Cadence Grace Ivester ! !

(F.Y.I.: I am, by nature, a journaler. If you are wondering how I'm so certain of the hours mentioned below, it's because (a) I have a wristwatch and (b) I wrote it down in my journal. I shall hand over the journal to Abby tomorrow for a keepsake.)


Wow, what a difference a day makes! Dr. Gower sure knew his stuff when he decided to halt the Pitocin and to begin anew this morning. Early today the Pitocin drip began and at 6:30am he broke Abby's water. Almost immediately, the pains began. When Tom & I arrived at 7:10 she was in "some more ahurtin' "! And she thought she had contractions yesterday. HA Those were mere baby pangs compared to what she experienced today. She was having hard contractions one right after the other. She looked up at me when I arrived and, if she could have spoken, she'd have said "Get her out and get her out NOW!" At 7:30 Abby got her epidural and she was in a very happy place. All was well in the world. At 7:45 she was already 100% effaced and 4 centimeters dilated. They got a picture with Dr. Gower who delivered Abby 25 years ago. But he was going off so he did not get to deliver Cadence. But Dr. Price was a great replacement. Around 8:30 Abby and Matt were sound asleep and snoozed for about 30 minutes while Cadence was preparing to make her entrance. At 10:10am Matt came to the waiting room and told us that Abby wanted to see us before she took another nap. Matt LIED. When we got in the room, Abby said, "I've got something to tell ya'll." I thought, "Gee, does she have two babies in there?" She quietly said, "I'm 9 centimeters and I'll be pushing in just a little while." You could have heard a pin drop . . . that was just prior to our screaming "NO WAY!" We skipped back to the waiting room elated and on fire. She began to push around 11am. (She later told us she only pushed during 6 contractions, waited a bit for the doctor, then with one big push, Cadence was OUT). At 12:15pm the fire alarms went off. Hmmmmmmmmm . . . what to do if we're asked to leave. Our lives or seeing our new granddaughter. Fortunately, the alarms shortly ceased. Matt texted his mom Brenda and I at the same time and said Cadence was born at 12:25pm and was 8# 7oz. Big baby. We were surprised. But we didn't get to see the precious one until 1:35!!! The wait was about to kill us. FINALLY, he texted us and said she had finished nursing the baby and we could come in. The birth of our second granddaughter was just as thrilling as our first granddaughter. No words can express our joy. This was the Ivester's first grandchild. I was already teary-eyed when I began to hand the baby to Brenda. It took a few minutes b/c Brenda was bawling her eye out and couldn't take Cadence. She said, with tears flowing, "That's my grandbaby!" Well, that was all it took. Even the grown men in the room had tears streaming down their faces. It was a precious moment.

Cadence is absolutely beautiful! She looks nothing like my three children did. I can't say she really looks like either Abby or Matt at this point. She is just precious Cadence. She has black wavy/curly hair. The cutest ears in the world. And she didn't cry today except when the nurse was giving her the first bath, which was at the viewing room for newborns. The entire world got to see Cadence in all her new skin getting scrubbed and coiffured, complete with the little Pebble's curlicue on top. I can't wait til tomorrow morning and I get to see how much she's already changed. I remember that from little Brie. I also can't wait to get Brie and Cadence, the two little cousins, together for the first time. I will document that, for sure.

My baby's baby!

The Ivester family, complete with Papa Ed.

The Rucker family minus Chad who had meetings and couldn't leave work. He came later.

Sweet Brie was at home with a great babysitter.

Bright-eyed!

Dad Matt with sweet Cady Grace who is now clean as a whistle!

A doll!