I'm a dud

Yes, I promised a fun story and a good post yesterday, but.... yes, I'm a dud! Yesterday was insane!! Today isn't any better, but I am making this a priority this morning. I feel pretty bad, because it was Emily's birthday yesterday, and I didn't even do a short "Happy Birthday" post. Oh well, my life will be calm, organized, and peaceful one day, right????? Ha! Not in the next 18 years or so. So here goes my attempt at a goodun'.... (and long one too!)

EMILY turned four yesterday! Yeah! It was actually a pretty uncelebrated day to be honest. Emily was confused that she was celebrating her birthday, when her party and cake and gifts were all given to her a few days before. I think she assumed that that day was her birthday. But even with all that was going on, she still got a fun drive and trip to Jiffy Lube with dad. How fun, huh?? She enjoyed the free popcorn and soda pop. She got to tell Santa last night at the ward party (more on that later) that it was her birthday; she thought that was pretty cool.

So here is her whirlwind story. Emily was due on Jan. 9th, yet from about 16 weeks pregnant on to when she was actually born I just KNEW that she would be born on the 19th of December. Don't ask me how, but the date just seemed to sound and feel right. So there I sat on December 19, 2004 at church, as it was a Sunday. I was primary pianist at the time, and the primary chorister was doing a little music program throughout all of sharing time and singing time, for the whole 2 hours! It sounded like a great idea, and she had musical numbers coming in, and fun little nativity scenes going, and etc... YET, she didn't quite plan for enough activities to fill the time. So I was stressed as she was trying to fill time, she was driving me nuts, and the primary kids were INSANE!!!! After church, I was hurting terrible, super uncomfortable, and just wanting this baby out!!

So in an effort to get some regular contractions coming, I took a little Castor oil (works for me), and our little family decided to go for a nice L O N G walk. We walked and walked and walked some more. On our way back home, David's brother Ben called with a "fun idea". Lets have a game night, he says. Now, don't get me wrong, I love to play games with people, and often host such evenings, yet, I was already stressed, my house was a disaster, and I was starting to have some contractions. Nothing even close to consistent or strong, but at least they were coming. So we rushed home, cleaned house like a banshee, and had a few friends and family over for a game called Scene It, Disney style. It was probably a pretty fun game, but I wasn't really focused too much on it. I was a stress case! They all finally left, we got the kids to bed late, and I got into my PJ's, laid there on the couch watching Star Wars with David. I was not very happy, I admit it.

Finally at about 10:45, we went to bed. I had just known that she was supposed to come today! I was not in a good mood, and pretty unhappy that I had such a stress-filled day. No contractions, no baby, nothing! I laid there crying. I dozed off a few minutes later. At 11:13 I woke up to a super strong contraction. Wow, ouch! I thought to myself that if I felt another one like that I should start timing them. THEN, all the sudden at 11:16 here came the next next one, super strong, and along with that my water broke. Now, that is not a fun thing. It is quite messy, and very uncomfortable to be laying in, in my own bed!

I nudged (more like shoved!) David, told him to wake up because my water just broke, and in his sleep filled stupor he says "are you sure you didn't just wet the bed?" HAHAHAHAHA! I was not amused. He stumbled to the light switch as I was starting to get out of bed. I got to the bathroom, changed my pants, and called my mom, and then Uncle Ben. Ben was on his way to stay with the kids. Now through all this, my contractions were coming 3 minutes apart, and so strong I could hardly stand through them. I wanted to wait for Ben to get there before we left, but David took control, got me in the car and started toward the hospital (a 30-35 minute drive). I was worried about the kids, and in much pain, and David was flying down the highway going 90-100 MPH.

We got to the hospital after what seemed like the longest 30 minutes of my life, when it was actually more like 15 or 20 minutes with us speeding. In the confusion of getting me in the hospital, we went to the main entrance. Who knew that it would be closed at nearly midnight on a Sunday?!? I sat on a bench in agony as David ran around the hospital to the ER entrance to get me a wheelchair. Now me sitting in the cold, in transition labor, had a bright idea to speed things up a bit. I think, let me run between contractions and get myself inside the hospital so they know that I'm here and about to have a baby on the sidewalk. So, I get up a run! I am holding my hospital bag, keys and my pillow. I get about halfway around the building and have another one.(Either those contractions where coming quicker then I thought, or I was not a very fast runner....probably both=) ). It brought me to my knees and I laid there clawing the sidewalk, screaming in pain, alone in the dark. David comes around the corner with the wheelchair, picks me up and takes me on a bUmPy ride running toward the entrance, in the worst wheelchair the hospital had.

The next few moments were a blur to me, but I know that I somehow got into the OB department, in a bed of sorts, and there she came. Needless to say, they were not prepared for me to be having a baby. Emily laid there on the foot of my bed for a few minutes while they got the bassinet thing turned on, and stuff to clean up the mess! We entered the hospital doors at 11:52pm, and she was born at 11:54pm. TWO minutes later. She was 36 weeks, 4 days gestation. Weighed 6 lbs 11 oz, and was completely healthy.
So here is my Emily now..... Such a wonderful girl. This age has turned out to be her "terrible two" stage. She is still a wonderful, tender girl, yet she is such a stinker sometimes! She was babied quite a bit, and it has turned on us now, and created a monster of sorts. More on that later.... BUT, even with all that, we love our Emily more then anything, and she is such a great girl, a good helper, and a sweet spirit. We love you Jo-jo beans! Happy 4th Birthday!!!