Welcome, Jacob!

Tasha with her Topher and Me with my Jacob.

8 pounds, 2.3 ounces of SQUISHY adorableness!

8 cm dialated and I'm still a good sport!

Such a doting father!

Jacob Lee Stutesman was born on Friday June 10, 2011 at 0716. My contractions started on Thursday morning. Joe told me to stay home and rest while he took Joseph to school. He got home around 1030 and the contractions had already decreased in frequency. We were both so disappointed because we thought Thursday would be the day. We went on a long walk by the lake, up and down hills. We picked Joseph up from school and then by 1800 I started to feel the contractions more regularly. By 2100 I called Labor and Delivery for advice as to when we should come in. The contractions were about 5-7 minutes apart but weren't too painful just yet. The nurse on call suggested that I try to go to sleep and call again in the morning. When we went to bed, I couldn't sleep because they were so painful. I stayed up until 0300 and the contractions were about 4 minutes apart. I woke up Joe and we both took showers and headed to Silverdale to my mom's house to drop Joseph off. When we arrived at Labor and Delivery, they were already expecting us. We were hooked up to the monitor, were officially declared in Active Labor, and were admitted. The nurse suggested that I take a few laps around the floor and said she'd check up on me in about 20 minutes. We walked around and I kept stopping at the same exact places, doubled over in crushing pain. We went back to the room and I had gone from 6 cm to 8 cm. It was time for some good old fashioned pain management. Joe and I had to listen to this doctor go on and on about how he'd really wanted to be a pharmacist but that he didn't do well enough in school to be accepted so he took the MCAT and went to medical school instead. YIKES! That should have been enough of a warning. The epidural only took the pain away from half of my body. The other half felt EVERYTHING and I wanted to jump out of the window! I begged and pleaded for a c-section. I asked them for help. I told them that I was sure that I was going to die. I've NEVER been in as much pain in my ENTIRE life! I can't believe people do it like this on purpose! I was in SOOOOO much pain! After about 5 minutes of pushing, baby Jacob entered to world at 7:16am. He weighed 8 pounds and 2 ounces and was 18 inches long. Thank goodness that is over!