Already

Nathan turned 4(!!!!) 2 weeks ago today and I can't stop thinking about how quickly these last 4 years have gone. Last night I was checking out some friends blog's and Andrea wrote a sweet post about her little girl Chelsey and I loved it so much I thought I would "steal" the idea...I hope that's okay Andy.

This little boy...

is such a wonderful, sweet, caring, gentle, smart, stubborn, strong willed child that I love more than anything.

4 years ago:
For 6 weeks I had been dilated 2 cms and was told that at any time our little angel could join our family. NOTHING. So 2 weeks before my due date my dr. and I decided that it couldn't hurt to maybe help things along, again NOTHING. On March 3rd I had a dr.'s appointment and she stripped my membranes again and I actually started having "contractions". I went home and refused to sit down because I wanted SOOOO badly for things to just get stronger and for the baby to come. That night I walked up and down our sidewalk for HOURS (my neighbours must have thought I was insane, I know Wayne and Russ did) and guess what?!? EVERYTHING STOPPED. I was sooo upset and cried about it for quite a while.

March 4th-I got up early, called my dr. who told me to come into the office again and we would try again to get things moving. I had a shower, got ready and left. Wayne came with me because my dr. was adamant about me not driving myself home afterwards. We were walking into the elevator when all of a sudden I felt a gush of water down there (it was only enough to get my pants wet...not cover the floor with water like they show in movies)... at first I thought I had peed myself but then realized what it REALLY was. Once we got up to the office I ran into the bathroom and was soaked, the only thing I had were these teeny tiny maxi pads so I laid 6 in my undies and made a normal size pad...hehe. We were quickly rushed into the dr.'s office and when she went to check me another big gush of water came out, almost hitting her. I was told to go straight to the hospital which we didn't because we didn't have my bag or anything else I needed.

Wayne and I went home got my stuff and then started calling our parents. We got to the hospital and sat for a few hours until they finally determined that my water had indeed broke. I begged the nurses to let me eat something because I KNEW it was going to be a LONG time till I would be able to eat again. After I ate (1:00pm) they moved me over to the delivery room to start the pitocin (my dr. was not messing around and wanted to get things moving). The pitocin was started and we sat and waited. Wayne's mom arrived and Russ arrived a bit later and we just kept hanging out. Around 6:00pm I started to feel something but not even period pains. My family arrived around 8:00pm and we were all having a little party in the room still not even feeling too much. I was at the max. level of pitocin they would give me before needing the dr. to up the dosage and still nothing.

Around 9:00pm I got up to go to the bathroom and a HUGE gush of water splashed to the floor....and then I felt what a contraction should REALLY feel like. I laid back in bed and tried to catch my breath but couldn't because the contractions were LONG, CRAZY STRONG and a minute apart. Everyone was still hanging out in the room and Russ thought it would be funny to videotape me, he thought it would be funnier to say "I guess it's not gas pains now huh?!?" In my mind NASTY things were said and I wanted to give him a double fisted, middle finger salute but I contained myself and ignored him...hehe. After an hour of HORRIBLE contractions and really not being able to breath or get it under control the nurse suggested I get an epidural. (I have found out since that when you use pitocin for delivery that the labor can be quite intense once it starts working...would have been nice to know beforehand.)

I decided to get the epidural and after another almost an hour of contractions the dr. arrived. Once he finally got the needle in I waited for the numbness to arrive. NOTHING. I questioned if he had done his job properly and he said he had and it should be taking the edge off the contractions soon.... I DIDN'T WANT THE EDGE OFF, I WANTED TO BE NUMB!!!! Not my luck (which now I am REALLY grateful for), all that the epidural did was make it so I could breathe through the contractions and relax a little...but I still had to concentrate on breathing and try to think past the pain. It was almost midnight and so my family headed to the hotel, Charlene and Russ and maybe my mom (I don't remember) stayed at the hospital to wait.

At about 2am I started to feel like I needed to poop (yes, I know what that means now), I didn't want to get up though so I ignored the feeling for a while. I finally called the nurse in to take off all the monitor things so I could go to the bathroom. She wanted to check me first and ta-da I was 10cms. She asked if I wanted to try to push and I tried....she instantly stopped me and told me baby was RIGHT there and to try to not push again. UHHHHH ok?!?! You should have seen the nurses scurrying around then, they had thought I was going to take ALL night and even told my delivery dr. to turn off her pager...she won't have the baby tonight. So they were NOT ready for baby to be born and they were truckin it around the room....hehe.

Wayne quickly went to let everyone know it was TIME!!!! His mom came into the room right when I started to feel quite nauseous and held a bowl while I puked...she was sooo good and rubbed my back (probably while gagging) and helped me get cleaned up. My mom came in the room and shortly after my delivery dr. arrived. Wayne's mom left and the dr. took a peek under the sheet....ummmm that would be a head. She quickly took off her coat, put on a gown and gloves and moved into position.

I had a contraction and pushed, baby was crowning..... I had another contraction and a HUGE spray of fluid came shooting out, if my dr. hadn't been quick she would have got shot...hehe. I pushed again and was told to stop and then finally out came this slimy little angel. The only thing I saw was HIS little "area" and I said "It's a boy!!!!" They plopped him on my stomach and I was INSTANTLY in love...he was beautiful cone head, squishy face and all.

This is THE only picture we have on the computer of in the hospital, look how young Wayne looks...hehe. Also notice my coneheaded child...ya that's because he was so low in me for sooo long...he even had a 2 cm bruise on his head where he had been pushing against my cervix...nice hey?!?(That's my delivery dr. holding Nate, notice she still has her sweater on...ya, she didn't have time to change.)


We LOVE our little man and I am SOOO grateful that I get to be a mom. 4 years have gone soo quickly and yet I feel like I've had Nate FOREVER!!!