There's probably no way to keep this short - and I know it will be picture heavy....but so will every other post I ever write again, so you'd best just get used to it. ;)
But first - Easter. :)
We'll start with Saturday night. I spent the evening getting things ready for Abby's Easter morning. I was having sporadic contractions and a back ache that I'd had for weeks, but nothing too bad. Kyle and I headed to bed around 11pm, and by 11:20 I snuck back downstairs because I thought my contractions were- possilbly - coming regularly. I started timing and they started at around 8 mins apart, got down to 6.5 minutes, back up to 7, and so forth.
I couldn't sleep. I stayed up all night - timing. I was worried that I was going to have to leave in the middle of the night. I prayed that things would slow down or stop so that I could see Abby in the morning, and watch her open her Easter basket. I didn't want to miss that. Luckily, the contractions slowed and I slept for an hour before Abs was up.
And so we started our day.
her loot
I love the festivities that go along with holidays. It's just plain fun. I very much enjoyed watching Abby walk out and see her surprise. I enjoyed watching her look at everything and explore and ask "what's this name?" for things like peeps and nail polish and other things she's not met before. Abby must have been nice to the Easter Bunny as she scored fun stuff like books, jewelry, nail polish, bubbles, toys, and of course candy.
checking out her goodies
After basket time, I decided that I was ok to go to mass. I didn't want to miss Easter mass for sure. My contractions were still about 7 minutes apart, and I could talk through them, although they were getting more painful. On the way to church, we downloaded a handy little timer.
It really was pretty useful
Of course mass was standing room only by the time we got there. Luckily - a lady we knew offered me a seat and we managed to squeeze Kyle and Abby in as well. So that was nice. I timed my contractions all through mass and dealt with them as best I could. During the sign of peace, a lady Kyle works with came up and asked him "So, your wife is about to have a baby, huh?" Kyle said yes and she continued with "no, I mean like now. I see her checking her watch - this is happening soon." It was kinda funny.
After mass, we took a few pics outside. We scored a gorgeous Easter day. The temps were in the high 60s and it was just so nice out.
Abby was excited to see the holy water was back this week.
posing
our last picture as a family of 3
sweet girl
daddy-daughter blues
and accidental shot that I actually like
After pictures, we decided to go out to Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Contractions were still around 7 mins...and I was starving. We had an excellent meal. Abby was on the best behavior we've ever seen from her. Kyle and I were seriously just dumbstruck. She sat in her chair, put her napkin in her lap right away. She was well behaved and when her food came, she asked for help to put her napkin up like a bib so her dress wouldn't get dirty. She used her fork to eat her salad and was just such a little lady about it all. I couldn't help but take a picture.
After lunch (which included an amazing peanut butter chocolate cheesecake) we headed home. I took a nap for an hour. My contractions, upon waking, were about 6.5 minutes apart - but sometimes would be 10 mins apart, or 8. They were sporadic. Yet, they were getting more intense and some lasted up to 2 minutes. No fun.
I didn't want to ignore Abby. I think part of me knew that this baby was coming sooner rather than later (or maybe that's just because I was 5 days overdue and having contractions?? ;) Abby decided she wanted to try out her new fingernail polish. We've never done her nails before - and she's never seen mine done (sad, I know). I explained what the polish was and off we went.
painting her nails for the first time.
This is going to sound corny. But, as I was painting her nails - I kept thinking that this was one of the last times that it would just be me and Abby. It was sad in that way, and yet, it made me that much more thankful for the moment. I was really happy to be making one last memory with her - just us. Simple as it was.
We put Abs to bed that night - my contractions were getting more intense and I tried not to let it show. Once she was down, I decided I would try to rest. But, unlike earlier in the day, laying down didn't help. I think it made things worse. Things were sill about 6-7 minutes apart.
While getting ready to put Abs to bed - my friend Jess texted me and told me that I should be able to talk through my contractions and if I couldn't, I needed to go to the hospital. Kyle took this advice seriously and told me to do it. Jess suggested trying to recite a poem, so when the next contraction came, I started reciting the first thing that came to mind...The Raven
"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.'
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor...."
And then - I couldn't remember the next line. But, it was also the peak of the contraction and as I tried to tell Kyle I couldn't remember the rest, he was concerned that I couldn't talk and was telling me to say anything. So, I quickly switched to the only other poem I could think of..
"Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep..."
Kyle wasn't convinced. ;)
With the encouragement of my online december mama friends...and the nervousness of my sweet husband, we called a friend to come stay with Abs and I was convinced to go to the hospital to just get checked. I was embarrassed to leave, I knew they would send me home for being a wimp. But, a few things I couldn't ignore. The first being, I was 5 days overdue to have this baby. The second, I needed to be able to drive myself to the hospital and my contractions, although not 4 mins apart, were increasingly painful. The third, I knew Kyle was on pins and needles, and the peace of mind of knowing how things were going was worth the risk of embarrassment of being sent home.
Of course, that was 2 days ago, and I'm still here. ;)
more later - time for me to rest.
1 comment:
Yay!
And I love the pedicure memory.
Hope you're resting!
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