Lots to update --- starts with Labor and ends in Baby

Alright. Believe it or not this is the first chance I have had to update the old blog. So there is much to discuss.

First September. My last day at work was the 15Th. Very bittersweet leaving. By the time I was done there were only a couple of us in the office and it was very quiet. I was so ready to be home and nesting and waiting on my little lady. I was convinced she would be early so I figured I had 3 weeks to go, plenty of time. My munchkin had other ideas and decided to test Mummy's patience early on.

So I spent 5 weeks at home waiting and waiting. I got so big at the end there that all I wanted to do was lay around and nothing I did would allow me to be comfortable. I swear your body makes you wake up every hour at the end there so when the baby arrives and wakes you in the middle of the night you are more than ready.

It became apparent that Riley wasn't going to grace us on her own so my induction was scheduled for October 13Th, 6 days after her due date... I wasn't very happy with that. I didn't want a 13Th baby, although Mike was excited and already planning her Friday the 13Th themed birthday parties... oh well, neither of us needed to worry as she didn't want to be born that day.

We got to the hospital at 5 a.m. (I know, damn masochists, I guess they too want to prepare you for the early morning wake up calls of the next few months), apprehensive, excited and ready to get the show on the road. They hooked me up to the pitocin to get the contractions rolling and then we waited... and waited and waited.

Disclaimer... graphic stuff being described so stop reading if you don't want to know all about my ins and outs, literally...By 5 pm still no progress so they stripped away some old scar tissue and things really got moving. I progressed pretty quickly and then nothing...

Unfortunately they told me they would break my water asap and so I got the epidural as the contractions were getting stronger. They didn't break my water until the next morning so I almost felt like getting the epidural that early wasn't necessary, although upon reflection it probably allowed me to sleep that night, and conserve energy for the next day.

By 8 am they broke my water, by 10 am I was at 10 cm and pushing. I was so excited to finally be having Riley... but 3 HOURS LATER my excitement turned to pure exhaustion and when I really didn't think I could push for another second, she emerged. Now, here's where my honesty must take over my want to present this as a glamorous, beautiful experience haha.

So, I have heard wonderful things about the epidural... NOT TRUE for me. I felt everything at the end, and it was not fun. I do get why people say you forget all about it quickly though. I can't say I have forgotten that it hurt REALLY BADLY, however, I cannot remember the exact intensity of it, although I know it was intense. At one point the anaeSNOOZEiologist (yes I have a patent pending on that word haha) upped the drugs, thank you very much, umm, but didn't actually screw the wire back in so it didn't get to me... that was right near the end. Good times.

All in all I was in the hospital Tuesday 5 am to Friday 3pm. In labor for 32 hours. Went through 4 hurse shift changes and ended up with the nurse who checked us in and said ``wow, you're still here... at least I get to meet your little one."

Anne Arundel was amazing. All the staff were incredible. All were patient, kind, understanding and extremely informative. Mike was with us the whole time and was a real trooper. Poor guy did not expect to see his wife like that and both him and my mom insisted they were not going to look ``down there'' at all during delivery. They sure did look down there and I couldn't have cared less. At that time I could have had a tour group come by and I wouldn't have cared.

So 32 hours, one baby later and we got to come home...