he's here!!!

it's a good thing i finished jackson's quilt because...he's here!! things don't always go as i plan - i've gotten used to that. still, i had certain expectations...like hoping for an inducement on jackson's due date (the 20th). but reality has a way of being better than what i expected...

on monday night, jim and i went to bed pretty late. we love spending time together, talking, reading, playing games and so forth, that we lose track of time. after just a few minutes of laying in bed, i had a really strong contraction. jim has experienced me having contractions before, so he stayed put.....until another one came, and was worse. after several painful contractions, jim got his watch out and began timing. the contractions seemed to be coming just a couple minutes apart. oh my goodness....was i going into labor on my own?? i began to worry because i was so exhausted already and had hoped to be induced. yes, i am a planner...i like to be prepared. this was very unexpected and we began to think this just might be it! without me having to say a word, jim went right to my list and began packing items for the hospital. i love how he just gets on task like that, like he's reading my mind. well, the contractions began to subside....but they were still coming. we figured we weren't going anywhere yet, but at least the bags were packed and surely i had dilated quite a lot since last time i was checked. we discussed it and thought it best that we sleep separately because jim needed the sleep and i knew i'd continue to be up having contractions. i didn't want to keep him awake for no reason - it'd be dumb if we were both sleep deprived!

jim got up with the kids in the morning, as he usually does. i was incredibly grateful for that because i had been up all night and desperately needed the sleep. i asked if he could stay home from work and he said he would. i was worried about him being so far away if i went into labor. so i went back to sleep and set my alarm because i had a 10am appointment. next thing i know, jim is waking me telling me that it's 9:40am!! we were supposed to drop the kids off at 9:45am, at my friend stacy's house. i leapt out of bed and showered faster than i ever have. stacy was awesome, and drove over immediately to pick the kids up. soon enough, jim and i were on our way to my appointment. it was funny because i'd let my hair air-dry and had no makeup on, so the receptionist (who normally says, "hi, ellen!") just stared at me for a moment. i told her i was there to see dr. roe and she said, "oh, it's you! i didn't recognize you!" yeah, i looked pretty awful...especially after being so sleep deprived!

dr. roe arrived and checked me. i half-jokingly asked to be induced that day. he said i was 4cm and 100% effaced...then said to go to the hospital. my response: "wha-what?? what did you just say?" i thought i hadn't heard him correctly. he said i was in labor and to get to the hospital. wow!! i did NOT expect that. jim and i were totally giddy. we headed home for our bags, stunned by the fact that we'd be having a baby in just a few hours. crazy.

sooo typical....jim was speeding along and two motorcycle cops pulled us over. it was pretty funny, the wife in labor and the husband rushing through traffic... so jim pulled into an apartment complex and the two cops took their sweet time in walking over. jim was impatient, waving at them from the window to come over. obviously, the cops had no idea i was in labor. we WERE on our way to the hospital and I WAS in labor, but we had time to stop by our house...so it's not like we could agree to a police escort to the hospital. heck, i wasn't going to have a baby without slapping on some makeup first!! those pictures and videos are forever! haha...

we got home and hurried as fact as we could. then, we were on our way. trisha was already there when we arrived. it was so exciting!! we were going to have a st. patrick's day baby! we first entered the labor/delivery room at 11:45am. i was 4-5cm when dr. roe arrived and broke my water at 12:30pm. by 12:50pm, my contractions were getting really intense and i was asking for an epidural. i wasn't asking so much because of the pain at that moment....it was more about the fact that last time i asked for one, it took forever and i didn't end up getting one because it was too late. knowing how fast i go, i wanted them to find that anesthesiologist - STAT!!

unfortunately, i needed to go through an entire bag of fluid through my IV before i could get that epidural, so they gave me some fentanol in the meantime. man, that stuff is HEAVENLY!! i relaxed immediately...was even laughing. it was pretty hilarious. the contractions still hurt, but at least it took the edge off. finally, i got my epidural at 1:45pm and, after a few more bad contractions, it kicked in and my legs went numb. it's the oddest feeling, poking your own legs and not feeling a thing....

for the next hour, we three hung out and had a good time. i was completely relaxed, just laying there. trisha took lots of great pictures and videos for us. i really appreciated her presence, not only for the picture-taking, but because she is my closest sister and it meant so much having her there. she knows, more than most, what i went through three years ago in that same hospital. she was a great comfort, and second only to jim, my great advocate.

at 3:10pm, i was 6-7cm and the epidural began to wear off. and man, those contractions were nasty!! i was able to get another dose from my epidural, and by 3:25pm, i was 8-9cm. of course it didn't take long....jackson was born at 3:57pm. my epidural had worn off quite a bit, so it was pretty painful....but worth it. always, worth it. seems like it just took a few pushes and he was out! jim thought he was quite the purple, gooey mess at first. i adored him from the moment i laid eyes on him. it was so much fun to finally see him and hold him.

i got to hold him for a very long time before he was finally weighed and measured. his apgar score was a 9, the highest of all my children. he weighed 8 lbs., and was 20 inches long. i was so happy and grateful that we were able to have him on this day. and it was st. patrick's day - how fun is that?! there is also a greater space now, between his birthday and jenna's (march 27th). i didn't want their birthdays too close together. so we have a lot of special days in march, now! jackson and jenna's birthdays, my sister tina's birthday, and our anniversary (the 29th).

stacy had been watching our children all this time, and brought them to the hospital for a visit. they rushed to him immediately and were very excited. stacy brought jackson a stuffed puppy, as well as a balloon and pretty red flowers. i appreciate her so much for all she did. she is a wonderful friend.

even though i was exhausted and in pain, i felt so happy and so thankful for my life and my family. i also felt a surge of emotions towards jim. my feelings for him have continued to climb since we were married, but i'm suddenly feeling even closer with this tiny person connecting us. jim has changed my life in so many ways and i've always known he is an amazing husband and father. seeing him experience fatherhood from scratch like this has been incredible. he is a natural. i am so happy for him, and for us.

we couldn't believe what a good and quiet baby we had! in fact, jackson slept from about 2am - 7am! unfortunately, while he was sleeping, i was experiencing so much pain that i couldn't take advantage of it. they kept giving me meds but nothing seemed to help. when they finally gave me some demerol, i got really groggy and was able to sleep a tiny bit. we talked about staying another night but decided we both wanted to go home.

bringing jackson home was wonderful. we are so happy that he's finally here and look forward to watching him grow and change. thank you, to everyone who sent gifts, cards, meals, left messages and e-mails. we are feeling the love!!