Matthew's Arrival

MATTHEW'S HERE!!!!
So for those of ya'll that don't know the details of Matthew's arrival, I'll fill you in!
On Tuesday the 24th we went in for our 39 week appointment where I was dilated to a 3. They decided to admit me to the hospital that night at 6:00pm. They put some type of medication in me to ripen my cervix and kept it for the night. I couldn't eat after that until Matthew was born. My sweet girls came to visit me too! Chris and I didn't sleep a wink that night.
The next morning they measured me and I was at a 4, so they decided to pump me with some pitocin to get my contractions going a little stronger. At 9:00am my doctor broke my water and from then on my contractions started coming more and more frequent and stronger. Each time they measured they could feel his head wedged way down there. (From all the walking they said! :) Everyone thought that Matthew would be here by lunch! We were stoked!
At 1:30pm I decided I needed my epidural, the pain was getting a little intense and I was already exhausted. The epidural, although very worth it, hurt me more than the delivery. The first time the anesthesiologist couldn't thread the needle and I ended up getting a whole epidural again. Oh man was that painful! Come 6:30pm, note we're now into dinner time and I still hadn't eaten anything except ice chips since 6:00pm the night before. Anyways, I was finally at a 10 and the family and friends that had been waiting with us at the hospital all day were sent out to the waiting room while Chris and I got prepared to start this incredible journey. The nurses wanted to see how much Matthew would move down on his own with the contractions without pushing. Come 7:00pm, he was ready and so was I. However, 7:00 is shift change for those of ya'll that don't know the hospital schedules. The nurses that had been working with me all day long were supposed to go home without getting to meet Matthew, but they wouldn't have that. So we had the day shift and night shift nurses there to help Matthew join the world. We had to call the doctor and get the room prepped for delivery, while Chris turned the Ranger game on in the background. At 7:14pm I had my first push and by 7:21pm, our son Matthew Kaiser O'Steen was born; 7 pounds 3.4 ounces, and 18 3/4 inches long. Chris and I were in total shock when he came out and we saw him for the first time. But when we heard his cry for the very first time, neither one of us could hold back the tears. We are so proud of our sweet, beautiful little man!
By 7:45 Matthew, Chris and I welcomed our first visitors. Mama and Papa K and Uncle Jeremy! They have been smitten ever since. We had 21 more visitors that night come in and out of the room, holding Matthew, taking pictures, and giving us love! Chris left to pick up his parents who flew in from California at 11:00pm, so Grandma and Grandpa got to meet their 7th grandchild the night he was born as well. We said goodbye an goodnight around midnight that night, to only get 3 hours of off and on sleep that night as well. Between crying, feeding, and the constant knock on the door from nurses checking in on Matthew and I, it was a rough night of sleep.
The next morning our first visitors came at 9:00am and until 9:00pm we had 27 more visitors come meet Matthew and congratulate Chris and I. He was such a spoiled little baby boy, and we were by far the most popular patients at Flower Mound Presby. Friday Chris went to pick up Kylie from the airport and she got to meet her little brother for the very first time. She couldn't believe her eyes and loved him without end! She immediately changed into her "Big Sister" shirt that her Aunt Sammy made her and sat down to hold him! A few hours later, we packed up and headed home! What a relief to see our house, our puppies, and sleep in our bed. Outside our home was a beautiful sign announcing Matthew's arrival to the neighborhood. Since then we have been home for 10 days now, and Matthew goes for his 2 week check up tomorrow. I can't believe it. People always say the time goes quickly, but it is insane. He's sleeping wonderfully and even gives me 4-5 hours at a time in the night. Breastfeeding was extremely difficult and frustrating for both Matthew and I, so currently we are pumping every 2 hours and feeding it to him in a bottle. He's still getting the breastmilk, but just out of a bottle instead. I LOVE IT! He's growing and getting cuter and cuter as each hour passes. I'm so in love with this sweet sweet baby boy!
This is all for now, but don't worry I'll be posting more pictures and stories as the days go on! :)