Hannah Grace Johnson

This post is long overdue but having a newborn baby limits you from getting to do things like blog on a regular basis! I wanted to share about Hannah's arrival and include some photos from the night she was born and our time in the hospital. Hannah arrived on January 4, 2011 at 7:51pm weighing 7lbs, 10.9oz and was 20 in long. My original due date was January 2nd so when she hadn't come on Monday, January 3rd, my doctor decided to induce me at midnight on the 4th. Being induced was quite the experience! Curt and I left our house at 11pm and headed over to Mom and Dad's to drop off our other baby (Rhodes-our 2 year old black lab). After that, Baptist Hospital was our next stop. I was admitted to labor and delivery and they started the pitocin drip, or so I thought. Come to find out at 3am, the nurse hadn't connected the pit drip properly to my IV so the drugs were dripping on the floor! Once they got it properly hooked up, I was able to rest throughout the night off and on and my contractions started. Dr. Norman (my OBGYN) came over to see me around 7am and planned to break my water but I was still only dilated at 1cm so she wasn't able to do so. She came back around 9:30am and I had dilated barely to 2 cm and she was thankfully able to break my water. After that, the contractions really intensified and it was time for the epidural. Once my water was broken, the hope was that I would start dilating more but that wasn't the case. I didn't get to 5cm until late afternoon/early evening. Thankfully, once I got to 5cm, it went much faster and Hannah finally arrived at 7:51pm! In total, I was in labor almost 18 hours but our sweet girl was totally worth it! It was a long day but we had many visitors to entertain us and Curt and I were able to rest on and off throughout the day.

Not sure what time of day this was taken but here I am just waiting for Hannah to arrive.

So, like I said, I was in labor for a REALLY long time. To entertain himself, Curt went down to the gift shop with his Mom and came back with this stuffed dog that looks just like Rhodes! I had commented earlier that day that I wished Rhodes was with us in the hospital so Curt made it happen! Even funnier was that the anaesthesiologist who did my epidural thought it was a real dog and I was blind and had brought my service dog with me!

Curt took these photos right after Hannah was born. I got to hold her as soon as she was born but they quickly took her away to make sure she was healthy. And, she was!

This was the 2nd time I got to hold Hannah. They gave her back to me rather quickly after they got her checked out and cleaned up.

Proud Daddy.

Our first family photo!

After Hannah was born, we spent another 2 hours in labor and delivery. The numbness in my legs from my epidural had to wear off enough for me to walk to the restroom. Once that happened, they moved us to the post-partum floor which is where we spent the next 2 days. We had many friends and family come to visit us while we were at the hospital. It was so special for Curt and I to see special friends and family who were excited to meet Hannah. We've always known how blessed we are but all of the visitors, phone calls, texts and emails really were nice reminders of all the wonderful people we have in our lives. On Thursday, January 4th, we were discharged from the hospital and got to bring our girl home!

Waiting to be discharged. Hannah wore the same dress home that I did as well as my Mom and her sister, Jan.

We are so blessed to have such a sweet, healthy little girl. Curt and I are thankful for all the prayers and support and can't wait for you all to meet Hannah!