It's a Boy! Again!

Hi! Well, my life crazily changed about 4 days ago. Remember when I went to the doctor at 39 weeks 3 days? Nothing continued to happen all weekend. Monday was Martin Luther King holiday and I had another doctor appointment on Tuesday, my due date. I got there and saw my OB. He was really disappointed to see that I was no more dilated, not at all effaced, and the baby hadn't dropped. He officially put me on the c-section schedule, but still gave me another week. I was also scheduled for the nonstress test on 1/25, Nathan's birthday. If you can remember back that far, God knows I barely can, I had my nonstress test with Nathan on 1/25, and delivered him, via c-section, that night. I was convinced these two littles would have the same birthday and never EVER forgive Joe and me.

Tuesday night, I went to bed around 11:00. Nathan had a bit of a rough night, so he ended up in bed with Joe and me. Not a lot of fun. Around 1 am, I woke up with real contractions. I had downloaded a contraction timer on my iPod earlier that day and began to time them. They were about five minutes apart and not super intense. I called the on-call doctor and she told me to take a shower or a bath and just relax for a while, until they got closer together.

About 3:00, I woke up Joe, telling him he had to call his dad because my contractions were about 3 and a half minutes apart and getting more intense. I was pretty proud of myself for laboring at home for this long, but what the heck did I know. Joe's dad arrived from the suburbs around 4:00 and we left for the hospital. When we got there, they sent me to triage and I was monitored for about half hour. I was already dilated to six at that point, so they admitted me.

We went upstairs to labor and delivery where I made it clear that I wanted an epidural. I was still worried about having a c-section, so I thought it best I get some good drugs now! I finally got that epidural around 6:30-6:45, I was dilated at an 8 or a 9 by then.

This is where I give SO MUCH credit to those of you who have had natural childbirth. Seriously... that stupid epidural. The nurses were like, "You should just feel pressure, not pain." So, I'm not a wimp, not at all... but, through most of the contractions, my pain was like a 7 and then, omigosh, it spiked to a 37.

But after twelve-plus hours of labor (easy, right?) and less than two hours of pushing, I met this guy. You guys... I don't have the words, except to say that after a c-section, this birth was amazing, spiritual, magical... beyond my measly ability to express myself.

This precious bundle, Daniel John, was born at 1:44 pm on January 19th. Strangely enough, that was Nathan's due date three years prior. He weighed 8 lbs and 5 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. His hair is this dirty blonde color and has no intention of conforming to any sort of fashionable look. And his cheeks are a direct copy of mine.

We're home and adjusting, My sad little toddler, well, he's figuring things out. But we'll be fine. This life, this family, is what we've been praying for.