And then there were four..

He is here.  After nine excruciatingly long, painful, turmoil filled, dramatic, fattening and life changing months- he is here.

Gavin Reid made his entrance into the world on October 25, 2011 at 2:35 PM.  He came into this world screaming.

And he hasn’t stopped since. :0)

If you have followed my blog throughout my partial hiatus over the past 9 months, you know that my family has been through quite a bit.  However, throughout all the pain, turmoil, moving, family dramatics, bed rest, child birth, terrible-two-suffering; we have managed to survive.  My family is stronger now than we were on January 1st.  I remember we thought 2011 would be the year of triumph for my family.  We entered into it so bright eyed and bushy tailed.. and it started off on a good note, as on February 22nd we found out we were expecting our dearest little Gavin.

My year in review will be detailed in another post.. for now though.. let’s talk baby.

Baby. Baby. Baby. Baby.

My Big Ol' Belly In All Of Its Glory

This fantastic photo of me, courtesy of my dearest husband, was taken mere hours before our newest (and last) addition, Gavin Reid, made his appearance.

Labor was.. well.. labor.  It hurt.  It was long and drawn out.  Needles were involved.   All sense of modesty was lost.  Really lost.  

But, in the end, I got my baby boy.  All 8 pounds 4.5 ounces and 20 inches of him.

Minutes after delivery

It took almost 2 hours of pushing and a lot of support from my husband and best friend.. because this Mamma about gave up about an hour into it.  My fear of experiencing the same pain I went through during my delivery with Cayden consumed me while I was pushing for Gavin.  I became frantic and almost lost control of myself.  Alas, even with all the pain due to ANOTHER faulty epidural, I forged my way through my painful labor and finally I heard the sweet, sweet cries of my baby boy.

Instant, sweet, blissful relief.

My best friend, my husband and myself.

We are adjusting well to life as a family of four.

Do not get me wrong, the adjustment did not come easy.

But we found our groove and now we are thriving.

Gavin at his 2 week check-up.

Cayden has more love for his little brother than I can comprehend.  His transition from an only child to big brother has been practically seamless.  I could not have pictured it any easier in my mind.  I attribute that how my husband and myself have handled explaining Gavin to Cayden; but mainly it’s because my son has an extremely large heart and genuine loving nature.  We have experienced minimal jealousy issues.  I remember my biggest fear when we found out we were expecting again was how Cayden was going to handle  it.  I was worried that the bond between Cayden and myself would weaken because of the new baby.  I’ve come to find out that it is actually quite the opposite.  He and I are closer than we have ever been.

A mothers heart knows no boundaries.  I love both of my boys more than I ever thought possible.  They are each such a blessing that I cannot begin to thank God enough.

Me and my boys.

Life is good.

Now.. if I could just get some more sleep..

Sleep is over rated.

With Lots of Love,

The Unexpected Mother

PS: STAY TUNED! I have an AWESOME review/giveaway coming up in a few days!  I really think you’re going to LOVE it!!