I’ve been contemplating this for weeks…to change “Thursday Afternoon Coffee” to “Friday Frenzy”…I just haven’t had the time to meet my Thursday post deadline when Wednesday’s is Bible Club for the kiddos and home school day is Thursday. Does it really matter? I’m sorry for some of my followers who’ve been following each Thursday and have been faithful to follow the crazy, sporadic life of our family.

This past week has seem like two weeks of waiting for us and the arrival of our newest family member. My emotions have been so drained and felt like I was holding everyone back with their own little schedules for the past week. Silly isn’t it? It’s not like it was up to me to bring on labor for this little person to come out. Well let’s just say I tried…walking each day, playing Wii sports games, drinking “Raspberry Leaf Tea” (supposedly would bring on stronger contractions)(ha ha, as Walle said, “The magic tea didn’t work Papa.”) Each day prior to November 6 was super long…staying up late at night is it time yet, waking up at night thinking is it time yet, and just trying to keep everyone busy busy especially the kiddos.

Sunday morning then arrived. Stronger contractions were rolling in. It seemed like 5-6 minutes apart. So we had breakfast, got ready, packed our bags and headed out the house at 11am. We arrived and checked in around noon. Hooked up to the monitors and being monitored. Still at 4cm…I was thinking really with all that labor still at 4cm? Ok…Shay, his mom, and my mom sit and wait as I lie on the bed. Contractions again are sporadic. Some very strong and some aren’t. Labor nurse ask, “Are you feeling those.” I said, “I feel the big ones!”

As I lie there waiting…a big contraction comes along. The longest I’ve felt. It seriously lasted five minutes and all the sudden in the middle of it, a rush of nurses come flying in the room. They tell them me to sit up and turn to my side. They mention your baby didn’t like that very much. Baby’s heart rate dropped significantly. When they mentioned that, fear came over me. I held back my tears thinking of what could happen to this little baby. So it’s kind of lost in my mind whether it occurred more than two times.

Shay sat next to me…holding my hand and we talked what would happen if the deceleration of baby’s heart happens again. So we finally asked the nurse monitoring me. I was scared to hear what she had to say. She then prepared us and proceeded to say that it’s better that she shares with us so we can be prepared incase baby’s heart rate doesn’t return to normal. C-section was a high possibility and to be prepared that it could happen pretty fast.

In my mind, I didn’t care if I had a c-section, all I cared about was this baby to be okay. Again, scared and holding back my tears. I started to pray. What else could I do? It was totally out of my hands.

The doctor came to talk to us and repeated the fact that our baby didn’t like that long contraction. They called it a Giant Contraction. She said, that I was far along that augmenting labor is fine. So Pitocin would be administered to get my contractions to be more consistent. They couldn’t give it right away, because they still had to place an order for it and to keep baby monitored as long as another big contraction happened.

After a few hours…baby’s heart rate was fine. They finally started Pitocin around 6pm. They increased the dosage each hour. Yes, many on Facebook and friends texting were laughing and baffled that I was able to watch the awful Charger game and yet still laboring. Hey, a girl can’t just sit there and not do anything. It would have been the longest day ever!

So 9pm hits…labor pains stronger. By this time they have increased my Pitocin to number 5 milliliters per hour. I was still able to talk through my strong contractions. My labor nurse (Thai lady named Sara) was awesome. She told me that I would not have this baby till after midnight. I said, I doubt it…knowing that Walle came really fast. So Sara said to me, “If you have this baby before midnight, I will give you my lunch I brought.” I was like, ‘”YES! Tom Yum Chicken soup and rice before midnight!”

By 10:00pm, we were still watching tv. My mom and Shay are the one’s who stayed with me in the hospital. I was still able to hold a conversation here and there but contractions are getting even stronger and more consistent. Oh yeah, I opted out not to get an epidural again. Yeah, I know crazy right?!?!?! As we were talking, I heard a pop. I then said, I think my water broke. It was about 10:45pm.

Sara, checked me. And sure enough my water did break. She said, “Really, this baby is coming before midnight.”  It seemed like from that point on everything was happening so fast. I was excited to meet my baby…baby boy or baby girl…but we were going to meet soon enough. But the thought of another contraction coming was something I dreaded. YES, it HURT!!!!! I’m not going to down play that. But I knew there was relief at the end and that I knew that God made my body to be able to do this.

I still remember looking at the clock at 11:35pm as I began to start pushing and wondered how long it was going to take. At 11:42pm, our little boy Oliver Ezekias was born. A healthy 8 lbs. and 6 oz. and 20 inches long. Yeah, they told me he was under 7 lbs. They were wrong!!! He was beautiful and perfect. He cried right after he came out.

It was really a crazy week for us…and I smile each day I see Oliver with Chloe and Walle…these three blessings that God has given Shay and I. I’ve never imagined that life could be so grand…that I would be blessed in this way…it has it’s ups and downs…and sometimes the waiting is hard, the ups and downs are painful…but God is always with us…even in the uncertainty of it all. My cup is full….