I have a 3 year old.

My daughter is officially three years old. I think I am in denial. It just doesn't seem like she should be that old already.

At least I am handling her birthdays a bit better. The night before her first birthday I bawled my eyes out. I actually sobbed uncontrollably as though someone had just given me a week to live. It was just so momentous, we survived the first year. All three of us. Our first year as parents and we all came out in one piece. Not saying it was hard or horrible, it was just the most life changing thing to ever happen to me, becoming a parent. This birthday, however, I only teared up and squeezed her really tight. Then she looked up at me and said, "It's okay, Mommy, you don't have to cry."
I just love her so much.

So, in honor of Rebecca's birthday, I will share her birth story as I remember it.

Monday, November 12, 2007


This was my due date. It was also the day I decided I didn't want Rebecca to have my middle name as her middle name, I wanted her to have her own name. So we changed it. I have lived to regret it every single day.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007


I had an OB appointment that day. I was about 1cm. Doc stripped my membranes.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Another OB appointment. We loaded up the car with our hospital stuff because I was 9 days overdue and I was going to make him send me to the hospital. I had been waking up each morning crying because I realized I was STILL pregnant. I wanted my daughter in my arms, already!

He did a pelvic exam and there was no change. NO CHANGE?! How incredibly disheartening! He called to schedule an induction for the next morning at 9.

Thursday, November 22, 2007


5:34am - I woke up because I had to pee. Sat on the toilet, and felt a tiny POP, like a bubble bursting, in my lower back. Finished my business, stood up, and I was leaking. I wasn't sure if it was my water breaking or not because I figured why would my water break on it's own the morning I was set to be induced and I was expecting a big gush. There was no gush at all. So anyway, I went back to bed. I was having contractions but they were very mild and again I wasn't sure that's what was happening. Then I had one that actually made me get out of bed and when I did, I leaked some more. Then I knew it was real. So I woke Chris, told him my water broke and we'd better get ready. We called our parents, told them we were headed to the hospital but not to be induced as I had gone into labor on my own. PHEW! So we showered, made sure we had everything, and headed out.

7am - We arrive at the hospital. Along the way contractions were about 5 minutes apart. They didn't hurt a whole lot yet, and I remember Chris saying, "I thought they were supposed to hurt more."

Not to worry, they did get worse. I was not spared.

So, we get to the hospital, head up to the Labor Assessment Unit, and tell the nurse that we were scheduled to be induced but my water had broken instead. Nurse was a huge bitch and didn't believe me and sent me for a walk. We went downstairs where the gift shop and restaurants were, and by the time we got down there I was in so much pain I couldn't move. I went to the bathroom because I didn't want everyone to see me, but I realized I had to make it back upstairs eventually. So we make our way back up, by this time there is a new nurse on duty (thank goodness!) and I say, "My back really hurts, I need to get in a hot bath or something, please." I wasn't even standing upright, I was hunched over in pain. The nurse sends me into a room so the doctor can come in and check me out. She does and says, "Oh wow, you're already 4cm! Do you want some pain relief?" and of course I said YES PLEASE!

 9am - I get my epidural, and I am much more comfortable. I wanted to kiss the anesthesiologist, who I remember was named Scott.

10:30am - I am 5cm. Chris is nowhere to be found. He went to Subway to get some food. Jerk. (LOL)

12:30pm - I tell the nurse that I can feel pain again, so she gets the doc and she checks me and I am 10cm and ready to go!

1pm - Finally, I start pushing. But I pressed that darn button to give me more drugs too many times and I couldn't feel a thing, and baby girl was sunnyside up, so she was a little stuck and her heart rate was starting to get tacky in between contractions, so the decision is made to go to the O.R. and prep me for a c-section just in case they had to get in and get her. However, they were going to try the forceps first.

2:16pm - My baby girl finally entered the world! Seven pounds, twelve ounces. I didn't end up with a section, but they did use the forceps and gave me an episiotomy. They held her up for me to see and then took her over to check her out. When they brought her over to me I remember thinking, "Why does she have hazel eyes?" But they weren't, they were blue. I was just drugged up.

It was just before 7pm when I finally made it to my room. It took that long before I had feeling in my legs again. We didn't sleep at all that first night, we were too scared. The nurse at the desk by our room offered to keep an eye on her so we could rest for a little while, and we readily agreed because we had been up for so long and we wanted to make sure someone always had their eyes on her.

Saturday, November 24, 2007


We brought our little girl home.

I love you, Rebecca Michelle. I can even describe how much you mean to me. My precious baby girl, my daughter for life.