Welcome Louis Starbuck

After years of discussion and back and forths we decided to go ahead and add to the family.  It worked and I was due Octobe 16th with #3.  Louis Starbuck was born on October 8, 2017 at 12:18pm weighing in at 9 lbs 1 oz.
I found out I was pregnant in February and a week later found out my coworker was due the day after me.  Uh oh to work.  We did give them 9 months to prepare though as Nitrous Oxide was on my no go for pregnancy list. 
Things went along pretty well, no real problems at all during this one but let me tell you that I was uncomfortable.  I gained a total of 19 lbs only this time but it felt like 89.  I couldn't bend, breathe, I had heartburn, sleep was tough because my hips hurt, my kids were scared of me due to my ever changing mood.
Skip to the end:  I woke up at 3 am on October 8 with what felt like water breaking.  I walked to the bathroom and before I set foot on tile knew what had happened.  It was movie style, like a new body of water was forming in our basement.  I called the hospital to let them know I was coming in, called my mom to get her over her to watch the kids and called my neighbor to see if she would be willing to watch them until my mom got here.  All was a go.  After a shower and a snack we set off for the hospital with towels shoved in my pants because there was nothing smaller to contain it.  I started to have contractions on the drive to the hospital but it was completely tolerable. 

 When we walked in to admitting the nurses looked at each other and said "this one is for real" they checked me and I was at a 5!  (Skip back and I had no progression at any appointment up until this day)  I was excited and thought it was going to go fast.  I got moved upstairs and was given the biggest diaper I had ever seen to wear.  They decided to get me the epidural sooner rather than later because it could go quick.  I agreed as I never want to relive the birth of Ben in my life. 

 So by 5 am or so we set up and waited.  By 10 I was still at a 5 and my water hadn't broken completely (which is terrifying because I left a trail behind me everywhere I walked, what the heck is a full water break like?!?) so they decided to give me a little bit of pitocin and break my water.  The Dr. came in and did that around 1130.  At noon the nurse came to check on me to see how I was tolerating the pitocin and asked if I wanted a check - I agreed.  She immediately said "don't push at all" and paged the Dr.  It was go time. 
Martin fixed my hair. 

 Once the doctor was there it took three contractions of me pushing and out he came with blondish/redish hair. 

 Because of his size they wanted to check his glucose levels for 24 hours so we went to the recovery room and sat.  Shockingly in MN in October there are no visitor restrictions so the kids were allowed to come and visit on his birthday. 

 Both were pretty excited to see what mommy "pooped out"

 Little guy got his first bath the next day and we were all doing well so of home we went. 

 It is always amazing how small they look in newborn clothes in the carseat. 

 We made it home and settled into the reality of being outnumbered by children and I had yet one more male in the house.  Thank goodness I am a bit of a tomboy because this would be a tough life otherwise.