And baby makes 4.

Our sweetie Jonah is already 2.5 weeks so I better get this story down before he turns 3! Time sure does fly around here. Our precious babe joined our family on February 1, 2012 weighing 7 lbs. 9 0z and here is the story...

I was very anxious to meet this baby. With Ro I think I was a little more zen leading up to his birth, but this time around I knew what to expect and I just wanted to get him here so we could get our lives underway. So, at 38 weeks and 3 days I asked my midwife if she would strip my membranes (don't google...it aint pretty) and she said she would. I loved my midwives! They really did anything I requested of them! She also said she had a 99% success rate, but that was when she did it at 39 weeks. She didn't guarantee anything would happen, but I was willing to do anything!

We went home and I ate my 5th Cafe Rio pork salad of the week :p, this time with extra spicy salsa and at 2 am that night I woke up having contractions. YIPPPPEEEEEE!! This is EXACTLY what happened with Ro! I started contractions at 2 am and he was born at 11am. Great, I thought!! We'll have a baby by morning...well these wimpy contractions kept going and going and going and never got any stronger. I was uncomfortable, but not in pain for a looonnnnnnngggg time. Finally at 12 pm the next day I called the midwives and asked what I should do. She said that if I was still having contractions by late afternoon I should come in. SO that is what we did! It was really weird heading to the hospital knowing I was not in active labor but wanting to be able to stay and have a baby! Maybe they could break my water...pitocin....no, I wan't willing to go there...yet!

I got set up in the triage room and was still a 3...BOOO! I almost cried but held it together. This experience was just so different from my first and I didn't quite know what to make of it. The nurse said the midwife was coming to deliver someone else and I could stay until she got there. I asked if I could walk around for 15 minutes and they reluctantly said yes. So we walked, fast! I had 2 good contractions during that time where I almost had to stop walking! That hadn't happened with all my other miles of walking. 15 minutes later I was a 4! WOW! The nurse was surprised, and so were we as I was ready to pack up and head home just 15 minutes prior.

Now the word was we could stay and hour. You better believe I got my booty up and we started walking again. Walk walk walk walk. I think we did 500 laps around the itty bitty maternity wing. It was kinda fun though. We stopped and chatted with nurses and families ready to have babies of their own. I have to say that even when I was hunched over breathing through a contraction, people still chatted me up! "So you are walking your baby out right!" "My daughter's going in for a c-section right now!" "What are you having!?" "Oh my gosh you have definitely dropped. " Not a good idea people! It's a good thing I'm a non-confrontational person even when in the midst of a crazy contraction...

During the next 45 minutes I had a ton of good contractions. They were coming consistently every minute. Danny stayed by my side and we walked. stopped. swayed. And then kept going. After 45 minutes or less I decided it was time to stop. At this point I had reached a 6. Things started to get crazy. Not sure how it's possible to dilate so quickly, but I did! The midwife came in and I was relieved to see her. I was still in my street clothes, we had not officially been admitted, we had not even brought the bags/camera in and I was about to have a baby! I pleaded with her to let me go to the bathroom (sorry tmi), but she wouldn't let me...she said I would have my baby in the toilet. Ummmm ok, no thanks! Turns out I didn't need to go to the bathroom anyway it was just a large child pushing his way through my body! ha! I also got really nauseous and knew I was going to toss my cookies so I let everyone know, "I just want to say, I'm going to throw up, and my water is going to break. Just warning you!". And that is exactly what happened. (I was still calm and collected at this point :p).

In between contractions, they were trying to decide if I should just deliver right there in the triage room or if there was time to move me. I also NEEDED Danny to go the camera. I told Danny he had 3 minutes to go get the camera (again, thankful for a small hospital) and if he was not back in 3, I'd kill him. :p I wish I could have seen Danny running through the hospital with nurses chasing after him, "HURRY, she is going to have the baby!"

Turns out we had a little more time than expected. Dan was back in 1 minute, a new Olympic record, and they began to wheel me to a real room. Now people. If you see a woman CLEARLY about to have a baby, being wheeled through the hospital Father of the Bride II style, it is REALLY not a good time to chat her up! "Oh you are going to have your baby!" "That was fast!" "Oh, my daughter is having her c-section right now!". I DON'T CARE! I have a baby coming out of me right here in this wheelchair! I don't care to talk to you!!! :p AY!!!

We got to the room and my sweet triage nurse was still right there with me. There was no time to get a nurse that was on the floor. I was an 8 and felt like there was a truck driving it's way through me...this was the part that got a little scary for me. I could handle the contractions, but the pushing freaked me out. I was a tad concerned with being ripped open from head to toe (sorry a little dramatic, but this is what you think about at a time like this!) Finally the midwife let me push. Poor, sweet Danny. I think I gave him a heart attack. I'm generally not a loud person, in fact I really don't like to draw attention to myself, but in this case I was screaming like a banshee, and didn't care who heard. Maybe all those people in the hall would have stopped talking to me if I had started this screaming earlier!

Less than 30 minutes later out little Jonah Ross Lamoreaux made his debut to the world. They but him on my tummy and I was so surprised. He was tiny (1 lb less than brother)...and a brunette! Not what I expected at all! Maybe it was part shock, but if I hadn't just experienced giving birth to this child I would have thought they gave me the wrong one! None the less I was in love and after a closer look, we found his cowlick and recognized him even more. :) He was and is truly precious and sweet; a little joy that filled our hearts with even more love, if that is even possible. Our little brown haired cutie made our lives complete for the time being. He is where he is supposed to be, and I am SO grateful to have him.

There is something truly magical about giving birth to a baby. One of my favorite bloggers poetically described that its as if a mother almost has to die a little bit in order to bring the new life into the world. And it's true. The veil to the eternities is so thin, it almost seems as if mother and child meet half way and make the journey back to Earth together. I am thankful to be trusted with this sweet spirit who will teach me so much about my own existence. I only hope I can be just as helpful to him...I love you Jonah.

Fresh from the oven! Mommy in shock...literally!!

The people I love most in the world!! (Good thing I used a lot of hairspray that morning!)

Does it get any better?? So kissable.

In love.

Ok it does get better! My little zen baby.

xo