meet your baby brother and going home.

Our first day with Camp was pretty euphoric. I was exhausted, running on fumes and a newborn high, not wanting a minute to pass where I wasn't inhaling every inch and breath of him. Why sleep when you have a face as precious as his to stare at?! 

Having Campbell all to myself for a few hours was bittersweet, as I missed my other babies at home. I was so excited to see them and watch them meet their new baby brother. John went home to grab them (they spent the morning at Shug and Pops' house) and bring them to the hospital late morning. We didn't tell them if the baby was a boy or a girl, so to see their faces light up when we told them that Camp was a boy was so sweet. Ann Bennett, of course, wanted to hold him and didn't want to share him with anyone. Brooks was timid and opted out of holding him. He also got emotional leaving his mama and it broke my heart into pieces. I couldn't wait to get home so I could love on all three of my babies so John and I asked if we could leave tomorrow and they told us if everything continued to go smoothly and Camp didn't have any complications from his circumcision then yes, we could have an early discharge.

My precious friends, Katie Beth and Jessica, visited the next morning. And so did my little buddy! 

The doctors gave us the go-ahead to go home around lunch, so we loaded up Camp and beelined it out the door!

Goodbye, hospital. Hello, reality!

labor and delivery.

Number Three came on his own terms and he came fast. That's right, it's a BOY! We welcomed our Campbell Alden Bryant on June 15th at 2:32 a.m. His birth story is definitely the most thrilling of all three, so I need to jot it down before I forget. Because, y'all, "mom brain" is real and it gets worse with every child.

Because Camp is most likely our last biological babe, I didn't want to be induced. I wanted to experience labor and delivery in all its glory…so I bounced, I walked, I worked out, I got adjusted, and lastly, I did labor acupuncture. On June 13th I saw Dr. Miller for my first appointment. I didn't know what to expect and was a bit nervous, so for an hour, I tried to lay (uncomfortably) on the table with needles in my ankles, legs, and hands. At one point, a couple of needles fell out, so I left feeling a bit discouraged. If I didn't go into labor that evening, she wanted me to come back for round two the next day. Guess what? I didn't go into labor. So back to the doctor I went and this time I was comfortable, relaxed, and had several contractions during the procedure. I left very hopeful. However, I didn't have many contractions the rest of the afternoon. I had been suffering from prodromal labor for several weeks, so even if I did feel a contraction, I didn't think much of it. I went along with my day and climbed into bed around 10:00. Shortly thereafter, the contractions started. These contractions were way different from what I have ever experienced. They were strong, they were painful, and they were only a few minutes apart. After two contractions, I got out of bed, went to the den where John was unwinding from his day and told him to get to bed—emergency sleep! I had showered before bed, but didn't wash my hair, so after another contraction telling me this was the real deal, I hopped back in, fixed my hair, and got ready to head to the hospital. At this point, we had already called John's mom to come over and with haste, packed our bags and loaded up the car. At 11:30 we headed to the hospital, with contractions about 2 1/2 minutes apart.

Because I didn't call my doctor to let her know I was in labor (really?! I don't remember having to do that with Ann Bennett), they sent me to Triage to make sure I was, indeed, in labor. Don't mind the painful contractions, the fact that I was over 4 centimeters dilated and this was my third baby. Cue: eye roll. When the nurse checked me at 12:15 a.m., I had my bloody show and was about 5 centimeters. I couldn't talk or breathe through my contractions, so she called the on-call doctor and we waited. And waited. And waited. Dr. Brown finally arrived and signed off on my paperwork and they wheeled me to my room. At this point, my contractions were so painful I had requested an epidural and the anesthesiologist was already on his way to my room. As they were sitting me up to prep me I felt the urge to push. Lo and behold, I was 9.5 centimeters and my bag was bulging. Unfortunately, I had a "lip" in my cervix that was preventing me from pushing, so I would have to wait and if I had to wait, I still wanted the epidural, because holy pain. I have never felt anything like it. While administering the epidural at 1:30 a.m., I vividly recall sweating profusely, practically crying into the nurse's chest, and screaming, "I can't do this! I can't do this! I can't, " over and over again. John and Lea, who was in the room taking pictures, assured me that I could, and I did.

Within 15 minutes I finally felt relief and at 2:10 a.m. was given the thumbs up to push. After getting me ready for delivery, my sweet nurse asked me to do a practice push. I told her that I was a pretty efficient pusher, as Brooks and Ann Bennett came after only a couple of contractions, but she insisted. So, at 2:13 a.m., with one push, SPLASH, my waters broke and I start to crown. When Dr. Brown arrived I pushed and my littlest love came quietly into this world. When she announced, "it's a boy!" I immediately burst into tears. My boy, my precious Campbell was here and the moment they laid him on my chest, my heart tripled in size.

We are so incredibly blessed to have had such a quick delivery and a healthy baby boy. He weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. He hardly made a peep and had such a sweet demeanor for a newborn trying to adjust to life outside of the womb. He didn't cry when they pricked and prodded him. He didn't shed a tear when they gave him his first bath. Life with him, thus far, has been just that…sweet.

Happy Birthday, Camp. You were the missing piece to our puzzle and we are so glad you're here.