Flashback Friday: Ashlynn.....

Randy and I were talking the other night about how there is nothing like the birth of your first child. The anticipation, the excitement, the wonder, the fear.

Ashlynn was due in June, the 27th to be exact, one day before our fifth wedding anniversary. That day came and went, still no baby (boy or girl, we didn't know). The doctor wanted to induce labor, I resisted. Randy and I had decided on the Bradley Method of childbirth and that wasn't part of the "plan". We were anxious though, and waiting was so difficult. That Sunday, we went forward for prayer at church. Not knowing our exact desires, they prayed for a natural and blessed birth for our baby-just as we had been.

Monday morning Mom, Linda(Randy's mom) and I decided to head to Lawrence (a college town close by that has some cute shops) for a distraction. We were home by 2:00 and my contractions decided to start at 3:30. I distinctly remember the first one; I was laying on the couch watching 'That Touch of Mink' (Doris Day) and I looked at my mom and said "It's a real one, I know it". We were so excited that it was finally starting, we tried to finish the movie but I couldn't concentrate at all. We went for a walk instead and let a few neighbors know that I was in labor so they could take care of our dog, Ember.

After trying to time the contractions on her watch, mom suggested we go get a stop watch. "That's what your dad always did for me, it really helped, I promise". Having birthed seven children, I decided to take her word for it. We piled into the car with our hospital bags, just in case, and headed to the sporting goods store for a stop watch.

Randy, figuring it would be his last meal for a while, decided he would hit Chipotle's and pick up a burrito (more on that in a second). Mom decided she wanted to get a coffee at Panera's next door. And me, yeah, I was still in labor. There was mom with that stop watch, ordering:
"Cafe mocha, please."
"Oh wow, that was a long one Elizabeth, a minute and a half."
"Just the small, no whip cream."
"Another one, boy, they're getting close, only two minutes between those ones."
"Do you have any other muffins."
"What, another one? Oh my, they are really getting close."
"No, that's to go please, thanks."
"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?"
Um, I'm having contractions two mintues apart that are lasting a minute and half and worried about my water breaking on Panera's tile floor, no thanks.

We hook back up with Randy and his burrito, which is no smaller than a Women's size ten shoe, and head to the hospital at mom's urging.

We were at 119th Street, the hospital was at 75th Street. Randy had that shoe size burrito finished before we even took the exit, can someone say "nerves"?

They checked us into the hospital at 7:00pm and we decided to walk the halls to speed my labor. For every contraction I asked Randy to rub my back. He "claims" he had to keep a light jog every time that happened as my pace quickened with the pain. He also "claims" we walked the halls so fast in those three hours that they had to replace the carpet when we were done (they had replaced it whith laminate flooring when we went back for Ryder's birth, hmmm).

By 10:00pm I was in a lot of pain and ended up in the hospital bed squeezing, ok, clawing at Randy's hand. He was a trooper the whole time. Reassuring me "honey, you can do it, your doing awesome". I pretty much phased everyone out that last hour and was just really happy to hear it was time to push. Mom had previously assured me that "it always feels better when you get to push, I promise". Oh really? Can't say that was the case for me, but eleven minutes and several pushes later we had a girl. Six pounds, ten ounces; comepletely and totally perfect. Well, ok, with the exception of a major case of conehead. For which mom promtly purchased a cute little hat to cover for the pictures. Also assuring me "it will go down, I promise". It did.

It turned out to be a truly amazing and blessed experience, albeit, not without pain. Randy was the most incredible coach I could have imagined and we were filled with such joy to have Ashlynn Faith in our arms at last.

The moral of this flashback: It's two-fold: 1) when your mom says "I promise" it might not always be the case. 2) Childbirth is painful, I don't blame anyone for taking an epidural (not that natural wasn't great for us, but it might have saved the hospital flooring and a hand, or two-Randy "claims").