My Birth Story (by Hallie Rae Jester)

Mom and I were getting pretty tired of pregnancy, and my dad was asking everyone and their neighbor to pray that I would arrive early. So I got this fun idea in my head - why not surprise them three weeks early? They'd be thrilled to meet me, of course, and I'd get a little more space to stretch my legs. So the evening of September 3rd, I let mom know I was on my way.  After trying some at-home tricks (taking a warm bath and drinking lots of water) to stop the contractions, she woke my dad up to drive her to the hospital.

Here are mom and dad smiling in the emergency room, even though it was 2:00 a.m. the morning of September 4th.  The details are hazy since I wasn't actually born yet, but I understand that mom got lots of IV fluids to see if her contractions would stop since she wasn't quite 37 weeks pregnant.  I was determined to have my party that day, though, so labor progressed and the doctor scheduled a C-Section at 7:00 a.m.

That's where everything started going downhill.  The doctor literally ripped me out of my cozy cocoon and into an awful cold, bright place where I was poked and prodded. I immediately knew that my big surprise was a terrible mistake and demanded to be put back immediately. Apparently that wasn't an option. So September 4th at 7:59 a.m. was my birth date and time. I weighed 6 lbs. 6 oz. and was 19.7 inches long. I was a big, strong girl, considering how early I came!

I got my first photo with mom and dad. The hospital made us all wear silly hats so we looked like Dr. Seuss characters. Embarrassing.

I had my first checkup and they said I was perfectly healthy, except my blood sugar was a little low. That meant that I got to eat a lot, which I liked, but also that they would prick my heel to draw blood and test my blood sugar level every day until I left the hospital, which I did NOT like.

Then I got to cuddle with everyone in my family. Me and mom, who was definitely on drugs.

At least my dad was sober that day.

My big sister, Emma.

Grandma

Grandpa

Papa

Nana

Uncle Rob, Aunt Robin, and cousins Miriam and Naomi (and my big sis, too!)

Entertaining everyone was exhausting, but I still spent some time perfecting new skills.

Comparing the soothing effects of my fingers vs. a pacifier

Blowing kisses at my handsome daddy

Getting lots of kisses from mommy

Charming everyone with my smile

Practicing my modeling poses

Before we knew it, it was time for us to leave the hospital. 

"It's your very first car ride," they said. "You'll love it," they said.

But we were all happy to be on our way home to start our new life together.

Our first photo as a family of four!