Ellen's birth story

Apologies for taking so long to get this up, but we've been blessed with a baby who constantly wants to be held. So as much fun as it would have been to type this one-handed, I thought I'd wait until Ellen gave me a reprieve. For those who are interested, here's a (hopefully) not-too-detailed-yet-informative account of Ellen's entrance into the world.
After a couple visits to the doctor and being informed Ellen was already well-developed size-wise at over 8 pounds, we scheduled an induction for Monday, August 17. Being "scheduled" is basically like being on call where the hospital will call YOU when they're ready for you. Women who go into labor naturally and scheduled inductions with special medical needs (e.g. high blood pressure) are first on the priority list. If, after those women, the hospital has the room and staffing for you, they give you a call. Sean and I planned to have a fairly leisurely Monday, thinking surely the hospital would be busy and wouldn't give us a call until Monday night. Instead, we got the call at 1:45 a.m. We grabbed the hospital bag, said goodbye to Brinkley, and headed out.
After being admitted I was given Pitocin to start contractions and labored pretty easily from about 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. But then the contractions started getting a lot more intense and painful, so when we were moved to our delivery room I was very thankful to get the epidural. From 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. I continued to progress in labor (pain-free!) while Sean basically twiddled this thumbs and kept me company. We watched DVDs, he showed me funny headlines on theonion.com, and we got regular updates from our nurse on how things were going. At about 3 p.m. our doctor called to see how I was doing and told our nurse that if things hadn't progressed to the pushing stage by the time she arrived at 3:30 that she thought a c-section would be necessary. They didn't want to continue pumping me with drugs only to have to possibly end up in the operating room anyway. So, even though I knew going into this that a c-section could be a possibility, I really only had about a half hour to prepare mentally for the fact that I was most likely going to get one. Not that pushing was going to be a walk in the park, but major abdominal surgery was just as nerves-inducing.
When my doctor arrived she checked me out and announced that yes, we were going to do the c-section. Sean was outfitted in scrubs, we were both given a rundown of what the procedure would be like, and before I knew it I was being wheeled off to the operating room. I'm not sure if it was nerves, the extremely frigid temperature of the room, or both, but I had a terrible case of the chills/shakes the whole time. Sean was by my side throughout the procedure and was able to get the first look at Ellen as our doctor delivered her. I was so relieved to hear those first cries and hear Sean tell me that she looked great, and just like that, she was bundled up and Sean held her next to me so I could see her.
Ellen Ann O'Hara was born at 3:57 p.m. weighing 8 pounds 12.9 ounces, measuring 21 inches long (although Sean thinks her "cone head" from making her way down the birth canal gave her a bit of an advantage in the length department). By 5 p.m. we were calling our parents and family to announce the good news and by 6 p.m. the three of us were in our recovery room, where I'd be for the next three days.
Thankfully, I've had a very speedy recovery from surgery, and 10 days into motherhood I think I've got the basics down...although figuring a LOT out along the way.
It's hard not to sound gushy when talking about these things, so I guess I won't even try to avoid it. Sean, Ellen and I are so blessed to have each other, such loving, supporting family, and such wonderful friends. We are so excited to share our new family life with you all as Ellen grows!