IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!

IT'S

A

GIRL!!!!

We are thrilled and excited to announce the arrival of Anna Kate Gentry!! Here is the story of how you came into this world.................

Matt was on his annual golf trip from July 8th - 11th. During that time, Nana stayed with us just in case you wanted to come a little early. I found out on Friday, July 9th that I was dilated to 2-3cm. and 80% effaced. Needless to say, I thought you were definitely in a hurry to get here. I was certain that I would wake up to contractions or a broken bag of water that night. But nothing happened! Nana even decided to extend her stay in Knoxville since she was nervous you would be born before she could make it back to TN. After a few days passed and you still weren't here, I decided that I would walk, walk, and walk some more to get things moving. I felt MANY contractions and started seeing other signs that you just might be on your way. On Sunday, July 18th I called my doctor and they suggested I come to the hospital because it sounded like I was in labor. YAY!! We were SO excited!! We got to the hospital and about an hour later I got the dreaded news.........false alarm! I wasn't in labor!!! They sent us home sulking and a little disappointed. I was still excited because I knew I was going to FINALLY meet you on Wednesday since we were scheduled for an induction.


Our instructions were to call on Wednesday morning at 6am to make sure there was a room available. No problem! I could wait until Wendesday since that would give me time to get the house cleaned one more time and for the rest of our family to get to TN.

Fast forward to Tuesday night. Papa and Grandma both arrived and we were anxiously waiting on Wednesday morning!! Sleep was hard to come by but adrenaline had fully kicked in! We all got up and showered........and then I made the call. This is what I heard, "I'm sorry Miss Gentry, but we're full!" WHAT!!! You're kidding, right?!? Then I heard, "But we should be able to get you in by around 10am today." HOORAY!!! We waited A LONG 4 hours only to hear that we would DEFINITELY be called in by noon. No problem!! And then we got the call at 1pm telling us we would have to wait until the next day! BUMMER!!

So we all woke up and did it all over again on the 22nd. I made the call again and we got the okay to come on in to the hospital!! YAY!! It is such a surreal experience to know that we were leaving the house with one child and would have 2 in a few short hours!! We got settled in our room and the doctor came in to break my water at 8:22am. By that point, I was dilated to 4cm. We started making bets trying to guess your sex, weight, height, etc. My guess was you a boy weighing right around 7lbs. I had my epidural by 10:06am and was ready for a quick nap. I sent your Daddy and Nana off to get some lunch around 11:30am so I could get some shut-eye. They came back 20min later with the nurse following behind them. She checked me only to discover that I was fully dilated and it was time to push!!! WOW!! Again, that was a very surreal moment knowing that I was FINALLY about to meet this little person who I've carried for 9 months!!! Are you a boy or a girl? Are you going to be healthy? Are you going to look like your sister? Are you going to have a head full of hair? Would your feet look like mine or your Daddy's? SO many questions were about to be answered!

The nurse started moving pretty quickly so I knew it wasn't going to take long.......and that is the understatement of the day! After pushing through 1 contraction, I started hysterically laughing because the doctor could already see your head! And after the second contraction, you were born!! There you were.......a beautiful, baby girl!! You were pink, screaming, and just perfect!! You had a head semi-full of dark hair, LONG fingers and toes, and looked a lot like Grace. It was such an amazing experience! It's hard to put into words the emotions that a mother feels when she sees her baby for the first time. It is a love like no other!! You had many visitors that day including Nana, Papa, Grandma, and, of course, Grace! She was SO excited to meet her baby sister and kept saying, "Awwww look at her!" SO CUTE!!

I see how fast you are already changing and I am trying to soak up every moment of your newborn days since they fly by so quickly. You are a gift from God, and I thank Him every day that He chose me to be your mother! I pray that I can be your source of guidance, support, love, and be the best mother that you deserve to have. I love you baby girl now and always!!

Anna Kate Gentry

July 22nd, 2010

Born at 12:58pm

7lbs, 8oz

20in