And then there were five!

Caleb Murdock Rasmussen has arrived! Born 4 June 2016, at 2:23 AM. Weighing in at just under 8 lbs (7 lb 15 3/4 oz) and just over 20 in (20 1/8"), he made his debut in somewhat dramatic fashion.
You'd think, being my third kid, I'd know when to go to the hospital. I was really trying to avoid my previous mistakes: going in too early with Calista, and waiting a bit too much with Craig. Well, in trying to avoid those mistakes, I ended up doing both!

Friday, June 3: I wake up feeling... off. I repeatedly remind my stomach that Grammie May isn't here in Calgary yet (she'll get here Saturday noon-ish), so baby can't be born today.
Morning: I go grocery shopping with the kiddos, doing normal Friday things.
A little before 1 PM: I start having contractions. They aren't terribly strong yet, and about 10 minutes apart. Early labor??
5 PM: I let my midwife know I am in early labor, as contractions are still coming about 7 minutes apart. I also eat dinner of pizza. Yum.
7 PM: I start to feel nauseous. Another hallmark of me being in labor. I go take a bath and try to relax.
7:30 PM: I cuddle my baby boy for the last time as my youngest child. Calista gets a snuggle for good measure, too.

Kyler perches on the couch next to me, starting up a computer game for "us" to play. Really, Kyler ends up playing by himself as I continue to time contractions and am not up for paying a ton of attention.
10:45 PM: Contractions are closer together and lasting longer, so I call the midwife again. We agree to meet at the hospital at 11:30, giving me time to call up an awesome neighbor to come sit in the house. I am uncomfortable and needing to breath through contraction.
11:30 PM: Kyler drops me off outside labor and delivery, goes to park, and then both he and my midwife meet me in triage to assess my labor.
I am dilated to... not even 3 cm. My midwife is pretty sure this baby will come this weekend, but I'm still considered early labor. Sigh. So I take some tylenol and we head back home.
Saturday, June 4:
Midnight: We are back home, and try to lay down and sleep. Kyler falls asleep for a while, but tells me to wake him up if I need him. I try to sleep, but contractions prevent me from doing anything better than dozing for a few minutes. I refuse to look at the clock, because it's just going to frustrate me. At some point, the contractions get more intense and I begin to shake during each one.
1:30 AM: My shaking wakes Kyler up, and he gets a little concerned, holding my hand or arm during each contraction.
1:55 AM: Kyler decides to call up my midwife and our neighbor again (such a big thank you to her!), and we head to the hospital once more.
I am shaking and moaning at each contraction. Sitting down is incredibly uncomfortable. I feel pressure and shooting pains at my cervix.
2:10 AM: Kyler drops me off again and goes to park. I head up to labor and delivery... again. But this time I'm moaning (loudly) with each contraction.
2:15 AM: I get to the L&D desk. They ask if I'm feeling the urge to push... and decide for themselves I am and need to get me in a room now. They want to make me take a wheelchair down the hall to the room, and I try to sit, but I can't. I insist on walking instead.
2:19 AM: My water breaks as I climb onto the bed. The nurses are paging OBs (an attending and a resident, to see if anyone will answer!) because my midwife is not going to make it in time.
As soon as I get on the bed, I am so ready to push. So I begin to. Kyler tells me that this isn't going to take four hours (exaggeration - Calista only took 3.5 hours of pushing). He is right.
2:23 AM: Caleb is born. The resident OB delivered him, because the attending didn't answer the page and my midwife is still on her way.
I get stitched up and deliver the placenta while Caleb is laying on my chest.

2:30 AM: My midwife arrives! She takes the notes written by the nurses (on scraps of paper, because they didn't have time to make me a chart) and tells me I am a rockstar. I feel like it, and much more comfortable that I did 10 minutes earlier.
We chill, baby eventually gets weighed and measured

(7 lb, 15 3/4 ounces, and 20 1/8 inches long),  I eat some peanut butter toast - my midwife had to spread the peanut butter with a straw because there were no utensils! - and apple juice (my labor nausea was gone, yay!), and Kyler gets to hold his son, too!

5:15 AM: We head for home, stopping for a quick bite on the way. We say a BIG thank you to our neighbor who gets the first peek at the baby. Proximity has its benefits.
5:30 AM: I go take a nap. Kyler says he's going to play a computer game, but decides to take a nap, as well. It's been a long day already.
9:00 AM: The two older kiddos get to meet Caleb for the first time.

They are thrilled and adorable.

Kyler and I are exhausted and happy. Life is good.

Some quotes from the kiddos meeting Caleb:
Calista - "I'm going to take good care of him. He's so tiny! Awwww!"
Craig - "He's so cute!" "Caleb, we made a quilt for you!" "He's wearing pajamas, just like me. But he's little, and I'm big!"

Caleb, welcome to our family. We already love you so much.