And they lived happily EVER after.... luckily!!
I know you've all been waiting patiently for my "story". Sorry for the delay but I've been a little busy, folks! and I haven't even been home a week yet so, uh, well, get over it.
I'll try to make this story short and sweet, although it may turn out more like long and whiny. It's not a particularly pleasant story so I figure after what I went through I deserve a little bit of whining. Therefore, you'll have to just endure it. Push through the pain, people, you can do it!! So, for those of you who read my sisters email and said, "Oh, she must mean she was in labor for 27 hours...", make no mistake. I actually PUSHED for 27 hours. I think it could be one for the Guinness book of records...
My water started leaking on Thursday and I think the midwife thought I was the boy who cried wolf cause when I called her, she told me to wait til Friday to see if I leaked through the night.
And guess what? I continued to leak through the night. Yeah, it was a good 24hours, but my contractions finally started on Friday while I was enjoying a lovely lunch at my friend Kathleen's house and at that point were about 5mins apart. I hung in there, but by 1am (sat morning) they were more like 3 mins apart so off I went to the birthing center. THIS WAS IT, finally! By around 3am I was 10cm dilated... which happened really quick considering how long I had been waiting! and I started to push... and push... and push... and push... and push... (shall I continue?) And for whatever unknown reason, in the words of Bruce Burmester, I was having "a midwife crisis" and my midwife was on a mission to be the hero. She really wanted me to have this baby the "natural" way and was unwilling to give in no matter what the cost! Hours and hours and hours went by in spite of my begging and pleading to go to the hospital. Although I was aware of the passing time and the pain and what was happening, it was like a time warp. At one point she even told me I had to stop looking at the clock! Totally surreal when I look back on it. Each time I was ready to put my foot down and go to the hospital, the contractions would come faster and faster and the whole cycle would start all over again. So what can I say. Without giving you ALL the gory details, around 6 am on Sunday I FINALLY put my foot down and said "TAKE ME TO THE HOSPITAL NOW!!" So off I went on the gurney to the hospital for what inevitably turned into a c-section. By the time they cut me open, I was completely infected. Remember, my water had broken a good 3 days earlier and I'd now been pushing unsuccessfully for an unheard of amount of time so my insides were swollen and ruptured and according to the doctors, unrecognizable and not very pleasant smelling. The baby was completely wedged into my pelvic bones which were not going to budge and they had to literally pry her out, and we were both very lucky to be alive. Sounds pretty scary, I realize. And it was! But at that point I was just so grateful to be numb and have that baby out, all I could feel was relief. And when I finally heard her cry from the other side of the curtain the tears just poured down my face!! We were both alive and well... granted we both had a fever and had some serious recovery to get through, but she was out! And beyond beautiful and perfect!! In the long run, what more could I ask for.
And now, after a week, I can only say that the gods are with me. I guess they figure I'd been through enough cause she couldn't be a better baby. Okay, she's only a week old, but she's not fussy, she doesn't cry, she sleeps, she breast feeds (which took a while to get the hang of but I think she had it down all along... it was her Mom who couldn't figure out how to do it!!) and she smiles and simply brings me so much joy I can't even put it into words. She my little miracle and I am so very thankful and grateful to have her. Words cannot express my feelings on that enough.
She's been to the pediatrician now for a check up and she's doing fantastically well! She's even gained a whopping 1/2 a pound from 6lbs/14oz on Friday to 7lbs/6oz on Monday! Go girl!
I'm very proud of her! And proud of my boobs for withstanding the pain thus far. It'll get better... I know it will I know it will! And hey, not that I'm complaining cause for the first time in my life, I've got boobs! What could be bad about that, even if they're only temporary.
I'm obviously including a bunch of pictures cause what sort of Mom would I be if I didn't? Plus she's just EVER so gorgeous I'm more than happy to show her off!!
I'm doing my best to recover quickly so I can get out of the house (I'm not allowed to drive for a few weeks) and let you all meet her! So in the meantime, enjoy the pictures... that's all I can offer you. Thanks all of you for your nice emails and concern and good wishes! I really appreciate it!!
These are two of my favorite pix...
My Sis took most of these.










Here's a shot of the proud Papa...








And the proud Grandparents...
Grandma Cookie and Grandpa Lee,






and a visit from Grandpa Sunny...










G & G looking at Ever from the nursery...





And the proud Aunt Julie and Uncle Gregg...









Here's a photo of Ever's first baby bracelet made by Lisa Lo!
Sorry I didn't get the official shot of her with it on at the
birthing center, but here it is!!! She loves it and says
thank you very much for making it for her!!

And last but not least,
for those of you wondering,
my feet have been unswallowed
by my body and are on the
road to recovery!!