Already a month old!

I can't believe a month has already passed since Isaac was born. He's changing everyday and with it comes new joy and utter contentment for me. I was happy before he came along but now, as the saying goes, my cup runneth over. I think I'm the luckiest person in the whole wide world.

Isaac started holding his head up early on and can now turn it both directions during tummy time. This last week he started smiling. Is there anything cuter than a smiling baby? He has grown 1 1/4 inches and there is no telling how much weight he has gained. He's getting quite squeezable these days.

So, in celebration of Isaac's first month I thought I'd share his birth story with everyone who doesn't already know it. Sorry it's so long and I apologize for the poor, poor grammar and tense issues that infuse this story.

Sunday, October 19th I started labor. They were small, easy contractions that were not very regular. Scott and I decided to go for a walk to help move things along. It worked; my contractions picked up, got a little closer but still not painful. Later that eventing I thought my water broke so we called the doctor and they said to come on in to the hospital. Now that I know what it's really like to have your water break I feel really dumb... We arrived at the hospital and I was checked into my room and examined. Apparently I had just wet myself because my membranes were still intact. But by this time my contractions were more intense but not as regular as they wanted. Scott and I walked the halls of the maternity ward for about an hour and a half (while I unknowingly mooned the nursing station my first walk round. We fixed that real quick.) hoping that my contractions would become more regular. Well they didn't. They were a lot more painful but not timely enough for the nurse. At 11:30 that night I was sent home with a sleeping pill and instructions to call when my contractions were 5 minutes apart. I was none too happy about this but what could I do?

We get home and by this time I am in a lot of pain but very sleepy from the sleeping pill. Despite the sleepiness I can't lie down because it's too painful. My mom and Scott decide to move the glider into the master bedroom with the hopes that I can get comfortable in it. Luckily that worked for a while. I labor all night long - this is pain like I've never experienced. But luckily I fall to sleep in between contractions because the sleeping pill they gave me was so strong. I don't remember a lot of the night but Scott was there with me the whole time and much of this story has been told to me by him and my mother. About 6am, October 20th, I am in so much pain I can't sit, stand, squat or anything. But here's the best part, my contractions still are not regular! They are 5 minutes, then 3 minutes, then 7 minutes, then sometimes 11 minutes apart. Then I start feeling the pressure...I need to push but I'm not sure if that's labor or I'm needed to push out a baby because hey, I've never done this before. And here's the most stupid thing...I don't tell anyone that part. My mom and Scott can just tell that the pain is no longer bearable so Scott decided to call the doctor and lie. "Yes, her contractions are 5 minutes apart." Hallelujah we are invited back to the hospital...during morning rush hour!

I totally don't remember the ride there or even getting into the car. Pain has caused primal instinct to kick in. We get on the road, (btw, Scott has told my mom to take her time getting ready and just meet us at the hospital in a couple of hours because my contractions still aren't the textbook 5 minutes apart) so we get on the road at the same time as everyone else in Houston. I'm not sure how Scott got us there as fast as he did but I love him for it. We pull up to the valet around 7:30ish and I can't get out of the car because I'm having another contraction and am trying not to push, which by now I've shared the little "pushing" detail with my dear husband. Anyway after two very painful contractions, which I'm sure scared everyone in the parking area and hospital lobby, we make it up to the L&D floor. Again, this is from Scott because I don't remember much of anything. Apparently as soon as we turned the corner to the nurses' station and they got a look at me, people started scrambling.

I get in the room in and examined in record time. My nurses, Clarissa and Holly, the most wonderful two nurses ever, pressed some code button on the wall and people come running into the room including the doctor. I am dilated 10 cm and the baby is ready to come out! My water broke as soon as I got in the bed and the doctor is telling me that the fasted way to end the pain is to just start pushing the baby out. Umm, no thanks...what about my drugs? what about the epidural? I'm not sure what I said or did but within minutes the most wonderful man was there with my epidural. This of course slows things down and blah, blah, blah, Isaac was born at 12:08 that afternoon. And my contractions never became regular...

Here's my little man in my lap right after he was born.