Mackenzie is here

Dr. Wiegman scheduled an induction for 5 AM on Tuesday, Aug. 24, which was 10 days early. He had a vacation to Colorado that he would be enjoying on my actual due date, and he wanted to avoid another 8 pound baby. We arrived at the hospital about 10 minutes early, and the nurses immediately put me in a room. We hung out for about an hour waiting for IVs and fluids to get set up. At about 8:30 Dr. Wiegman showed up to break my water. He told me that I could have an epidural at any time. At about 9:15, I asked Tara, my labor and delivery nurse for an epidural. By 9:30, the anesthesiologist had shown up and administered the best drugs ever. Labor progressed slowly, but since I was under drugs...I drifted in and out of sleep. By 3:30 PM, Tara said that Dr. Wiegman was on his way, and everything should go pretty fast from there. If I remember correctly, Dr. Wiegman showed up at 3:50. I pushed like 3 times, and she was here. Mackenzie was born at 3:55 PM. She was 7 pounds 14 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. She had jet black hair and a tiny cry. She is one of a kind. She does look a lot like Katie did except with black hair.

Is it time?

It seemed like a normal Sunday. Dave and I headed to the car wash to get our cars cleaned before the baby got here. While we were there, I started having contractions. They finished our cars when my contractions had been 4 minutes apart for 45 minutes. We dropped Katie off at my parent's house, and we headed to the hospital. They took me into triage at about 12:40 and checked me. They hooked me up to the monitors, and started checking my vitals. The nurse informed me that I was at 2 centimeters, but I had a good contraction pattern. She also told me that Dr. Wiegman was unavailable, and if I delivered, Dr. Peppler would deliver the baby. I told her that I needed Dr. Wiegman there, and she said he wouldn't be available until 7 AM the next day. So, at that moment, I prayed that we could wait until he could deliver. We walked, we sat, we read, we texted...after 3 hours, we were released. The nurse said that she wouldn't be surprised if we returned later that day.

Happy Birthday Jaxson

Katie has really missed one of her best friends since they moved away. She had been waiting for Jaxson's birthday party for about a week and a half. She couldn't have been any more excited when it finally arrived. His party was at a public pool in Arlington geared toward kids 4-7. It was perfect. Katie had a blast and enjoyed being reunited with her best bud from next door.

Big Katie's Shower

Katie and I headed to Wylie to shower Kelsey with gifts before her arrival. Katie and Natalie were HUGE helpers in helping Big Katie open all of the gifts. I got to catch up with Katie's sister, Jennifer, Erica, and Katie got to meet Big Katie's niece, Natalie. The girls had such a blast. It's not very often you're pregnant at the same time as one of your best friends...but this pregnancy proved to be very different.

WinStar

So, somehow, my boss got the teachers at my school a charter bus to the WinStar casino in Oklahoma. We headed out at 8:30 in the morning for an hour long drive. When we got there, we were free to do as we pleased. They had an over-priced spa, slot machines, and a pool. Our breakfast and lunch were catered by ChickFilA. We would be back on the bus at 4:30. Kasey, Brenda and I started at the slots with $20. I lost it all in a matter of an hour and a half. Then, we ate lunch, and I spent the rest of the day at the pool. It was a great way to kick off the new school year. Plus, I didn't go into labor. :)

Making Room for Kenzie

Katie was way overdue for some new furniture. We just never really made it a priority until it was time to get ready for the baby. Katie was still in a toddler bed that had been converted from a crib, and she didn't seem upset. So, her room was transformed first.

When we finished with Katie's room, it was time to get Kenzie's room ready. We were using most of Katie's furniture and just had to transform the study into a nursery.
So, the transformation was complete. It was just time to wait for her arrival.