Welcome Kennedy Vale!

I'm 13 days late in posting this announcement but, all things considered, I've been a little busy! The week before our little girl made her appearance was a long and tiring one. I was SO ready for her arrival and, apparently, she felt the need to give me a little extra preparation (as if I needed it with four other children, right?). Almost every night for a week before her birth, I was up multiple times in the night for hours at a time with contractions. Sleep was definitely hard to come by! Her brothers and sister were all delivered early, but as each day passed, I wondered if she was just planning to take her time and really make an entrance as the last addition to our clan.

Finally, on Saturday, March 13, things seemed to be moving in the right direction. I'd been up since 2 a.m. with contractions that just wouldn't stay regular, but I couldn't sleep either! About 8 o'clock they started to pick up in intensity, which I thought was a good sign, but after so many false alarms, I was hesitant to get my hopes up and decided to go about our regular routine as long as possible. I figured, they'd either go away as the others had or they would get strong enough I couldn't ignore them, and we'd eventually know this was the real thing. So, we went on our scheduled Saturday morning grocery shopping excursion, all four kids in tow. They were coming about 5-6 minutes apart and strong enough that I had to stop pushing the shopping cart until they passed. At that point I decided to be efficient with my shopping. Mike teased that I had never gotten through the store that fast! =) Guess I didn't feel the need to browse!

By the time we got home at about 10:30, I decided to call the hospital. Considering the strength and regularity of the contractions and the fact that this was, after all, my fifth delivery, they told me to come in! Finally! Our neighbors kindly came over to stay with the kids while my mother started her 2.5 hour drive up to our house. We got to the hospital at about 11:30, and the nurse put me on the monitor to see how things were progressing. It looked like we were in labor, but they decided to "let" me walk for an hour to really get things moving before I was admitted (oh joy!).

Those nurses didn't know who they were talking to though...because I speed-walked up and down that hallway for the entire hour. They were a little taken aback! I wondered to Mike what they expected, and he figured most laboring women weren't "waddling" nearly so fast. But, hey, if I'm going to walk, I'm going to make it effective! We were finally admitted and got things rolling at about 1:15 p.m.

Things went pretty quickly after that...in spite of a few glitches, like an epidural that functioned at about 50 percent (I know, because I've had a good one before. This didn't even take the edge off the contractions, only shortened them a little. Although I suppose that was better than nothing!) and some oxygen and a shot of ephedrine when my BP dipped too low. But, after those took effect, we were able to greet our precious little lamb at 4:17 pm after one contraction/push, and she was beautiful!



Kennedy Vale weighed 6 lbs 11 oz and measured 19 3/4 inches! She was a hungry little girl from the start, which has paid big dividends. She left the hospital at 6 lbs 4 oz, but only two days later, at four days old, she was back up to her birth weight! And at her first check up, at 10 days old, she weighed in at a whopping 7 lbs 2 oz! Kennedy is growing like a little weed and is so precious! Her brothers and sister are all adjusting to her presence in their own way, but she is already a sweet addition to our family.



McCrea is very interested in her and loves to check on her. I've caught the little leprechaun in her room numerous times, keeping her from napping...though it's hard to get too upset, because he's just so sweet. Anytime she fusses he runs to find her special blanket and bring it to her and, at 21 months, he's already a huge help. He makes regular runs to the trash can for me to deposit all the diapers we're going through! Brynnley is equally interested and is constantly informing me, "Momma, your baby is crying" or "Momma, your baby needs something!" As for the big brothers, Declan and Keller, they are doing their own thing for the most part, which is just fine. Keller did ask once, "Why is she crying so much?" And Declan grudgingly admitted, "She is pretty cute!"




We definitely agree and are so blessed to welcome Kennedy Vale into our family. We hope she will be proud of her Irish heritage, from which "Kennedy" derives its origin, and that she will grow into a young woman who holds fast to the hopes and promises inherent in her given name. In as much as Kennedy means "armored," we pray that she will heed the admonition in Ephesians 6:10-18 to "put on the full armor of God" and stand firm in her own faith, being "strong in the Lord and in his mighty power," just as Vale, of Latin origin, means strong.

Thanks to everyone for your encouragement and prayers! Please continue to lift up our family as a whole and this new little one in particular. We will be often busy, often overwhelmed and often in need of grace...especially as more crazy feats, humorous sayings, unforgettable memories and challenging moments are bound to come...!