Some Guys Dream, I Get to Live

When Amy and I found out we were expecting our fourth child, we were filled with excitement and anxiety. Excitement, because of the joy our three little girls have brought to our lives. Anxiety, because we feared the unexpected, and, what if it ended up being a little boy. When we had our first ultra sound we were both a little relieved when the nurse told us we were having another little girl. Yes, count it -- that would be five females living under the same roof and four of them all under the age of 8. The future is going to bring great opportunities for them to bond by sharing a bathroom, clothes, hair clips, bedrooms, and emotions.

Well today marked a glorious day for our family. Little Baby (soon to be named) Stephenson, little girl number 4, joined the team. We now have enough for a true female quartet (SSAA), a gymnastics team, enough to bat through clean up, a bump-set-spike-AND block, and one girl to hang on each of dad's limbs.

I have never experienced any other woman's labor and delivery, so my comparison is limited to our three others, but Amy was awesome. She stormed through the day and pretty much instructed the nurse on how to medicate and when it was time to deliver. Both the nurse and the doctor mentioned that they had never had a patient request to keep pushing, even after the contractions were finished. So, here's to you Amy Warner Stephenson! You're a beautiful woman who has given one man a wonderful life filled with beautiful girls.



Ok, so the details.
7 lbs. 10 oz.
20 in.
10.24.08
2:03 p.m.

Mom and baby are health, happy and sleeping.

Below are a few snapshots of my girls (pay no attention to the hair-- our only hope is that Amy can salvage it when I am done trying to put in pony tails and grabbies.)



Daisy was not very happy at first to see Amy holding another baby. However, when we let her hold the baby and asked her who was the lucky new big sister she got a big smile and pointed to herself.



Excitement was had all around. As soon as we put the baby on the changing table to clean her up, she gave new meaning to wetting the bed. She wet through four different blankets before she was even three minutes old. On the flip side, Anna couldn't get enough of the baby, until she forgot she had to go to the bathroom and wet her pants while holding her. We snapped this picture moments before the drama.



Lizzie had the opportunity to get to the hospital before her other sisters, and her timing was impeccable. She showed up right as we were getting ready to give the babe her very first bath. Lizzie stepped up to the plate and bathed her little sister. This shot is the two of them right after the baby was clean and bundled up to get warm.



Just moments after the birth. Check out the cheeks. The kid must be hiding something inside.



On our first two children, we didn't find out what we were having. The delivery room was filled with anticipation. With Daisy, we found out and soon realized that the only excitement in the delivery room was "what color hair and how much?"

Well, we were pretty amazed at this child. She has dark curly hair that we both hope will last for a little while. It is pretty silky soft.



Finally, thanks to all our wonderful, wonderful friends who were willing to help us with our other children while we were at the hospital. As timing and conflicts didn't allow any of our family to be in town on the exact day of the delivery, our biggest fears through this pregnancy have been surrounding the care of the other three girls while both of us were at the hospital. Our prayers were answered with an outpouring of offers and help. So, thanks to all.