Sullivan is here!

On his exact due date, Monday, January 19, 2009 Sullivan Cross Carrigan entered our lives at 3:02pm, weighing in at 8 pounds 7 ounces, and 21 3/4 inches long.  I was originally scheduled to check into the hospital later that night for induction the next day, but Sully had other plans.  Around 4:30am that morning, my water broke.  Now that is an experience.  No matter what you do, you can't stop or contain it!  I called the hospital to let them know we were coming in.  We arrived around 6am, just in time for my contractions to start.  Wow, let me tell you how much contractions suck.  They were pretty much on top of each other, lasting from 30 seconds to a minute, and being about 30 seconds apart.  I was only about 4 centimeters dilated, so I knew I had a while to go.  After I had a 2 minute contraction that brought tears to my eyes, I knew it was time for an epidural.  In what what seemed like forever, I finally received my epidural at 8am.  Oh man, what a relief.  Though the pain had finally subsided, I could still feel the contractions.  I was able rest briefly, for the ordeal ahead of me.

Due to the epidural, the strength and length of my contractions slowed down a bit, so around 10am, I was administered Pitocin to help the contractions.  Several hours later sometime before 2pm, I was ready to push.  This part is somewhat of a blur, as I concentrated so hard every time I had to push.  The next thing I knew, the Doctor let me know that Sully's head was facing towards my hip, and his head was large.  His heart rate dipped down every time I pushed, which they don't like to see.  Basically, there was no way to tell if he was alright, and I could push for many more hours.  The Doctor recommended a C-Section.  And when the decision was made, people flooded my room instantly, preparing me for surgery.  It was a like a well oiled machine, I was impressed at how efficiently and smooth things went.  James entered the room a few minutes later, and before I knew it, at 3:02pm, Sullivan was born.  

He is so amazing, and James and I feel truly blessed.  I have never known such instant and deep love, and we are so thankful for the love and support we have received from all of our friends and family.  Here are some pictures, and I promise I will do a better job of updating this on a regular basis!