A Baby Story

6:00 am: I awake to my alarm and immediately call the hospital to confirm my 6:30 scheduled induction.  The lady on the phone tells me that I am not on the schedule.  I sit in silence for a second and then threaten to sue her and anyone who has ever worked at that hospital if I do not have a baby in my arms by the end of the day.  After a few minutes, we realize I called the wrong hospital.

6:45 am: I literally skip into the hospital.  Alone.  (Luke was a mile high over Pennsylvania coming home from a $1,000 test that he scheduled last November.  Unfortunate?  A little.)

 6:50 am: Nurse #1 tries to start an I.V. She blows a vein.
6:52 am: Nurse #1 tries to start an I.V. for the second time.  She blows another vein.
6:55 am: Nurse #1 calls Nurse #2 in to try to start an I.V.  She also blows a vein.
6:57 am: Nurse #2 asks Nurse #3 to start an I.V. She is successful and I am spared from slapping Nurse #1 and #2.
7:38 am: Doc breaks my water.  Ow.
8:04 am: I start having regular though not painful contractions and do nothing but hang out in my room all alone.  I decide that I would pay any amount of money for a hot Cinnabon.

9:52 am: Luke finally walks in.  He never looked so handsome.  (Saying a lot since he spent the night in a metal airport chair, got about 2 hours of sleep, and hadn't taken a shower.) I start crying.

 

 (The really amazing pictures -the stripped hoodie ones- were taken by my amazing friend. Thanks, Danna!)

10:16 am: Epidural man comes.  He and Luke chatter like monkeys in a foreign language and by the time he is done, I can't decide which man I like better.

10:24 am: Epidural man leaves and says, "I'll come back to see how you're doing in a few minutes."  Nurse #1 (a super sweet heavyset woman in her mid 40's) responds under her breath, "You can come back and see how I'm doing anytime..."  I feel awkward.  And blissfully numb.

10:45 am: Nothing happens.

11:23 am: We decide that we need to decide on a name.  We sit in silence for about 20 minutes.
11:43 am: We turn on the flat screen and agree that whatever boy's name we hear first is what we will name our little man.  The first name is "Adam."  (My 6 year high-school boyfriend.)  We decide that was a stupid game.

12:05 pm: Nothing happens.
12:24 pm: Luke eats lunch.  I promise him a lifetime of marital bliss if he will smuggle me a slice of pizza.  He unwisely does not oblige.

12:46 pm: We take a nap.
12:52 pm: We wake up from our nap.

1:03 pm: We call my mom to come in since things are finally "progressing."  She comes and marvels at the wonder of modern medicine.  (She's got 6 kids.  Never had an epidural.  Her experience in childbirth was slightly different than mine.)   

2:50 pm: We call the doctor.  I tell her I'm feeling a lot of pressure.  She tells me that's good.  Luke offers to tie her gown closed for her, which would have been weird if he wasn't a doc in training.  I tell her I'm really feeling a lot of pressure.  She again tells me that's good.  I tell her I'm REALLY, REALLY feeling a lot of pressure.  She tells me to push.  I push 1 time.  (I told her I was feeling the pressure...!)

 3:05 pm: The most beautiful baby boy I have ever seen makes his way into the world.  He was as blue as a smurf and the teeniest, tiniest (5 lb. 15 oz.) most darling newborn I had ever laid eyes on.  He was absolutely enchanting.

5:42 pm: Thing 1 and Thing 2 come to the hospital to meet Thing 3, and are absolutely smitten.  Brooklyn vows to never stop holding him and Aubrey holds his head for about 20 seconds and then spots a butterfly outside the window and for the next several minutes her baby brother is entirely forgotten. 

6:37 pm: My incredible friend (and nurse) Chelsea stops by and brings me a plate of cookies which I devour in 3 seconds flat.

7:14: I wonder to myself if there has ever been an easier or less painful delivery ever. 

8:39 pm: I decide this child needs a name.  We try out Cameron John to see if it fits.  

8:40 pm: It fits.

9:23 pm: Luke and I thank our Father in Heaven for the most incredible blessing and fall peacefully asleep knowing that we've never been more scared, thrilled, or perfectly happy.