Allred Kids

My sister, Claire, and her two kids, Lincoln and Ella came to stay with us for a few days after Lauren was born. My mom and sister, Julie, came as well. It was so much fun to have them all around- I miss them already! Ella, Kate, and Taylor had a ton of fun playing- their favorite thing to do was wear their tutus all around the house at all times...so cute. I wish we could have gotten a picture of that.

We didn't do much while they were here because I was still recovering and well, I admit, there just isn't much to do in Dallas. So, the usual occurred...shopping and eating out....my two favorite things! :) Mostly, I enjoyed just sitting around, relaxing, and chatting with family that I don't get to see often enough. The only downside was that they didn't stay long enough! They drove (yes, DROVE the 13+ hours from Atlanta) all the way here and I know it was a big sacrifice, so thanks a ton and I hope its not too long before it happens again!

Sweet little Lauren ...

[Brian Post]

It's half time, so I thought I'd post some pictures of Lauren that we took earlier today. Rachel and Lauren came home Wednesday afternoon and have been resting well. Kate, Taylor, and I have been playing and running errands.

These pictures are my first attempt at indoor lighting ... more to come for sure. Let me know what you think ... it's a totally different beast to outdoor photography.

Meet Lauren Mae ...

I just signed the birth certificate...we can now officially introduce Lauren Mae Crofts!

Stats:
7 lbs. 3 oz.
18 inches long

I wanted to give a little more information from mommy's perspective of how everything went yesterday....

First of all, I had a feeling that this baby was coming on Sunday night so I did all of the last-minute preparations around the house (cleaning, organizing, etc.) and packed a bag for the hospital, just in case. At 2:30 AM, I woke up to more-intense-than-normal contractions. They weren't horribly painful, but I knew they were different. So, I told myself I would wait an hour to see if they were legitimate. I think I waited for about 3 contractions to pass and couldn't stand the anticipation any longer...I woke Brian up, we called his mom to come over and stay with Kate and Taylor, and headed to the hospital.

As soon as we arrived-around 4 AM, I was hooked up to the monitors and it was confirmed that I was indeed having regular contractions, but was still dilated to only a 3 and not really progressing. Brian teased me for pulling a false alarm, but I was pretty convinced this baby was coming...about an hour later my contractions really started picking up intensity and I was dilated to a 4 and had hit my threshold for pain. I requested an epidural and got it around 6:30 AM at which time I had dilated to a 5. But the epidural slowed things down so around 8:30 AM, I was given Pitocin. Lauren Mae was born about 2 1/2 hours later, at 11:06 AM. I think I had to push 2 times- which made for a really fast delivery.

Yesterday was such an amazing day- I did not want it to end. Lauren is such a sweet baby and pretty adorable (in mommy's eyes). I really could stare at her all day long. I'm so excited that she is finally here and cannot wait to take her home. Kate and Taylor were thrilled to meet her as well. Kate has been #1 mom lately, giving advice on how to do everything and how to best take care of a baby. I think she'll be ready to babysit when she's say....five. Taylor is such a mommy's girl that the transition has been a little more difficult. She cried tonight when she had to leave mommy at the hospital. So sad.

Thank you for all of your congrats and sweet comments. I'm feeling pretty good and am looking forward to getting home and figuring out what life is like with 3 kids! We'll keep you posted.....