Still Same Ol' G, but With a Baby

The past 5 days have been quite an experience for me. I've gone from a blown-up tummy that looked like it  was about to pop, to a deflation process resembling a... well, I don't know what a shrinking tummy looks like but it isn't pleasant. Luckily it has sucked itself back in rather quickly an I have a belly button again!

Wow. I never knew I could be so attached to something so little. I can't believe I've only been at this for 5 days - it feels so natural. I think it kinda weirded Jared and I out a bit at first, but now he's asleep on the couch after burping her and I'm here typing and all seems the norm.

I'm not one to share the intimate details of my birthing experience, but let me say the first 16 hours were rather smooth - the last hour not so much. We checked in to the hospital Wednesday night at 7pm. I was going to receive some drug that was supposed to "ripen" [such a distasteful way of saying soften] my cervix before starting the pitocin. Yes, my due date was Monday and she was only 2 days overdue, but we both kinda wanted her before the weekend so we checked in Wed night. So when I got there, unbenounced to me, I was actually contracting every 2 minutes so they started me on pitocin that night. Contractions weren't unbearable until about 5am, when I asked for the epidural. What an experience! Seriously, I wish I could get an epidural everyday, I would be an ADDICT! I told Jared it felt like everything was floating, even the roof of my mouth! Ah, so all was blissful until 11:30am on Thursday. I started feeling contractions again, so I increased my pitocin. 5 min later I could still feel them, so I upped it again. Still could feel them. Then I felt this pressure and I told Jared I felt the urge to push, but the doc didn't predict I would go into labor until that evening, so I felt I was acting prematurely on this feeling. So we call the nurse in and sure enough I'm full dilated and ready to go. Jared was not planning on being a part of the labor, but he got the lovely job of holding my right leg during the whole process! What a trooper. At 1:45pm on Thursday Evelyn was born. She's beautiful! Not a flaw. I've been addicted to her cheeks since day one. She is such a great baby, although the first night she fooled Jared and I and kept us up with her vocal cord testing. Wow! But now we get along great and we are one happy family!

Weird to think that a week ago she wasn't here and that I was just me. But now I'm me + a baby.