We moved into our house when I was 36 weeks pregnant to make sure we were settled before she got here. Then we prayed and cross our fingers that I wouldn't go into labor while Ray was in NYC the week leading up to my due date. Suddenly, Ray was back home, the house was set up, my mom was here to help... and yet baby girl just set up camp.
I got to 40 weeks and 3 days and had my midwife strip the membranes (ouch!). I started having contractions that night. They weren't very strong though, so I laid down on our couch and bam- contractions completely gone. My midwife had said not to try to restart them if that happened and to just get a good night sleep. So I did. The next day I still had no contractions. I went to the gym around 2 to get on the elliptical to see if I could start something! My midwife called me as I was waddling away at the gym- she was just as surprised as I was annoyed that we still didn't have a baby here. She told me I could come on over and she'd check me again and discuss options.
So I went home and picked up Ray. Kaymond stayed home with my parents. We went to see my midwife and just prayed she'd have some good news of some kind. She did a quick check and said I was dilated to a four, then quickly stripped the membranes again. She told us to go on a long walk and call her when we were heading to the hospital. That was about 3 o'clock or so. We wanted to stay close to the hospital, but didn't want to walk outside in the cold- so we headed to Costco!
We roamed up and down the aisles of Costco for a while, and my contractions grew stronger and stronger. Soon I was having to stop in the middle of the aisle and do some deep breathing as I made it through each contraction. We ran into a couple friends there and enjoyed chatting with them. Of course we enjoyed all our samples too :) Finally I decided it was time to head to the hospital. We swang by the house really quick to pick up our pillows and say goodbye to Kaymond. I was checked in and in triage at 5 when they checked me and declared I was a 7 "generously rounding down" as the nurse put it. They walked me to a delivery room and got me all set up. I had an epidural around 5:30 and they told me to relax and let them know when I was feeling pressure. This epidural was not as strong as Kaymond's, and I knew exactly when it was time to push. It was a much different experience! I yelled a lot more as I felt and imagined her head, shoulders, body and legs leave me. At one point they point an oxygen mask on me because I guess they were concerned I wasn't breathing well? I don't know- I was just focused on pushing as my midwife told me baby girl's heart rate was dropping and I needed to get her out now.
So 2 hours after getting to the hospital, out she came- beautiful, healthy, and ready to take on the world. Diana has been a big adjustment for me. But we are settling into our routines and getting to know one another better each day. I had already forgotten how hard having a newborn is. And adding a newborn to a toddler has been a fiasco! I sure love my kiddos though, and am grateful for each of them every day. Diana was born with incredible dark hair and eyes that are sometimes the deepest blue, and other times are nearly hazel. She is such a mystery to us still! She loves sleeping and being held all snuggled up in a fluffy blanket. She is fascinated by her brother and the loud noises he makes all the time. Likewise, Kaymond adores his baby sister and loving strokes her soft head while saying "Oh Ana, oh Ana. So coot!"
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