Maggie Marie!

This is far over due - but, Maggie Marie was born on October 23rd, at 10:05am, weighing in at 7 lbs and 3 oz. She came a whopping 20 minutes after I arrived at the hospital. Karl wins the father of the year award for his heroics that day. I awoke feeling a bit more bad than normal ( and that was pretty bad, given my bedrest and contractions ).. at any rate, I just thought I had the stomach flu. We went to soccer practice with Anna and Charlie and I kept feeling horrible. Finally, after about 20 minutes, I realized that I didn't have the stomach bug, I was having a baby. My contractions had stopped and my water hadn't broken, but I knew suddenly that our baby was coming VERY soon. Karl hiked Anna and Charlie over his shoulders on the soccer field and we hightailed it to the car. Fortunately, Frederick Memorial is only a few minutes by car, but I screamed the entire way. Somehow, Karl managed to keep his cool until I was in L&D and they told me I was 9 cm dilated and baby was coming now. Nevertheless, he didn't panic and helped the nurses find a place to put our big kids while their sibling arrived. ( we really didn't need them to witness that! ).. he was the best coach, despite the fact I had no epidural. Maggie was born a mere 20 minutes later. We were very happy that it turned out the way it did. Because I was not medicated, I could hold her and walk around immediately. Anna and Charlie were able to see her quickly, and that made it a very special moment for the whole family. She was dramatic in the womb and made a dramatic entry and has since been welcomed happily by Anna and Charlie as the newest addition to their little posse.