Friday was a tough day for me. I was having a lot of contractions and a feeling of constant pressure that wouldn’t let up. I was in town with all five children running errands and very eager to be DONE and just get home. Our baby was not due for another 10 days so I figured this was just another “warm up.” I have a lot of those days at the end, and it’s a real drag.

Turns out it was the real thing this time.

We made it back home at 5:30 and I was confronted with a dilemma. The children were hungry, unpacked grocery bags were dumped all over the kitchen floor and my contractions were becoming obviously regular and painful. Joseph and Catherine helped with putting things away while I made a quick call to my husband. We were getting close!

Between contractions, I made supper and tidied up. I’m sure that being on my feet helped me to move labor along even faster. At 7 o’clock I put Samuel and Susanna to bed and turned on The Three Stooges for Joseph, Catherine and Benjamin. The humor of this scene did not escape me; while doing the monumental and deeply spiritual work of bringing a new life into the world, I was serenaded by the sounds of Curly’s “nyuk nyuk” and Moe growling “come on, you knuckleheads!” in the background.

At 8 o’clock, we left for the Birth Center and my mother arrived to stay the night. At check-in I was 7 centimeters, and Erik arrived an hour later, right after I swore to the midwife I was going to split in two. Funny because he was just 7 pounds, 9 ounces, but we all know how that goes.

Our last baby (Susanna) had arrived just 15 minutes after we checked in; I was still standing up!

And here is our newest little one: Erik! He has lots of soft, fuzzy brown hair (most of ours have been blonds). This is my 6th VBAC delivery. I encourage every mother to give it a go (if medically cleared). Please, contact me anytime and we can chat if you have questions or concerns.

Remember that face, because you’ll be seeing lots of little Erik in the coming weeks as he gets to try out all the different newborn diapers and covers we’ve been saving up for him! I’ll share with you some photos and feedback for over 30 different newborn diapers and covers, plus there will be 4 cloth diaper prizes packages to be given away to celebrate!

We are so happy to welcome another of God’s gifts to the world and another little person into our family! Deo gratias!