Waiting On Harper and Baby Memories

My niece Kelly is due to have her baby girl any time now. My family and I think half the nation has been following this miracle unfold since last spring. We are all anxiously awaiting Harper's debut and I find myself checking her blog and facebook many times during the day to see if it's time! I think my brother Steve (her Dad) has been pacing the floor for a couple of weeks now.

This brought back memories of Molly and Jackson's births. I had an uneventful pregnancy with Molly. Nausea lasted one week and I was able to work up until a week before she was born. About 3 weeks before I had her I played in a member guest golf tournament with Tom, Mom and Dad. My doctor told me I could play golf as long as I could see to putt!

The picture is an old Polaroid. Since you can't make out the faces, I'm the one with the biggest belly!

I was in labor with Molly a very l-o-n-g time. My contractions started on a Wednesday evening. Thursday morning I went and got Tom a tee time at the club and then to the grocery store. I remember having a contraction in the store, my face turning red with the pain. Through out the day I had them off and on. I didn't eat dinner thinking we would be heading to the hospital soon. I took a pad of paper, pen and a flashlight to bed and wrote down the times of my contractions waiting for them to get 10 minutes apart. (My signal to go to the hospital) I look back now and think what a DORK I was. Finally about 2 am Friday morning I hit the 10 minute "it's time to go". Molly wasn't born until 4 pm that Friday. The Dr. preparing for a C-Section after such a long labor, decided to try forceps first. Out she came and I remember him saying "I knew that was a stubborn little girl!"

Molly's First Hospital Picture

Jackson took much more work to get here. At three months I started to dilate. The Dr. did a cerclage (sewed my cervix shut) and put me on bed rest for the rest of my pregnancy. I also developed gestational diabetes. Being on a diet when your pregnant stinks! Molly was 5 and if it hadn't have been for my mother I don't know what I would have done. She came everyday during the week to help around the house. She cleaned, cooked, looked after Molly and ME! I am truly lucky to have such a loving mother. On Father's Day, six weeks before his due date I started leaking water. I was put in the hospital. During the second night I went into labor. Even though I knew I was going to have a C-Section (he was breach) they let me go through labor all night long. I found out later that labor stimulates the babies lungs to develop. He spent almost 2 weeks in the neonatal ICU. He weighed 4lbs 13 ounces.

They took his first picture when he was almost 2 weeks old.

Notice the blankets are the same in both pictures? 5 1/2 years in between the kids! The doll is 8 inches tall. Gives you a better perspective on Jackson's size!

I have two grown, beautiful, healthy children now. You never forget the details of their births, the miracle of creation and the pure JOY you feel hearing their first cries. Looking into your babies eyes for the first time you know your life will never be the same again. It will be so unimaginably better!