{Evelyn Ann Dyer}

Here are pictures of us the weekend before it was induction day!

We did another round of "make cookies blindfolded" except this time I was blindfolded and Trav directed me. They turned out! But it's still up for debate whether or not whose cookies were better. 

Last Non Stress Test. Those tests stress me out big time and I was so grateful to have the same amazing nurse each week!

Passing time before going in for the induction with some movies and popcorn. It was surreal to realize that I would never have that time with just Jake like I've had the last 20 months. It was so fun and a time I'll never get back. We tried to live it up that last month and even though he won't remember it I'm glad he was all smiles most of the time.

Last bump pic!

Thank you treat bags I made for our nurses!

I had to triple check everything was ready for Jake before leaving the house Monday night to Thursday afternoon! 

We were in it for the long-haul at the hospital. My cervix had to be dialated the first night on August 10th. So that was from 11pm-8am. It was pretty uncomfortable and I didn't get a lot of sleep. At 8:30am on August 11th the pitocin was started and it was a long journey to the finish line, ending with our baby girl being born at 12:04 am that next day on August 12th and we were discharged on August 13th. Everything went fairly smooth! I had the best nurses anyone could dream of. Emily and Mary: two huge tender mercies who were so skilled and perfect for me. Emily was with me for the first 12 hours and Mary for the last 6 hours. Eventually I got an epidural which brought some sweet relief. But wow, of the three epidurals I've had, that one was by far the most painful. It took what felt like an eternity to get in and I felt so much of it. It was worth it in the end but that was one of the hardest parts of the day! The other two epidurals I've had with my other two babies felt no more painful than a little prick. The other hardest part was when I was dialated to an 8 and my epidural was completely gone on my right side. I thought death was near. But seriously, it was the most painful 45 minutes I've ever experienced. I'm so glad they were able to get it somewhat fixed for delivery!

This was my last meal before starting pitocin! Little did I know then that it would be a whoppin 17 hours before I could eat again!

At 12:04am our first baby to cry when coming out was born. With Jake, he didn't cry at all and wasn't very responsive so all I could ask when I was pushing her out was if she was okay. I pushed for 25 minutes and it went really smooth. Luckily I didn't have any tearing or stitches! Evelyn Ann Dyer was born at 7 lbs, 1 ounce and 20 inches long. She ended up being born at 37 weeks and 4 days along. 

Jake was super confused/nervous/off at the hospital. It probably had to do with the fact that he hadn't seen me in awhile too! My mom wasn't able to come out to NC for a week after Evelyn was born. She originally was flying out 2 days before my induction date. But, when the induction date all got changed and my mom had my sister's wedding reception going on and my other sister going through the temple, my friends jumped to our rescue at the last minute. I felt so great leaving Jake with them since he knows them so well and we are so grateful it turned out perfectly. One of my friend's husbands slept on our air mattress each night while Jake slept and Travis would make the 1 minute drive home from the hospital each morning at 6:30 am to be there when Jake woke up. He would then get him ready and drop him off at a friends house. Jake kept going without skipping a beat. My biggest worry was leaving Jake like that overnight for the first time {even more worried about that than labor and delivery} and I'm so grateful for my amazing friends who really are family. 

My great friends Ginnie and Karlee who came to visit us in the hospital! Jake spent a lot of time with them while I was gone.

I love all this hair!

As soon as we put Evelyn in the car to go home from the hospital, it seemed like a light clicked for Jake and all of the sudden it was the new normal and he just couldn't get enough of her.

This was my view walking home though....I guess a view of the future with 2 kids and one being a crazy toddler!

I came home to a decorate house done by my friends! The next six days was just the four of us and were so great. It was so fun being just our little family and the ward had set up meals for us so we were set! Evelyn just slept a ton so we all hung out together and it was a great week! 

We are so grateful Ev is here safe and sound and so healthy! She is a super good baby so far, rarely crying and only fussing at night every few hours to eat. We are so grateful for her calm demeanor! Life really is such a miracle and we are so thankful to live under the care of a God who is still a God of miracles.