April Fools Surprise

Kalianna Dace Carroll is here! Can you believe it? Sometimes I still can't believe it and she is sleeping right next to me! Since many people ask about the pronunciation, I will spell her name phenetically for you. Cal (like the beginning of California) Cal-E-on-a Dot-say Carroll. Kalianna is the combination of two names we liked and back when we were first married, Matt and I decided to give all our children Latvian middle names. Dace was a good friend of Matt's on his mission who really helped him a lot with his Latvian. So, there you go. Now for the fun story:

Wednesday I took it easy all day and then I picked up Matt for our appointment around 4:00pm. We got to the hospital around 4:30 and they began getting me ready for the procedure at 5:00. I was having a few contractions, but nothing steady. I've been having contractions for the last two months, so I thought nothing of it. They gave me something to relax my uterus, so it would be easier to try and turn her. They hooked me up to an IV as well as monitored both mine and baby's heart rates. The doctor came in and asked if I was ready, and they began. She and a resident began trying to get her little head to move out of my ribs and down to my pelvis. They had her halfway turned (so she was completely horizontal) and then she went right back to where she was. The pain was just a notch below unbearable. They worked on my stomach for a good half hour when Dr. Brown said it was enough. She wasn't budging. They noticed that despite the medicine, I was having contractions throughout the procedure. And in fact, the contractions may have been why they were having such a hard time getting her to move. So Dr. Brown checked me and I was dilated to a 4 and 90% effaced. Plus her little foot was poking in and out of my cervix. Dr. Brown looked at me and said "I think you've had enough. I can't send you home like this, so what do you say we deliver this baby tonight?" I started crying (it was a little overwhelming) and I think Matt just about passed out. After joking all day about how funny it would be to have her born on April Fools Day, our little joke was coming true. The doctor left to check the schedule, and the phone calls began. We called my sister to pick up our dogs and take them to my parents house and told my mom to meet us at the hospital and to bring a camera. We called both our families to tell them the baby was indeed coming that night. Several people didn't believe us until I text them a picture of her after delivery. We didn't have anything with us, so thank goodness for family who could bring the items we needed to the hospital! Its incredible how calm I felt about the whole situation. After my brief burst of emotions when the doctor told me I'd be delivering that night, I was amazingly calm and happy about the whole situation. They took us back to the operating room and the anestesiologist gave me a shot to numb me from the armpits down. It was so weird watching them move my legs around, but not feeling a thing! I could feel a lot of pulling and pressure, but no pain. One of the strangest sensations I have ever felt was the relief of pressure as they pulled her little head out of me. The moment I heard that first little cry, I knew my life had changed forever. I was in love! Tears of pure joy started streaming down my face. It was SO HARD lying there while they stitched me up and listening to her cry. Matt was able to watch as they cleaned her up and weighed her and everything, but I had to be patient. All I wanted was to finally meet my beautiful little girl! They brought me back to the room and sat me up and I was able to look at her perfect little face for the first time and cradle her in my arms. She latched on immediately and has been a champion eater ever since. We had a couple names in mind, but the moment we saw her we thought she looked like a little Kali. Kalianna was born Wednesday, April 1st at 8:08pm. She weighed 6 lbs 2 oz and measured 19 1/2 inches long. We enjoyed many visitors over the next few days, but are glad we were able to go home this morning. Its nice to be home!