Levi Andrew Kuhns 1-26-2009

So, here's the long version . . .


I admit, I was getting a little impatient. Ashlyn was born at 35 weeks, Lincoln was born at 38 weeks, and here I was 39 weeks pregnant on Monday. I had never been pregnant for so long:) Really though, I had nothing to complain about. I had mild aches and inconveniences, but nothing that was complaint worthy. I could even still sleep comfortably! Still, I was just bored of being pregnant.


I had my first contraction Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. I spent the morning packing (I really procrastinated this time), making arrangments for the kids, and cleaning up. Michael - as always - was such a huge help for which I am so grateful. When we were finally ready to leave, we snapped a quick picture - I had finally dropped somewhat!



We took the kids to Ambers (Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU), and headed to the docs office to get checked. I was impressed at how quickly they got me into an exam room considering that I didn't have an appointment, but then I realized that they probably don't want contracting women freaking out the patients in the waiting room:) When the doc checked me, I was a very happy 5/6 and he said we could go to the hospital! I remembered I was hungry and the doc was gone, but his assistant assured me that I could eat whatever I wanted. I don't really agree with her because some foods probably are not so good for you at that point, but I quickly was chowing down on 3" of a subway sandwich. When we got to the hospital I still had the subway bag in my hand and my nurse said, "Did you really just eat that?" I think she was worried about having to clean up puke later, but there was no such incident.

The first thing on my agenda was to get into the beautiful whirpool tubs they have at this new hospital. However, they had to make sure the baby was fine first. After an hour and a half, my wish was finally granted . . .

and I have to say that it was great! The contractions were easier to handle for sure. I also had remembered something that a friend had told me, and instead of thinking, "This hurts, this hurts, this hurts (etc) during every contraction, I talked to Heavenly Father and it made it so much more bearable. Besides the tub and praying, the other key thing was Michael. Just having him there to hug, squeeze, and hold me made it a lot easier too. When I got out of the tub, I was finally ready for the epidural (Michael had been wanting me to get it long before because he didn't like seeing me in pain). They checked me right after the epidural and I was an 8. By this time though, Levi had moved up. Dr. Baer broke my water, and an hour later Levi hadn't changed position yet, so the doc had me start pushing to see if he would come down. It worked, and 11 minutes later Levi was born at 6:49 p.m. weighing 7 lbs. 13 oz, was 20 3/4" long, and had a head full of black hair!

When the doc had broken my water around 5:00, they could tell that there was some light meconium and the nurse explained that he might have some trouble breathing because of it. When they put him on my stomach he looked a little purplish (the cord had been wrapped twice around his neck), and with what the nurse had said I was nervous because he still wasn't crying. They took him a minute later and finally got some cries out of him, but not very many. He was perfectly healthy though. 2 hours later when he got his first bath he cried a little at the end when he was getting rinsed off. The next day he cried a tiny bit when I changed his diaper. The point of all of this is that Levi has cried a total of 5 times since his birth, and the longest cry was less than a minute! This kid is totally mellow so far - I hope I'm not jinxing myself:)

On Tuesday afternoon, Michael picked the kids up from my visiting teacher's house (Thanks Michelle!!) and brought them to the hospital. Michelle had helped them make some really cute signs for Levi and I, and each of them had a necklace with their picture holding a sign that said, "I'm a big sister/brother" It was so cute and thoughtful!! The kids were absolutely adorable meeting Levi for the first time, and have continued to be just as sweet with him. Lincoln loves to give him hugs, and the only problem is that he puts all of his weight into it. Ashlyn loves to hold Levi and is actually pretty good at it (with me right there, of course).

Lincoln sharing the love with me:)

Lincoln is so much fun these days. He's always been fun, but he just keeps getting cuter and bringing us even more joy as he learns new things. He copies everything that each of us say and has so much more of a vocabulary than Ashlyn did at this age.

I've been a little nervous about what it would be like bringing number 3 home, but it just feels absolutely wonderful. I like the ease of caring for a newborn when I've already done it twice before. I know that even with Ashlyn it felt normal and not like an adjustment at all, but it still seems that much easier this time. Don't get me wrong - I'm super tired and haven't slept well at all, but all of the moments with Levi make it all worth it. What a wonderful plan Heavenly Father had to let us have these experiences with these sweet little babes.

I'm so grateful that everything went so well. I am so grateful for such a skilled, attentive, and caring doctor. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that helped me find such a good husband. I am so grateful for my mom being here!! She's watching the kids (including Levi) when I need to rest. She's keeping us fed and our cookie supply stocked. I am grateful for loving friends in my ward who have been such a great help and support. Life is good.