Hello, Hattie!

Hattie Rebecca Schwegmann was born on Monday, March 16, 2015, at 6:47 p.m.  Much to our surprise, my due date (March 14) came and went with zero signs that Miss H was ready to make a move.  Both Scarlett and Max were born a few days before their due dates (two days and five days, respectively), so I was convinced Hattie was coming the week before her due date as well (especially being my third baby).  Dr. Ruk didn't want me to go much past my due date, so the week before we scheduled an induction for the 16th, just in case.

Here I am in front of one of our neighborhood restaurants in the Bishop Arts District the day before she was born (BB watched the big kids while Chris and I got out for a bit; note the name of the restaurant ... more on that later.)  I went to a foot reflexology place in hopes of getting something going (may have just been a coincidence but I had my feet rubbed the day before I had Max).  But no luck; the baby was staying put.  I did get some serious street cred, however, when I walked past a band playing out in front of a bar and the guy playing the bass asked when I was due and I responded, "yesterday."

One good thing about going past my due date is that spring break was over and Dr. Ruk, who also delivered Scarlett and Max, was back from a trip to Mexico.  Another good thing is that all the grandparents were able to get to Dallas in plenty of time for her birth -- no middle of the night phone calls announcing "it's time!!"  As it turns out, the grandparents ended up doing quite a bit of sitting around in the waiting room seeing as how Hattie was ignoring her eviction notice and didn't make her debut until that evening even though we arrived at the hospital early the morning of the 16th to start the induction.  Based on how long it took to kick-start active labor, I'm convinced Hattie would have stayed put for several more days.  Good thing she didn't because our big girl weighed 9 pounds 3 ounces and was 22 inches long, my biggest baby by far.  That's nearly a pound and a half heavier than Max and nearly three inches longer than Scarlett!

Look at that sweet face.

Snoozing in Daddy's arms.

A visit from Dana.

Cookie bouquet.

"Big Bro" and "Big Sis" arrived -- with flowers! -- to meet "Lil Sis," aka Rosie Posie (the kids named her Rosie Posie soon after we told them I was pregnant; Max still calls her Rosie 90% of the time, much to Scarlett's dismay ... "MAX, her name is HATTIE!!").

At first the kids acted a bit bewildered and just stared at her.  Even though they had been eagerly anticipating her arrival for months ("How much longer until March, Mama??" every day, several times a day), I think the reality of seeing her here was a bit surreal.  Hey, I get it.  Sometimes I can hardly believe it myself that I have three kids!

The grandparents were a lot more eager to get some baby snuggles as soon as possible.  Here's Grandma and Hattie.

BB and Hattie.

Mimi, Papa Tig, and Hattie.

Paw and Hattie.

The kids decided they were ready to hold her, too.

Hattie got her first lesson in brotherly love harassment at the ripe old age of one day.  Get used to it, sweet girl.  There's a lot more where this came from.

Here's poor Hattie getting her footprints taken by a nurse.  Baby girl was NOT pleased.

Feeling much more relaxed in her "going home outfit."  Note the tiny roses for Rosie Posie.

Packed up, ready to roll, and waving goodbye to Medical City.

Per tradition, BB ordered a stork announcing Hattie's arrival.

A bit more on the name:  Hattie's, as mentioned above, is a favorite neighborhood restaurant of ours, and is how the name first crossed my radar.  We like the old-fashioned feel and think it flows well with Scarlett and Max.  I also like that it has a double "tt" in it (both Scarlett, Maxwell, Rebecca, and Schwegmann all have double consonants).  Rebecca is both my mother's middle name (aka BB/Becki) and my late beloved maternal grandmother's middle name (Evelyn Rebecca Yarbrough Hayes, or Maw Maw to her grandkids).  Chris's great grandfather's sister was named Hattie Schwegmann (Paw's great aunt).  She never married or had children, but the family we've talked to who remember her say she loved kids, was lots of fun, and was quite the character.  It's also a good German name that means "ruler of the house."

We are adjusting well to being a family of five.  Hattie is such a sweet baby and is happy as long as she's got a full belly and is being held, which is a challenge when I'm trying to deal with two other kids.  Or eat.  Or shower.  Or sleep.  Basically, it's a challenge to do anything that requires the use of your hands (so, pretty much all the things), but it will get easier eventually.  Scarlett and Max adore her.  They kiss and hug her constantly, tell her they love her multiple times a day, and are great about helping out, especially with baths and wardrobe changes.  I'll enjoy it while it lasts.  She'll probably stop demanding that I hold her 24/7 around the same time she starts harassing her siblings.