Princess's Story

This is Princess's story.

Seven years ago today, my sweet baby girl was born. We were both over-joyed when we found out we were having a girl as we knew she'd be our last child after having two boys. I hated the color pink, but couldn't wait to dress her in tiny little dresses and frilly headbands (wouldn't you know, her favorite color ended up being pink). I looked forward to having a "buddy" in the house. Someone to pass my love of gardening and Anne of Green Gables and cooking onto. Our house had been snips and snails and puppy dog tails for almost four years. The day Princess was born, she added a softness to our home that hadn't been there before. I had never been a "girly-girl", but somehow, even being pregnant with Princess had softened me a little, too.
Each of my boys had made their entrance in completely unique way, and Princess did, too.
I woke up on the morning of September 24th and felt a little "off". I chalked it up to being nine months pregnant, as big as a house and being the very tired mommy of two insanely busy little boys. I attempted to eat breakfast, but it didn't want to stay put. I made some chamomile tea instead but that didn't stay put, either. A warning bell went off in the back of my mind, but I shook it off and went about my day- I had a lot to do. I baby-sat for my neighbor's girls while she was at work and when she dropped the girls off, she looked at me funny and said, "remember, if you need me to watch the boys when you have the baby, it doesn't matter what time of day or night, just bring them over". I politely thanked her, but knew I'd never have the nerve to pound on her door in the middle of the night and hand her the boys. We went about our day and lunch didn't agree with me, either. By mid-afternoon, I started feeling very anxious. I know I knew what was going on, but I didn't want to acknowledge it because I felt like I had too much to do, still, so, I denied it instead. Because that always holds off the inevitable :::roll eyes::: . I made dinner, got the boys fed and as evening approached, I got a horrible nagging back-ache. At this point, there was no mistaking that I was in labor and had been all day. Still, I couldn't quite admit it. I knew I should call my mom and sister to make the hour and a half drive to be with the boys, but I didn't want to bother them if it was a false alarm and continued to put it off. Eventually, I began having some pretty strong contractions. I continued to flit around nervously doing pointless busy-work. Eventually, about eleven that night, I could no longer deny reality. My contractions were so bad I couldn't stand up straight or talk through them. I finally called my mom and sister and decided to take a shower before going to the hospital. Hard to do doubled over and gritting your teeth in pain. Eventually, Josh got nervous and I called my doctor. He told me to head on over and we woke the boys up and drove the two and a half blocks to the hospital to wait there for my mom and sister to come get the boys. I remember the car-ride vividly. I wasn't very nice when my husband hit the pot holes in the street. I may have hit him. We walked into admission and the elderly volunteer looked up, saw me bent over at the waist and hopped up to get me a wheelchair. I insisted I could make it on my own two feet, but just then, another contraction hit and the wheelchair suddenly looked wonderful. He wheeled me up while Josh dealt with the boys. Eventually, we were all settled in, me on the bed and Josh and our two very sleepy, very bewildered boys in a hospital recliner. About twelve-thirty in the morning, I looked over and felt horrible for dragging the boys out of their nice, warm beds and bringing them to the hospital, so I told Josh to take them on home to wait for my mom and sister there. I kissed my babies good-bye and lay back to stare at the clock. About that time, things really kicked into high gear. I'd had epidurals with both my boys (HORRIBLE, AWFUL experiences) and decided I didn't want to do it again, so it got a little intense at one point. It's not that the pain was unbearable, but I think it was more just the intensity of everything, a way of coping. It was probably transition. Anyway, at one point, I screamed. The doctor chastised me and told me to keep it down because I'd scare the other mothers laboring in other rooms. I looked right at him and screamed again. I have no idea where it came from, because that is not me at ALL, but he left me alone after that and I was okay after that. About twenty minutes after Josh had left, and about four pushes later, Caroline Elizabeth Anne made her entrance into the world on September 25th, 2004 at one in the morning. The nurse handed me the phone and asked if I'd like to call my husband. He answered and I said, "Hey, would you like to come meet your daughter?" He said, "you're kidding". People ask me if I was upset that Josh wasn't there for the birth, and the answer is an emphatic NO because I'd have hated for him to have seen me behaving like that!! My mom and sister got there shortly after and he came to meet his daughter. As I was holding her, she did the strangest thing. She reached up with both little fists and rubbed her eyes, like she had total control and meant to do it. To this day, I'm convinced she did. :). I felt so great after her delivery that I wanted to hop down, take my daughter and head home. That was a first. If I could do it all over again, I'd have had all my babies naturally. The difference is like night and day. Of course, they weren't too keen on the idea, so we had to stay put the requisite two days, but the day I came home, I felt great.
Princess has been a ray of sunshine in our house since day one. It doesn't make sense, but looking down into her face, I had the overwhelming sense that I'd just given birth to my own best friend. I still feel that way. She was such a happy, sweet baby and she still is now as a big seven-year old girl. We're so blessed to have her in our family. Happy 7th Birthday, Baby Girl!!