Our Newest Arrival!!

Okay, so Austin is now almost 7 weeks old, but I am going to get this blog up to date if it kills me while I try.

Austin David Gunnell was born on Tuesday July 15, 2008. Here is our story. It was a long day, but well worth the wait. I was scheduled to be induced that morning at 7am. When we arrived at the hospital we were sent home, they had a mad rush of women who were in labor right before I arrived. We went to get some breakfast and before we were done eating the hospital called and said they had some more women show up whose water had broken so I needed to call back around noon. When I called at noon they told be to call back at 2pm. Finally at 2 o'clock I was told to come on in, they finally had a room for me. The best part about being pushed back was that I got a really good nap in and Michael kept the kids quiet for the day. We took them to Michael's parents house for the night and told them we would call them as soon as the baby was born, unless it was after they would be asleep.

We got checked into the hospital and settled into the room and the induction process was started. My goal from the beginning was to have a completely natural delivery. I wanted to go without an epidural, if possible. The contractions didn't seem to be much of a bother for quite a while. Michael and I were just hanging out, listening to music and I was reading a book. All was going very well and actually kind of slow. My doctor checked in at about 5:30, on his way to his son's birthday party and said all was well and he would be back between 8 and 9PM.



Just before 7PM, as the nurses were doing shift change, my nurse checked my status. I was very soft, but only dilated to a 4 (have to get to 10). That nurse went home and my contractions started to get very intense and very close together. By 7:30 I decided that I was giving in, I couldn't take the intensity any longer, get me the Epidural!! My contractions seemed to be right on top of one another, I felt like I could barely get a breath in between each of them. Michael was great, he was very attentive and just kept the ice chips coming and the cool cloth on my forehead. Anyway, by 8:10 the epidural was in, but not working at all and the nurse checked my status. Remember I was only at a 4 a little more than an hour before. I was now fully effaced and I was dilated to a 10!! I am one who has never had to push for a long time so I was worried that my doctor wasn't going to make it in time. I asked them to page him, immediately and he walked in the door right after that. I pushed a few times, feeling everything. Although I did have an epidural it didn't work at all. It finally took effect about the time they were wanting to take me to my new room, they helped me to a wheelchair and my left leg completely collapsed.

Back to giving birth, this was the first of my four kids that I was able to hold immediately upon delivery. It was an amazing experience. Austin is a beautiful baby boy who was so wide eyed and alert it was amazing to all who were in the room. He was born at 8:33PM and was ready to greet the world. His eyes were so dark it was hard to tell if they were blue or brown, but they are definitely blue and they always seem to be open. He was also a great eater right from the start. He weighed in at 6lbs 10oz and measured 21 inches long.






We called the kids and our parents to let them know the news. The kids were all getting ready for bed, but were very excited. Michael stayed with me and Austin until we were settled in to our new room. I sent him home for a good nights sleep and he would be back in the morning with the rest of the family.

4th of July Weekend

After the kids were done with Basketball for the summer it was finally time to spend some much needed time in the mountains for some cooler weather and time with family. Michael's family has property in the White Mountains and we enjoy escaping to the cabin as often as we can, but a July due date didn't allow for much more than a weekend away. Michael's brother and his family were in town from Oklahoma and all of the Gunnell clan was in the mountains for the holiday weekend.

We had a great time. The kids love the freedom that they have at the cabin. As soon as we arrived they were off on their adventures with their cousins. They spent most of their time riding quads, looking for critters at the pond, going on scavenger hunts around the property and making forts. It's great to not have to worry about them when we are there, they find their way home when they are hungry. It gives us adults plenty of time to visit and get some good R&R in.


On the 4th of July, Sally(Granny) made a pinata for the kids and hid clues all over the ranch for them to have a scavenger hunt with great treats and prizes at the end. The dads were elected to take the kids on that, it was alot of fun to see all of them in a parade of quads going from one clue to the next. It filled a good hour of the day and another hour after playing with the planes and bubbles and eating the treats. That night the extended family got together for dessert, homemade ice cream and brownies and then we broke out some fireworks. The kids had a blast and didn't even miss the big show that we didn't make it to this year. A great time was had by all.






All in all it was a wonderful weekend. It was alot of fun to see all of the babies in the family. We have 4 nephews who are 6 months to 1 year old and it gave me a good idea of what Austin will be doing next year. The weather was amazing, definitely worth the trip up the mountains for the weekend. Now it's time to prepare for having a baby.

When we got home from the cabin it was time for Ashleigh to do Primary Softball. We were up every morning to have her at the field for her 6am games. She had never played softball before, but was excited to learn. In her first game she had one hit and in her last game she had 2 hits and she asked to play 3rd base instead of the outfield and she got the last out of the game. She was so excited. I couldn't be there, but Michael and Ashleigh told me all about it. She loved playing, even if it was 6am.

Jumping Ahead!

I am going to jump ahead about 1 1/2 months to the present. I wanted to post this video because it is too big for me to email to anyone and I wanted to show you how cute Austin is. It's about a minute and a half long, but the end is worth the wait. He is just too cute (not that I am biased). This video was taken on the day that he was 1 month old, but he has been rolling over like this since he was 2 weeks old. At first my mom and I thought it was a fluke that he rolled over, but every time we put him on his tummy he rolls himself over onto his back. It amazes all of us and makes us laugh, but at the same time I can't help but think to myself, What's next?, walking by 6 months?

I've Entered the Blogging World!!

Well I am finally joining the wide world of blogging. With all of the family and friends that we have spread across the country I thought this would be a great way to keep everyone up to date on what is going on with our family.

It has been a very busy summer so I will probably take a few posts to get everything updated. I guess I will start at the beginning of the summer. I wanted the kids to have activities to keep them busy and having fun and since we were awaiting the arrival of a new member of the family in July all of their activities took place in June. All three kids were in swimming lessons for 2 weeks and they all had a blast going to the pool everyday. Although I must say, it wasn't very much fun for me, sitting in the triple digit temperatures waiting for their classes to be over. After the first week I finally sat on the edge of the pool with my feet soaking in the cool water. That definitely made it a little more bearable. Ashleigh and Jordan also participated in Basketball Camp for the month of June. They were in different age groups and they both had a blast learning the fundamentals of the game and they both improved significantly. Ashleigh can't wait for After-school Sports to start so she can get more playing in.