The Best Early Mother's Day Gift EVER!

I thought that Mother's Day 2011 would be my last one as a Mama of 2 sweet boys...

I thought that Baby Owen would be born according to our plan on May 10, 2011 around 7am...

I thought that I had everything scheduled and ready...

I thought that I would get to everything on my last minute to do list before my sweet babe was born...

BUT... Owen surprised us by coming 4 days early on Saturday, May 7th! And, I am so glad that things didn't go according to my plan! He was the best surprise gift that I have ever received. :)

Here's the full story (and, be warned, it is a loooonnnnggggg story):

I really had the best pregnancy. I felt so good up until the very end - so different than my first two pregnancies. I enjoyed every minute of carrying Owen, and wasn't ready for it to end. I really treasured this last pregnancy, and feel so blessed that it was textbook with no complications whatsoever.

On Friday, May 6th, we went to our Sunday school social/Wade's softball game. I got to see all of my church pals and chat with girlfriends. I joked about how this was the most pregnant that I had ever been (Clayton was 3 weeks early, and Drew was 10 days early.) We had a great evening! We came home and got the boys in bed. I went over my to do list that I wanted to accomplish over the weekend, and Wade and I made a plan for how we could get it all done. Then we went to bed confident that we were good to go.

I woke up at 3 a.m. and thought that maybe my water had broken. I realize that sounds absurd, but it was much less dramatic than it was when they broke my water in the hospital with Clayton. I talked myself out of making it into a big deal because, hello! - I wasn't scheduled to have this baby until Tuesday morning. So, I went back to sleep...

I woke up at 7:30 to let the dog out. At that point, I realized that my water had, indeed, broken. I called L&D to explain what was going on. The nurse said, "What day is your C-section scheduled for?" I told her it was Tuesday at 7am. She said, "Nope, I don't think so! You're having your baby TODAY!" That was when it sunk in and we went into a full blown tailspin.

We paged the doctor on call. He told us that he would call my doctor and see if he could come up to do the C-section with him. He said that we should be in the OR around noon. Yowsers - time to get moving!

We called my in-laws, who promptly packed bags and hopped in the car for the 2.5 hour drive to the hospital. By this point, it was 8:30ish. To add to the drama of the morning, Wade was meeting a guy at the airport at 9:20 who had flown in town to buy his car. We were both trying to figure out how to make that happen. He called Leah, to come and help me finish packing. (Yeah, remember that last minute to do list? Packing was at the top!) He was going to pick the guy up at the airport, take his check to the bank, make sure that it went through, then have him drop Wade off at the hospital. (Did you get all of that?) He would meet Leah and I (with Clayton and Drew) at the hospital. It was complete and total craziness!!!

So, I took a shower and colored my hair. (Oh, yes, I did! That was also on my to do list, and I wasn't about to welcome my baby into the world with my roots showing!) We finished packing and off we went to the hospital. I may have asked Leah if she would make a stop at the eyebrow salon to have my brows shaped up, but I was only joking. Sorta... ;) We met Wade at the hospital at 10:15. I'm pretty sure that Wade set some sort of car selling record!

We went up to L&D while Leah waited with the boys in the waiting room. (Insert a HUGE shout out to Leah here! She saved our behinds in a big way that morning! God bless her!!!) Marsha & Terry got to the hospital at 11:30ish. Then they took me back to the OR at 12:30.

My anesthesiologist's name was Dr. Needleman. Hmm... I have to say that I was a bit worried by that one. Ha! He turned out to be completely and totally awesome! He did my spinal and I never felt a thing, but was completely awake the entire time. It was so different than with Clayton or Drew! I have no idea what he did differently, but it was great!

I was awake through the whole surgery, and I heard every conversation around me. I just laid there praying that my boy would come out healthy and bypass the NICU. I begged and pleaded for God to just let me spend those first few hours with him.

At 12:59, I heard the sweetest screaming cry that I have ever heard. That Little One was MAD! I remember the nurse asking if Dr. N. wanted a cord gas. He said, "Not for a healthy, pink, screaming baby like that." :) I was so, so, so happy!!!

Owen's Apgars were 9 & 9! He is the superstar newborn of my crew. Ha! We got to oogle over him and he went straight to recovery with us. He was a great nurser from the get go, he never was jaundiced, and he only left our room to go to the nursery once a night to be weighed. Such an answer to prayers!!!

My recovery was nothing short of amazing! I did get a little sick from the anesthesia, but that only lasted a short time. I really never felt a lot of pain. In fact, I only took 1 of the narcotic pain pills throughout my entire hospital stay! It was so, so different than my previous experiences when I was begging for my Norco as soon as I could get the next dose. I teased that Dr. Needleman must have given me some sort of permanent spinal block that would never wear off. ;) I didn't ever have to take anything for itching either, which was my biggest complaint after I had Drew. I'm telling you, it was so wonderful!

May 7th, 2011 will forever be known as the day that all of my plans failed miserably, and everything turned out even better than I could have ever dreamed. :)

And, now, prepare for your retinas to bleed! I have a bazillion pictures from Owen's birth day. I decided to break up the posts by day. These are all from Day 1.

Wade & I waiting for our baby boy to be born

He's here!!! First Footprints

Daddy meeting his son.

Owen weighed in at 8 lbs. 10 oz. - slightly less than 9 lb. Drew, but more than 7 lb. 4 oz. Clayton.

Listening to those dry lungs - thank you, Lord!

Love at first sight! That instant love feels exactly the same the third time around. What a rush!

At the last minute, we got permission from my doctor and the anesthesiologist for my sweet mother-in-law to come into the OR. I was so glad that she was there to see her last grandchild come into the world!

Fresh from God... Squishy newborns are the best!

That pouty lip may be my kryptonite! It is going to be hard to tell Baby O "no". :)

Dr. N. came in on a Saturday when he wasn't on call. Best. doctor. ever! I apologized over and over again. He said, "That's okay! It just means that I get to sleep in a little bit on Tuesday." So kind!

The hospital has changed their policies in the last few months to further encourage parents to bond with their babies. They do everything (eye ointment, vitamin K shot, bath, measurements, etc.) in the recovery and postpartum rooms. It was great! I got to see all of those things, and not just look at pictures taken through the nursery glass.

First Bath

Sweet and Clean

Aunt Leigh Ann, Uncle Corey, Makinley, and Morgan were our first visitors. Apparently, Leigh Ann had been praying that Owen would arrive over the weekend, because she had a busy week and wouldn't have been able to see him if he had been born on Tuesday. Hey, Leigh, the next time that you pray that kind of prayer, could you give me a head's up??? ;)

Clayton and Drew were next to meet their baby brother. Clayton was totally smitten, Drew wasn't so sure what to think...

Owen's feet touched Drew, and he was quick to scoot over. Ha!

Cousin Picture :)

Papaw with his third grandson

Grammie (minus the OR gear)

Kelli & Doug were our last visitors of the day. I didn't get a picture of Doug and his "burp cloth." Ha!

Leah made the cutest birth announcement canvas! We proudly displayed it on the door to room 234. :)

That, my Friends, is the longest recap ever. Stay tuned for the rest of the story...