Joshua Kurtis Nelson

He's here!  Our little Joshua arrived safe and sound on Sunday, September 4.  What a sweet little boy he is.  We all adore him and can't take our eyes off him.  Here's how it all happened:

I woke up on Sunday morning at 6:20 with unmistakeable labor contractions. I was excited and took my time showering and getting things together. Finally I woke up Ben. I tried to think of something clever to tell him, but "I think we're going to have the baby today" was the best I could do. Sigh. He couldn't believe I didn't wake him up sooner. He showered, we arranged for the kids to go to church with their cousins, Ben took this lovely "before" picture of me, and we headed out the door. 

(I made that sound so calm. Technically it was hectic and I couldn't think straight. At one point I was looking for camera batteries in the fridge.)

We arrived at the hospital at around 8:45 am. By the time we were settled in and they checked me, my contractions were 2 minutes apart and I was at a 6.  Good place to start at the hospital. I chose to go all natural (drug-free) again and it went really well. It wasn't easy (understatement of the century) but it was a very special experience and I had no regrets.  Delivery went super fast - almost too fast. I'll spare the traumatic details but we'll get back to that in a minute.

A new little person has arrived! 

Joshua Kurtis Nelson was born at 12:12 pm.  He weighed 8 pounds 14 ounces and was 20 inches long.  He definitely looked and sounded like a little Nelson kid from the very beginning. We were SO excited to finally meet him! What a happy, happy moment for our family.

And remember that quick delivery?  The doctor said it was a miracle. The cord was wrapped around the baby's neck and there were two knots in it.  (You can see one in the picture above.) Generally when even one knot is there, the baby struggles during labor and needs a C-section and immediate help. But the quick labor and delivery got him out safely. We are so very thankful. 

Here's another picture of the cord.  Don't look if you're squeamish:

It's funny to think about how the knots must have gotten there in the first place. And to think about Joshua getting enough nourishment through them during the pregnancy. One knot was right by the baby and the other knot was close to the placenta. Crazy.

Here we are! I love this picture with my little Joshie.

 People have mentioned how alert I look in this picture. Keep in mind that I was drug-free and was WIDE awake from the whole experience.  He was fully alert too. Drug-free is so worth it.

(Not that I love my epidural kids any less. Haha.)   

Joshua the Burrito.  Notice his cheeks are a little purple (bruised) from coming so fast. It went away after a day or two.

The proud Daddy!  I love my boys.

Ben brought the kids to see us later that day.  The new, complete Nelson family photo!

I had to include this one too.  I love each of the kids' expressions as they met their little brother.  Greg didn't seem too happy about the whole situation. 

Joshua had a little jaundice so during our second day at the hospital he got to hang out under the phototherapy lights.  He didn't mind it too much and I actually got more sleep while he was in there. Cool shades huh!  His bilirubin levels were way down the next morning (that's good) so I'm glad we took care of it at the hospital.  

Joshua is all dressed and ready to go home!  I love this picture.  His spikey dark hair and chunky cheeks - and that cute outfit and carseat that have been staring at me for months. He's finally here!

Welcome home, Joshua! 

The kids are loving their new baby brother. Yes, even Greg likes him now.  We have pictures of each of the kids holding him but I probably already put too many on this post so I'll spare you a few.

Three days old.  (Ready for a ski trip?)

Four days old.  I love his eyes.

Joshua is eight days old now (sorry for the blog delay) and his face is less puffy and he is just pure cuteness. 

Not looking so alert now, am I. Haha. But Ben has been taking very good care of us (thank you!) and I actually feel pretty good. 

My favorite thing in the world?  Newborn baby snuggles.  He is impossible to put down.  And look at that thick, dark hair. 

Yes, Joshua Kurtis Nelson is definitely a keeper.