Welcome Norah Kinsley!

It took about 2 weeks of pre-labor and 2 false alarms before she decided if and when she would come... but when she did, she came in just 3 hours! Here's how it all went down:

At 2am Sunday, July 31st, I woke up to what I thought was my water breaking. Around 3 I woke Jeff up since I was having contractions, but I was reluctant to go in since I had already had 2 false alarms. I really didn't want to get sent home again! We decided it was better to get checked to be on the safe side.
We got to the hospital and I was hooked up to the monitors and they watched me for about 2 hours. At that point I was 5 cm dilated and having lots of contractions but my water had not broke yet. They decided to keep me just a little longer to see if my contraction got more regular before deciding if I was in "active" labor or not. Sure enough, around 7 am the nurses decided that I was not in active labor since my contractions were not of regular strength or timing. I insisted that they call the doctor to see what he thought first, since I was sick of being sent home and worried that I would not make it back in time since I was already dilated so far! After 8 am they came back in and said that the doctor was willing to admit me and he would break my water if he had to.
They wheeled the IV in... I freaked out! I HATE the IV. It hurts like hell. It's worse than the epidural. The thought of what they are doing just grosses me out. Sure enough, I was shaking so bad during the IV (which took 4 tries and I looked like I had been in a fight and all bruised up by the time they got a vein) that my water really did break! Gushed all over the bed! ooooo! At that point I was really in active labor with no assistance (yay!).
By the time they got me in the labor and delivery room I was at 8 cm. Still no epidural! I insisted that they get the anesthesiologist in there asap since I really had no desire for a natural birth! lol
I think I got the epidural around 10 am and she was born at 11:50. Lets just say I was only partially numb... yikes!
Norah weighed in at 8lb 6 oz and 19.5 inches long. No wonder I was so miserable! Even up to the point of delivery the doctor didnt think she would be much over 7 lbs. I will never forget Allyson's face when they said her weight, lol!
Speaking of Allyson, she was in the room with us and captured the moment on camera so beautifully! I can not wait to share the video she made. I am so thankful for such a precious gift she gave us! :) She also took some beautiful pictures of Norah last weekend that I can't wait to share, either. She has such a hidden talent; I can't believe she hasn't been doing this longer!
Norah is such an easy baby; I really hope it stays that way! The only time she ever gets upset is when she's hungry and even then it takes her a while to really get worked up. I am so thankful for that since I am having to cater to 2 babies now! I think that this being my second time around helps a lot too. I am not nearly as nervous and I know what to do right away in certain situations rather than questioning myself or letting it go too long. Now that she is 2.5 weeks old, she is finally starting to be more aware and sleeping less during the day; I really do not remember Avery sleeping as much as Norah does. We are getting on a little bit of a schedule but its still pretty much "feed on demand" and I will let her sleep no longer than 4 hours at a time during the day before feeding her and I have been given the OK to let her go as long as 6 hours at night if she wants (that, she has not done since her first week, though :/).
Avery on the other hand... has become a handful! I think it's a combination of Norah being around, entering her "terrible 2's", and her getting bored around here since we can't really take Norah out yet. I really hate having to constantly get onto her during the day but I also can't just let her get away with stuff just because I am holding Norah, etc and I know that consistency is the key. It's a really hard fine line... A feeling you can never really describe or understand until you are there :( . She is having some bad jealousy issues so I am doing my best to be patient and understand. I am hoping that time will heal and she will come around to being the good girl I knew. I love her to death so it's hard to see her throw fits and get so upset; I've even cried after having to discipline her. It feels mean at the time but I know she needs boundaries and rules.
Anyways, I digress.... It's been busy around here and our move in less than 2 weeks will only make it worse. I am really getting excited about the move and getting settled in Kingwood. I know we are going to love it there!