I Blinked

7 years ago right now I was 40 weeks and 6 days pregnant. I had been to the midwife that afternoon (Thursday). They did a non-stress test. I wasn't having ANYTHING resembling a contraction. The checked me.. wasn't dilated at all, not effaced... NOTHING. The midwife patted my hand as the tear slipped down my cheek, "Nothing's gonna happen this weekend. Call Monday morning and we'll get you set up for a induction."

I went home. Dejected. Essie had been induced 2 weeks early, so I had now been pregnant with this baby for 3 weeks longer than I had been pregnant before, I was miserable, and since Essie was induced and I had every drug known to man, I didn't even know what a contraction felt like. I was anxious.. miserable.... Did I mention miserable?

I went to bed that night... in my bed (which was unusual because I had been sleeping in the recliner because I had been so miserable in the bed)... and woke up the next morning, laid there for a minute and thought "Ouch... that hurt." I got up... took a shower... and "Ouch... that hurt" some more. The ouches started coming closer together. I got Essie up and ready for Preschool. I told then-Mr.-Gray (Well... he is still Mr. Gray he's just not MY Mr. Gray anymore... thankfully) that I thought maybe we should head to the hospital.

We dropped Essie off at preschool, telling her 7-month-pregnant teacher that we were headed to the hospital.

Arriving at the hospital, the nurse lead us to what.. I swear... was a slightly converted janitorial closet. It had a bed and such, but it also had shelves of cleaning supplies. She said to just hang there for a little bit and someone would come and check me. About 8:45 someone came and checked, and I was 2 cm dilated. They weren't impressed, and were going to send me home. The nurse went to find a dr. type to confer, and they were gone... a long time. The ouches were becoming much more ouchie, and much more often. It was about another hour by the time someone came back to our closet. She checked me again... 6 cm. Guess what, I get to stay.

Finally being released from the janitorial closet, we headed to a real L&D room. We got settled in, and about 10:30 my midwife came in saying she was AWFULLY surprised to see me. I told her I was equally surprised to see her, but that I was in no way sad about the meeting. She checked me... 8 cm. About11 I started feeling.. you know... the big CHANGE... they called the midwife, and sure enough, we were at 10. OH, did I mention that in all this I didn't get the epidural I wanted? Cause it all went too fast. So there I was... totally drug free... quite a change from Essie's completed drugged didn't-feel-a-thing birth. MAN it hurt. A LOT. I pushed.. and pushed... and pushed....

And at 11:36 on Friday, May 9, 2003, Miss Gert arrived. All 9 pounds 9 ounces of her. With DARK long hair. She was perfection. And she was mine.

And she is still perfection.

And she is still mine.

And I can't think of a better way to spend Mother's Day then to share it with my baby and her 7th Birthday. Happy Birthday Miss Gert. You are growing s0 (too) fast. Your beautiful spirit, your pep and enthusiasm and COMPLETELY girlyishness are a blessing to me every single day. I Love you!!!!!!!