Cute pictures Ash - it looks like you're all having a great time!
Ok, I finally found Alex's birth story. You didn't think I actually remembered it did you?!?
Birth Story: After my 40 wk appt on 2/14/07 (original edd of 2/12/07), with yet another verdict of no dilation or effacement, we scheduled an induction for 2/21/07 and a u/s and nst for 2/16/07 to get some measurements and information on the baby before the induction. Since that was also Valentine's Day, DH and I celebrated as usual that night (although a little more difficult than usual). Then about 3 am, I woke up lying on my back in bed and was debating whether or not I needed to use the bathroom, when I suddenly felt a small gush of liquid. I got up and went to the bathroom, but didn't really feel any more leaking, so I decided to go lie back down. As soon as I did, I felt another gush, so I got up to clean again, and thought it might be my water breaking since that was how it was described in my childbirth class. I turned on the bedroom light and woke up DH and told him I thought my water might have broken. He said, "Ok, let's go," and jumped right up and got dressed. Since the leaking stopped whenever I was standing or sitting, I didn't feel too rushed and took my time making sure I had everything I wanted to bring to the hospital.
We started driving to the hospital about 20 minutes later, and DH asked if he could stop for gas and coffee. I wasn't having contractions, and didn't feel too bad, so I agreed. We arrived at the hospital around 3:30 am, and went to the L&D entrance, and DH let me out and brought all of the stuff in and put it on a bench and went to go park the car. As I was standing there waiting for DH, I realized that I was not inside the hospital entrance, but between entrances to the medical offices attached to the hospital. There was no connection to the hospital from there, so I picked up all of my stuff, and went back outside in the 30 degrees below zero weather, with the windchill, and started walking towards the L&D entrance (only about 50 ft away). I met DH on the way and he took all of the bags. When we got to the door, it was locked because of the late hour. Luckily, a young man in scrubs was walking by and opened the door for us. He got a wheelchair for me, and brought us over to the ER entrance on the other side of the hospital.
We arrived in the ER and the young girl behind the desk started freaking out when she saw me. She called L&D and asked to have someone come get me, but I guess they told her they were busy, b/c she said, "Well, I'm not delivering any babies tonight! Send someone as soon as you can!" After she hung up, she kept repeating that she couldn't deliver any babies, and begging every person that walked by to take me to L&D. Then she asked me why I was so calm. I wasn't having contractions, and I wasn't positive yet that my water had broken, so I didn't see any reason to freak out. Less than 5 minutes after we arrived, someone came and brought us to L&D, which was right next to the entrance we originally came in through.
They were able to confirm that my water had broken, so I was admitted to a L&D suite. Unfortunately, I was still not dilated at all or having productive contractions, so @ 5:30 am I was started on Pitocin to induce labor. The contractions started pretty soon after, and they were strong and close together. Since my water had already broken, monitors had to be on both me and the baby, and I also had an IV. I had to use the bathroom at least once an hour it seemed, which was a real pain with all of the equipment that had to be disconnected.
It happened to be DH's first day off work in 3 weeks, so he didn't need to call in. I had him call my work @ 8 am when I knew someone would be in the office, and across the room I heard him tell them I wasn't in labor yet, as I breathed through a contraction. The nurse leaned over and said that I was in labor, and I told her I knew that but I guess DH didn't.
One of the doctors from my OB practice came in @ 9 am, but I was only 2 cm dilated, so I was given some pain meds, but it was too soon for the epidural. The nurse told me to try to get some rest, and I felt better for maybe 5-10 minutes, but then I had to go to the bathroom again and I felt like I was in more pain than before the meds, so I didn't get any rest. The contractions were so strong, and so close together, I felt like I never got a break. DH was wonderful, holding my hand and feeding me ice chips. He also danced around like a monkey to try to make me laugh.
Finally around 11 am, the doctor said I was dilated to 4 cm, an I got the epidural! This was definitely the highlight of the day (before DS was born!), and I felt 1000 times better. It also helped that the anesthesiologist was kind of hot.
He had such a gentle touch, and it did not hurt at all. They also inserted a catheter, so I didn't have to get up to go to the bathroom anymore. That was also wonderful, the first time in months I didn't have to go every hour or more often. After that I couldn't feel any contractions at all and tried to get some rest, but my pulse kept setting off an alarm. The nurse said I was fine and within my normal range, but higher than the monitor's settings. Then my blood pressure dropped even lower than normal @ 12:30, so I was given an oxygen mask for an hour or so. It was too big though, so I had to hold it in place and concentrate on my breathing and still couldn't get any sleep even though I felt no pain.
Around 3 pm, the doctor said I was dilated 7-8 cm and we may start pushing in about an hour. Around 4 pm, I was feeling a lot of pressure and was fully dilated, but the baby still hadn't moved down much. The nurse told me to push at the next contraction, but thanks to the epidural I still couldn't feel them! So she checked the monitor and told me when to push. Unfortunately the baby was getting stressed from the pushing, so she put a monitor directly on his head to more closely monitor his heart rate. I pushed for over an hour, but the baby didn't budge and was getting more stressed and the nurse said she saw some meconium, so she told me to prepare for the possibility of a c-section.
The doctor came in again to check on me and agreed that a c-section would probably be necessary. I was exhausted from all of the pushing with no progress and concerned about the stress on the baby so I agreed. At that point I didn't really care how they got the baby out, I just wanted him out alive and healthy. The cute anesthesiologist came in and gave me more medication.
In the OR, there were 4 nurse, my OB, a surgeon, the anesthesiologist, and a neonatal specialist (due to the stress and meconium). They had already cut me open before they brought DH in, so when he came in he saw everything, then came to sit with me behind the curtain. I felt a lot of pressure and shaking, but not really much pain. Pretty soon the baby was out and DH was allowed to go around the curtain to see the baby, but he did not want to cut the cord. The nurses took DH and the baby to a recovery room while the doctors finished on me. I was so cold the whole time and couldn't stop shaking so I was afraid it would be harder for the doctors to finish.
When they finished, the nurses put 2 warm blankets on me and wheeled me into the recovery room. We stayed in there for about an hour and I was finally able to hold my baby boy. When I held him, he was so warm I finally stopped shaking.
THE END
I made the mistake once of letting her try to hold the banana and take bites off of it. NOPE. She took the biggest bite her little mouth could manage and proceeded to choke. 
I freaked. Luckily, I had enough wits about me to put my finger in her mouth and sweep everything out. (Good thing I took CPR at some point). She was fine after that. But, from now on, I will continue cutting her bananas into little bite size pieces. (WHich she will still wad into her mouth all at once). 
Of course I didn't sleep well. I kept waking up and remembering something I'd forgotten to pack, and jumping up to go get it. We ended up with one bag with a funny mix of stuff - cell phone charger, bottle brush, nasal aspirator (aka "Booger Bulb" or "Snot Sucker" in our house), a pair of flip flops, a pack of gum, a water bottle, my toothbrush, a couple swim diapers, a CF card for my camera.... it's pretty hysterical! 
I just hadn't been feeling 'right', and thought.. "I wonder". DH was out of town when I took the test, and I hadn't really figured out how to tell him yet. One evening, I was up at the girls' school, returning DD's lacrosse uniform, and chatting w/her coach, when DH called on my cell. GUess he could tell something was going on, for he asked, "What's wrong?" I said, "Oh nothing's wrong, but we need to talk when you get home." There was silence, then, "You're pregnant, aren't you?" LOL Very intuitive that one! lol
It took them a couple minutes to figure it out, and then they flipped out!
