Larsen is here (and she is already 7 weeks old - I am way behind on blogging)

Larsen Adele Wines
Born August 8, 2011 at 6:59pm
20 inches long & 7 lbs 5.8 oz

Todd sent out this email to announce Larsen's arrival...

 Kirsten's OB led us to believe that this pregnancy was on a similar track to her pregnancy with Anders: she went into labor twelve days before his due-date while I was on the road, and I barely made it in time for his delivery. So I took time off to be home, to ease her worry, and help get a few things done around the house before our little girl arrived, all along believing that she would come in a matter of days. Well, two weeks of daily expectation were filled with Kirsten's dad, Dave, and I checking off honey-do's during this time, to a point of running out of things to fix or build or paint. There was plenty of pressure on her to have this baby—I was missing weeks of work, our families trying to work the schedules into an ever-evolving plan which became more complicated and frustrating as the days wore on, and the reasons go on. And in case anyone is wondering, spicy food, eggplant parmesan, and long walks don't seem to motivate labor in any way, at least in our experience. (Kirsten may never eat some of those things again because of having so much of those wives'-tale remedies). However, we did not try the suggested centripetal motion that was suggested; we thought we'd leave that for someone else.

For seven or eight days we had been saying, "I hope she comes today." By Monday, her due date,  we weren't sure if she would ever come. Kirsten and I left Anders with her parents so we could go for a doctor's appointment. While there she had a sharp contraction, but didn't mention it to the doctor because by this point she had been having contractions for weeks but had thought that these, like the ones prior, would wane. We went for lunch after the appointment and the contractions became more frequent and intense, but I think she thought they would subside. To be on the safe side we went home to finish packing and to see if things progressed. After a couple of hours had passed, Kirsten called the OB's nurse, who suggested she go to the hospital. Once we were there, it happened fast! We got there around 4:30pm, were put into a labor and delivery room around 5:45. Kirsten had planned to have an epidural based on her experience with her labor and delivery of Anders. During the third epidural attempt (the two previous were unsuccessful) her water broke during a contraction. Her nurse yelled over the intercom that the doctor was needed immediately. The nurses laid her back while a test dose of the epidural meds were given, but1 within moments, we were looking at Larsen. The doctor came in after the team of nurses had done all of the delivery procedures and at that point, the epidural's effects finally and unfortunately came on. I know it's a long-worded story, but I tell it because I am so impressed by Kirsten's strength and grace. She was amazing through out the entire pregnancy, and especially during labor and delivery. I am so blessed that I get share in this with her. We are so excited that our little girl is here. We are already realizing how we are being changed by her and this process. Anders seems to be adjusting well; after his first visit, he was leaving with his grandparents and cried, "Mama, Daddy, Baby." He has been so sweet (so far).  After finding out that Kirsten was pregnant, it was really hard to imagine what it would be like to have divide our time and attention and our love between Anders and a new baby, But a friend of ours reminded us early on that love multiplies!  We may be tired now, and have less time than ever, but we are passionately loving both our babies—they are two of the greatest blessings we have ever known. If you think of it, pray for Kirsten's recovery and Larsen's health, and pray that Kirsten and I will be wise, patient, and full of grace and love, for each other and for Anders and Larsen.