Okay, my Love, I know he has been here for over 5 weeks now, but it is still exciting to see it in writing!
I wanted to share the photos and birth story with you and the sweet people that have been reading our blog, so here goes my incessant rambling...
One hot summer's morning, I woke up in some terrible pain...
That sounds like the opening to a really bad novel. But it was hot. And I was definitely in pain.
I sat straight up in bed and knew that Baby J was coming soon. I started timing. My contractions were coming at about six minutes apart. They had been consistent for almost 3 hours when I called Denise and told her we might want to go to the hospital. Of course this was the same day that her sweet husband was arriving home from Iraq. Denise and I knew this would happen. She and I had joked about it for months, that this little stinker inside of me would wait until the worst possible moment to arrive. I was excited that it happened early in the day and was hoping for a quick delivery so that she could get out of there and go enjoy the day she has been anticipating for the past year. So we started out and called my midwife on the way. She told me to go back home.
I'm sorry. Did she just tell me to go back home??? Maybe she didn't understand that when I was in labor with the first little guy he came pretty quick. Maybe she didn't understand that we were hoping to get this little guy out of me before 5 pm, preferably 3 so that Denise could get showered and make herself cuter than she already is, and meet her hubby at the welcome home ceremony. Maybe she didn't understand that we live in HAWAII, where the highways are psycho, and, if you get stuck on the highway, you will be delivering on the highway. And I was not about to name my kid Kamehameha or H1 on account of her not wanting me there yet.
I was mad, but went home to wait it out anyway.
Matt, J and I went and ran a couple of errands to help pass the time. My contractions did not remain consistent, though the pain did, and I started to become discouraged. I think I must have paced all day long. And at around 4, even though I knew hard labor was coming soon, I thought it would be a good thing to go and photograph the ceremony for Denise. After all it had been the plan all along. So I did. And this is what I looked like...
This is a terrible photo hahaha!!! Bit I was definitely in labor when this was taken. Pretty sure I was sweating to death and in major tears about 2 minutes prior to the shutter be snapped. People kept telling me to go home, but I didn't want to miss Jim coming and the chance to photograph it for Denise if I was still able. And I am glad that I did. There is nothing better than soldiers coming back home to their families!
And pretty sure Denise is going to hate this next photo, but I don't care because she is so incredibly happy in it that it makes me cry, so I love it.
What a great family. They have had a tough year, so to be able to see this made the labor pains dissipate for a few moments, while I watched them ecstatically reunite. But not enough to stick around haha! I left soon after, but before I left Denise made me promise that when I was ready I would call her.
I wanted to be like, "Look, crazy lady. Your hubby just got back. You have had an insane year. STAY HOME!" But I knew if I didn't call that I would be in trouble. So I waited as long as I could.
It was 4 a.m. on Father's Day. I had probably taken 3 showers since I had come home from the ceremony. The contractions were still only 5-6 minutes apart, but I couldn't stand the pain anymore. Screw it. We are going. I called Denise and she arrived 15 minutes later.
By the time she and Jim (That's right...Jim came! The poor guy had just gotten home from Iraq a few hours before and now he was coming to watch me deliver a kid!) got there, my contractions had gone from 5-6 minutes apart, down to 3 minutes. She looked at me and I told her my legs were shaking. Apparently this means you are in active labor. I probably should have known that, and since Denise is a paramedic, she did know that. She played it cool and off we went. It seriously seemed like the longest 20 minute drive of my life. I know she and Jim were talking to me, but it was all I could do to not punch the seat or window on the way there.
We arrived a little after 5 a.m. and headed up to L & D. I didn't even bother calling the hospital to let them know I was on my way. Jim helped me in and I told him that if this wasn't considered labor that someone was going to get kicked in the shin. They took me into to assess me, though I think they probably just looked at me and immediately marked me down as "Active Labor" haha. The waiting had paid off. I was already 8 cm and ready to go. I just needed my water to break.
I wasn't looking too shabby, for having labored so long at home, when I arrived in my room...
But that quickly changed...
God bless, Denise, for being so awesome...You can tell she is a mama. She took such good care of me, even when I swatted her hand away...glad she still loves me!
I was only in the delivery room for about an hour. They broke my water for me, I pushed for 7 minutes, and out he came. The cord was wrapped around his little neck, though thankfully not too tight. I remember saying, "Breathe, baby." And he did. He let out that wonderful little cry to let us know he was here and ready to go.
I breathed a sigh of relief...
and then you called...
You know, I really dreaded this whole experience. I am so tenderhearted and emotional, without being pregnant, that I wasn't sure I could handle this without you being by my side. I was afraid of being resentful and angry, and not being able to enjoy the wonderful gift we had been given.
But I gave Baby J his name for a reason. His name means "God is praised." And God deserved nothing short of the best I had to give Him that day. He worked out everything so perfectly, even before we arrived to our first duty station.
He started by allowing you to be accepted into the Chaplaincy. Then he had Ms. Alexander, who helped coordinate your course at Ft. Jackson, introduce me to this sweet lady, named Denise, through Facebook. She was already living where we were getting ready to be sent. I was able to form a friendship before we even arrived, with someone that loved the Lord and was experiencing what I was about to go through with deployment. He knew that, even though you would not be able to be with me for the birth, that this was the perfect friend to stand beside me while delivering J. He allowed for my contractions to space out enough so that Denise could see her husband come home and for Jim to be able to sleep for awhile. He allowed for you to call your mom and step dad, to be able to know that I was in labor, and call at the exact time to hear your new baby boy's first cries.
He knew everything. He knew exactly what I needed and met me far beyond my expectations for the day. God is greatly to be praised, in His infinite wisdom and goodness, by someone who's faith seemed a bit lacking in an uncertain circumstance...and oh, how I love Him for it. I could not have asked for a better delivery, a better baby, a better friend, and a better husband on that amazing Father's Day.
And how could I not be excited to see this giant bundle of goodness?!?!
Uh, oh...looks like he inherited his mother's giant mouth!
And this is the best birthing coach ever, besides you of course!
On a side note...this is for Denise, Bryan...
Denise, I love you more than you will ever know. I am so thankful that God put us on this little island together. You are a fantastic wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend. The people that have you in their lives are beyond blessed to know you. Thank you for being such an encouragement to me, for letting me cry, checking my blood pressure countless times, and for being such a wonderful friend. I am not sure what I am going to do when you PCS somewhere else...probably sneak into your suitcase. I love you and am so glad that you and Jim were able to share in this with our family!
PS-Your hubby is rockin' with the camera and I am SO SO SO glad that he is finally home with you and Cody! I love you too, Jim! Thanks for being there after all you had already gone through!
Okay, Bryan, I am back for you...
I love this sweet face.
I love all of his crazy hair!
And I especially love this shirt that I stole from the hospital...
Our little family has grown by two feet...
...and I am so excited to watch these sweet, little brothers form a friendship over the coming years...
Another side note, to Matty...
You are a wonderful brother. I love you so much and I am going to miss you terribly when you leave...and not just because my kitchen will be messy! Thank you for coming here and taking care of me and the boys. You are a bigger blessing than you know. I am excited to see where the Lord takes you from here, but I am forever grateful that you took these past few months out to spend with us. You are a great uncle and my boys a lucky to have you!
I'm back again, Bryan. Even though you weren't able to be here, it was such a good day. God blessed us in amazing ways and I am so thankful. I can not wait for you to meet your sweet boy! We are so proud of you and they are blessed to have you as their Daddy. God called us to a crazy life, and though it isn't easy, I feel blessed to know it...
Well, Bryan, I think this is enough for today...I hope this post will actually load for you in Afghanistan. I know it is long and I am sorry. We miss you terribly and can't wait to see you for R & R! And I promise to try to do a better job with keeping up with photos. Love you more than words can say!
All My Love,
Jessica
