Welcome Kylie Vera

Kylie Vera Burger made her debut on Monday, October 1st at 12:02 pm. However in order to get the whole story we need to go back to Friday, September 28th. I was blessed with a fabulous pregnancy and felt great throughout. I loved being pregnant and everything that came with it. So when I woke up that Friday morning feeling strange I knew something was up. I immediately began to panic because I wasn't ready to have this baby yet. My due date wasn't until October 9th and I had too much school and housework left to do. I made it through work that day, and then Friday night my contractions began. We decided that was probably a good time to pack our hospital bags! The contractions were about 20 minutes apart and continued all night and into Saturday. We spent Saturday running errands and working at school in an attempt to get ready for my sub. Ryan came with me to help grade papers and time contractions. We were still thinking these were Braxton Hicks contractions though as they were not consistent. They ranged anywhere from 8 to 20 minutes apart. Some were painful, some were not. However this continued all night Saturday - resulting in me staying up most of the night in the recliner and Ryan attempting to sleep on the couch. By Sunday the contractions were much closer together and I could tell these were the real deal. We made a mad dash to get the house cleaned up and more papers graded. Ryan was a huge help in that department. Looking back I wish we would have spent more time reflecting on our last hours as a family of two and less worrying about work. Anyway, finally about 10:30 Sunday night I decided it was time to head to the hospital. We arrived at 11:00 pm and I was 4 cm dilated. After the initial monitoring was done we started walking around the hospital floor. This certainly helped labor progress and by 2:30 am I was 7 cm dilated and in a lot of pain. I decided to concede to an epidural. The anesthesiologist arrived about 3:15 and provided immediate relief. Unfortunately it also left me very shaky, my blood pressure jumping all over, and halted my labor progress. At 7:00 am when Dr. Friesen arrived I was still at the same point, so he broke my water and started pitocin. By 9:30 I was ready to push. It took longer than expected, but 2 1/2 hours later with the assistance of a vacuum (not mommy's top choice) we welcomed our baby girl into the world. She was 7 pounds 6 ounces, 19 1/2 inches long, and absolutely beautiful! The moment they first placed her on my chest and daddy cut the cord is a moment I will never forget. Nothing and no one can prepare you for the emotions you feel when you first meet this little person you have been carrying for the past 9 months. Pure joy and love!

Love at first sight

Hello world!

First picture as a family of three

We were able to spend the first three hours of Kylie's life bonding as a family before moving to postpartum and checking in at the nursery. That is a time I will always cherish.

Getting cleaned up with her first bath

Meeting Grandpa & Grandma Kirsch

Goodnight! It's been a big first day!