Elin's Birth Day (The Long Version)

'Twas the Night After Christmas and all through the house,
Only one creature was stirring and it wasn't a mouse.
The diapers were stored in the nursery with care,
Hoping a new baby would soon be there...

~~~~~~~~

We had just gotten home from Blake's parents' house on Christmas night.  I was sitting on the couch while Presley was avoiding bedtime and playing with her new toys.  I looked down at my stomach and said, "Ok, baby, Christmas is over so you can come anytime now!"  Apparently our child is very obedient (hopefully this bodes well for our future), because 2 hours later I was woken up from a sound sleep and realized I was in labor.  My labor with Presley started the same way and it took awhile, so I settled in on an exercise ball in our family room to see how things progressed.  I ate snacks, watched re-runs of Friends, and timed my contractions.  You know, exactly how they always portray labor on TV.  Contractions were about 5-7 minutes apart for a few hours and I debated on calling the doctor... but I didn't.

At 2:30am it was like someone flipped on a switch and stuff got real.  My contractions were coming 2-3 minutes apart and they were majorly painful.  That's when I realized I may have been a little too relaxed about everything and I quickly put in a call to the OB.  I hobbled upstairs to wake up Blake and let him know that the baby was coming and she seemed to be coming fast.   Then the real fun began.  Blake was flying around our room throwing things in bags and calling his parents to come stay with Presley.  I was (stupidly) determined to take a shower, so I was headed in that direction when my (slightly frantic) doctor called to tell me I probably should have been at the hospital 2 hours ago and to get there ASAP.  The doctor's orders deterred me from my shower, and I was trying to get dressed between contractions when Presley waltzed into our room.  Seeing as our lights were on and we were clearly awake, she was confused and thought it was morning.  She didn't skip a beat and started asking for milk and a snack and to watch a cartoon.  Meanwhile, I'm trying not to show her how much pain I was in.  I grimaced through contractions while trying not to freak out that she was awake at 3am.  Blake finished packing the car and we realized we couldn't wait for his parents to get to our house.  We threw Presley in the car and decided to meet them at the hospital to pass her off. 

Then begins the drive to the hospital, which was actually really funny in retrospect but not at all at the time.  Presley, completely oblivious to what was happening, was singing Christmas carols at the top of her lungs and insisting on listening to her Mickey Mouse CD.  I was playing DJ while breathing through increasingly intense contractions and yelling at Blake.  Oh - did I mention that it was literally 2 degrees outside and it had snowed that day?  Roads were icy and Blake was flying towards the hospital in a scenario we will call every man's dream - getting to race down the road well over the speed limit with a perfectly legitimate reason.  After 15 minutes of that "fun" we arrived at the hospital.  Blake had to handle Presley, so I took myself up to Labor and Delivery.  I had a big sigh of relief when I finally got taken to a room.

The next 4 hours went by in a blur.  I was ready for the epidural when I got to the hospital, but the anethesiologist  was in surgery for another HOUR and A HALF!  When you're having contractions every 2-3 minutes that feels like an eternity.  During that time, Blake was my rock and I was a complete mess.  Worse pain of my life and that's all I'll say about that.   When I finally got some relief, I was dialated to 7cm and they couldn't give me a full dose of medication since I was so close to delivering.  Fine, whatever, it took the edge off and I was so thankful.  The next hour was actually quite serene.  Blake and I had time to hang out, listen to music, and think about the fact that our family was about to change forever! (I have the same memory of the hour before Presley was born too.  This is a gift that I would not trade for the world and I have the epidural to thank for it.)  Around 8am, they broke my water and 15 minutes later, at 8:21am on December 26th, Elin Grace was born.  I was less in shock than I was with Presley, so I could fully appreciate the moment I first saw my baby girl.  What an amazing feeling and something I will never take for granted. 

(Blogger is not letting me upload pictures right now.  ... to come!)