Having a baby

1:00am: I am plugging in the last few components of my new, amazing desktop computer. I got my annual bonus from the reserves and a very nice tax return, so Heidi gave me permission to get a new computer. My BFF Brandon helps me plan and order the parts that I need. Intel i5, 2 600+GB Hard drives, 8GB of DDR3 memory, a sweet graphics card he promises will allow me to run Starcraft 2 without lag along with having all my other doodads open in the background, and dual 23" LCD monitors. Smokin'. Starcraft is awesome. Currently playing in the Beta.

2:00am: I have everything plugged in, and am trying to get Windows to load. The first attempt fails. I only had 2 SATA cables and needed 3, so one HD is currently not connected.

3:00am: Windows 7 is loaded and looks very pretty. Heidi and I are anxious for the morrow so sleep has not come easily to either of us. I decide that even though I really want to load my software and test things out, I need a few winks to get through tomorrow.

6:00am: Heidi prods me awake to call the hospital. They wanted us to call early so they could find a place for us. The lady on the phone says to come in at 7:15 and they will have a room for her. "7:15?!?" I asked, incredulously. She said "or 7:30 is fine." I sigh and roll over. Heidi gets mad at me for being grumpy at 6am, then gets up to shower. I go right back to sleep.

6:something: Heidi asks if I want to eat breakfast with her. Due to the late night, I decline and decide to grab some of the leftover pizza out of the fridge when we leave.

6:50am: I am awakened again and told that we need to go. I am still struggling to keep my eyes open as I roll out of bed and make some tired comment about just wanting to sleep. Heidi again calls me Grumpy. I tell her I am not Grumpy, I am Sleepy. She needs to get her dwarfs straight.

7:10am: We are on our way to the hospital. I didn't nuke my pizza very well, so there are 2 cold spots on the semi-warm slice. But it was worth the extra sleep.

7:30am: We pull into the parking lot and find a spot right next to the elevator. The hospital is pretty empty in the morning. They take us into the room and I lay down on the couch. About 5 minutes later I am out.

9:00am: I wake up refreshed. Power naps are definitely awesome. Heidi has her antibiotics going, so her doctor says she is going to break her water but not give her any Patosin (sp?). I remind her that with our first child, all it took was breaking the water and she went really quickly. The Doc decides not to break it yet but wait for the first antibiotic dose to be gone.

11:00am: We spent the last 2 hours enduring ever increasing contractions. The Doc broke her water around 10, and just like last time, the contractions started almost immediately. Heidi just had an epidural put in, so she is starting to feel better. We are waiting for it to fully take effect.

11:40am: The epidural seems to be working well. The contractions are not hurting anymore and seem quite short since she only feels the peak of them. She looks tired, but she is excited to be doing this I think. I know I am.

12:15pm: The Doc was just in here because Heidi was still having painful contractions. About 10 minutes ago we pushed the button for some extra anesthetic, but that didn't seem to be making a difference. The Doc decided to put in the catheter and see if that would help. At the same time they called the anesthesiologist to come and attend to her. Once the catheter was in however, the medicine began to take effect immediately. She was glad she didn't get an additional dose. The doctor says she is a 6 and fully effaced. She thinks this is going to happen in the next hour or so.

12:30pm: We were just discussing names again. We haven't settled just yet. I like Joseph Floyd. Heidi doesn't like Floyd, so if she agrees to Joseph, she would prefer Joseph Kimball. She wants to name him Joshua. I asked if she would be ok with Joshua Floyd. She was unsure.

12:45pm: The Doc just said she is at a 7 and soft and buttery. This could happen anytime. Heidi is high flying. She wonders if we shouldn't have pushed the button, because now she can't feel anything at all.

12:55pm: Heidi is really hungry, but she can't eat anything. So the nurse offered crushed ice with flavoring. Heidi got the cherry. I always hate the calm before the storm. When you know that anytime there will be a flurry of activity while this whole birthing thing goes down. For now, we chat, and wait. I am hungry too. Heidi tells me to run downstairs and grab something real quick. I am not going to leave now. I am sure as soon as I walk out she is going to start delivering.

1:10pm: Here we go. The Doc just said we are getting ready for delivery.

1:20pm: A few pushes later, she is at a 9.5 and the doc thought the baby would push passed the remainder of the cervix. But, no such luck. They decide to wait a couple contractions for that to clear some more and then we will try again.

1:30pm: Heidi is feeling pressure. She thinks he is ready to come out now. We called the nurse in quickly and she called the doc. So here we go again!

1:43pm: We have a new baby boy! He is loud, and small, though bigger than Alli was. He is just cuddling with his mommy right now, and then they are going to do the measuring and weighing and stuff. 7 lbs. 2 oz. and 20 inches long.


2:40pm: As it turns out, the birthing process is not the easiest thing in the world. Heidi is exhausted, and our boy is trying to learn to eat. It's funny to me because I hear from co-workers and others about marathon labor, and I feel drained from the 3.5 hours Heidi was in labor today. Drained and content. At the risk of being overly cheesy, I still marvel at how much we can love these little babies. For 9 months they are mostly an inconvenience, and sometimes a real pain. But in 1 day, a few hours really, that all changes. The pain of an hour ago is wiped clear and replaced with love and joy.

9:10pm: The day is winding down. This will likely be the last entry for today. Families have visited and gone; Joseph Kimball is named, fed and sleeping; Heidi and I both had dinner, and now we too are getting ready to sleep. I am going to go home since the couch they have only has a fold out pad that goes on the floor. I took a brief nap on it before our families showed up, and decided the drive home and back would be worth the extra comfort of my own bed. Heidi was kind enough to agree to allow me to go since she watched me toss and turn during my nap.