One Year Ago Today...

Today is Heidi's 1st birthday. I cannot believe how fast this day has arrived. This is how my day went last year...

It was the very first day of school, 4th grade, for Caleigh. Zoe Anna and I dropped Caleigh off at school and headed home to just hang out for the day. No big plans. In fact, I wanted to take it easy because I had worked really late the night before. We had just installed a new kitchen floor and I had been putting all the little things back into the kitchen ( because I AM OCD and everything had to be perfect ASAP). For the past week or so I had been telling everyone that I was ready for the baby to come but I had to have my kitchen done and Caleigh's first day at school over with. OK, back to my day. When I hopped out of the car after dropping Caleigh off, I felt "strange". This being my 3rd baby and my 2nd in the past year in a half, I felt pretty certain of what was going on. It was Thursday and my next appointment wasn't until Monday so I called the Doc and pretty much demanded to come in. I dropped Zoe Anna off at Mimi Vicki's and felt pretty sure I wouldn't be coming back for her until a couple of days later.

I believe I waited at the Dr.'s office forever. Finally, she comes in and checks me out and lets me know that it definately would NOT be today. "Come in on Monday, and we'll go from there. Enjoy your weekend". I'm not discouraged though, I Know I will be back later. Maybe not today, but definately before Monday. I had made up my mind at this point and it was going to happen one way or another.

I pick up Zoe and we go about our day. Actually, we had a really great day just hanging out together, not really doing anything in particular. Around 1'ish I started dragging. I knew the feeling. By the time I picked Caleigh up at 2:50, the contractions were coming pretty regular but not painful. At 4pm I called my friend Sam at work and asked if she would come over "just in case". She was leaving for Gatlinburg that night so she stayed with me for about an hour and by that time Cody was home. I called the Dr. and she still didn't think it was anything, but if I felt worse in an hour to come on in and they would check me. Come on lady! It's not that hard to figure out whats going on. By the time we dropped Caleigh and Zoe Anna off at Mimi Vicki's I could barely stand up, the contractions were coming so hard and so fast. I'm thinking " oh God, please let me make it to the hospital!!".

We make it there and I get the nurse from hell!! Seriously, she was horrible. First of all, she comes in and tells me that my Dr. doesn't think I am really in labor and that she wouldn't be coming by and NOT to give an epidural. Then she says, "I'm afraid you aren't going to get the epidural in time". Well, I start to cry. After having a 10lb 2oz baby with 2 epidurals and still being in excruciating pain, the thought of doing that without any pain medication was more than I could handle. By the way, nurse Betty is completely oblivious to the fact that I am upset. So she starts my IV, but she is putting it in my arm instead of my hand. I'm still upset, so I don't think to ask why she is doing it that way. She then screws up and we have to change my sheets because they are soaked in blood. I think on the 3rd try she gets it right, but it's extremely painful.

A little while later, I am excited to find out that I am in fact going to get my epidural. He arrives soon there after and while preparing me he starts an argument with nurse Betty. This goes on for forever. I am not a very patient person in normal circumstances so you can just imagine how I felt right then. I think I finally tell them to just get on with it and to drop the fight. My mom and Cody were very surprised that I didn't cuss them both out and make them feel about an inch high.

I am good now. She is sooo close at this point, but just not quite there. No matter what I do, she just will not budge. So, nurse Betty tries to help things out and she is successful. In fact, so successful that the baby is coming immediately! I am freaking out because the Dr. hasn't arrived yet. Nurse Betty tells me to hold her in. What!? Hold her in?! How do you hold a baby in??? Apparently, it is done by panting like a dog, according to nurse Betty. In the next minute, my Doc arrives and she is here. I'm pretty sure I sat up and said, "That was it?". Again, after having a 10 pounder a mere 7lbs 14oz was a breeze. So, Heidi Madelyn arrived at 10:15 that Thursday night... I knew I was right!!