Let's play catch (up)

June 1, 2012 - the day I became a mommy.

So, my due date was May 22nd. I thought for sure my son would be born in May. My actual hope was for him to be born on May 17th. Why that date? A year ago in February I lost my mother to cancer. She had an 8 year battle filled with ups and downs. I used to go and sit with her during the chemo treatments. She was always optimistic and was the STRONGEST woman I have ever known. Her birthday was May 17th. I tried everything to get that baby out on the 17th - walking, spicy food (which I am not a fan of), squats and my sister even made me the famous labor-inducing eggplant parmesan that Scalini's in Atlanta is known for. I ate pineapple, drank lots of water, did yoga stretches and even got my husband involved in helping to get the labor started(if you know what I mean). None the less, baby boy was not coming out. In a way I am happy he decided not to come on the 17th, yes it would have been really special, but in a way it keeps that date special to me the way it should be- as my mom's birthday.

Our baby boy was just too comfy in my belly. I actually had to be induced because I was 10 days late and making no progress. Now onto the ever famous birth story of little Nolan James- On Thursday, May 31st we were off to the hospital to be induced, but the real action happened on Friday, June 1st. It was an early start that morning and contractions were under way and super painful. Lets just say by early afternoon I had already decided it was time for the epidural. My little one was not responding to the pitocin well at all. His heart rate kept dropping whenever they would speed up the IV. During the epidural we had a scare and almost had an emergency c-section, but Nolan's heart rate came back up on his own.

Both my sister and my best friend stopped by to see how I was doing and were anxiously awaiting Nolan's arrival. We had a nurse who continuously tried to kick them out of the room so that I could "get my rest". I am laying in a bed hooked up to IV's, contraction and heartbeat monitors and wearing an oxygen mask. Do you really think them being in the room is keeping me from resting? So let's jump ahead to the evening when my sister- Alaina and my BFF- Aun were officially kicked out of the room because we were under a tornado warning. That's right, blinds were closed and the couch and bed I was lying in were moved away from the window. Alaina and Aun got a great tour of the hospital. I was still laying in the bed complaining to my hubby that this baby was never going to come out. It turns out I was making no progress and the doctor came in to discuss the option of a c-section.

My husband and I went into this with an open mind and wanted whatever was best for our little boy. Since the pitocin wasn't working it seemed that a c-section was what needed to be done. Awhile Ryan (my hubby) and I are letting this sink in I caught a fever. Finally, the doctor came back into the room around 10PM to check my progress a final time. No progress, a c-section was what had to be done. Nolan James was born at 11:23 PM and was 8 lbs 1 oz and 22 inches long! Although it was probably the longest day of our lives, I will never forget hearing Nolan's first cry as I looked into my husbands eyes. At that moment we officially became parents. What an amazing feeling!

So, Nolan was finally here and we are all so happy. Visitors started arriving first thing the next morning. I couldn't stop smiling as we showed off our baby boy. Then there was a knock on our door and 2 doctors entered from the NICU. Our guests were escorted out of our room so that they could talk to Ryan and I. All I remember hearing was because of MY fever there was an infection in my fluid and Nolan had to go to the NICU. Tears, tears and more tears later my husband finally was able to tell me that he was going to the NICU for antibiotics and that everything was precautionary. My brain was not comprehending the precaution part and I was a wreck. 48 hours later all test results came back negative. Nolan was perfectly healthy. :)

Here we are 1 day shy of our little guy being 6 weeks old and ready to share with you all our fun experiences. Enjoy ;)