One Fine Day

Today I'm flashing back to one of my favorite days ever.

The birth of my favorite little man.

Healthy baby boy. 7lbs 1 oz, 19 1/4 in long.

I still have a difficult time remembering those numbers because the first time I heard them I was in a dream. It all happened so fast. Suddenly the life that was growing inside of me that I had been praying for was on my chest. That moment and the first few days that followed are indescribable. The feelings of love were overwhelming. Breathtaking. Something only God could create. I remember sobbing as I held you for the first time. There I was a new mom with a beautiful new life.

You did need a little coaxing to help bring you into this world-maybe you're a little shy or maybe you're not a fan of change (like your mom).

Thursday, December 22nd 12 a.m. we arrived at the hospital. We checked in and then rode the elevator to the second floor. A nurse showed us to our room and after barely getting settled and changing into my gown they started my IV, drew some blood, and placed Cytotec to help get the induction process going. We tried to get some sleep that night, but with the anxiety and all the in-and-outs from the
nurses, sleep was far from us.

At 8 a.m. they started me on Pitocin and my doctor came in to break my water. This was very uncomfortable and she wasn't able to break it the first time.

At 9 a.m. my doctor came back for another try. She was successful this time.

By 10:30-11 a.m. I was dilated to about a 4. I was shaking, curled up on one side of the bed clinging to the bedrail and this was when I decided that I wanted the epidural. The epidural was, by every meaning of the word, a lifesaver. However, getting it was not so pleasant.

At about 12 p.m. we were told by the nurses to take a nap because they weren't expecting any more progress until about 3-4 p.m. They made a joke and said I could prove them wrong though. So we told our parents to go have lunch and we tried to take a nap. We laid there talking for a while and then I started feeling some pains. Mr. Baker went to get a nurse for me and when she checked I was dilated to a 10. In one hour I went from being dilated 4 or 5 to a 10. The nurses started scrambling and kept telling me not to push. Nothing was set up and no one was ready for this baby to come!

At 1 p.m. it was time to push. I was in this zone, almost like I was outside of my body. I could hear all the voices telling me to push. I closed my eyes. I was determined.

At 1:35 p.m. on December 22nd, my son was born. A moment in time that was perfectly and wonderfully made. A moment of no words. A place forever frozen in my mind.

Beautiful. Precious. Life.