She's heeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!

Wow! What a whirlwind last 24 hours. By now, most if not all you have heard that Nora Christine Forslund made her worldwide debut this morning at 5:35! To witness the birth of your own child is the most incredible and profound experience either of us have ever had.

Taken at 6:15 on Thursday night!!!!

Our adventure started Thursday afternoon, and it began innocently with a walk that Amber took with her friend Krista Erickson at the Chaska Community Center. Amber was trying to get the birthing process started after her due date had come and gone. By 5:30 PM, she was starting to have back aches, which we both thought were a result of the walk she had taken. But then those aches started creeping their way to her stomach. And coming in regular intervals.

By 6:30, we were suspicious but not 100% certain that "this was it." My sister Katie and her boyfriend Adam were scheduled to come over, and Adam helped me with the use of his SUV to pick up Nora's rocking chair from Shakopee. By the time 7:30 rolled around, our suspicions became more and more confirmed.

We tried to go to bed, but Amber's pains were not subsiding and we knew that it was on like Donkey Kong. By midnight or so, those annoying pains became intense contractions. We called the hospital, and by 1:15 AM we were admitted to the birthing center at Ridgeview Hospital in Waconia. I called Amber's mom shortly after our admission, and she drove two and a half hours from western Minnesota to be with us for the day.

Amber went from 4cm dilated at first examination to 9cm dilated a mere 20 minutes later in our "birthing suite." Amber opted to have an epidural which, despite how quickly her labor had progressed, worked wonders and really eased her pain. In fact, we were even able to take a nap together before she had to start pushing!

Amber began pushing at 4:30 AM, and by 5:35 AM Nora Christine Forslund was born! She weighs 7 lbs, 12 oz and is 21 inches long. She has a full head of hair and looks just like her Dad. We will be at the hospital until Sunday morning, and should be home in time for Nora to see her first Vikings game!

Thank you everyone for your well wishes - we are excited for you all to meet our little lady. More pictures can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2118519&id=40101671&l=59019751fa (You do NOT need a Facebook account to view these pictures - enjoy!)