Life At Home

On Monday night, we put Elizabeth in her car seat and came home from the hospital.


It was time for Elizabeth to enter her new home for the first time.


Since then, life has been all sorts of fun with new experiences. There was tummy time with the dog and dad.


Laying on the Boppy pillow with mom.

Comparing hand and feet sizes with dad.

And napping under Fletcher's watchful eye.

The Birth Story

Here’s the story of how Elizabeth Rose came to join the Larson family. We woke up on Thursday, April 22 expecting to head to the hospital at 4 p.m. for Anne to be induced due to the estimated size of Little E. To keep our minds busy, we visited a couple of day care places and had lunch. At 2 p.m. we called the hospital to check if they could still take us. They told us they were not ready and they would either call us at night or we could call first thing Friday morning. Thursday night, not expecting the hospital to call, we used some Christmas gift certificates and got take-out from Outback and settled in for a night of TV with Survivor, followed by the Office. Since Anne had just finished a meal of chicken, ribs, fries and Key Lime pie, the hospital naturally called in the middle of the office around 9:15 p.m.

But before we left, we (including Fletcher) had to watch the rest of our show.

Once we got to the hospital, we went to OB Special Care. The plan was that Anne’s “cervix needed to be ripened” – whatever that means. Well, eventually they realized that it was already ripe and they moved us to Labor and Delivery around 12:30 a.m. Friday, April 23. By about 1:30 a.m., they had Anne connected to a few different machines and started to administer the pitocin.

Anne was a real champ throughout the entire labor. At one point, she even admitted that the worst part was the blood pressure cuff on her arm that went off every 30 minutes or so, making it tough to get any rest. Of course, the epidural anesthesia helped a lot. And as you can see from this picture, there were a few perks to the process.


By 1:30 or so in the afternoon, Anne was fully dilated and ready to start pushing. Anne was a pro despite not being able to feel anything below her belly. But after two-plus hours of pushing, Elizabeth’s head was not staying in sight in between contractions. Knowing that she would be a large baby, the decision was made to perform a c-section, ensuring the health of mother and child.

And at 5:21 p.m., Elizabeth Rose Larson was welcomed into this world. Matt was a proud father as Elizabeth excelled on her APGAR tests. And because it was a C-section, Matt got to be the first one to hold Elizabeth.

At first, Elizabeth wasn’t quite sure what to make of things.

But eventually opened her eyes and decided to take it all in.

Eventually mom got to hold her little angel.

And then it was time for the first family photo.

Of course, the grandparents were delighted to meet the first grandchild.

Dad also got baby’s footprints marked on his forearm.

Here’s a few more photos to hold you over until the next post.

Grandpa Bob Is Tech Savvy

Thanks to Grandpa Bob and his new Kodak handheld video camera, we have this 100 second video of Elizabeth Rose in her first hours of life.

We knew she would we beautiful. We had no idea Bob was so good with a video camera.

Elizabeth's First Appearance

Here is the first of what promises to be thousands of photos of Elizabeth Rose on the blog. We have many more from the day - but need more time to sort through them and post.





For now, the most important thing is that Elizabeth and mother (and dad if anyone really cares - pretty sure the hospital doesn't) are all healthy. She was born on Friday, April 23 at 5:21 p.m., weighing 9 pounds 4 ounces and measuring 21 inches.

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

Tom Petty was likely talking about something else besides childbirth, but it certainly applies. For the older crowd, we'll use another line from a song "All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go."


Well, tonight is the last night as just a married couple without kids, as Thursday we'll head to the hospital where Anne will be induced, if she doesn't deliver beforehand. Anne's bag is packed, the nursery is ready and the car seats are in the car. So basically, we're ready except for the fact that we have no clue what to expect. But with all your great support and God's blessings, we'll make our way through it.

Plus, if the kids on MTV's "16 and Pregnant" can do it, we sure can.

A Great Mystery

Elizabeth, while yet to be born, is already proving to be her mother's daughter. How else do you explain her ability to lose socks. Our folding table is full of dozens of single socks of Anne's that are without a match. Now we have this lonely sock - wondering where its mate escaped to in the laundry room.


If you find the other sock, please return to baby Elizabeth.

Getting Closer

We are now two weeks away from the due date - although smart money around the Larson household says it's unlikely to go that long. Elizabeth kept her end of the bargain and did not join us prior to the end of the basketball season. She did attend the Final Four in Indianapolis, but was safe inside Anne's belly - shielded from the horrific officiating that ultimately brought down the Spartans.

Now that the season is over, it's time to move into high gear preparing for Little E's arrival. And that means assembling a lot of things.

Like a swing

And a bouncer (with a special friend from the Final Four).

A stroller

And even the glider rocker (after which assembling, Matt practiced resting in it - substituting Mr. Bear for Little E).

Thanks to Grandma Pam, there are also nice curtains in the room.

And Anne and Grandma Linda decorated the letters on the wall above Elizabeth's crib.

Hanging from the "B" is a piece of the net from MSU's Elite Eight win over Tennessee, advancing the Spartans to the Final Four. Her dad climbed the ladder and cut down a piece for his baby girl.