Everyone has been frantically sending me messages to find out the news, I am so sorry it is taking me so long to post, I am just going to cut & paste from my journal to ease things. Sorry it is so long!

I was admitted on Monday night (the 17th) and at about 9:30PM we started cytotec to start dilation. Well, it didn't cause me to dilate at all but I started to have contractions every 2 minutes ~ I wasn't feeling any of them! Usually they do the cytotec doses every 4hrs but because of my contractions they couldn't give me any more. We decided to wait a while & see where it went. At 3AM I had a horrible pain in my lower abdomen & a sudden popping feeling, then gush! My water broke spontaneously. The contractions became unbearable & were measuring off the charts on the monitor. By 4AM on the 18th I had decided to get an epidural.....I had not slept since about the same time the day before. Let me say ~ I LOVE EPIDURALS!!!!! I was comfortable & able to rest. At 11AM I was checked again & I was only dilated to 1!!!! At this same time they lost any tracings of contractions & her heart rate wasn't showing up well. They put in internal monitors....things were much more precise now. At about 1PM I started to feel a burning sensation. They checked me again ~ wow...7cm! They boosted my epidural at that time. Within 30 minutes I was feeling the burning again, next check 9 1/2cm! My doctor came in at about 1:30 & told me to start pushing....it was going to be a few hours & he went back to his office. Within 20 minutes of my OB leaving I was crowning & the nurse was telling me not to push!!!! WHAT?!?!? The OB came running in just in time to gown up, give me an episiotomy so I didn't tear too much more & out she flew!! 38 minutes of pushing & 3 years of trying with nothing but heartbreak I was FINALLY A MOMMY! Needless to say throughout the day the topic of a c-section was brought up because my princess' heart rate would plummet & take several minutes to recover. But, I was determined to finish what no one thought I could! I was on oxygen for about 6 hrs & had nurses running into the room frantically every few minutes to have me reposition....thinking she was compressing her cord. They even thought for a while my placenta was tearing away. Pretty scary for a while! But, all was well in the end.

My beautiful girl weighed in at 6lbs 1oz & is 19 1/2 inches long. She has lots of dark brown hair (nothing like my blond) but looks just like her daddy. But, I find myself smiling when someone says she has my eyes & my chin....little do they know the truths of her genetics!!!! After only a few short minutes with her on my chest she was whisked away to the NICU. Everyone was concerned about her blood type & Rh issue. After many arguments with the NICU staff (partly because they weren't doing anything medically for her) my DH & I decided to bring her home on Thursday night. We have to take her into the lab every day per our pediatrician to have her blood level & bilirubin checked but so far she is not in a critical zone. They will follow her for 3 wks. She has dropped down to 5lbs 11oz but is eating up a storm....my boobs huge & killing me! I write that with a smile....breastfeeding is a sweet time to share with her!

I am so TOTALLY HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE with this girl. She is simply beautiful & I am tearing up as I write this. I find myself thanking the Lord every day for this blessing. I can't put her down ~ probably why it has taken me so long to post :-) !!! From the top of her perfect little head to her tiny little toes this girl is mine ~ ALL MINE!!! Genetics mean nothing. I nourished this girl for nine months & I could not love her anymore if she came from my own egg. The last 3 years of TTC, IVF, and recurrent m/c have been the hardest things I have ever gone through, but now that I am looking at this little girl I know it was all worth it. My 3 other angels are sitting on her shoulders & will walk with her through life! I always thought Rich was the love of my life ~ man was I mistaken.....this little girl takes the grand prize! But, he isn't too far behind....it isn't too often you have a man tell you to go take a nap & that he will change the poopy diaper.....I LOVE MY LIFE!!!!!!

Thank you all for everything. May your dreams come true as mine have. Blessings to you all.

Dulcy & Danicka