Hot Springs, AR

We made our way from Hot Springs, AR to Westlake, OH by way of Kentucky. We enjoyed visiting friends and family in Ohio. It was a wonderful time of year to be there. It was still warm but fall was in the air. We went apple picking, spent a morning at Lake Erie and the kids enjoyed their fist Scottish dance lesson with their second cousin Alex. We stayed in a 200 year old farm house that was very interesting and fun. There was a garden and we pulled out a few carrots to enjoy. We finished off our time in Ohio with a bonfire.

Our new baby arrived 1/9/17 around 5 pm. It was a relatively quick and easy labor and delivery, thanks to my epidural.  I’m sure it would have been faster without the epidural, but hey, I was just trying to have a baby, not be a hero.

My parents got to our house Jan 1st.  They were going to take care of the other kids while we had our third.  We waited and waited for the baby to come.  The other offspring came one week before their actual due date, so I was thinking this one would be the same. Her actual due date was Janurary 13th, so I thought she would come on Jan. 6th.  Well, the 6th came and went and no baby.  My parents were leaving on the 10th for a cruise in Asia, so if we needed help she needed to hurry up and get here.  At my weekly appointment on the 6th, I discussed this with my doctor and she agreed to schedule an induction on Monday, the 9th.  So we waited through the weekend and there was still no sign of the baby.

We got to the hospital at 8am on Monday, ready to celebrate the birth of another McCullough.  Everything went smoothly.  They got the pictocin going around 10 or 11.  I finally started feeling some pretty strong contractions around 2 or 3, time for the epidural. Since this is the third time, I know the drill. I don’t want to wait till the contractions hurt so bad that I can’t stay still.  Once the epidural is in, it’s pretty easy.  Then around 4:00 I feel some strong pains through the epidural, we notify the nurse.  Oh and by the way Dylan is here for all of this too.  He is a wonderful birth coach, now that he knows what to do from experience.  I am fully dialated and ready to push.  Dylan calls my mom and lets her know its time and to come to the hospital.  After several rounds of pushing the baby comes flying out!  The pain I had felt for the past few months is immediately relieved as she pushes off my ribs one last time on her way out.  She is pink, strong and healthy looking.  They handed her right to me.  She looks beautiful. She has an adorable chin dimple, but no cheek dimples.  She looks like a sweet angel.

My mom got to the hospital right after she was born, while they were weighing her.  She was 6 lbs. and 6 oz.  The biggest one yet.  She started eating right away and had no trouble figuring it out.  I stayed in the hospital one night, Dylan went home so we could all be comfortable and get some rest.  It was nice to have a quiet night with my new  baby.  We decided on her name the following day.  It was going to be Audrey, Ivy or Presley.  With a middle name of Jade, June or Jean.  Hopefully she likes the one we picked, Presley June.  After some convincing and several wellness checks, including hearing and the pediatrician coming in at 4:30 am, we were allowed to leave the evening on January 10th, after just 24 hours from when she was born.