Kate has arrived!

Kate Annalisa Murray was born at 8:17 AM on Thursday, February 25th. She was delivered via a c-section that went well! She was born at 34 weeks and 5 days, and we were so excited for her arrival. My 5 1/2 week hospital bedrest was finally coming to an end. Honestly, hospital bed rest was not that bad! Food catered throughout the day, someone else doing the daily cleaning, visitors, etc. But it was hard to be away from my husband and children for so long. We have relied on so many others for this time to care for Lincoln and Lauren, allowing Vance to continue to work. Vance has been the best support and husband a girl could ask for. My admiration and respect for him has increased and I am amazed at how he has handled this all like a champ.

A few days before the birth, two nurses made a countdown. It said "Countdown to Kate." Each day you opened up a diaper tied with ribbon. Inside was a glittered heart that had the number of days remaining. So sweet and kind. I have been blown away by the kindness, generosity, and thoughtfulness of all the nurses and staff here at the hospital. They are wonderful!

Shortly after Kate was born...Vance cutting the cord. He watched above the curtain as the doctor pulled her body out. 

After a few minutes, I got to see Kate shortly before they took her to the NICU. This was one of the best moments! We have been waiting for a long time for this little girl to join our family. I cried tears of joy when I got to meet her!

One of the BEST parts of the delivery was Vance's eyes. Because of his mask, I couldn't see the rest of his face. When she came out of my womb, his eyes lit up and were so happy (seriously, like a little kid on Christmas morning!) He came back to me a couple of times after Kate was born (he was with Kate sometimes, and me the other times while I was getting put back together!). I loved the excitement in his voice! It was awesome. I hadn't seen her yet, but hearing what Vance said and watching him enjoy the moment was enough!!

Kate received CPAP for the first couple of days. I believe it stands for Continous Positive Airway Pressure. It helped keep her lungs open so she could more easily breathe. She was working so hard at the beginning to breathe, and you could hear a grunt every time she took breaths. After the first couple of days on CPAP, she graduated to a high pressure nasal cannula that also helped her breathe. One morning Vance and I came down to see her and she had no cannula! She was breathing just fine on her own! Way to go, Kate!

After two hours in recovery, I was wheeled into the NICU to see little Kate before I was taken to the postpartum floor. I got to hold her just shortly, and because of all her gear, held her on her back. Again, it was a wonderful feeling to see my girl. When I arrived to my postpartum room, one of my FAVORITE nurses was there waiting. She had decorated the door with a fancy wreath that was full of pink ribbons galore. Wish I had taken a picture of it.  It was such a wonderful welcome and will be a great memory.

Kate was under blue lights for jaundice, apparently pretty normal for premature babies. She only needed it for a day. A week later (yesterday and today), her bilirubin levels have rebounded, but they slightly decreased from yesterday. She probably won't need the lights again. Last night and today her temperatures are borderline---she is sometimes maintaining a normal temperature, and other times not. So we've been doing even more skin to skin time and keeping an extra blanket on her. 

Lincoln holding Kate for the first time. He told her he loved her and had earlier asked, "Kate, can you hear me?" I was impressed with how gentle he was with holding her.

Lauren also was so gentle with her new little sister. It was fun to see the curiosity in her eyes and delight from holding her tiny baby sister. She was so disappointed when she couldn't come to hold her again yesterday before heading to Wisconsin for a week.

Kate is now working on growing and feeding. She is 4 lbs 9.9 oz as of this morning. She had decreased her weight to 4 lbs 7 oz a couple of days ago, and steadily is on the rise. She has been able to breastfeed a little bit more the past couple of days. As she can gain the strength to breastfeed more, her tube feedings will decrease. Before she goes home, she has to be able to get all her nutrition through breast or bottle feeding. She also has to breathe on her own, which she can do. Kate will have to maintain her temperature as well, which she does virtually all of the time.

It has been a long road to get here, but we've been so grateful for the relatively good health we have. We have received so much love and support the past couple of months. Thank you to all of you!