Bill and I were sitting watching t.v. We had put Rebekah down to bed, eaten a big dinner (of Fried foods - Steak Sandwiches and French fries deep fried in the Fry Daddy!).
It was the episode where Six-year-old Richie asks his parents the inevitable "Where did I come from?" question. They recall the days before his birth. We cracked up at all the crazy antics that go on as Rob practices what he will do when Laura goes into labor.
We had done a lot of walking that day, and I had a slight low back ache during the day after walking, but didn't think anything of it. I was just past 38 wks, and had no thoughts that I would actually go into labor early... Rebekah had been a full 41 weeks, and though I hoped to not go over, I certainly didn't think I'd be early. My OB Dr. was doing ultrasounds at every appointment, to check the baby's size to 'see if the baby was big enough', (he told me that there was some relationship to the 'measurement' about the circumference of the fetal head, and the lung maturity - I've never heard or read about this concept since) and then he wanted to induce me, because he "didn't want me walking around town and just dropping the baby out at the mall or something". At the time I believed him, and was going right along with his plan. He was going to do yet another ultrasound at my appointment on Monday, and then if the 'measurement' was just right, he'd plan to induce on Wednesday, when I was not quite 39 weeks. We were going to call Bill's mom to come stay with Rebekah after we found out for sure.
Knowing what I know now, I am so grateful that I never had to go through the experience of an induced labor, before my body and my baby were ready.
That night I awoke from sleep, and had the vague feeling that my water might have broken. I lay there trying to decide, and my mind started racing... I realized I might like to know what time/day/month it was? I rolled over and saw the clock, it was just after midnight, March 1st.
I got up to go to the bathroom, and confirm that yes, my water had indeed broken. I called out to Bill who was sound asleep in the bed. By this time I was fully awake and my mind was whirling through the list of things I needed to do to get out of the house! First, was to get something I could wear to get out of the bathroom... ;-) I told him I needed underwear, and sweatpants. He awoke with a startle, and heard something about sweats. He thought perhaps he was late for P.T.! He quickly awoke, but for a moment I almost felt like perhaps I would be living in the Dick Van Dyke show with the mishaps and antics of trying to get out of the house while in labor...
We called a neighbor a few houses down the street to come stay with Rebekah, contractions started, and we finally managed to get a call through to Labor and Delivery and told them we were coming in and to call our Dr. They said, sure, fine, Bill told them NO, You don't understand, I was in labor and they needed to be ready for us. They seemed to get it a little bit, (although I'm sure they still might not have called the Dr until we arrived and they could check me to "see if I was really actually IN Labor!") and then we headed out. As we were racing down 565, the contractions were intense, and all that greasy food I'd eaten earlier, for dinner, was not making me happy. I had to ask Bill to pull over and I left my dinner on the side of the road. Then we were off again.
When we arrived at what was then Huntsville, Humana Hospital, went in the emergency room doors, and were rushed up to L&D. The nurses were rushing around trying to get things ready, and meanwhile all I really cared about was getting to the sink and washing out my mouth! Then as they wanted me to change into their lovely gown, I grabbed the end of the bed and began squatting. I'm sure I was beginning to grunt and bear down... the nurses were in a panic! Once they were finally able to get me changed into the hospital gown, and in the bed, I began asking if I could have a drink of water or something. I still had the awful taste in my mouth, and wanted to deal with that! I was most uncomfortable being in the bed, and rolled onto my side to try to deal with the contractions. The nurse was trying to get an i.v. into my arm (as if I was going to dehydrate or something...) and finally while still rolled onto my side, I threw my arm backward toward her, and she put the i.v. in at an interesting location which ended up bruising quite a bit.
By the time Dr. T arrived the nurses had gotten my legs up in the stirrups, and the Dr. asked if he had time to change into scrubs, they said hurry!, since they could see the baby's head without me actually pushing as I was still holding back, not knowing what I was 'allowed' to do. I fought back the urges to push as the Dr. got himself ready, then he came over to me and I was still asking for a drink. He finally told the nurses, "For G*d's sake, get the woman some ice!" Then he told the nurses to raise the bed up to his level (since he's a tall guy), and so I was raised up what felt like 6 feet in the air, and then he switched a lever on the bed and tilted the head of the bed down backward so that my hips were higher than my backbone, and then they commenced with the counting and telling me to "PUSH!!!!! 1,2,3,4---8,9,10!" I did as I was told, but it was a horrible position. I actually reached over my head and grabbed the pillow behind my head and held onto it, that helped, but they didn't like it and they told me to curl up and "PUSH with gravity"... (do you remember the bed that was tilted backward, and I was literally pushing her out UP HILL!!!, Gravity certainly wasn't helping in the position they had me in in that bed!) I pushed through a couple of contractions and out she came, at 1:30 am. Dr. T called her "a little peanut", as she was only 5 lbs 9 oz. She came 11 days before her due date, but... she came when she wanted to, not on someone else's schedule.
Her birth definitely made me want to do some things differently in my life, and has helped me to become who I am today. She has been such a little mother over the years with her younger siblings, she has been a big supporter to me with so many of my interests. She mostly had such a wonderful happy personality, it was hard for me, at times. When she was little, if she got in trouble or was throwing a fit, I'd send her to her room and she was supposed to stay there until she settled down and stopped crying. Well, she would literally walk through her door, turn around and come out no longer crying and try to smile and be happy, and honestly I wasn't done being angry at her yet! It was so annoying! ;-)
Amanda was a pretty weird kid! She potty trained herself, she would often disappear, and I'd go to find her, and she had put herself to bed for a nap or at night time. She liked to go to the dentist (as a little child), and she liked to get shots! All of that is just plain WEIRD!!! It has been fun watching her grow into a wonderful young woman, and she has a sweet testimony. I enjoy spending time with her, she is a lot of fun, and I look forward to who she will become as she continues to grow and mature in her life. (though I am not looking forward to her growing up and leaving too soon!) I hope that she will continue to plan for a big future, and that she will stay close to our Heavenly Father.
I Love You Amanda! My #2 girl!!! Happy 17th Birthday!!!!!!!
Life has been so busy! I have been working on Amanda's Prom dress for weeks. In between working on the prom dress, I have helped with decorating for a wedding reception, and helped work on costumes for the High School Musical - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Which, when I wrote this, I didn't even have a child in. However, as of yesterday I have a child who has been asked to jump in and help by playing in the orchestra. Life has been a whirlwind of activity.
I don't know what has gotten into me lately, but for some reason I went crazy and thought I'd be a seamstress or something! I haven't sewed much in years, before I had to do the trek clothes 2 yrs ago. I sewed blessing dresses for the first thee kids. I have made a dress here and there, mostly t-shirt dresses, where you are really only gathering a ruffle to add to a shirt for the skirt part. When Rebekah was home on Christmas break I began making her a dress. I didn't get it completely finished and so I had to send it to her in her birthday package. Then the prom was coming. Rebekah helped me pick out the pattern and fabric and Amanda liked what we picked, so off I went! 
I have to say a HUGE Thank You to my friend S for being so wonderful to help give me moral support, and get me through the directions for the dress (actually there were two patterns we were merging together to make the dress modest for Amanda). Thank you also for her family for putting up with me at there house for hours while I sewed and sewed! and Thank you, to MY family for putting up with me being gone for hours and hours, sewing and sewing. I finished the dress - not as soon as I would have liked, and added a little bit of stress to Amanda's life (if the first Zipper had not broken after I had put it in on the first try, and dare I say it was beautiful!!!, but alas, then I had to pick the zipper out of the nearly completed dress, and wait until I could buy a new zipper the next day, and then that zipper, took me over 2 1/2 hrs to get in right. I'm good at invisible zippers apparently (without the special hidden zipper foot even), but the regular one's, ugh!!! 
Anyway, I finished the dress, we borrowed the under slip poof from S's daughter K from her wedding dress (thank you K, it worked out great!), and the dress, was fabulous... if i do say so myself!!!
and I think my daughter was a Beautiful princess! 
and I hope she had a great time with her friends!
Rebekah made a couple of corsages and they turned out great! 
Thank you also to everyone who helped host and put together a fun prom night!
All the dresses were beautiful and the kids all looked amazing! 
Showing some sisterly support... 
A bunch of kids got together, they all did pictures together in downtown Madison, and then did a progressive dinner and it looked like everyone had a great time! 
The boys were very nice and stood there being supportive (trying to block the sun for one another), while the girls had lots of fun getiting thier pic's taken. 
All the table decorations and set up were beautiful! It was fun of course to see some of the decorations from the wedding reception I helped set up being used again for something else so fun! Great job!
I had fun taking pictures too, I have also been trying to learn how to edit the pictures I take a little... This is my first attempt.
I was able to help out at the dinner part, serving food, clearing tables, and taking pic's and it was fun to be around the kids and get to be a small part of their fun day. (When we arrived to help at dinner, one of the girls noticed a little bird outside on the back porch of our friend J's house, and it was taking a little bird bath in her kitty's water bowl. 
A Dangerous adventure perhaps, but it was so cute! Iwas able to capture one picture of it before we all scared it away I'm sure by crowding around the windows to get a peek at it.
I wonder what fun April will bring to our home?
