9 years ago this evening is when it all started.. My parents called wanting to have a game night (I had been to the Dr. earlier that day and was to be started the following Monday.. The Dr. was going out of town for the weekend and assured me that I wasn't ready). So in an effort to hurry and clean up I vacuumed the living room while waiting for them to come down. I felt pretty crampy while vacuuming but there was work to be done so I didn't think anything of it.
As my parents, Kelly & I were playing games I was hurting worse.. every few minutes. I had never really started labor on my own so I had no clue how it felt. I was the score keeper. As I kept score, at the bottom of the score card I was also keeping track of how far apart what I thought might be contractions were too not saying a word to anyone else. Everyone was laughing and having a good time (except for me every 4-5 minutes). I kept saying "don't make me laugh, don't make me laugh."
After a while of giggling and having fun my mom realized that I was keeping track of more than the score and that I couldn't laugh & giggle along with them every few minutes. She leaned over and looked at the score card and said "are you having contractions?" "Yes" I replied. So she started keeping track of them herself. Every 3-4 minutes at that time. She looked at me and said "Stacy, you're in labor." At that point I was a little nervous.. I didn't have a thing packed. After all... I had until Monday to worry about it. By this time I couldn't even walk. Kelly & my Mom were rushing around the house throwing things in bags and my Dad had run home to grab a suitcase. I just stood in the hall and held onto the wall. We were frantically trying to get a hold of Kelly's parents who were on call to watch the other kids but they weren't answering.
The other kids were already in bed so my Dad agreed to stay the night at our house. We piled into the bronco to head to the hospital.. it was just like in the movies.. I could of sworn that Kelly was hitting every bump in the road and pot hole on purpose..I was hollering at him for TRYING to make me uncomfortable and my Mom was defending him trying to tell me that there were no potholes that he was swerving to hit. I could of hurt them both at that point.
As we got to the hospital I couldn't even get down out of the truck.. I felt that if I even tried everything would fall out & hit the ground. We get up to the room and was surprised to learn that I was dilated to an 8. Good.. that meant that I could have my epidural!! From then on is sort of a blur.. the stinkin picture of the dove on the wall was making me mad, the nurse (poor lady.. had a wandering eye so seriously everytime she looked at me I was getting even madder.. at her eyes) I really wanted to just beat her up and tell her that I didn't even know where she was looking... "duh, I'm over here", I was claustrophobic and wanted to tear out all the tubes and just the fact that Kelly (the one who hit all the bumps and potholes on the way to the hospital) was standing close to me made me even madder too. Also.. the anesthesiologist was taking forever! My Mom tells me I started speaking in tongues that night.. some of the things that came out of my mouth surprised us all.. I was mean to the nurse, I was mean to my Mom and I was mean to Kelly. I spoke like a sailor. About an hour later he was here... it was all worth it and all better.. I fell instantly in love!
Happy 9th Birthday Chet.. I love you!
