experience of a lifetime

It all started with Bethany cautiously but aggressively calling my name at 4:4:30pm on Wednesday morn. Her water broke and she wanted me to call the hospital to make sure. After a few routine questions the nurse was sure and ordered us to come right away. We listened but did not act. Our many hours of educational classes helped us to know that we had plenty of time and there was no need to rush. Too bad we knew this: Bethany put me to work. For the next three hours I felt like Rosie the Robot Maid on "The Jetsons." I did everything from dishes to vacuuming to cleaning blinds. Bethany was not just giving orders though, she was dusting fan blades, packing bags, and even cleaning the bathroom.
When we arrived at the hospital the doctor firmly suggested some petocin to speed things up. I'm sure it was the most healthy thing to do, but we did find out later from the nurse that ole' Doc was eager to get to his sons Hockey game. None the less the meds worked and we were beginning to learn the true meaning of labor. Bethany was determined to have a natural birth and was doing great for about 5 hours. She was looking to me for advice at that point on whether she should get an epidural. I told her it would be fine either way, but in my mind I was praying she would take it. She eventually opted for the drugs and we both were pleasantly surprised at how smooth the process was and how alert Bethany still was. Instead of crying, tensing up, sweating, and trying to focus on breathing techniques I was calm and relaxed. That's right, I'm talking about me here. No but really, she was almost smiling afterward while nonchalantly saying, "oh, there's another contraction." The epidural even allowed us to visit with family for the next 45 minutes.
Finally, after the fam was excorted out the nurse came in and had Bethany begin pushing. She was a little reluctant becuase the doctor wasn't there yet, but he arrived soon after and there was nothing for him to do yet other than set up shop. In between the pushing, the doctor and nurses were conversing about the weather and other small talk. I have to say it was both weird and calming at the same time. When Nolan was born and the nurse put him in my arms my whole world changed. For those of you who have no children: you will not know the feeling no matter how well I describe it, and for those who do: you know what I mean.
After holding the cutest thing in the world for about 3 minutes he was taken away to get routine checks done in the nursery. Instead of getting him back in an hour or so like normal we were told we had to wait becuase his breathing was fast due to fluid in the lungs. After monitoring him for a while, bathing him, and warming him back up, we were finally able to have our little boy at 12:30 am. Oh my...what a night!