Here are the long awaited pictures of Zoe Adriana Tolman's arrival and the full version of the story. So it all started on Saturday night during the adult session of Stake Conference. I had started feeling more intense Braxton Hicks contractions that night so Jared and I walked the halls of our Stake Center so we could still hear the member of the Seventy that had come to speak. We didn't really think much of it because there were still like ten minutes apart and they would kind of come and go because I was able to sleep through most of the night without any pain. Well, the next morning was the general session of our Stake Conference. We left the house early at about 9:30 in order to get a soft seat but by the time we got there, the only seats available were in the very front row. So we sat down and and the meeting started. About halfway through the meeting, I was starting to have contractions again, but they were still rather mild, so I got up and walked the halls again and sat out in the foyer for a few minutes. Well, the President of the Idaho Pocatello Mission was one of the speakers and he got up and started talking about the fact that the greatest missionary we will ever do will be within our own homes. Then he mentioned that as he looked out over the congregation, he noticed a "young couple sitting up here on the front row" (Jared and I) and that the young lady(me) was pregnant and had gotten up and left. "She may be delivering right now in fact!" he said. Then he asked Jared when I was due and Jared told him that we still had three weeks to go. He talked about how seeing young families like that gave him hope and excitement for the future and that how thrilled he was that our baby would grow up in a gospel centered home, and would attend primary, and would be baptized, and would constantly have the gospel in her life. To avoid embarassment. I waited till he was done speaking and then came back in for the remainder of the meeting. After the closing prayer, nearly everyone on the stand came to congratulate us and ask us questions. Our baby was a Stake celebrity before she was even born. We went home, made dinner, and started watching a movie, but the contractions were becoming more intense. I have always been told that contractions would be the worst pains that I would ever feel so I thought I was just being a whoos and that I was maybe at a 2 or a 3 on the intensity scale. But by the end of the movie (The Audrey Hepburn Story), I was getting a little nervous. They were now much more intense and were about six minutes apart and this time they weren't going away. I told Jared we should do a little straightening up, just in case, which took us about half an hour. I finally called Labor and Delivery at about five o'clock and they "well, you might be in labor, you might not, but you might wanna come on in." So after throwing the last minute items in the suitcase and getting a blessing from Jared and our great neighbor Nash Johnson, we headed to the hospital. At this point, there was no way these weren't REAL contractions! I changed into the gown, they took my blood pressure, and then the ONLY nurse(or person for that matter) in L&D that night, checked to see how far I had progressed. We were expecting a 2 or a 3 and thought we would be told to go home. But she looked up at us and said..."You're at a 6 missy. I need to go make some phone calls." So by 7:15 they had started the epidural, and by about 8:30 the on-call doctor had arrived and had broken my water. There was no going back now! :D By 9:30, the doctor and nurses filed in and within minutes, everyone was ready to get to the pushing. A very tiring thirty minutes later, Zoe Adriana Tolman was born and we couldn't believe it! Certainly not the way we had been expecting to end our day, but SO much better! She was absolutely perfect, and we loved holding her and kissing her and we never wanted to let her out of our site. We were able to leave the hospital the very next night, and it may have been sooner but nearly passed out several times getting up to go to the bathroom. Thank goodness for Jared who was always there to catch me! The doctor, nurses, friends, and family were all wonderful. My mom and dad were there as well as my little sister Junae, and Jared's mom came as well. And of course we can't forget Tim and Audrey who brought Jared a much needed pizza dinner. Thanks to everyone who made Zoe's "birthing day" so special!!!
waiting to find out if we're staying the night or not
Audrey and Tim...we couldn't have done it without them (they brought dinner and much needed moral support!!! Thanks guys!)
Jared...just before they started the epidural. I think he may have been a little nervous.
just after pushing
Zoe Adriana Tolman. She was born with a "heart of gold."
finally some mom and dad time
our beautiful baby
our little family
the cutest dad ever
wrapped around her finger
the new mom
Gramma Patti (Nonna) and Aunt Junae
Gramma Karla, Jess, Gramma Patti, and Baby Zoe
Zoe, Mom, and Gramma (three generations)
Grampa Dave
Zoe's first kiss
her Christmas bow (The nurse asked us what our favorite colors were. Mine is red and Jared's is green so she made this beautiful "Christmas" bow for the two of us.") And she has strawberry blonde hair!!! Yay!!!
our "bundle" of joy
the car ride home
