Keller's Birth Day

So, little man, the story of your birth all starts on Thursday, July 21st.  I had a little talk with you on my way to work that morning (as I'm sure you remember), informing you how that would be a good day to make your big arrival...if you were ready.  I was already 4 cm dilated and our doctor was on call that day, and that day only.  Plus, this was about the last day you could come so that we could still make aunt Ashley's wedding.  Being that you were getting your first 'real' uncle, I know you knew it was pretty important that you be there.  So, the rest of that day went as normal.  That night I decided to go for a little walk, just in case that might help you to make your descent.  When I say little walk, I mean little.  It was about 100 degrees out with a pregnancy heat index of 200.  So, we made it about a block before I felt like I was going to pass out and came back in.  That must have been all you needed though.

That night I woke up to pee around 11:00 and again at 12:30 and again at 2:30.  This may not sound strange for a pregnant woman, but for me it was.  You woke me up like clockwork every night in the 1:00 hour and 4:00 hour for peeing, so all of this extra was a little unusual.  As I woke up at 2:30, I decided to see if it would just go away and I could go back to sleep.  I remember Maya laying right beside me and I hated to disturb her.  Waiting it out lasted about 10 seconds before I could hold it no longer (Oh my goodness, am I peeing myself?), so I ran to the bathroom.  At this point, I wasn't sure if my water had broken or if I'd just officially lost control of my bladder.

I yelled at your dad letting him know something was going on and he said "Okay" or something equally as helpful (don't wake daddy when he's sleeping), so we called the doctor instead, who advised us to head to the hospital.

Now, it's a good thing I wasn't in any pain at that point, because we both just kind of mosied around the house as if this were any other morning.  We brushed our teeth, finished packing bags and loaded them in the car, discussed what we should do with the dogs, rounded up the laptop, phones, chargers, camera, etc.  Thirty minutes later we were on our way to the hospital and by 4:30 we were in our delivery room, calling and delivering the news (we couldn't call on our way to the hospital and get everyone excited and on their way only to find out I'd peed myself).

The contractions were getting pretty strong by this time and I held out until around 6, when I could take no more and asked nicely for the nurse to come in with the epidural.  When I hadn't heard anything 10 minutes later, I might have dropped an f-bomb, but that was the only time, and I think that's pretty good, all things considered. 

So, the epidural came around 6 (oh, sweet relief!) and when I was still only at 4 cm, the pitocin came around 7.  Never did I imagine I'd be in labor, hanging out watching the Today Show, but that's just what we did.  Aunt Ashley and Uncle Nick came and then Grandma Keller showed up and then Mamaw & Papaw Andrews...all of us just hanging out in the delivery room like we did this all the time.

At 10:00 I was fully dilated so the pushing began (I will fast forward through all the messy details here) and at 10:58 a.m., you did it...you made your arrival into the world.

From the second I laid eyes on you and you were laid on my chest, I was totally in love.  Now, I love your dad and all of your family and your four-legged siblings as if they were my kids, but this love...this was a love unlike any I'd ever known before.  I've known my whole life that I wanted to be a mother, but never could I have imagined just how great it would be.  I stare at you while you sleep and am still amazed that you're mine.  You are absolutely perfect and I feel like the luckiest person in the whole world.  I love you Keller Allen.

P.S.  The doctor called you a miracle baby because something happened with the placenta, but I was on morphine at that point so it wasn't making any sense to me and, though your dad wasn't on morphine, I don't think he really understood it either.  No matter what, you are our little miracle!