McKenna's First Day

McKenna has had a very eventful first day. Linds and I got moved into our recovery room around 2am, and both were really exhausted. Here are a few highlights of today, but you can check out our web gallery for more pictures:

Took a nap on daddy's chest (favorite activity so far).

Got to meet her Great Grandparents, Ma & Pa. Here's a picture:


She took her first bath.

She got to be held for the first time by her grandmas and her aunts Mary & Catherine.

She got to meet some of her adoring fans.

She had her first doctor's visit with the pediatrician. Dr. Bob says she is perfect (we all knew it, but it's nice to have it confirmed by a professional). He also said, "how can you see a baby like this and not believe there is a spectacular God." We agree!

Hello World

McKenna Tomblin Boyle was born at 11:29pm on Thursday July 24th! She tips the scales at 6lbs 15oz and is 20 inches long. She is very alert, has a cute little cry, and loves her daddy very much. Lindsay is feeling good and did an amazing job during labor. McKenna is so lucky to have such an amazing and beautiful mom. She just got to meet her two grandmas and her aunts Mary and Catherine...they concur that she is exceptionally cute.

Congratulations to those of who guessed Thursday night for her arrival. As you can see, she is very photogenic--she can't wait to meet her many fans. We'll post more pictures as soon as we can to our web gallery.

Pushing Time!

The nurse just checked Lindsay and said it is time to start pushing!

Ouch

The contractions have been pretty intense recently, so the anesthesiologist just came in to adjust Lindsay's pain meds. Also, Lindsay's doctor came in at 9:00pm (hence the clock picture) and checked her progress--Linds is now 8cm, and the doctor says everything is going really well. She went from 7cm to 8cm in about half an hour for those of you keeping score at home.

The Waiting Game

We saw the doctor about an hour and a half ago. Lindsay was 5cm dilated then, and the doctor says she will dilate about 1cm every 1.5 hours. So we got out our calculators and figure that she should be about 6cm now. That puts us at 10cm around 1:30 tomorrow morning...so it could be a photo finish between those of you who voted for McKenna to come tonight and those who picked tomorrow morning. Lindsay is feeling relatively comfortable, and Kris and I just finished dinner from the hospital cafeteria. Which apparently is the least expensive place in Boulder to eat--my lunch was $2.65.

Grandma is Here!

Kris (Lindsay's mom--note the resemblance) just arrived...after reading our blog last night she couldn't stand it and got on the first flight she could (after picking up her dry cleaning of course). Lindsay is feeling much more comfortable now since she got the epidural. Now Lindsay is going to try and get some rest because we probably have a long night ahead of us (whether we're having a baby or feeding a baby).

Better Living Through Chemistry

This is the epidural cart...it came right in time. Lindsay's contractions were getting really intense and uncomfortable. After getting the epidural, the nurse asked her if she felt the contraction she was having and Lindsay responded, "I'm having a contraction?"

I guess it's working.

Contractions Continue

Bmer is getting upset that we haven't updated recently enough. (He's kind of high-maintenance). Basically not much is new...we are waiting for our moms to show up, and Lindsay's contractions are getting pretty intense. She's sitting in a rocking chair now...we'll start the epidural soon.

The Great Flood

The doctor came in and broke Lindsay's water...McKenna doesn't seem to like the fact that her little hot tub is draining, so she's been moving around a lot. It's fun to hear her move around on the fetal monitor and to hear her little heart beat. We're hoping that all the time she has spent in amniotic fluid will make her a better swimmer. Her aunt Blair already bought her a swimsuit so she can start training soon!

Popsicles and Contractions

Our nurse says everything is going really well, since Lindsay is on pitocin that means no more solid food for a while, so she is now on a liquid only diet. She convinced the nurse to bring her a popsicle, which Linds was very excited about. She estimates that she has now eaten 7,001 popsicles during her pregnancy.

Also her contractions are consistently about 3 minutes apart, and getting stronger. This is what one looks like on the monitor.

Room Tour

If you're curious what our room looks like, here's a video to give you an idea. They just began giving Lindsay pitocin, so things should start slowly progressing now. Also, here's some exciting news...Kris (Lindsay's mom) was supposed to be here on Sunday, but can't handle the suspense anymore so Dan just dropped her off at the airport and she'll be here this afternoon. (Blair [Lindsay's sister] didn't know this was a surprise). Both of our moms are going to be awesome grandmas--I just hope they let me hold the baby! :-)

Breakfast

Pancakes and eggs for breakfast! The doctor just came by and checked Lindsay...everything is going well... she's at two to three centimeters now so after breakfast they will start the pitocin.

Human pin cushion...

This is the third attempt at an IV on me... apparently all this swelling has made my veins hard to find... ouch!

Pain in the Back

Last night they did a procedure on Lindsay to help get things started. This morning the Doctor will come and start giving her pitocin, which will help speed things up. Lindsay had a fairly restful night's sleep...thanks in large part to ambien. She says she feels groggy this morning, and her back hurts. She also was having some mild contractions during the night that happened pretty regularly. Right now we're just watching the news and hanging out.

What to do with a Wii Bit of Time

Our room is really nice. It's kinda like a hotel room, except with a linoleum floor and lots of medical equipment. It has a couch for John to sleep on, a nice bathroom with a whirlpool tub, and a TV. We figured we might have a lot of down time during all of this, so we brought the Nintendo Wii. If Lindsay doesn't look super happy, it's because John is schooling her in some intense games of Mario Kart. Also, she has a baby inside of her, which she describes as "uncomfortable."

Checked in and ready to rock and/or roll

Linds and I are all checked into the hospital, and they are about to begin the induction. If anyone needs a little refresher on what got us into this mess, you might enjoy this helpful article from wikipedia about pregnancy.

As we were just getting settled in, we noticed this double rainbow outside our window. It reminded us of this verse from Genesis, and the promise God has made with all of us: "Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

Soon, McKenna will be able to see rainbows for the first time!

The Last Supper

Before heading over to the hospital, Linds and I stopped at one of our favorite restaurants in Boulder, Pasta Jay's. Hope McKenna likes Gnocchi, cause that's what she's getting!