Arabella's Arrival

I was scheduled to get induced (so that I would have enough help with Brad before school started this week!), but kept getting rescheduled because apparently everyone in the county was in labor Friday and Saturday and the hospitals were full.  I started feeling like I was never going to get in!  Finally at 3 pm Saturday the labor and delivery nurse called me and told me to come in.  My doctor arrived and broke my water at 5 pm.  She said I had been dilated 5 cm and hadn't told me because she didn't want me to worry about that while I was dealing with Brad and the trip to Santa Barbara!  Within an hour I was in PAIN (must've come on fast since I was already halfway done!)  I got an epidural at 8 pm and was 7 cm.  The nurse said she'd check me again in 3 hours....3 hours?!  She agreed to check in 2.  An hour and a half later she said the baby's heart rate was dropping with contractions and that usually means you're ready...and I was.  That was 9:30 pm.  The doctor was called.  She got there around 10.  I pushed for 2 contractions and Arabella arrived into this world at 10:07 pm on August 21st!  The whole thing took 5 hours!  She weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces, and was 21 1/4 inches long.  Big girl!  She's perfect, and already a part of our pack at home <3