We have a little boy in the house!! (WARNING: Very long post)

When I started having contractions the night before the big day, I didn't believe it was the real thing. I started getting some pretty convincing false labor episodes three weeks before my due date. I would wake up in the middle of the night with strong contractions that were 5-6 minutes apart. Then after an hour, without fail, they would stop COMPLETELY.

The day before started out pretty normal. I went into work, had a normal day then went to a going away party for a very dear friend. My Auntie Deb was scheduled for surgery the next day at the hospital I was planning on giving birth at. Everyone at the party joked that I would go into labor that night and would give birth the next day and Auntie Deb and I would be in the hospital together.

At the party (I was a beast!)

Then, as if he could hear everyone outside his cushy womb, I started having contractions at 8pm that night. I dismissed them and didn't tell anyone about them. At 10pm, they started to get stronger, but still very inconsistent. I said goodbye to everyone at the party and drove home.

The contractions continued into the night and gradually became stronger and more consistent. Adam and I realized that this might be the real thing. He convinced me to call in sick to work, since I work in town-- if I had to drive myself to the hospital, there would be a very big chance that I would get stuck in traffic. I woke up at 9am. I decided to watch some t.v. and time my contractions. I was shocked to find that they were now very consistently 3-4 minutes apart. I became terrified, it was a Tuesday and everyone was at work and I was home alone. Everyone I needed was at least an hour away. The only thing that kept me calm was the fact that I didn't have the 'bloody show' yet (tmi?).

Around 10am, I went to use the bathroom and looked in the toilet and the water was bright red. I rushed to the phone and called Adam. I told him that my contractions were 3-4 minutes apart and that I had my bloody show. He needed to come home-- it's 'time'. Because he works the furthest away from me, I called my grandma to come and get me. Adam also called his sister, Diane to come and get me. It became a race to see who could get to the house the fastest.

I took a bath and packed while Ava, my little brother and I waited for someone to come and get us. The first person to come was Adam! He was the furthest away from me! I was so relieved to see him. The next to show up was Diane, followed by my grandma =) Everything worked out because Diane was able to watch Ava and my grandma was able to watch my little brother while Adam and I checked into labor and delivery.

We got to the hospital at 11am and at that point, I had been in labor since 8pm the night before. The nurses got me hooked up to the machines and got me settled in. They did an exam and we were all shocked to find that I was dilated to 6cm! They asked me if I wanted to get the epidural. I knew what kind of pain I would be in and I knew that I wouldn't have much time to get it, so I told them yes. I know that a lot of women are really good with labor pains and delivery and have no need for them-- a good example being my grandma who delivered 6 kids without any pain medication or a husband allowed in the delivery room with her. I delivered our first son without pain medication. At the time I had hoped that it would help him to be strong throughout the delivery. At that time I would do anything to help him survive. He came out breech (feet first) and that was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. The experience was not a very beautiful one for me or anyone else in the room with us (regardless of the outcome).

Happy as a clam

After I received the epidural, I felt great. I was smiling, joking, and mostly importantly resting. When I got the epidural, the anesthesiologist showed me the most glorious button. If I felt like the epidural was not strong enough for me at anytime, I could press this button and I would get a boost of pain relief. The midwife (kaiser has midwives now!) told me that if I got to the point where I would have to press the button more than once an hour, to call them because it would be time to push. As time went on, the pain became more profound. Everyone noticed how quiet I had become. My mom was the one that caught me pushing the button twice in 30 minutes. I thought I could get away with it, HA! She called my nurse. When she came to check on me, I was 10cm and fully effaced. Everything after that happened so fast that honestly, it's all really a blur.

It was such an amazing experience. I felt powerful. I felt so in love with my husband. I felt so hopelessly in love with and powerless to the beautiful, little being that was looking up at me. He is such a strong little boy. From the moment they placed him on my chest, he was lifting his head and looking around at everyone in the room.

I didn't think that I had any room left in my heart to love someone else after I had Ava. Now that he is a part of our lives, it is like he was never not a part of us. We cannot imagine life without him. He is a sweet, loving, quiet, forgiving (to his very intense sister who still thinks he is one of her baby dolls), strong, hungry little kid. We love him so very much.