It was Saturday morning, December 26th. The day started off just like any other day - Frank and I both slept in, my parents went over to visit with my sister and her family and we got set to do some errands around the house. Throughout the morning, I would get an occasional contraction every now and then (about 1 every 2 hours), but didn't think too much of it. I mentioned it to my mom when she and my dad came back over and she said just to keep timing them. Well, once I started timing them, they of course slowed down. :) So I went along with my day, Frank continued working on stuff outside and it was just another day. Then towards the evening time the pain came back. Only it was slightly different from the contractions that I had been feeling earlier. It was more like strong pelvic pressure (which I had dealt with before, on and off throughout the last month or so of my pregnancy) so again, I didn't think too much of it. As the evening wore on, though, the pain continued to come fairly regularly and my mom suggested that I go ahead and call my doctor. I did and she said to go ahead and come to the hospital so that they could check me out. So Frank and I traveled in one car and Mom and Dad followed in theirs (just in case). We got to the hospital, got set up in a room, and waited for the doctor to come in and see what was going on. Well, it turned out that I still hadn't dilated any more than what I had at my last appointment so they sent me home. The doctor said that it was probably some prelabor pains, the baby was probably just repositioning herself and that it could last for a while. With that lovely thought in mind, I asked if there was anything I could do to help relieve the pain/pressure. She said not really, although some women find that a warm bath might help. So off we went, back home. We did not arrive back home until about 11:30 - due to a late Taco Bell run - and by then the pain had grown increasingly worse. I went straight to the couch to lay down and hoped that I would be able to sleep. I did doze off every now and then and finally got up to go to the bedroom. I think the doctor got a little sick of me, though, because I called her about 3 times during the night asking different questions. :) Suffice it to say, I did not sleep much that night and unfortunately, neither did Frank. He was such a trooper, though, and tried so hard to be a comfort. I ended up falling asleep between pains and also ended up taking about 3 or 4 warm baths during the night (which DID NOT relieve any of the pain). Then came 7:00 a.m. At this point the pain was worse than ever and was occurring every 5 minutes. Literally. I could honestly watch the clock and know with a certainty when the pain was going to come back. Now, I know that most people would think, hey, maybe I'm in labor. Not me - oh no. I just kept thinking that this pain was unlike anything I'd experienced before, but that it was just strong pelvic pressure. And thanks to what the doctor kept telling me, nothing else crossed my mind. So I determined to persevere. :) By about 10:30, though, I was done persevering. :) I got on the phone again (didn't care what my doctor thought of me at this point - and to be fair, it wasn't my doctor I kept talking with - this was the backup doctor. My doctor was, unfortunately, out of town due to the holidays) and called. She told me that she still thought this was the baby repositioning herself, but that I could go ahead and come back to the hospital. So I did. :) Upon arriving at the hospital I slowly made my way up to the labor and delivery area. Once again, I got hooked up to the monitors and waited for the doctor to come in to check me. When I first arrived in the room the nurse asked if I was feeling the pain at the moment, I said yes and she touched my stomach. She goes, "Oh yes, that's a contraction." I thought, great. I've been having them every 5 minutes since 7 a.m. - have I missed my opportunity for an epidural? (Yes, friends, this was VERY important to me. ) :) Anyway, back to the story. The doctor comes in (not the one I had seen the night before), checks me and says, "You are 6 CM. We're going to admit you." I say, "I want an epidural, please." :) The nurse tells me that she will go ahead and get that set up, but they do have to run a bag and a half of saline (I think that's what they put through the IV) through me first. I say, let's get the show on the road. :) Anyway, they get me hooked up, rolled up to the labor floor and into my room. At this point, my parents and sister had arrived (they had been at church) and thankfully, so did my epidural. :) Once that was placed in me, I was good. :) Seriously, I love that stuff. :) Then it was just a waiting game. A friend from church showed up to wait with us along with a co-worker of mine and her husband. Towards the end of the day Frank's family showed up as well (although I did not know this as I was pushing during that time). I pushed for about 2 hours and then little Miss Reese arrived. It was wonderful! I can't even begin to describe the feeling that came over me at that moment. They laid her on my stomach/chest and it was truly love at first sight. I was crying, Frank was crying . . . :) This little girl is truly a blessing in our lives. One we didn't expect to receive, but one in which we will forever be thankful for having. :) Now we begin the adventure of raising her in a way that truly honors the Lord. :) Please enjoy the pictures below (there are quite a few, so please be patient!)!! :)
Side note: Frank did great as being a supportive partner in all of this! He learned to read when I was having a contraction (I would grow very quiet, clinch my fist and raise my pointer finger in the air - if we were having a conversation) and he was in the room the whole time! He even decided to watch the main event. I am truly blessed with this husband of mine. :)
