Brooke Charlotte Blake

After months of anticipation, Brooke is finally here! Here are some pictures from the last few days...

One last shot of the mama... (sorry for the immodesty)
We had a long, but somewhat pleasant night waiting for Brooke to make her grand entrance. I was hooked up to my antibiotics (for Group B Strep) by 9pm and they started the Pitocin around 11pm. Everyone was sure she'd come so quickly, but she didn't. The doctor decided to break my water at 5:30 Wednesday morning to speed up the process. When she still decided to linger, they took me off of the Pitocin (about 8:00am) to see what would happen. Sure enough, within 20 minutes things started rockin' and rollin'. The doctor caught me off guard when he walked in and said it was time to have a baby. I didn't even comprehend that I was supposed to push because it was such a whirlwind. But once I pushed, she came. Easy as that.

One contraction + one long push = one cute baby.

She came out so peacefully that I was still in shock - first, that I only pushed once and second, that she wasn't screaming. She just looked around and analyzed the situation for awhile. I said, "she's so little" about the same time the nurses said, "she's so big!". I guess they've seen a lot of preemies this week.

Brooke Charlotte Blake
Wednesday, November 19th, 2008
8:20am
8 lb. 0 oz
20 1/2 inches
(The winner is Courtney! I've already got a few ideas in mind for your apron!)

Happy mom and dad!

We thought her hair was the same color as Ty's at first, but it's definitely more brown than red. Trent gave me a questioning glance, but there is no doubt this girl is a product of Blake genes. Look at that nose - all Blake.

Ty meets his sister, but prefers my ice chips.

First family photo op. This was the best one out of at least 5. I suppose family pictures will be difficult to orchestrate from this point on.

Snug as a bug. She is healthy, but we are on watch for jaundice. Her blood type and mine are not compatible so she is at risk. So was Ty. They have their daddy's blood type. Those Blake genes sure are dominant!

Ty was a little more interested in her on Thursday. Just a little. He still gave her a good smack before they parted. Just to remind her of the pecking order.

Daddy came to visit as soon as he could after work on Thursday. But he still had work to do. I love watching him with her.

I promised myself I wouldn't make her wear a big bow - especially this young. I caved.

This is her general pose when she's awake. Right hand next to her face. She's just checking to make sure her hair is in place.

Now we're trying to get acclimated at home and convince Ty that she's worth keeping.


She is awful cute...