Henry Bryan Packard!

I know it's been a while since the last update....I'm such a crappy blogger!  A lot has gone on in our life since I was 6 months pregnant...the most exciting event was the birth of our first baby, Henry Bryan!  Henry arrived on December 28th at 3:58 pm.  He was 8 lbs. 7 oz. and 22 in.  I was actually relieved he was  this small.  We went for an ultrasound on the 27th and he was measuring 9 lbs. 9 oz.!  After much deliberation, my OB decided to go ahead and admit me to the hospital to be induced.  He did not want me to have a large baby and I did not want to have a C-section.  So off to the hospital we went!  I had only dilated 1 cm. when I went, so Dr. Quatro said it would probably be a very long labor.  This scared me quite a bit.  I received a blessing that evening from Bryan and my Dad before we went to the hospital.  Right when we got checked in I started having regular contractions.  They didn't hurt at all so I thought "hey I could do this all day...this labor thing a piece of cake!"  Little did I know when Dr. Quatro broke my water the contractions would really start to get painful.  While breaking my water I was still 1 cm dilated so he stretched me to a 2.   (Not a pleasant experience).  After a few hours of some pretty intense contractions the nurse said I would probably be dilated enough to give me my epidural.  I was not about to have this massive baby without some meds so I was really excited to finally have some relieve.  After the anesthesiologist gave me the epidural, which I thought was going to be a lot more painful than it was, she told me she thought she had "nicked my membrane". I didn't know what this meant, but she said that she could not give me any more medicine.  I was shocked I could still move my legs and could pretty much still feel everything.  About 30 minutes after my crappy epidural I started feeling the urge to push.  I told the nurses I thought I was ready and sure enough I had gone from 3 cm. dilated to 10 in 30 minutes!  The pushing was exhausting.  I felt a lot of pressure and the urge to push every several seconds.  I pushed for about an hour with the help of my mom, sister, and husband.  They were such a great and supportive team!  I wasn't expecting to feel as much as I did, knowing that I had an epidural.  I would later discover that because the anesthesiologist punctured my membrane, I would have the most painful headache EVER!  I had to come back after a week of a lot of pain and get a blood patch.  The crazy thing is I would go through all that pain again for my sweet little angel.  I think he is the most beautiful, perfect baby I've ever seen.  I could not imagine loving anything more.  I love him more and more every day and would do absolutely anything for him.  Sometimes I just sit and cry realizing what a blessing he is and how much I love him.

Henry's favorite spot, his mommy's chest:)

Studying his daddy

Everything has been going great since little Henry entered the world!  He is now 5 weeks old and growing like a weed!  Breast feeding has been challenging and painful at times, but it's definitely getting easier and I know it's best for him.  At his 1 month appointment he weighed 10 lbs. 10 oz. and was 22 1/2 in.  They said he was right in the middle at the 50th percentile.  He loves eating, sleeping, pooping, studying the world around him, bath time, listening to music, and grunting.  His little grunts are hilarious!  He seems to be a very content and happy baby.  He grows and changes every day.  We are enjoying every second of him.

Here is Henry at 3 weeks