Ruby Ray's Birth Story

   Well we've been MIA for a little while.  Life has been full of some fun exciting adventures and we're still soaking everything in!  After being a week overdue it was finally time to be induced.  Blake and I were SO excited to meet our baby girl and couldn't wait one more day!  We went in the night before the induction day and they gave me a cervical softening pill to try and get my body ready for the induction the next day.  I started having a few contractions during the night and didn't get a ton of sleep.

 In the morning we woke up to a nurse and doctor in our room and they told us they were calling my midwife because they didn't like what the baby's heart rate was doing during my contractions.  They gave me a shot to stop my contractions while we waited for my midwife to show up.  When she arrived she also didn't like what she saw.  Each time I had a contraction the baby's heart rate would drop and not recover.  We started talking about the possibilities of needing a c-section.  She called her partner and he came to assess the situation.  It was determined that our sweet little girl would not be able to tolerate labor and so the safest thing to do was to do a c-section.  I NEVER thought I need a c-section, especially considering how small my baby measured the whole pregnancy.  By this point I didn't care how she got here, as long as she got here safely.  I was surprised how calm and peaceful I felt as we made this decision

Scrubed in with my sweet birthing partner, I couldn't ask for a better man to sit next to me and hold my hand!

 Walking to surgery

 It was really surreal laying there knowing in a few minutes I'd be meeting my sweet little angel baby.  Once they got to the baby and they were pulling her out they pulled down the curtain and lifted my head so I could see.  What an amazing thing to see your baby the first time and hear her cry.....a moment you wait 10 long months for!  Tears streamed down both Blake and my cheeks, we couldn't wait to hold our daughter!  Blake went over with the nursery nurses while they cleaned and weighed her.  She was a tiny 6 lbs 14 oz and 20 inches long.  Right after they finished they brought her over to me so we could do skin to skin.  She put her little hand on my neck and that was the moment I melted and fell head over heels in love with her.

 The wheeled us back to our room.  She was awake and alert for almost 3 hours after birth.  Everytime Blake would talk she would move her head around trying to find him.

Our amazing midwife Lindsay and daddy talking to his baby girl

 Meeting her grandparents for the first time

 Already has daddy wrapped around her finger

 After grandparents left we tried nursing and she did amazing.  I had no clue what I was doing but she just latched right on and went to town!

First bath, daddy got to help

Baby girl has soooo many friends and family that were dying to meet her!

 Meeting her cousin Preston for the first time.  These 2 are just 3 weeks apart!

 These two are best friends and now they get to be daddys together!  

 Jamyn and I announced our pregnancies at the same time at Christmas.  Time has absolutely flown by and now we get to hold these sweet babies in our arms and be moms together.  Two healthy and happy babies, what an amazing blessing!

 We hadn't decided for sure on a name when we went in for the induction.  A few hours after she was born we decided to name her Ruby Ray Miller and it fits her perfectly.  Ruby is a family name on Blake's side (his dad's grandma) and Ray is after my Grandpa D (his middle name was Ray).

 Meeting Great-grandma D.  I know Grandpa D took care of her on the other side and will always be an angel watching over her as she grows up!

 4 generations

 My best friend Lisa came down to visit.  I can't wait for her sweet Haven and Miss Ruby to play and be best friends!!!

 Hanging out with her cousin Preston again.  I still don't know how on earth Jamyn made such a big baby.  He'll have to be Ruby's protector!  They are both the cutest babies and I can't get enough of them.  It will be so fun to watch them grow up together!

 Parker bought this frog special for baby Ruby

 I have never seen such an alert baby in my life.  Her eyes are just like her daddy's and I LOVE them!

 Sadie was in Montana when Ruby was born and couldn't get home fast enough to meet her.  She brought her lots of presents, even a tiara haha

 Eleni came to visit and found my shower cap.  She loved it and did not want to give it back when it was time to leave!

 We stayed at the hospital 4 days after her birth.  We could have gone home after 3 but I was just loving it way too much.  Daddy's picked out her going home outfit right after we found out we were having a girl, it looked SO cute on her!

 She looks sooooo tiny in her carseat!

 After 4 days of heaven it was time to go home.  It feels so weird going to the hospital as 2 people and leaving as 3.  What an amazing adventure!  I feel so blessed, this is what life is all about.  I never knew my heart was capable of this kind of love.  Not only for my sweet daughter but also for my amazing husband.  He is so hands on with EVERYTHING and wants to help in any way he can.....even waking up to be with me while I nurse in the middle of the night so he can burp and change her diaper.  Seeing him as a dad has made me fall in love in a whole new way.  Ruby is the luckiest girl in the world to be able to call Blake daddy.  It doesn't get better than this:)