Mercy is Here!

After anxiously waiting the arrival of our 4th child, Mercy Joy was finally born on July 19th. Yay! I had her at home with a midwife, and had my best labor and delivery experience of the four. She was born at 10:45 pm after laboring on and off all day long. The serious labor probably began around 5:00 pm, but overall this was my most relaxed and stress-free labor. It was so cool to just be at home all day with my family around me, then after she was born we didn't have to go anywhere - we were already home! Both my parents and my husband's parents were here as well as my sister-in-law and one of her sons. Now, only the ladies (along with my husband, of course) were actually in the room when Mercy was born, but the grandfathers were able to see her just moments after she was delivered. As hard as delivering a baby can be, it really was a wonderful experience. Mercy weighed 9 lbs 6 oz and was 21 inches long.

She is now 11 days old and is just doing great. I'm loving having a newborn again. Of course, we've had lots of help around the house as my parents were here for the first week then my husband's parents have been here since then. I can't imagine what it would have been like to without all their help with the boys and food and laundry and everything else! Because of each of them, I've been able to really rest and heal quickly. Nursing has always been difficult for me in the beginning, and this baby has not been an exception to that. However, so far this has been my easiest nursing experience in comparison. It still hurts when I nurse, but I'm hoping it will be better very soon. Related to nursing, I'm still having to watch my sugar intake pretty closely because I do not ever want to get thrush again. I had it when Micah was 8 months old and it was a horrific experience for me. So far so good in that department too.

And finally, I will leave you with some pictures, since that's what people want anyway (not my ramblings :o). Thank you to all who have been praying for me through this whole time. The Lord has truly blessed us greatly!

The boys see Mercy for the first time. They are all thoroughly taken with her and all her girly-ness. It's precious to see them being gentle and soft with her.

All the proud grandparents...

Mercy and her many poses - it's so fun having a little girl!

We have to train her up in the way she should go - Go Red Sox!

Good Night!