It's baaaaaaaaaaack! After a little hiatus (mostly because I totally forgot), Facebook Fridays are back in full force. Since I took such a break, today I am going to highlight more facebook updates than I usually do...you know, make up for lost time.
For those who are new to Facebook Fridays, this is a time where I highlight some of my Facebook Friends' status updates. Sometimes I read some and wonder why in the world they take the time to post what they post (for instance, "I'm sleepy." or "I'm going to the bathroom." "I'm eating a piece of toast." etc. You know, the stuff that everyone has going on but doesn't feel the need to bore the world with). Other times I read people airing their dirty laundry (aka Facebook fights. I mean, what is that about?!). Then, there are times that people completely crack me up. Today, I am going to highlight some of the funnier ones from the week. Here goes:
Friday, July 10, 2009
Facebook Fridays
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Thursday's Random Thoughts
The day has almost gotten away from me. It's now 9:00 p.m., and I'm just now finding a brief second to post my random thoughts from the week. Being a fledgling mom to three kiddos, I'm still trying to get the hang of things around here. I have many random thoughts that I should probably keep to myself, so I will. :) When you get little sleep, have a newborn and a two year old (my five year old is pretty easy most of the time), you would be mortified if people could read all your thoughts. That's the way I feel anyway. :)
As for the thoughts I'm willing to share, here goes:
The title of my blog page is "Me and My Three Boys". I do realize that I am also a mom to a little girl, I just haven't found the time to redo the page yet. It WILL happen...one day.
I was watching E earlier this evening (well, I wasn't actually watching it, but it was on. I was too busy rushing around getting Tristan ready for swim lessons), and they were advertising for "The Daily 10". One of the stories they highlighted was "Kate finally speaks". By Kate, of course you know it's Kate Gosselin. Um, ok, Kate. Seriously, does this woman need publicity so bad that she has to constantly speak out? You know, a friend said on Facebook this week (or last week. My time all runs together right now) that Jon and Kate were probably glad that the Michael Jackson stuff was taking attention away from them (her comment was stated more eloquently). I agreed..at the time. Now I realize Kate has probably been missing the media attention and feels the need to speak out so that she can gain some of it back. I mean, maybe that's not what's going on, but that sure is what it looks like. I think those two (Jon and Kate) need to go into hiding, fix their marriage, and stop giving the public access into every tiny bit of their lives, if not for themselves, for their precious children.
Last night, I was flipping channels in bed while I was nursing Rhiannon, and I saw that "There's Something About Mary" was on. It was right on the part where he comes out of the bathroom with "hair gel" on his ear. I watched that whole scene play out and was so disgusted. Back in the day, I thought it was HILARIOUS. Last night, it wasn't quite as funny. All I could think was...GROSS! Am I now a prude? I guess so.
Kool-aid purses. Only in Alabama, right? I mean, why in the world would anyone want a Kool-aid purse? I don't know, but I see them at every craft show I go to. There's always a booth that makes Kool-aid purses. I have even seen ADULT WOMEN carrying them. I'm not joking. One day, I would love to buy one for a friend and give it as a gift. Of course, I could never let them know it was a joke. I would have to make sure they knew how "proud" I was of my purchase and that I couldn't wait to see them carrying it. Great idea, Annie! This is a MUST DO!
Have you seen the Neckline Slimmer? I saw it on an infomercial last night (Yes, I realize it seems like I watch a lot of t.v, but when your husband is sleeping, it's the middle of the night, and you're nursing a hungry newborn, what else is there to do? I know, I know...shouldn't have a tv in the bedroom. Well, we do...and we still have three kids, so go figure.) Anyway, back to the Neckline Slimmer. This is some kind of invention that gets rid of (what I heard a lady call) the turkey neck, the hangy down skin on your neck. Ok, yeah sure. That works. Sure. What's even funnier is that it comes with a Neckline training DVD. It's hilarious because there's a woman standing right in front of her tv with her Neckline Slimmer, and it looks like she's doing an aerobics video. It's hilarious. If you haven't seen it, you have got to check it out.
Yesterday on Wife Swap (I know, I know. Really, I don't watch as much tv as it sounds like), the two couples were sitting at the table discussing their swaps, and one of the moms turned to her husband (talking about the other couple's kids) and said, "They was wearin' jeans like swiss cheese...holes all in 'em!" Ok, I about lost it! HILARIOUS!!! I have never heard that before, and it totally cracked me up!
I would love to have a celebrity personal trainer. I mean, we all see how quickly those celebs get back into shape after having babies (c-tucks aside). I want one of their personal trainers. I DO NOT want a trainer who looks out of shape (seems like we have some of those at our gym). I would have a hard time paying for a personal trainer who doesn't seem to be in shape. If he/she can't get himself/herself into shape, how can I trust them to know enough to get me in shape?
So none of my three kids look a thing like me...not at all (Well, Rhiannon's got my ears. Out of three kids and all the body parts, that's it. The only thing). This morning, though, I realized I could work this to my advantage. You see, on Tuesday I had to deal with a hugely embarrassing situation at The Children's Place (let's just say peeling your screaming two year old off the floor while trying to maneuver a giant stroller is no fun). Anyway, this morning I was thinking about Tuesday and how my kids don't look a thing like me. That's when it hit me. Next time something like that happens, I can just walk away. I mean, that screaming kid doesn't look like me. No one can prove he is my kid. Tristan crying because he can't get flip flops? Who's kid is he anyway, and why is he calling me Mommy? I don't know him. I clearly look nothing like him. Why would anyone assume he's mine? Crying, hungry baby? Nope, not mine. :) Maybe I'll try that next time. :):):):)
Ok, that's all I've got. I know it's not much, but like I said, you probably don't want to know all my thoughts. Ha! They're really not that bad...most of the time. :) Have a great weekend, and make mine really great by sharing some of your random thoughts. Robin, now is a great time to post yours!!! :):) I want to visit your page and see them, my friend!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Thursday's Random Thoughts
Wow! Is it Thursday already? Apparently it is, and apparently, I haven't posted anything on this blog since last Thursday. I didn't even post a Facebook Friday update. I'm out of the loop. Oh well. I'll get my act together one day. For now, here are this week's random thoughts:
I know a lot of you are tired of hearing about it. I have to admit, I am too. However, I wouldn't be sharing my week's thoughts if I didn't bring it up...the death of Michael Jackson. Ok, I was SHOCKED when I heard that he had passed away. I mean, there was no warning, he was just gone. I spent the first two days reminiscing about all his big hits...Thriller, Billy Jean, Bad...I'll admit, I was even considering downloading some of those hits to the workout folder on my ipod. However, I now feel like I've had my fill of those songs as well as most of his other songs. I can't turn on the tv w/o seeing the Thriller video or hearing about Michael's finances and who he left out of his will. I feel like I could write a book about MJ. Don't get me wrong, we have lost one of THE greatest entertainers ever (personal life aside), but can I please watch a little celebrity news, local news, or national news without hearing more about the investigation into Michael's Jackson's drug use? PLEASE?!?
Speaking of dance, has anyone watched the show "Dance Your A$$ off"? I don't like the title of the show but did tune in to see what all the hype was about. I only watched 10 or so minutes, but what I saw brought back some memories. You remember the Roger Rabbit??? Well, it was in full force during one of the routines. WOW! Until then, I had not thought about the Roger Rabbit in years. Back in the day, that was one of my favs.
I watched an episode of "So You Think You Can Dance" a week or so ago. It's not really my favorite. I just can't quite get into it, but anyway... What is with that lady judge? Is she crazy or loopy or what? She makes the loudest, strangest screams and noises. She says the weirdest things. She almost makes Paula more tolerable. Almost.
Mark Sanford. Oh my. What a hot mess. What kind of husband says ON NATIONAL TELEVISION that his mistress is his soulmate and, "I am going to try to fall back in love with my wife." TRY?! WHAT IN THE WORLD?! Ok, can I just say that if my husband had multiple affairs and publicly announced that he would TRY to get over losing his soulmate and then backslapped me with "trying to fall back in love" with me, I would be outta there and outta there fast. All I can figure is that he is TRYING to chase his wife off. Why else would he say such awful things. And all I can figure as to why she would stay with such a dirty rotten scoundrel (nicest thing I could think of) is that she wants to punish him. Ok, maybe not, but what else makes sense? On a serious note, I feel so sorry for her. How humiliating, not only that her husband cheated and got caught on a national stage, but the things he said to the world...how hurtful. I cannot imagine what she must be going through.
Ok, so with my new baby, I'm trying some new gadgets, gadgets I didn't have with the boys. Example 1: the sling. I've got this great, super cute sling, and I can only use it correctly 1 in 5 times. I don't know why. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I just can't get it to work right. I watched the tutorial on You Tube, and I'm still struggling. Last night at church, I had to go into the mother's room to nurse Rhiannon. The room was full, and the only seat available was right at the front where everyone could see me. So I had to announce to the group of women that I was a newbie at my sling and had no idea how to properly and easily get the baby in and out or how to operate the thing. I then did the loser's way of removing the whole sling to get my baby girl out. Everyone found it quite amusing. Then I got to use another new gadget, and my example 2: the nursing cover. I have this super great nursing cover, it's the trendy Bebe au lauit (I'm SURE I misspelled it but am too lazy to get the proper spelling. Please forgive my lack of effort). Yeah, I thought it would be super simple. It wasn't. I'm sure it's not the gadget, it's the operator, but I really stink at it. Lucky me, I got to try it out for the first time in front of a room full of women who probably thought I had been hit in the head before I entered the room. I'm surprised they didn't take my baby from me. Needless to say, I used the cover for about five minutes and ditched it. I guess I'll have to practice at home before I go public again. Maybe one of you can offer me a free hands on lesson. I could use it!
Rhiannon is officially three weeks old, and I officially feel like this extra weight is never going to leave. I mean, it has totally set up shop on my rear, my belly, my arms, my legs...ok, you get the picture, right? After I had Tristan, it came off so quickly (my mom is quick to remind me that I was much younger then, AND he was my first, but still...). Please, weight, please go away! I have nothing to wear!!! PLEASE?!?
Speaking of putting on weight, as per my norm after having babies, I have significantly increased my cup size. Yes, my cups runneth over. If you are a woman, you know what cups I'm referring to. Thing is, as I'm putting on clothes and trying things on, I wonder...why in the world would anyone want to choose to get implants for large breasts? I just don't get it. Clothes don't fit right, it's such a hassle, and you end up looking larger all over than you actually are. Why would you choose that? It completely puzzles me. I mean, if you've got 'em, you've got 'em, but why pay for 'em (I'm specifically referring to large breasts)? Sorry if this has offended anyone, but it has constantly been on my mind.
Do any of you ignore your kids when they cry and wail? I do. I ignore my sweet Tristan a lot because, well, he cries a lot. He seems to make a huge deal out of every single boo boo. I never know if the kid is seriously hurt because everything is a huge deal. Am I alone in this? I mean, if you were to see me out in public and Tristan was to fall down and scream and wail and carry on, you would see me pretend as if nothing happened. AND I'm pretty sure you would think I was a terrible mother. However, when it happens at least 10 times a day, what's a mom to do?
Well, that's all I've got for this week. How about you? Please share your random thoughts. They would make my holiday even greater!!!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Thursday's Random Thoughts
Happy Thursday! I don't know about you, but I sure am glad it's Thursday. For our family, Thursdays are like Fridays because there is no work on Fridays. Sooooo, I always look forward to Thursdays.
Also, since it's Thursday, it's time for my random thoughts. For those who may be new around here, on Thursdays, I share my random thoughts from the week. Be warned, I am a mom who is currently taking care of a newborn, a two year old and five year old on little sleep. My thoughts are not those of a normal human being.
Here goes:
I saw an advertisement on t.v. yesterday for a website where you can register your teenage drivers. Here's basically how it works (from what I could tell). You get a bumper sticker for your teenager's car, and it has an 800 number and a website listed on it. It says something like, "How's my driving?" Or "I'm a teenage driver" or something like that. Other drivers can monitor your teen's driving and go to tellonme.com (though the website doesn't even work. What's up with that?!) to tell on your teen if they're driving crazy. In theory, it's a good idea. But realistically, how long will it be before some enemy of your teen tries to get him or her in trouble? Or some prankster? I mean, come on. Your teen could be super reliable and careful yet get in trouble on a bad tip. I don't dig it.
Over the past couple of weeks, I've kind of become addicted to Family Feud. I love that show! It comes on four times a day...two times in the morning and two times in the afternoon. Since I do LOTS of nursing, I often am able to catch it. Do you ever watch it? Don't you love how some family member will give some terrible, horrible answer, and the rest of the family kind of looks at them, John Hurley makes fun of them, but then the family cheers really loud, "Top five favorite kid foods?...Liver...YEAH! Good answer! Good answer!!!" Whatever. I feel certain that if it was my family, we'd be like, "Liver?! What in the world?!!! What are you thinking??? I CANNOT believe that's your answer!" I would love to be on that show.
It's a good thing I'm not married to Tom Cruise. They say that in scientology they prefer natural childbirth, AND most disturbingly difficult, they require the birthing mother to remain silent. Ok, what?! I can tell you that when I was giving birth to my baby girl in the car, there was no silence about it. There was no silence leading up to it when I was laboring at home. I was pretty vocal, to say the least. So if I were a scientologist or married to one, what would have happened to me? Would they have to have special prayer for me or for my baby? I wonder...
So yesterday on the show "Birth Day" or whatever it's called, the birthing mother on the show had herpes. Watching her, I wondered why in the world anyone would want to go on national television and let everyone know they have herpes. I just can't fathom.
Speaking of herpes, how about the actors in the Valtrex (that is herpes medication, right? All the constant commercials kind of run together for me) commercials? I mean, who needs an acting gig so bad they are willing to go on a national ad campaign to pretend that they have herpes??? They must really need a job. I mean, can you imagine getting excited and telling your friends you got the part...the part in the herpes commercial? AND to look so happy about "having" it. Totally baffles me.
Speaking of gross commercials, have you seen the constant commercial for Rephresh? It is so gross. And the woman at the end who looks like she stepped right out of a 70s disco movie...totally weird.
One more thing about commercials, is there a single commercial these days that doesn't have Brooke Shields pitching their product? She is endorsing everything right now...from cars... to eyelash growing meds... to toothpaste...and everything in between. She is everywhere! Will the woman say no to any product???
So I was out walking this week and noticed a tremendous amount of dried up dead worms on the sidewalks in our neighborhood. I mean, THOUSANDS! What is up with that? Do you think they're a bunch of suicidal worms or what? It's the strangest thing. Maybe all the families in our neighborhood tricked them. They all turned on their sprinklers long enough for the worms to come out of the grown seeking rain or water, and then everyone turned off the water. The worms were confused and ended up drying up. I don't know. How else can we explain all those worms?
Have any of you ever had a projectile pooper? My little girl is one. At least twice a day when I'm changing her diaper, she shoots poop across the room. It's awful and always surprises. What's a mom to do?
Each day, I get more and more sleepy and more and more affected by the nighttime feedings. Whoo! I'm sleepy!
Ok, folks. That's all I've got for this week. Like I said earlier, I don't get much sleep, so I'm doing good to be thinking at all. :) How about you? Any random thoughts to share??? Please do! They make my week!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Daddy's Girl
LOVE this shot! I can't stop staring at it. It totally makes my heart melt.
I got this from Grethel's photography blog. Who is Grethel? She is an amazing photographer in the Birmingham, AL area. If you are looking for a great photographer who is creative, affordable, patient, and super talented, you should give Grethel a call. She's got me hooked! She recently did a newborn session with my sweet Rhiannon and totally blew me away. LOVE her talent and all the amazing moments she captured. Here is one of my favorites:
If you want more information about Grethel or want to see more of her work, you can visit her website or blog. Even if you live too far away, you should visit anyway. She's awesome!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Thursday's Random Thoughts
Good day! I can't believe it, but it's already Thursday. The last week and a half has kind of been a whirlwind, but now I'm back and ready to share my crazy random thoughts. So, here goes:
Last week at church, since I was so big and pregnant, I did a lot of sitting on a bench outside the auditorium, waiting for Channing. While I was sitting there, I did a lot of people watching. One thing I noticed is that there are a lot of girls and women who wear really really tall pencil heels, yet have no idea how to walk in them. I saw several girls and women who could barely walk and looked like their feet were killing them. It was pretty funny. I mean, isn't the point of those type of shoes to look 'hot'? It's hard to look hot when you're about to fall down. Just sayin'...
Over the past couple of days, I've seen some commercials for RentaCenter. Guess who their big celebrity endorser is? Magic Johnson. I wonder how it feels to go from getting big bucks for endorsing products like Nike, Reebok, Wheaties, to going to RentaCenter. It's gotta sting a little, right?
My sweet Rhiannon has the most perfectly shaped head. My boys definitely sported their cones for a good week, at least. Not Rhiannon, she came into the world with a perfect head. Lesson? Have your baby super quick, and he/she will totally avoid cone head. Why didn't I know that years ago?
Everyone is wondering, but few have been brave enough to ask. I bet you're wondering too...what was the condition of the car after Rhiannon's birth? You may be surprised to read that it wasn't bad at all. Fortunately, my doctor was able to deliver the placenta at the hospital, so there was very little mess in the car. It WAS detailed before we went home. Hope you can rest knowing that now. :)
Since Rhiannon was born in the car, we've heard our fair share of jokes about it. A couple that have stood out: She was really red after she was born. A couple of people remarked that it was "rug burn". Nice, right? One of my mom's co-workers thought we should have named her "Flora" since she was born in the floorboard of the car. Everyone's a comedian...
A lot of people wonder if we'll get some kind of break on our hospital bill because our baby was born in the car. Yeah, I'm pretty sure we won't. They'll charge us just as they would have had she been born there. Bummer, right? One of the nurses remarked that the insurance company should pay me the delivery fee. That would be AWESOME! Wishful thinking...
A couple of days after the birth, I went Belk to get a shirt for pictures. I made some remark about my belly, and the Belk worker who was ringing me up told me, "Oh, don't worry. It will be gone in a couple of months." I said, "I hope so." A few minutes later, she asked me if I was having a boy or a girl. I told her, "Well, I actually had a baby girl two days ago." TOTAL SILENCE. The woman didn't say another word to me through the rest of the transaction. NOTHING. I don't know if she was embarrassed or what, but she didn't make another peep.
Ok, that's all I've got this week. My brain is kind of mush due to lack of sleep. How about you? Can you entertain my couple of readers? Sure you can. Share some of your random thoughts...pretty please??? :)
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
To My Sweet Rhiannon...Your Birth Story
I am writing this to Rhiannon because it will be transferred to her Blurb book. Here's THE story...
A little more than five years ago, I gave birth to your big brother, Tristan. Your daddy and I prepared throughout the whole pregnancy for a natural childbirth. We practiced relaxation, we exercised, we studied the benefits and risks of the different types of childbirth. Natural childbirth was something that was very important to us, and on March 23, 2004, Tristan was born without any medications. We were so proud that we were able to accomplish our goal and to give the gift of natural childbirth to your big brother. The process wasn't easy, and I was in labor for 40 long hours. We were even sent home from the hospital at one point (after going in when contractions were three minutes apart) because I wasn't progressing fast enough. Tristan~ 8 lb 10 oz, 20 1/2 inches long
Next came Asher. He didn't want to come out. Unlike your brother who was eight days early, at eight days past my due date, Asher was showing no signs of coming. My belly was huge, and Dr. Sharp feared that our baby would be a 10 pounder. Because of the size of my frame, he recommended an induction. Reluctantly, your daddy and I agreed, and on Thursday, April 19, 2007, I went into the hospital for my induction. I tried for hours to forgo the epidural, but after eight hours, the pain was too much to bear, and I gave in. Your brother was born less than an hour later. Asher~ 9 lb, 21 inches long
So, if you'll notice from the births of your brothers, my labors were very long. My babies were in no major hurry to leave the cozy spot of my belly. Naturally, I assumed you would be the same way. Boy was I wrong! Everyone was...your daddy and Dr. Sharp, anyway. Here is your story...
Beginning Saturday, June 6, I started having contractions and major low back pain. The contractions were kind of strong and regular that night, but by the next day, they became significantly reduced and only happened once every couple of hours or so. The low back pain stuck around, though. Monday and Tuesday of that week were the same way. Contractions here and there, some back pain, but nothing major. Tuesday, June 9, things changed. I had had a great day. I felt great, no low back pain, I had lots of energy...like I said, it was a great day. Then at the end of the day, I had something happen at work that really upset me. I left work really upset and crying, and the contractions started again, much stronger and more regular this time. I prayed that it wouldn't be time yet because your doctor (the doctor who delivered both your brothers) was out of town. Fortunately, my prayers worked, and several hours later, the contractions went back to being spread out.
Wednesday, June 10 was different. All day, I was experiencing lots of pressure. I found it hard to walk and started having more regular contractions. Though they were more regular, they weren't close enough together to start timing. That night, though, as I was putting your brothers to bed and reading them a story, the contractions got really strong. At one point, I had to stop reading, put the book down, and get on the side of the bed until the pain subsided. Your sweet brothers prayed for me, and once the contraction was over, I was able to finish the story and put the boys to bed (your daddy was on a conference call at this point).
Once the boys were in bed, and I sat around experiencing these contractions for an hour or two, I decided it would be best if I started timing the separation. So, at 9:58 p.m., I started charting my contractions. For the first two hours, they were pretty much like clockwork, almost always seven minutes apart. Every now and then, I would only have two or four minutes. Though they were seven minutes apart, they were extremely painful, much moreso than with Tristan.
At around 12:30 Thursday morning, they quickly moved up, the contractions started coming every four minutes, like clockwork. The pain had intensified and I was letting your daddy know it. I just was not prepared for this type of pain, and I was thinking about that epidural that erased all the pain with Asher (though natural childbirth was a gift I really wanted to give you and had planned on for nine months). I got in the tub to help alleviate the pain, and your daddy ran upstairs to check the Bradley website (the most successful method of natural childbirth and the method we used with your brother, Tristan. Unfortunately, we did not freshening up with your pregnancy and were extremely rusty) on when we should head to the hospital. We didn't want to leave too early and risk getting sent home like we did with Tristan.
While your daddy was gone, my contractions quickly jumped to two minutes apart, and sometimes one. I was in major pain, and it was all I could do to get out of the tub and crawl to the side of the bed and hold on. I was pretty vocal because of the massive pain, which was really different for me during childbirth. Your daddy came back downstairs, found me in more pain, and finally called Dr. Sharp. He told Dr. Sharp what was going on and asked him if we should head to the hospital. Dr. Sharp said, "Well, you can go ahead in and get checked, but you know it's probably going to be a while." Then, he heard me screaming in the background and asked daddy if that was me. Daddy told him it was, and Dr. Sharp said that was very unusual because I normally don't complain (let me correct him here...I normally don't scream, never have during childbirth. Normally, I just whine). He said for us to go on in, and he would let the nurses know we were coming. He went back to bed.
So at this point, I'm holding onto the side of the bed, screaming, and your daddy is finishing his packing and getting ready to call Mrs. Ashley to come stay with your brothers. He calls her and gets no answer. When we weren't able to get Mrs. Ashley, we started getting really worried. Our neighbors were out of town, and we couldn't get in touch with our plan A. All of a sudden, I felt the need to go to the bathroom. I ran in there, and my water broke. I knew we were in trouble! I was feeling so much pressure, on top of the pain I was already experiencing. My pain was unbearable and contractions were right on top of each other. I told Daddy to call Mr. Jon. He called him, and thankfully, Mr. Jon quickly came over. By the time Mr. Jon got there (which was really fast), I was able to get myself to the car and position myself in the floorboard (I was in too much pain to get in the seat, though your daddy did get the seat laid back for me).
Your daddy peeled out of the driveway (he had already called MiMi, and she was on her way from Atlanta to keep your brothers), and began speeding through the neighborhoods trying to get to the hospital as fast as possible. I began shouting at him that we weren't going to make it, that you were going to be born in the car. This stressed your poor patient daddy out, and he told me, "Stop saying that. Yes we are. You just need to calm down." I was in so much pain and was very loud during the whole trip. By the time we got to the interstate, I was overwhelmed with the feeling of the need to push. I told your daddy I had to push and couldn't help it. He told me not to and that I could help it. Unfortunately, he was wrong. I had to push. I just had to. My body had taken over, and there was nothing I could do. So whenever the contractions would start back, my body would push, though I tried as hard as I could not to (at first, anyway). Your daddy was driving like a madman. He was going 90 mph.
At some point during the drive, I had him call the hospital to prepare the nurses for our arrival. I knew there was no way I would be able to walk out of the car and to the delivery floor and was in desperate need of a wheelchair. I wanted to make sure they were there waiting for us when we pulled in.
Again, I told your daddy we weren't going to make it, and I got the same response from him. Then I felt it...your head. I remembered from our Bradley Childbirth classes with Tristan a little thing called (and if you're a man reading this, you may want to skip a paragraph or two...it's not pleasant) "the ring of fire". That's when the baby's head first crowns, and the mother feels a painful, burning sensation. I felt that and KNEW you were coming. I told your daddy what was going on and that I HAD TO push. He kept pleading with me to wait and drove even faster. It was too late, though. I told him I had to. The next contraction, I pushed and your head came halfway out. OK, let me stop here and say that I had a mild freak out, but it was nothing compared to your daddy. I think he was probably as pale as a ghost, though it was too dark to see his face.
Let me go off on a side note here. I had a friend who almost delivered her baby in the car two years ago. She barely made it to the hospital in time and ended up having her son in the emergency room. I had another friend who was scheduled for a c-section, but had progressed so quickly, she had a natural vaginal delivery...no time for an epidural. I spent a lot of time telling these girls how jealous I was of them and how I wished that would happen to me. I mean, I wanted and planned for a natural childbirth, these girls didn't, they wanted epidurals, yet my labors lasted FOREVER, and theirs flew by. My first friend would look at me like I was crazy and tell me that I DID NOT wish that. Yeah, can I tell you, those girls did not leave my mind during this whole situation. In the car, on the ride to the hospital, I even said out loud to God, "This is NOT what I want. I THOUGHT this is what I wanted, but this is NOT what I want!" Lesson: BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR...
So here I am, in the floorboard, on all fours, forearms on the edge of the seat, shorts on, and your head halfway out of my body. I immediately began tugging on my shorts and yelling for your daddy to help me get my shorts off because your head was coming out. It seemed like it took forever, but we got my shorts off, and your head popped out. I told your daddy he was going to have to pull over and pull the rest of your body out (he was really freaked out at this point. I mean, who plans on having a baby in the car?!). I'm not sure what he did because I was so lost in the moment, but I had a break between contractions, your tiny head was out, then all of a sudden, another contraction came, I pushed, and out you came.
You fell into the floorboard, but you didn't fall far. I was already in the floorboard. At this point, your daddy and I were both in shock, scared, and didn't really know what to do or to think. I was still backwards, could see and feel your body but was having a hard time picking you up because of my positioning. I asked your daddy, "What do I do?! Why isn't she making any noise?! Something must be wrong!!!" Ok, let me just say that I have seen on t.v. what to do if this type of thing were to happen (having your baby outside of hospital); however, when it actually happens to you, you just draw a blank. Your daddy told me to pick you up, and I was finally able to get myself turned around and pick you up. You were so beautiful and started crying once I picked you up.
We were still faced with what to do, though. We were about four minutes from the hospital, your cord was still attached, and I was lost as to how to handle it. I asked your daddy, and he didn't know. He just didn't want to pull the cord too much because he didn't know if it would hurt you. At first, I pinched your cord (seriously, I had NO IDEA what to do), then I just let go. I could see the hospital and knew you would be ok.
Your daddy was still driving like Jeff Treadway, and I asked him to slow down. You were here now, and I knew we could stand to drive a little slower.
As we wheeled into the hospital, we could see the nurses hanging out in front of the doors, chilling in the wheelchair. Your daddy hopped out and told them, "The baby's in the car." They said, "What?" He repeated it, "The baby's in the car." They immediately came running over. One of the nurses ran for a kit (I forget what the kit is called) and quickly came running back with sterilized scissors (and some other stuff) to cut your umbilical cord. During this, I'm sitting in the front seat, pants off, watching. They asked your daddy to take off one of his t-shirts (he has saved it for you) so they could wrap you in it. He did, and they wrapped you all up. They got me to the wheelchair and covered me up (thank goodness. Though it was 3:35 in the morning, and no one was around, I still didn't want to ride up the elevator with my privacy exposed).
They called Dr. Sharp to deliver the placenta, and when he got there, he was shocked. He apologized and said that it always takes me so long in labor. He told me he knew I didn't usually complain, and when he heard me yelling, he didn't think you were coming, he thought something was wrong, though. I'm guessing he thought you were breach. Your daddy admitted to me that he thought I was yelling and complaining so much because I just wanted to get an epidural. Boy was he wrong, and boy did he feel bad. He spent some time asking for my forgiveness in the hospital (you should have seen his face. Bless his heart, he was in total shock that entire day).
Once things slowed down, your daddy called Nana to tell her you were here. She didn't believe him. She thought 4:00 in the morning was a bad time for a joke. After some convincing, she finally believed him. As with everyone else, she was shocked.
The nurses were stunned, and we spent two days in the hospital recounting the story to every different nurse who came in and to lots of curious calling friends. I posted online that you were born in the car, and realized that many people didn't believe me and thought I was joking. It was all just very surreal, and it took a good couple of days for the shock to die down, for us and everyone else.
Because you were born in the car, and we didn't have any laboring or delivering to do in the hospital, we spent two whole days just hanging out. I must say, though, I have never felt better after a delivery. I was pretty tired because I got no sleep, but I felt fantastic. Dr. Sharp and our family all commented on how great I was doing. It was awesome!
After all was said and done, it was a pretty traumatic experience, one that I wouldn't want to relive any time soon, but all turned out well. God looked after the three of us, kept us safe, and gave us you...our beautiful, healthy baby girl. Given the choice of you having been born at home (unexpectedly) or in the car, I'm glad it happened the way it did. Had you been born at home, I feel certain an ambulance would have been in the picture at some point. The pediatrician also informed us that if your umbilical cord had been cut by unsterilized scissors, you would have had to have a tetanus shot. YUCK! God worked it all out for the best, like He always does. Rhiannon~ 8lb 4 oz, 20 inches long...our peanut
We have you and are so in love. I would go through it all again, if I had to. Your worth every bit of shock, pain,and re-telling. You are my baby girl, and I don't know how we ever survived without you. I thank God that He knows what's best and always had us in His sights:
"For I know the plans I have for you, " declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
This verse has never meant more to me. It covers so many areas of our lives right now. From the birth, and His protection and provision, to you being a girl. I was so nervous about having a girl and really had almost hoped for a boy. Am I thankful that God knows more than I?! I am SO IN LOVE with you and SO THANKFUL that I have a girl. How could I not have realized how wonderful it would be to be the mother of a little girl?! Thank you, God!
So, sweet Rhiannon, that's your story. It will probably be a story you will get tired of telling one day. However, just know that God has something very special for you. He has special plans for you, and I can't wait to see what they are. You made a special entrance, and I know your time spent here will be full of blessing and big things! I love you, my sweet baby girl!!! Your brothers and daddy do too.
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