Lily Grace Thompson Arrives!

I think I can say that labor technically started late Wednesday/early Thursday. I managed to drag myself into work on Thursday for a few hours with contractions coming every 20 minutes or so. I honestly thought I might be back the next morning....like these contractions would go away or something. Not so much. We (and by "we" I mean Lily and I) stayed awake all Thursday night counting the timing of the contractions. Once they got to be about every 5 minutes, I contacted the doctor who said to go on in to the hospital. Here are the main events:
1. Given option to go home to progress or stay and walk around
2. After walking around, go home or stay and get pain meds to sleep/relax and reassess
3. Continued to progress slowly but surely
4. Received epidural at 6pm
5. Water broken around 6:30pm
6. Developed a fever
7. Lily wasn't really tolerating the contractions that well
8. Instilled amnioinfusion to help Lily be a little more cushioned
9. Got another 1/2 dose for my epidural because I was a moron and forgot to use my button for the medicine
10. Could no longer feel my legs or anything else for that matter
11. Medical team was concerned that I was so numb that I wouldn't be able to push Lily out effectively since she was starting to show some signs of distress
12. Pushed her out in only 23 minutes!!!
13. Lily Grace was born on 1/10/09 at 12:44am!

She came out floppy, pale and with a fever, but she has perked right up and doesn't even have the "newborn" cry. It's a real baby cry already. It has been the most incredible experience ever and we thank everyone for their good thoughts and well wishes. Will obviously upload more pictures once we get home, but here are a few to start. (I think she's the MOST beautiful thing in the world!)

Our little pale beauty

First bath. This is the little butt that kept sticking out of my belly!

The new, happy family!