It's a BOY!

Although we had been eagerly counting down the days to our due date, April 17th came and went without so much as a twinge of a contraction.  I shouldn't have been surprised given Dolloff babies' histories.  For those that don't know, we tend to need to a little extra time in the oven... think 3+ weeks of extra baking time.  I suppose that is why we are all extra special.

Another thing about Dolloff babies, we tend to be on the ahem, large side.  My youngest sister was 11 lbs & 6 oz (5.16 kilos).  Now I had been telling the midwives from the very beginning I thought the baby would be large, but they insisted it wasn't hereditary.   That was until I went in for my 10-days late ultrasound and they agreed the little one didn't look so little.  And with that I was booked in to be induced 2 days later.

So we went home and spent the next 2 days talking about the fact that it would be the 'last time' we ever did anything without a baby... the last supper, the last walk, the last grocery shop, etc.  And then finally the day was here!

Leaving for the hospital! 41 weeks + 5 days!

We arrived at the hospital bright and early Saturday morning with the hope we would have a baby that afternoon.  Well it quickly became clear we had drastically underestimated just how long the induction process could take.  By Saturday evening we knew we would be lucky if the baby was there by Sunday morning, so we settled in for the long haul.

Camped out

Joe's purple chair... with all the bells and whistles

By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around we were told they would do a final check and if I had not progressed to at least 4cm dialated they were taking me in for an emergency c-section.  After a day and a half of being pricked, probed, and pumped with drugs I was praying I had made it to at least 4cm.  The midwife came in, did the check, looked up and announced I was barely 1 cm dialated!  1 cm?!?!?  Really, only 1?!  Oh how defeated I felt.  Clearly this baby was not ready to be born naturally.  So we switched gears and prepared for surgery.

Last picture as a family of 2

The next thing I knew I was being wheeled into a large bright room full of doctors, midwives, and nurses.  They quickly numbed me from the chest down and ensured I could not see anything.  As someone who gets squeamish having my blood drawn I was strangely calm.  The anticipation and excitement of finally welcoming our little one into the world outweighed any panic and fear I was feeling.  Plus having Joe right by my side the entire time to talk me through everything kept me focused and relaxed.

Then at 3:12 PM (only about 10 minutes into the operation) I heard our baby cry for the first time and looked up eagerly as I waited for one of the doctors to lift the baby above the sheet for us to see.  Joe saw the baby first and after a brief pause excitedly announced it was a BOY!  Caden Webb Schneider had finally made his grand entrance and we immediately fell in love.

Caden's first photo!

And yes he was large... tipping the scales at 10lbs 3oz (4.62 kilos)!!!  The midwife read the weight off in kilos and then read the pounds based on a conversion chart.  But she read the chart wrong and initially I was told Caden weighed nearly 14 pounds!  It was only 2 minutes later when Joe realized the error and told me he only weighed 10lbs 3oz.

The weigh in!

Meeting our son was one of the most unbelievable and surreal experiences of my entire life and one I will never forget.

The proud papa!

And ecstatic momma!

After another half hour or so of surgery I was finally closed up and brought into the recovery room where Joe, Caden and I could have our first moment just the three of us.  Joe brought Caden into the room and placed him into my arms for the first time and I was immediately overcome with joy and relief that he was finally here and healthy.

Then Joe went to get Grandma Kathy who had flown in from Chicago just a few days before.  She walked into the room and we introduced her to her first grandson!

We spent the next ten minutes calling Mimi and Padre, Aunt Hilary, Aunt Gretchen and Grandpa Paul to let them know their new little grandson/nephew had arrived and was happy and healthy.

Finally it was time to start our lives as a family of three!

Welcome to the world, Caden.  We love you!