"Hee, hee, who...hee, hee, who... " As promised, I am finally posting the labor story. I'll intersperse some new pictures of Chloe to break up the monologue. After all, it's really about her! 
It all started out on Tuesday when I went to the doctor for a routine check-up. Out of nowhere, my blood pressure had all of a sudden skyrocketed. My condition was termed "pregnancy induced hypertension". Throughout the rest of the week, we were in and out of the doctor's office and hospital for monitoring of the baby and me. Everything looked great, except that my blood pressure continued to remain at a somewhat unsafe level. Two of the doctors tried with all their might to convince me that our best bet would be to induce and deliver as soon as possible. They wanted to give me Pitocin, but all of you out there that know me well, know that I don't "do" drugs! 
After praying about all our options, Andrew and I finally agreed on Saturday to allow the doctor to break my water to see if my body would start into labor without the drugs. Very shortly after that, the contractions began and didn't stop until 11 hours later. Because of my blood pressure, my labor nurse would not let me get out of bed. I didn't realize how hard it would be to lay there on my side while the contractions came and went. I also had back labor the entire time, so that made the experience all the more fun! Andrew and my mom were there the entire time massaging my back and forcing me to look at their faces and breathe with them. They were amazing and I know for sure that I couldn't have done it without their encouragement! 
Chloe is already starting to worship the sun, just like her mom.
After several hours of making very little progress dilating, I decided to cheat a little and stand up for a few contraction sequences. I was able to stand up and move around for about 20 minutes before the nurse discovered that I was out of bed. To say the least, she was NOT happy and made me get right back in bed. In retrospect, I am convinced that those precious minutes out of that hard, uncomfortable hospital bed allowed me to make significant progress. I had begun to wonder if I could continue to withstand the pain for what I thought would be several more hours. When the nurse came in to check me, I had gone from 3cm to 10cm in about 2 1/2 hours. She told me I was ready to push. That was probably the greatest news I had ever heard in my life! That was just what I needed to give me a boost to the finish line. The doctor arrived around 4 am, and I pushed for about 45 minutes. It was the most intense exercise I have ever subjected myself to! Chloe came into the world at 4:51. When the doctor put her up on my chest, Andrew and I were completely overcome with emotion. She was the most beautiful thing we had ever seen. She weighed a whopping 6lbs and 12oz and was 20 inches long. Her Apgar scores were 8 and 9.
You wouldn't think eating and pooping would be so exhausting!
We are so thankful that God answered our prayers about having a healthy baby. She truly is a miracle from Him! We brought little Chloe home from the hospital on Monday afternoon. Well, there you have it. I left out the gory details, but I'll tell you if you really want to know!
Seriously, if you've never heard of BOB (yes, all in caps as Abby so graciously reminded me) strollers, then you are missing out on some of the finest equipment money can buy. Those of you without small children can scroll down to see some new pics of Chloe.
In other news, Chloe's Grandma Shearer has been busy taking pictures (if you can imagine that) of her new pride and joy. Here are a couple for your viewing pleasure.
