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{Forewarning: This is a very long post}

So yes, 7 weeks ago a chunky monkey baby boy entered our world, but I will start reminiscing with some happenings that occurred shortly before his BIRTHday. . .

Something we did not do with our first go round, but I am so very excited we did this time is have a preggo photo session with one of our favorite photogs and friend, Rich Smith. Why did we not do this with, Ada, our three year old?!? Not sure and still kicking my own tail over :( It was absolutely-crazy-horribly cold the day of our session. Ada’s poor eyes were watering from being so cold. I think we managed to pull it together and not look like we were freezing our tails off. Rich even managed to ward off shivering induced camera shake. The following are the lovely images that Rich captured for us.  The following are just a few of my faves. . .

This is our vintage tandem Schwinn, that was actually Jimmy’s mom’s when she was a little girl. When Everest is old enough we are going to be adding a trailer to the back so we all four can ride. I think I am kidding myself that we will actually be able to propel forward with all of us attached…but I am remaining hopeful :)

Anyone who knows me recognizes this face. A serious face is a rare find. Love my hubbie! He is such a hottie! {Love all the leading lines in this shot too}

Thanks so much Rich for making sure I did not have preggo picture regrets once again!!! Love what you captured of our family!!! Crazy self portrait time. . .

The next few are just a couple of shots showing the bigness of my belly that Jimmy took even closer to arrival time.

This picture cracks me up. At six days pre-delivery I decided to try out this ginormous slide for the first time. Ginormous Slide+Extremely Slick Surface = Naturally Induced Labor {at least, one would think}. Either way, this face is not one of an actress, instead a completely natural reaction to unexpected speed.

This is the day of and last shot of Everest pre-delivery. Yes, I knew when he was making his arrival. Yes, I had a scheduled C-section. Yes, I had my hair done the day before. {FYI: I had a non scheduled c-section with Ada}

The remainder of the day was documented for us by Amber Holritz. Once again, we did not have our first go round professionally documented so we wanted to do it right this time. Just like a wedding day, this day can never be duplicated. These pictures will forever and ever and ever be cherished.  The following are just a few of my faves from the day :)

Getting prepped, ready and IVed up prior to surgery.

Headed back to the OR. I kept repeating to Jimmy. . .I can NOT believe we are about to have a baby. I was saying so with a huge smile and with no anxieties or worries what-so-ever. I had had a c-section before and this time I did not labor for almost 24 hrs prior with several hours of pushing, in addition to surgery. I was relaxed and rested. A very very nice feeling.

I hopped off the hospital bed for a quick self portrait with Jimmy and Amber :) Lookin’ like hotties in our scrub caps.

Jimmy got so excited he put his scrubs on over his down vest. The boy would have passed out in there had the nurse not rescued him from the feathers.

Getting my spinal and yep, texting :)

And here we go. . .

While laying on the operating table one of our primary discussions was the middle name of our soon-to-be born son. We had not fully decided before coming in that day. Everyone was throwing out a name. I had even thought about not giving our son a middle name. Who really uses their middle name anyway!

I could not see our baby yet, but hearing your baby’s voice (cry) for the first time is the most amazing sound ever. Tears of shear amazement, joy and excitement. . .

There he was. Everest Emerson Moncrief born 02.25.2010

Jimmy cuts his son’s umbilical cord, something he did not do with our first child. He is a bit squeamish when it comes to hospitals. Believe he felt a bit more comfortable this time around.

In awe and anxious to hold him. I was so exhausted at this point the first time I did this that I barely cared to hold Ada. I seriously was passing out from exhaustion, but this time I was energized.

Those colossal feet! I love this shot Amber captured…his foot is so large it is wrapping around the nurses hand.

8 pounds 14 ounces…I could NOT believe it. Over 2 pounds more than Ada weighed!!!! No wonder my belly was so much bigger this time.

Daddy gets to hold him first :)

This is the most amazing image ever. I would be impressed with this image whether my family was the subject or not. Amber you did good! My body, compartmentalized!

This is best OB in the entire world, Dr. Copper Newman! Love this woman!!! I did not have an emotional pregnancy {polar opposite of pregnancy 1.0}, but I of course cried several times on Everest’s BIRTHday. Once when Copper prayed with me prior to surgery, when I heard Everest for the first time and when Ada met Everest for the first time.

Ha! Every time I tried to push my body back up in the hospital bed I felt like my legs/body were falling through the bed as if I were a character in the movie Ghost :) This was all due to the spinal I received for surgery.

First picture of us as a family of four! Love my little family!!! You can see many more pictures of Everest BIRTHday and a slideshow too by clicking HERE and visiting Amber’s site.

While in the hospital, I uploaded pictures to Facebook, but here are a few more Jimmy took while we were in the hospital.

My sister took the next two of us :)

I love love love this little guy!

I could not stop snuggling his soft newborn head and all of its roundness {still can’t}.

This is random, but some sweet friends brought us some divine sweet goodness in the form of Gigi’s cupcakes. If you are stumped on a hospital present to bring the next new mommy you visit, here is your answer. These cupcakes made the best hospital gift ever. YUM!!!

Sweet cuddle time. How come so often daddies can sleep in hospitals, but mommies can not? :)

Puckering his lips, trying to show that his can be as full as his sisters :)

Love his sweet little profile and button nose :)

Love you little man. xoxo

Crazy long fingers

Sucking his thumb!

Yep, he sure was! I have caught him a time or two since :)

Could he look more like a grumpy old man?!? Custom adorableness by our friend, Iveyhandcrafted, of course :)

These are several pictures taken over the course of Everest’s first week of life. Several people have asked if we have taken as many pictures as the first time around. I am so happy to say we have taken even more and we took a ton with Ada. This is just a very small {well you may not think so} sampling.

So at the hospital it took her a while to warm up to her little brother. It was probably more of mommy sitting in a hospital bed, in hospital gown and hooked up to IVs than anything, that freaked her out a bit. But, since Everest has been home, this is what we have seen NON-stop. . .

Okay and we have seen a little of this, but really she loves her little brother so much! Whenever he cries she says, “Mommy he’s talking to me” or “Mommy he says, come here, Ada.” or whatever else she interprets him saying :)

A little self portrait at his 48 hour discharged from the hospital pediatrician appt where we further confirmed that our boy is huge :)

Ada often slept like this too at this age.

Okay, so there was a lot of sleep, during the DAY, that first week! Yes, like many newborns, ours had his days and nights mixed up. It did not take long and he was partying in the day instead of the night…whew!

No newborn was injured in the making of this photograph and just in case you were wondering…this was completely unprompted.

So I really really thought I wanted another girl, but on the way home from the hospital I made a public apologize with alligator tears and all telling Everest that I was sorry that I ever wanted him to be a girl.

Boys are the best too!

Stay tuned for more pictures of our new life as a family of four. . .