So I thought I'd take a moment to go over the delivery memories...
This pregnancy I ended up (for the first time) with gestational diabetes. I was barely over my numbers so it required monitoring my blood sugar levels and diet, but thankfully no medicine.
Because of the gestational diabetes, my doctor didn't want me to go past my due date of October 27th.
Though we had a few false alarms during the month, the Monday before the due date, we scheduled having me induced that Thursday. I was to call early in the morning (4am) to be there at 5am. They told me to come in at 7am instead as they were very busy. So as you can imagine, not much sleep that night.
Everything seemed to go well initially. I started having contractions right away, and they increased in intensity. Since Brandon's delivery was very quick, I had convinced myself and everyone else that this one would be quick. Someone else decided otherwise.
By shortly after noon, the contractions had slowed back down. They tried upping the levels and doing various other things, but nothing moved the delivery along. Long story short by the evening time, they decided to give it a break. I could finally eat shortly after midnight and though I felt starving, I ate little of the taco salad Harland got me.. but it sure was good!
Restless sleep especially with them continuing to poke me every 3 hours for the glucose check. We began again the next morning a bit less enthusiastically on my behalf.
When the afternoon shift changed, so did everything else. Our wonderful nurse told me we would have our daughter that evening. And she wasn't playing.
Already tired after two nights of little sleep in addition to periods of long contractions, when the nurse got things moving along, it all became a blur. One second she was asking how the contractions were going, and I was surprisingly saying, "strong" between gasps. Her next question was if I was ready for my epidural and it was an emphatic "yes" on my behalf. I just got the epidural in when my water broke on its own (first time ever). And I remember telling her to get the doctor quick... and repeatedly asking her if he was coming.
I don't remember much more than the doctor showing up and seeming to take forever to get ready. The contractions coming and the nurse reminding me not to push yet... I do remember telling them when I couldn't tell when the contractions were happening anymore to push. But I do remember our little girl crying for the first time. I do remember Harland never leaving my side and holding tightly to my hand... and the moment I first laid my eyes on her and she on me.
When school was out the boys were came and spent some time with us and were able to hold their sister for the first time as well. Both were a little hesitant, but as everyone else had been, just as enchanted with her. 
I was pretty tired but I spent the night similar to how I spent the night when Colin and Brandon were first born... I held Xena for most of it in my arms and just marveled at this little being. You forget how small they start out as.. especially when you have two teenage boys that are nearly as big as you if not bigger. 
I was amazed at the baby type similarities she had with Colin and ones she had with Brandon and then things that were all her own.. But most amazing to me was some of the detailed features of Harland that I saw in her. 
