Starting at center: Hayley Archibald!!!

Well my friends, its done. At least, this part is done.

After 41 terrific weeks Hayley Jean Archibald joined our family at 10 p.m. on April 23, 2009. She was a big girl, weighing in at 9 pounds, 14 ounces and ready to tip off her basketball career at 22 inches long already.

Chelsea is doing great especially considering the circumstances. The following is an account of our trip to the birthing club.

Wed. 8 p.m.-- Our original appointment to be at the hospital but we were delayed two hours because they were too full. Probably not a good omen but it did afford me the opportunity of double and triple checking the car seat, my one and only responsibility thus far.

Wed. 11 p.m.-- Chelsea's contractions begin being measured by doctors and nurses at the hospital. They are short and not as intense as necessary but we feel good that we are on our way towards having our baby girl.

Thurs. 1 a.m.-- Contractions intensify and our midwife and doctor decide that outside of pitocin, we should naturally progress. It is at this point that Chelsea starts using my hand as a stress ball. I was just glad to be involved in the process but wondered if my secret career aspirations to be a pianist or hand model were dashed.

Thurs. 7 a.m.-- Blessed soul that she is, having already endured roughly seven hours of contractions, Chelsea decides to continue on, with the aid of an epidural. The contractions continue and soon grandparents to be arrive.

Thurs. 3 p.m.-- Still showing signs of progress but no baby yet...

Thurs. 8 p.m.-- Still contracting like nobody's business, Chelsea is still not quite as dilated to the point where the little lady is ready. After strong consideration and thought, we decide to proceed with a c-section birth.

Thurs. 8:30 p.m.-- I put my scrubs on backwards as I prepare to go to the operating room for the birth. They (the scrubs) are a little uncomfortable and I was too afraid to ask one of the nurses for help because shouldn't they be attending to other more important matters?

9 p.m. The doctors inform us after prepping Chelsea for the surgery that she is now contracting and dilated. She could attempt to have the baby naturally but it might require pushing for some time with the possibility of no progress. Chelsea, bless her heart for all that she has endured up to this point, decides to continue with the c-section.

10 p.m. With little fussing and an absence of pageantry, our baby makes her entrance. She is beautiful, healthy and big. The doctors immediately tell us that Chelsea made a good decision because Hayley is nearly 10 pounds, 22 inches tall and her head was 14 inches around.

Isn't she beautiful?

Long story short... Hayley is beautiful. It is hard to believe that she is almost a week old. I know that it is a tendency of all parents to brag about their kids but she seems so strong and low-maintenance. She does like to eat and sleep though. We were looking through a scrapbook that Chelsea's mom put together that included some baby pictures and there was a very strong resemblance.

Here's some more photos:
And one video...

Here is the column that I filed for today's paper in regards to two of my favorite things: Hayley Jean and the Portland Trail Blazers.