Wow! Has it been SIXTEEN YEARS? Time flies and all that cliched stuff. I remember May 13, 1991 very clearly. Delynn and I were talking on the phone about what would happen if I went into labor in the middle of the night. Up until that point I hadn't thought about nighttime and what kind of inconvenience that would put on my 'helpers' who would come to watch Challice and Morgann. Delynn assured me that nighttime was fine and not to worry about it.
We then discussed how I'd know I was in labor. I didn't want to wonder whether or not to go in all the time but after Morgann and the constant false labor with Braelyn all ready, I knew that this was a definite probability. Delynn mentioned the 'mucous plug' and that with a third baby it was probably a matter of hours if the plug disloged. Six hours later, I lost the plug and called Delynn. It was 11 pm.
By one am we arrived in Apple Valley at the birthing center and it was FREEZING. I half-heartedly watched Anne of Green Gables between contractions, ate whatever I felt like and during one particularly BAD contraction, the nurse suggested that I try the whirlpool tub for backlabor WOAH. Instant relief! Within five minutes (and I was only at 5 centimeters before I got in that tub) I was wanting to PUSH. I climbed out of the tub, had a quick bathroom break, and made it as far as the bed. The nurse kept urging me to climb up on the bed but I'm short, it was tall, and it felt GOOD to just lean over that bed. The nurse seemed a bit panicked as she urged and pushed me. Dr. Sweet arrived and said, "Leave her alone. If she wants to stay there let her." I love that doctor.
It was a surreal moment. First, I had the embarrasing privilege of a bowel movement right then. EEK. That doctor was so impressive. He reached for tissues, wiped it up, and tossed it in the trash without blinking an eye. Most doctors would have let the nurse do that I'm sure! Then my knees buckled and out came the head. Dr. Sweet was on the floor, half on his back like a mechanic ready to catch. Another contraction, knees buckled again, and voila. There she was. Her cord was laying in strategic areas and therefore Kevin's initial, "It's a boy?" (Total confusion in his voice...lol) was quickly corrected by the doctor. It was around 3 or 4 am.
He laid her on the bed and I climbed up after the placenta was out. Kevin and I stared at her and exclaimed, "STEVE!" She was very very dark with black fuzzy hair and she looked EXACTLY like her uncle Steve. The funny thing is that she continued to look like Steve's baby pictures for years but she also looked exactly like mine. Steve's pictures and mine look NOTHING alike.
We stayed for four hours and then left. We stopped at K-mart on the way home and grabbed some diapers. It is amazing to me how great I felt after that birth. She was soooo easy.
So now she's sixteen. She's beautiful, she's smart, and she has a strong sense of justice. She loves the Lord, she loves her family, and she's a loyal friend. She is eclectic and intense in the things she loves. I enjoy her. Happy Birthday Braelyn, I love you.
| 
