He was by my side, so patient, encouraging, and supportive. I really think he should be for hire as a labor coach/assistant because he was that good! Knowing that we both wanted this to be a natural, drug-free labor, it was important to us to stay home as long as possible. Brad had downloaded a contraction timer on his phone and was religious about timing and having the data ready to download (did you know he loves spreadsheets?!??! That's my analyst husband!) We talked to our doula, Beth, around 9 and she decided that with contractions 1-2 minutes long with 3-4 minute breaks in between them, that she would come over. By 10, with contractions only 3-4 minutes apart, we decided the time was right to make the uncomfortable drive to the hospital. We were certain I'd at least be at a 5 or maybe even a 6, but after being checked, I was only at a measly 3!!! Oh My Gosh! Were they kidding me!?!?!

We labored throughout the night, using our rest periods to sing and dance along to the Broadway Showtunes CD that my brother so cleverly crafted for us until I measured a 6-7. I started having contractions that were intense for 5-6 minutes with 1 minute rest intervals for over an hour. We labored in the shower and wow do I believe in the power of water for labor now! Unfortunately, when they measured me after all those contractions and I was back down to a 5!! I was so disappointed, but was ready to push on! Until it was 6am, they measured me again after wicked bad contractions and I was measuring a 4! At this point, 19 hours later, I was exhausted...shoot, we all were...and I was ready to consider the epidural. At 8:30, after much contemplation, I got the epidural, they broke my water at 9 and I had no idea I had a single contraction from 8:30-3:30!! It was amazing! We all were able to sleep (me less than anyone else with all the anticipation) and relax. By 3:00, I was shocked to know I was at a 9 and by 3:30 I was at a 10 but told I couldn't start pushing until 4:00 because the doctor was in surgery and couldn't guarantee that he'd be able to catch Quinn. My response "This wouldn't be the first doctor to miss a delivery!"

I labored down and was able to hold off pushing until Dr. Smith arrived, pushed for 25 minutes and had the most beautiful baby boy laying on my chest by 4:38! Now, I'm not delusional. I know that newborns are not really cute. Shoot, my son resembles ET's child with his skinny scrawny body, has baby acne which we have promised to have resolved for him by the time he goes to Prom, and his eyes roll back into his head because his eye muscles are not developed enough for tracking things very well yet, but he is BEAUTIFUL! He has a tongue that is half Michael Jordan, half lizard, he LOVES to hear his Mommy and Daddy's voices, has great muscle control (you know he's been working out for the past 9 months), whimpers when he can't find what he's looking for (let's be honest, when he can't find the teet), and only has been crying when we force him to wake up for feeding. He is AMAZING! All I can say is that Life is Good and God is GREAT! We're hoping to be able to take him home today and be able to spend the weekend with him enjoying the sun, beating his jaundice, out on the boat.

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and support this past week, nine months, 30 months, and lifetime. Brad and I are so blessed with friends and family who love us and who love our Baby Quinn as much as we do!