Holden Wyatt Hodges arrived on Sunday, February 3, 2013 -- two days before his due date. His labor and birth took just over TWO hours. Two, very intense, crazy hours. We were surrounded by family and friends;  Ashley, my best friend and our very own personal delivery nurse met us at the hospital to help with the delivery; Dave's mom; and my good friend Blair, who captured the birth with beautiful photos.

I was really determined not to have an epidural again. I didn't with Cade, and he was so much more alert from the start. He was a great eater, and my recovery was much faster. I made it to "complete" with Holden, but was afraid to push without an epidural. I made the right decision, and I don't regret it at all. I got to hold, snuggle, and enjoy him pain-free afterwards.

Since my labor was so fast, I didn't have enough time to get the IV antibiotics we needed, so we had to stay an extra day in the hospital. We limited hospital visitors to family only, and soaked up the time alone with him. Unfortunately, Dave was really sick the whole time, so he was limited in what he could do.

Since we got home, we have been blessed abundantly. Food was here waiting on us and arrived daily for the first week, our older kids had been loved on by grandparents and aunts, and the biggest blessing of all: this baby is a sleeper!!! I am not the least bit sleep deprived, which is unheard of in this house. A lot of this is attributed to the help of my night-owl husband. We (Holden and I) have quite the routine of dozing/feeding off and on from about 8 PM-1AM on the couch. When I'm not feeding, Dave is the official "baby holder." This helps me to get a good half night's sleep before I actually get in bed. The other part I attribute to careful, conscious decisions we made regarding his care and birth: continuous chiropractic care (he was adjusted just six hours after birth), no vaccinations, and waiting on spontaneous labor to occur. Our older 2 boys had some immediate health issues we were determined to prevent in Holden (reflux, failure to thrive, constant fussiness). Holden doesn't have ANY of these problems. Praise God!

We have had a few struggles. Besides Dave having a respiratory infection, Cade had been battling a nasty cough for the past couple weeks. He was diagnosed with pneumonia, which requires vigilant 24-hour care. Hopefully, diligence with the nebulizer and new medicines will help him quickly recover. In addition, Hunter caught dad's virus, and I have had a little go round with mastitis. We are all on the mend, but it did make for a slightly overwhelming "welcome" home.

We want to thank all of you who have lightened our load by checking in on us, bringing meals, etc. Aside from the sickness, this has been a truly wonderful experience and we are looking forward to showing off our family of six... after flu season is over!