Miss Annabel was due March 27th but seemed quite comfortable right where she was and an inducement was set for April 2nd. We went to the hospital at 7am very excited for our little darling to make an appearance.
We thought we'd have a baby by noon but when nothing was really happening by noontime, we realized it was going to be a long day. I was hooked up to the monitors so I couldn't even walk around. And, unfortunately we couldn't find much on TV. Neil read the paper to me, even the horoscopes. Waiting...
At 10pm, we finally agreed with the doctor that it was time for a c-section. And, by 10:30pm, our baby was born. It's a GIRL!
Such a sweet baby girl.
First photo of our family of five!
Thank goodness Grandma Hunter had made it to New York in time for Annabel's arrival. The boys were in good hands and we didn't have to worry about transporting them between our neighbors/friends/family or calling anyone at 2am. Here's Grandma and Liam meeting Annabel for the first time. They are inspecting her tiny hands.
"Yea, yea, we love our baby sister. She's so cute. But, what did you bring us for snacktime, Grandma?"
This little lady attracted quite a crowd of admirers at the hospital. Nana Rudden and Aunt Annie came to visit!
Uncle Colin and Doreen also came to meet Annabel. And, they brought her an entire wardrobe of dresses and cute girly outfits. She's all set for her first year!
My friend Ayana lives near the hospital so she came by after work to meet Annabel. She delivered her son at the same hospital two years ago. Two other friends, Ana and Katherine, also came by one evening. They brought desserts and wine! They also stayed an hour and a half past visiting hours. It was one of the rare times we could get together without one our 9 kids combined interrupting the gossip.
I'm so excited to have a girl. I believe there will be lots of bows and pink in the future. One morning at the hospital they brought her in wearing her first bow!
And, she tried on her second bow. Uh, oh. Maybe she doesn't like bows.
Daddy's little girl already. Neil bought three containers of hand sanitizer to have around the house. He doesn't want any germs near his precious girl.
At four days old, we welcomed Annabel home. She slept the entire ride from the hospital and then slept for a few hours after we arrived. It was such a blessing that she eased us slowly into our new life with three little ones.
We are so in love with our three wonderful children and look forward to another busy year. Hopefully I can keep up on the blog. Let the chaos begin!
