Three's a Company, Four's a Full House...

Today, we had a new edition to our family. We have been anxiously awaiting this little bundle for a while. My hope was for a Halloween baby, but it wasn't in the cards. Instead, Benji decided to be punctual and arrive exactly on his due date, something that I hear is only done about 5% of the time.

We knew the time was at hand about 10pm on Nov 3. All night, Anna had very long, frequent and painful contractions. We slept off and on until about 2am when we gave up and knew it was time to call the birthing center. At the advice of the birthing center, we stopped by a 24 hour grocery market to get some snacks and Gatorade.

Once we were in our room, much to Anna's chagrin, I started setting up my cameras, tripods and computer equipment. But, at Anna's request, I left the 3D camera in the car. 

By 6am, it was time for the real final stretch. Poor Anna hadn't slept well for 2 days, so she was totally exhausted. It was a long haul for the last couple hours. Before long, Anna was pleading for a C-section, not that anyone could blame her. However, by 9:03am, Benjamin Warren Bodine was signed sealed and delivered! 

Benji's first picture... (...out of the womb.)

Mom gets some bonding time seconds after the birth.

As soon as Benji was out, everybody in the room was in awe at his size. Some of the staff guessed he was nearly 9 lbs. And for a small girl like Anna, that's even more amazing. 

Birth is not just exhausting for mommy...

First grooming.

After some cleaning and protocol, we found the final stats.

Weight: 9lb 2oz. Length: 21.5 inches. This is a big kid!

We spent the next 24 hours in the birthing center recovering and bonding. When we came home, our 2 1/2 year old, Maia, was still taking her nap. When she woke up, I came into her room, told her we had a special surprise for her. We walk over to the crib and on first sight Maia giggles. "Baby Benji! Hi!" And she blows him a kiss. Off to a good start. That affection will wain once she realizes how much attention mom gives him.

So, we are now a family of 4. I tease Anna that we need to have another 11 boys, to make it a dozen. This pregnancy was pretty hard on Anna and she's feeling done. Truthfully, I'm content. We have a great full family and couldn't ask for more.