Finally, an introduction to our new baby!

It has only taken me almost three weeks to finally post our birth announcement on our latest arrival.  Simon Joseph White arrived on Sunday, June 26th at 8:31 pm, weighing in at 7 lbs., 13 oz. and was 19 1/2 inches tall (although I don't think was an accurate measurement, since he was 21 inches tall at his 10-day old check-up). 


So, for the delivery story...I had gone into what I thought was true labor on Friday evening, only to have my contractions stop a few hours later.  I was disappointed and didn't think I would be going into labor anytime soon, since my due date was still a week and half away.  On Sunday, while getting ready for church, my contractions started again, but I thought it was another false alarm, so we left for church.  During Sacrament Meeting, I started feeling more and more uncomfortable and was having JB time them, and they were around 5 minutes apart.  Then, I thought my water had started to break, so I decided to leave and go call L&D.  They told me to come in, so I was texting JB throughout Sacrament, telling him it was time to leave.  JB didn't leave until the end of Sacrament, because he wanted to get Lewis to the church nursery before we left.  We arrived at the hospital at around 2:30 pm, and I was around 4 cm dilated.  I got an epidural around 6 cm, and the labor progressed pretty quickly from there.  I called my sister around 8 pm, and told her I was feeling a lot of pressure, so I had better call the midwife.  They checked me, and said I was at a 10, and that the baby was basically there.  I only had to push for 10 minutes or so before he arrived. 


The next morning, they came and took Simon for his bath.  I noticed it was taking a long time for them to come back, but I didn't think much about it and took a nap.  The Pediatric team came in and said that they had found a problem with Simon when they were examining him.  He had anal atresia, meaning that the rectum had never joined with the anus, making it impossible for him to pass any stool.  They wanted to transport him up to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, since they were familiar with the surgery.  JB and I were in total shock.  My in-laws arrived later with Lewis, just in time to see Simon before he was transported up to Pittsburgh.  They discharged me a little while later. 


When we arrived at the hospital in Pittsburgh, the surgeon was there and started explaining the different types of surgeries that were associated with Simon's condition.  He also mentioned that children with this defect also had problems with their heart, spine, and kidneys, so they wanted to check these as well.  We were in a panic, imagining that there was all these things wrong with Simon and he would have problems for the rest of his life.  Thankfully, another surgeon came and spoke to us later on, and said that Simon's condition appeared minor and she highly doubted he would have any long-term effects.  We felt so much better after speaking with her.


Simon's surgery was on Tuesday, when he was two days old.  He came through with flying colors, and the surgery was a success.  We felt so blessed that we were able to take him to such a good hospital and that he was cared for by such a great staff.  The NICU at Children's was really top-notch. 


Now, we are adjusting to having two little kids, and things are crazy but going well.  Although Lewis isn't really all that interested in baby Simon, he has given him some gentle pats and even asked to hold him when we brought him home.  Here are a few pictures we have taken of our new little guy.