Welcome Theodore James

Theodore James Allred came into the world Wednesday April 27 at 7:29 am. His birth was quite a whirlwind! Theo was due Sunday the 24th. Sunday came and the only thing that came with it was a bunch of unwanted colds in our house. Both Thomas and Caroline were sick, and I had caught it as well. Not good timing! I was pretty miserable for the last month or so of my pregnancy, so the last thing I needed was a house of sick kids and myself not feeling up to par! This pregnancy had been particularly hard on me. My energy was very low and I had a laundry list of symptoms I hadn't had with the other kids. I was ready to be done being pregnant! So with each day past my due date that came I was getting more and more anxious to have this little fella. Finally, Wednesday morning I woke up at about five o clock when Clint got up to go on his morning run. I got up to go to the bathroom and started having contractions. I instantly knew today was the day, and I had a gut feeling that it was going to happen FAST. Unfortunately I had no way of telling Clint since he was out running, so I just had to wait for him to cone home. I called my mom and then Clint got home I said, we need to go and it's going to be fast. My mom got there and by this point my contractions were pretty painful and pretty close. Clint jumped in the shower(seriously!?) And I said to my mom in between rather intense contractions, "is he taking a shower?!" Luckily it was a pretty short shower and we hit the road. Of course we got behind the slowest car ever.... But we got to the hospital around 6:30 am. At this point I was in significant pain and just wanted the epidural. When they checked me I was dialated to a nine. They hurried me back to a room and the anastesiologist checked me and told me that if I wanted an epidural I'd have to sit up for five minutes and that might not be how long I had left to labor. So I decided to forgo the epidural and go natural. They brought me some ice to chew on and within minutes my water broke. Two excruciating pushes later and little Theo was born! It was amazing! The most intense pain of my life, but it was over so quickly and I felt like a superstar! I was very proud of myself and the surge in energy really helped with the recovery. 

In my mind as I was delivering him I kept thinking of his name being Theo. It gave me the extra motivation to get through the pain, and when they brought him to me I felt the name fit him. The first thing I noticed was how much he looked like Thomas. He had rounder cheeks and dimples, but his features were very similar to newborn Thomas. 

I felt so great after the delivery I almost forgot I had a nasty cold! After we were moved to maternity my high st

arted to wane and my cold was obvious again. The rest of the night was spent snuggling that tiny boy and trying to officially decide on his name. After much deliberation we settled on Theodore James Allred. A rather dignified name for a precious and handsome little boy. 

I was very anxious to see Thomas and Caroline, but we were also worried about them still being sick. After talking to some of the doctors we decided that it would be best for them to stay with grandma and grandpa Allred in Ogden. My mom brought them up to the hospital to meet Theo and then the Allreds came to pick them up. They were both so sweet meeting Theo for the first time. The brought him some presents that Thomas very specifically picked out. He is such a thoughtful little guy. When the nurse came in to do some blood work on Theo Thomas was very concerned. He brought over his little stuffed teddy bear that plays songs and hold it up to calm Theo down. 

When it was time for the kids to leave Thomas gave me a sweet hug and then he got a little teared up saying goodbye. This made me tear up too. I was so sad that I had to send my kids off. I didn't want them to feel displaced are anxious and I really wanted to be able to have them bond with the baby, so I was a bit emotional. Twenty minutes or so later a social worker came in and asked Clint if he could leave for a moment so that could talk to me for a minute and she said that the doctors and nurses were concerned about me because I had been crying and asked if I was okay and if everything was alright with my husband, etc. At first I had no idea what they were talking about and then I remembered one of the residents saw me tear up when Thomas left! What kind of mom wouldn't cry seeing their five year old get tears in his eyes saying good bye?! At this point I was beyond ready to get out of the hospital and go home. At took a few more hours to get discharged but finally we were free! I just do not love being a patient at the hospital. 

Here is Theo all dressed up ready to go home. He wore the same outfit that Caroline and Thomas wore home. He looked so cute and cozy.

 

The first few days are always a combination of complete bliss, utter exaustion, super high spiritual highs and physical pain. Lots of mixed feelings. The overwhelming joy you experience with a brand new baby in indescribable. I feel such a profound gratitude and responsibility. What a precious boy that has been in trusted to me! That is no small thing. It also reinforces the importance the roles of Thomas and Caroline and makes me very aware that I they are just as sacred and important. Being a mother is a very big job. 

It's still a little early to say what little Theo is like. The first two days he was super sleepy. More so than the others. Last night he put me to work! I'm going to be a zombie! He isn't super fussy, he's pretty calm and peaceful so far. Fingers crossed! 

I can't get over how much Theo looks like Thomas! Theo is on the left and Thomas is on the right. Little twins! He definitely has a different personality than Thomas though, we can't wait to get to know Theo. 

One thing is for sure, we love him more than there are words. You can just feel he has an important and precious spirit. He is going to have an important journey on this earth and I feel humbled that I have been trusted to be his mother.