Big, Big Brother

Last week's blog was all about our sweet Miss Carrigan so it is only fair that this week Merrick gets a little blog love.

Several people told me after Carrigan was born that I would be amazed at how big Merrick seemed. I guess that by comparison it is only natural that he would seem huge, but he also seems so grown up.  He has been so cute and helpful over the last few weeks.   He loves to give Carrigan kisses and bring me diapers, wipes, binkies, and the "bobby" (boppy).

Merrick has also developed the funniest habit since Carrigan was born. He loves to do tricks, like standing on one foot, and say "can babies do this?"  Even he is realizing how big he is and all the things he is able to do that his baby sister is not.

I also can't believe that in four short weeks he will have finished his first year of preschool. It is truly amazing to me how much he has learned and how far he has come.  Last week we got his school pictures back.  Just see for yourself how grown up and handsome he has become.  Who could resist this face?

Carrigan Leigh Clifford

Today is Mother's Day, but my Mother's Day present came just over a week ago.  Last Friday night Jeremy and I were putting Merrick to bed and I was starting to have contractions.  They were pretty consistent (typically about 10 minutes apart) but they were not particularly painful so I figured it was a false alarm.  In fact they were mild enough that after Merrick fell asleep, Jeremy and I watched a movie and then went to sleep ourselves.

At 2:30am I was awoken by some truly painful contractions.  I timed them for half and hour and they were  5-7 minutes apart so I decided it was time to wake Jeremy up and head to the hospital.  It took us a while to get our bundle tied and get out the door.  When we got in the car it was 3:25, I took note because I was having a contraction.

We got to labor and delivery at the hospital about 3:40.  Luckily they did not make me "prove" I was in labor and took me straight to my room.  The nurse asked me about my plan for pain management and I told her I wanted an epidural.  She told me she was going to check me to see where thing were at and then we would work on getting my epidural.  Unfortunately, when she checked me she changed her tune.  She started saying that I was ready to start pushing and that I could have an epidural if there was time but she was not sure.

Before I knew it my room was swarming with nurses and one nurse said she was going to sit at the end of my bed until the doctor could get there.  When the doctor got there it became obvious that an epidural was not going to happen.  I asked the nurse if they could do something else for  the pain and she assured me they could as soon as they got my IV in.  Well, after two failed attempts at getting the IV in, the baby was coming and they gave up on the IV.

I would like to say that I handled what came next with grace and dignity, but that was not the case.  I screamed and yelled that I could not do it, but at the end of the day I did not really have any other choice and we made it through somehow.

In record time, at 4:12am on May 4th, 2013, Carrigan Leigh Clifford joined the world and our family.  She weighed 7lbs 4oz and they measured her at 18 1/2 inches long (although I think she is actually quite a bit longer than that).  She has LOTS of really dark hair and long fingers and toes.  As you can see from the pictures she is beautiful.  She is the perfect addition to our family and we all, including her big brother, love her so much.

In the week she has been home we all have adjusted well.  She eats and sleeps well and is a joy and a blessing in every way.