Keslee's Arrival

For weeks I had been dilated to 3cm, then 4cm and still he wouldn't come.  Every night I'd make sure my toiletries were packed and my hospital bag was already in the van ready to go. I had had many, many false labor moments where my contractions were 3-5 minutes apart but then they subsided.  I had been having contractions about 10 min apart all night which wasn't completely unusual.  I asked Steve to come into the office with me that morning and Steve's mom offered to watch the girls. This was my 39 week appointment and I was waiting for the Dr. to come into the office. My contractions were about 3 min. apart at the time and she said I was at 5 cm. so she stripped my membranes and encouraged me to stay in the office and get hooked up to some monitors to see how I was progressing.  This time they kept coming and she wanted us to go ahead and check into the hospital.  My contractions were 3-4 min. apart but I didn't want to spend forever in the hospital waiting so we ran back home to Caldwell, left a key for Steve's parents and grabbed Steve his #5 at Sonic and I got 2 Route 44 glasses of ice.  We got back to the hospital at noon and got settled into LDR 7.   On the way, I made a call to a photographer friend of mine Jenn Straznicky.  I was hoping for her to be available to capture some pictures of his birth and so she quickly arranged for a babysitter so she could head up to the hospital.  I told her I'd keep her posted on my progress that it might be awhile.  The Dr. broke my water to help things progress somewhere around 2pm.  I was 7cm at the time.  I rocked on a birthing ball I had brought with me which helped ease some of the discomfort on my tailbone.  My goal was to have another natural birth VBAC like I had with Cayle, my second daughter.  Kylan, my first was an emergency C-section after having back labor for about 5 hours.  Cayle was a VBAC and I had her 15 minutes after we arrived at the hospital.  There was no time for drugs so I just rolled with it and it was truly a wonderful experience.  I was hoping for another FAST delivery!  The pain is GREAT, but manageable if it doesn't last forever.  I could handle another 2.5 hr. labor.

My nurse, Mary Anne, told me that there was something magic about laying on your left side and she thought I'd progress faster if I laid down.  Boy was she right!  I had Jenn come up cause I thought I was getting much closer.  When I laid down, Mary Anne checked me and I was still at 7cm.  The contractions were MUCH HARDER after I laid down and I was rethinking my no-drug plan!  I told Steve if I was only at a 7 that I didn't know if I could handle this pain for so long.  He encouraged me that it wouldn't be long and he was coming fast.  In about 5 minutes, I was ready to push.  Jenn walked in the door right in time and started shooting.  I had the nurses scrambling and they were telling me not to push since the Dr. wasn't there yet.  Ya right, when the kid wants to come, he's COMING.  Don't tell me not to push!  The hospital Dr. came in since mine wasn't there yet, but the lady across the hall was pushing too so the nurses came in to steal the on-call hospital Dr.  Just then, my Dr. came in and took over so all was good.  This birth was much harder than with Cayle and the pushing part was much longer and difficult.  Of course, Cayle was 5 lb. 13oz and it took two pushes to get her out.  After about 15 minutes of pushing, Keslee Cope Canon came into this world at 2:57pm on July 20th, 2012.  He was 6 lb. 13 oz. and 20 inches long.

Seeing this beautiful miracle laying on my chest was amazing, as any mother knows.  My cup runneth over.  Here are some beautiful shots Jenn captured for us...

Many people have asked where we came up with his name.  "Lee" is Steve's family name that has been passed down for 5 generations now.  "Kess" was a name from my side of the family.  Peter "Kess"ler Williams was a fighting Texas Aggie Class of '70 and graduated with a degree in Aerospace Engineering.  He was commissioned into the Marines as a 2nd Lieutenant and flew A4s during the Vietnam War. In 1973, he was doing maneuvers with another pilot in the Bermuda Triangle area when his plane had a malfunction and crashed into the ocean.  His wing-man saw the whole incident and radioed it in as it happened but the plane and his body were never found.  He was honored at Silver Taps, an honored tradition at A&M honoring fallen alumni.  He was awarded with several medals for his service to our country.  "Cope", Keslee's middle name is after Steve's grandfather Richard David Cope.  "Papa" as we call him was a brother to 2 sisters and father to 3 daughters, so his name was not passed on.  Papa has played such a key role in Steve's life and shares his passion for hunting and his love for his ranch in Bronte, TX.  Some of Steve's best attributes I believe come from this beloved man, like his gentleness and patience as well as his brow bone. :)

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the hundreds of people that have prayed for us during our journey of sorrow and joy.  Words can't express our gratitude for you interceding for us at the throne of God.  Your love and support for our family is what the body of Jesus Christ is all about.  To our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ for holding our hearts and bringing us comfort and peace and abundant blessings through the miracle of our children.  I know you hold my other 3 babes in the palm of your hand and I'll see them again some day. And to my beloved husband, Steve, for his continued understanding, love and strong arms to hold me.  You are forever and always the love of my life and my soul mate.  "You will always be the miracle that makes my life complete.  And as long as there's a breath in me, I'll make yours just as sweet.  As we look into the future, it's as far as we can see.  So let's make each tomorrow the best that it can be."