Hitting the Jackpot

Four years ago tonight we went to the hospital to have a baby. Though Jay had known since January what we were having, I was clueless. I was pretty sure it was a girl, though. Anyway, I was a week overdue and my doctor told me to come in Wednesday night and we'd get things started. I came in and got checked and he proclaimed that nothing was going on and nothing was likely to go on so I could probably just go back home if I wanted. I had to put my foot down because 1) the hospital was on a hill and I was not making that trek as a pregnant woman even one more time, 2) I was not leaving unless I had a baby with me, and 3) "Monk" was coming on in about an hour and a half and we didn't have cable at home. So I stayed.

The next morning the contractions started and I was pretty sure I was dying. At the same time, I didn't want to look like a wimp to the people Jay worked with, so I gave him several 911 pages and collapsed on the bed until he got there. When the nurses came in I made sure to tell them I felt sick to my stomach (though I didn't) because the last thing my sister told me before I left for the hospital was how she had thrown up while she was in labor, and if you know me in real life you know I don't handle that kind of thing well. Between the phenergan and the epidural the rest of the morning became a blur.

About 2:00, the doctor came in and said he would check my water, which then broke. He asked if I wanted to go ahead and push. Hmmmm.....Now what other options do you really have in that situation? So I pushed. My friend Rachel ended up coming in to hold my leg so that Jay could deliver the baby. He was really behind on deliveries so I wanted to be a good wife and help out, you know. At 4:30 the baby came out and Jay said, "It's a boy!" and I thought he must be confused, because I was sure it was going to be a girl. Sure enough, though, that medical training didn't lie; Jack was a boy.

Jay and I have both said many times that Jack is totally not what we pictured when we imagined having a son--we both were thinking dark hair, brown eyes, kind of quiet. I have no idea why we thought he'd be quiet--but he is a million times better than we ever dreamed. Happy birthday, Jackabooter!
(FYI...The first picture was the one we used for his birth announcements, which said, "We hit the jackpot!" Aren't we clever? haha We were goofing around with him when he was about nine days old and for some reason we put him in the pot and took a picture. Is it really clear that we are first time parents? We hadn't planned to use it for anything (hence the fruit bars, tums, and breast pump still left in the picture), but we decided it was too cute to pass up. Maybe the next child will have something a little more formal. Or at least we will try to clear off the counter beforehand.)