Paul Augustine Avery... just a tad late ;)

So Herman is almost 4, and hey, we've had another baby since then! Paul was born on December 7, 2015. He is now 21 months. A few friends have been posting their recent birth stories and I remembered that I never even wrote down any details from Paul's birth. So here's my attempt to capture some memories.

December 6th, 2015. 

My pregnancy went well, and he was due on December 12th. In spite of everyone praying that he would be born on the 4th, he did not choose to make an early appearance. (Lucy was born in the 1st, Adam, the 2nd, and Herman, the 3rd.) We decided to do an elective induction because my brother was getting married in Georgia soon after, and we were all excited to travel down and be a part of it.

Early in the morning on December 7th, we went in to the hospital and got all hooked up. Pete's family came in to town from Saint Louis to watch the other kiddos for the day. Things went very slowly at first, and their was some anxiety on my part because I'd done everything very naturally before and couldn't shake the feeling that I was forcing him out before he was ready.

In reality, everything was just fine, and progressed normally. It was very similar to Herman's birth, maybe even a little longer. Everyone told me it would be quick because of the induction... but we got to the hospital at the crack of dawn, and didn't have him until 5:39 pm. I'm pretty sure Pete and I watched "The Lord of the Rings" in the hospital while laboring. The nurses got a kick out of that.

I managed to do it without meds, but really thanks to Pete, who kept my head straight during the hard part. Only a few pushes when it came time and he was out! The doctor almost missed it. My body tends to stay in transition until the last second and then uncontrollably pushes the baby out.

Paul Augustine Avery, 7 lbs 9 oz and
19 3/4 inches long, born at 5:39 pm.

I hyperventilate when I have babies, so they put me on oxygen.

We didn't name him until a couple hours after he was born, Apparently we have a hard time with boy's names. Paul means "humble" and Augustine means "king." Our prayer is that his life would follow after and glorify the true humble King, Jesus.

He had a lot of fluid in his ears, and failed his hearing test twice before finally passing a couple days later. He also had fluid in his throat and nose which made it hard for him to breath. They had to use the suction machine several times. Other than that, nothing too scary! We certainly praise God for a healthy pregnancy and baby.

A couple days before the wedding, I flew down to my parent's house with just Paul. It was pretty easy considering I only had one small baby who slept all the time. He was 10 days old. Pete is the real champion, who drove down a day later with the three other's in tow.

Big sister, Lucy, taking good care of her new
brother. She still takes great care of him!
Just tonight, she read to him while I
put the other boys to bed.

Here's our family of six when we finally made it to Georgia
for Luke and Leah's wedding. This is the rehearsal.
Paul was only 11 days old. 

Here's us at the wedding. Pete was a groomsmen,
 Lucy was the flower girl, and Adam was the ring bearer.

Here are a few photos of Paul in the present. He is very active, loves climbing, exploring, running, laughing, yelling, and doing anything his siblings are doing. A lot has changed since we had him back in Normal, IL, 21 months ago.