Yesterday, we had a baby! Part 1

Our littlest son arrived yesterday at 2:53 am. Sean Daniel. We decided his first name, Sean, after our tour of Gritman Hospital, wherein we filled out all the paperwork with a different name. It just didn't suit us, once it was all written down and official. People don't so much post their birth stories on their family blogs--but I'm going to, because it was so wonderful. Wonderful! I had a sort premonition Saturday night that baby's birth was eminent due to super slight contractions--the kind were exciting and not painful . So Phil called one of the church deacons to let them know about these mild pains, and that he might not be able open church the next day. Murphy's Law, we thought . . . now there would be no way the baby would come! Sunday I couldn't get it together to make it to church myself, so Kyle and I stayed home, and I ended up cleaning bathrooms--resting just wasn't working. It also happened to be about 39 million degrees outside, so church would have been memorably damp. All afternoon, I was pretty sure that things were happening. I was sure that my body was getting ready to introduce us to the baby . . . but I'd also spent the last few months and weeks reading natural childbirth books with stories of peaceful transitions to birth with 3 or 4 day "labors". If my labor continues like this, I thought (thinking of the cleaning and organizing I'd accomplished) I might finally get Spring cleaning done. At 4:45 pm I was sure that the water broke, it was pretty funny. I was excited, but really wanted to wait to go to the hospital until we'd put the kids to bed. Phil was excited in a totally different way--a responsible way--and began carting my two hospital bags to the car. Then he tried various means of lighting a fire beneath me . . . my sister joined him in these efforts, and induced me to check in with the hospital. So . . . after running around, and managing little we left for the hospital before six. As we drove there I realized I had forgotten to drink juice. The nurse had asked me to drink something to encourage the baby to disco . . . so poor Phil had to stop at the gas station for my juice. And that's when I began to get really thankful that Phil was my captain in all this because in the remaining nine minutes it took us to drive to the hospital and check in I had three "leave me alone please" contractions. We met our CNA, who was delightful, but changing shift. Her main part in our story it seemed to was give us a rave review of our nurse. What a great welcome! I got all dolled up in my swirly mauve gown, and met the lady that was to become my best friend ever, Acacia. The contractions began to take center stage and she showed me how to work with them, hula dancing while leaning against the bed. That help so much, for two or three of them, and then I stepped into the bathroom, where three back to back ones made me feel all kinds of overwhelmed. Where was my Acacia?