I just want her home for Christmas

That was my secret, or not so secret prayer. I just wanted to have Baby J home for Christmas. It wasn't that I was done with being pregnant, although the thought of being able to move and sleep freely was enticing. It was this: I wanted to hold her and hug and kiss and love on her. And I didn't want to wait any longer than necessary. And what better day to have a little baby at home in your arms, than on Christmas? I prayed and told God that I just wanted her home for Christmas, but asked that He would send her to us when the time was right. Well, to my astonishment, Christmas was the right time. For once, my desires and God's timing were on the same path.

Starting about the 9th of December, I had been feeling "weird". Now, describing anything during pregnancy as "weird" doesn't necessairly mean much since everything that happens to your body during pregnancy is down right weird and akward. I was feeling a different kind of weird. A weird I hadn't experienced prior during pregnancy. Come to find out, my blood pressure decided to sky rocket for two weeks. I was tested for preeclampsia, but thankfully that came back as negative. On December 16, I met with my doctor. She diagnosed me with gestational hypertension. Never in my life have I had problems with my blood pressure. High blood pressure problems were a new experience for me--no wonder I was feeling so "weird". Any way, she decided to monitor me a bit more closely for the remainig three weeks of my pregnancy.

Little did we know...

When it all began: Friday, December 23, 2011.
7:30ish PM (shortly after a good meal, good lauhgs, and txting memories of college days with Allison).

Where it all began: Chili's on N. Powers

Another new weirdness set in as I was finishing my delicious dinner of fajitas. I stopped eating, stopped talking, stopped laughing...I just stopped everything but breathing. My back was experiencing an intense loss in comfort. My belly was experiencing an intensified contraction, one that prohibitied me form doing anything but sitting and breathing.

We left Chili's, Mikey and Catherine had not a clue as to what was happening to me. We barely made it home before the contractions set in. We pulled into the drive, I kicked the kids out of the car and started to cry. Michael got me in the house. From about 8:00-Midnight contractions were intense but sporatic. Some were 10 minutes apart, others were 30 minutes apart. Starting at midnight until about 3:00 AM, the contractions were five minutes apart and I was ready for the whole labor thing to be over.

Off to the hospital we went. They admitted me and pumped me full of something that totally and completley relaxed and knocked me out---within minutes. To make a long day of labor story short...Around 8:00AM they broke my water. I dialted quickly. Things were looking good. They gave me an epidural. It worked so well, I didn't even know I had a left leg. About 1:00 PM, I was dialted to 9.5 cm. Ready to get the shimmey-shake show on the road and have this baby....But no. I remained at 9.5 cm all afternoon and into the evening. The docotor finally suggested that I have a cesarian since things were not progressing and my risk of infection was increased to to my water being broken for so long.

They whisked me away to the operating room. I really had no idea what to expect. The child birth class didn't address c-sections at all. All I can say about that is: OUCH!!! Strange sensations of having my abdomen pulled apart and almost like they were kneading my insides like a pile of pizza dough. Michael was wonderful through all of this. He held my hand, talked to me, made sure I wasn't in a too much pain (apparently I was making some wretched noises and faces as they cut me open and pulled my insides out.

Around 6:40 PM, December 24, 2011...

FINALLY, I heard her cries and gasps.

Michael went to the baby warmer with the nurses while the doctors continued to knead my insides back inside my body and staple me up....Did I mention the fact that I threw up about a bazillion times througout this 24 hour labor experience? As I was lying on the table being stiched back up, a doctor held a puke bowl and suction thingy at my mouth as I gagged and dry-heaved the entire time they were putting me back together. Good thing I was all drugged up, otherwise, the pain from the suregery and vomitting probably would have made me pass out.

I could barely see Baby J while they were working on us. So, to help ease the discomfort and anxiety of not getting to hold or see my baby, I started singing "Joy to the world, my baby is here!" The doctor's laughed. Then I engaged them in a conversation about their favorite Christmas movies...Desperate to get my mind off what was happening to my abdomen on the other side of the blue screen.

I was all stapled back together, and Baby J was all cleaned up and swaddled, Michael brought her over for me to see. Then they took her to the nursery for baby things they needed to do and took me to recovery.

Finally, I was in my room and they brought my baby to me. She did not have a name. We still hadn't decided, and I refused to name her until I had a chance to see her and held her.

About 8:00-9:00 Christmas morning, Baby J recieved her first gift...Her name. We decided on Jocelyn Rebekkah Ilene.

My first breaths of life

All swaddled and warm after my first bath.

Mommy and Daddy loves

Big Brother and Big sister and Daddy adorations

At home. All cozy in my favorite blankie. Sleeping on my side with my hands folded in front of me. Life is good.


Thanks for the love and prayers everyone.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year---a little late, but not forgotten.

We love you all.

Michael, Katie, Catherine, Mikey and Jocelyn