Day 2 of a walk down memory lane...

December 31st, 2005-

8am-I moved into the living room so I wouldn't wake up Matt. I had a really restless night of sleep. Franky and Vinny even know to steer clear of me. Good boys.

10am-Matt wakes up and is instantly freaking out. (at least he got a full nights sleep, sheesh.) He calls the hospital and they suggest I eat something and try to take a shower. He makes me a cinnamon-raisin English muffin with peanut butter while I'm trying to take a shower.

Seriously, who in their right mind tells a laboring lady "Go take a shower and eat something. If you don't die in the process you're not in labor." I know I know. I'm a big baby but serously? Shower? Food? My stomach is churning from the life form trying to burst out of it Alien style! I don't need to smell good! Cheese and crackers.

11am-The shower and food don't stop the labor (DUH!) and the nurse requests we head right to the hospital. Matt thinks driving almost 100 is super cool. Between contractions I snap at him and he says "I want to get pulled over so I can tell the cop MY WIFE IS IN LABOR!" I tell him to knock it off and to drive the limit. Sheesh!

1pm-We get to Deaconess Medical Center and some how make it up the elevator (I might have blacked out) and go to the check in desk. The nurse takes her sweet time...

I'd like to take a moment to step out of my cranky in labor mind set and let the readers know that everyone was super nice and helpful. All friendly, smiling and lovely. I was just GOING TO DIE and so everyone's lack of gusto was driving me bonkers. OK, back to the story

...to get to the front desk and says in a sugary sweet voice "Hello! I'm Kyra. How's it going? Are you in labor?" All the while I am bent over hanging onto the front desk for dear life moaning like an elk in heat. "Yes (I say) I do believe I am in labor. Either that or I'm experiencing the worst food poisoning in history and you need to call Guinness Book of Records. Thank you."

I get nicely settled into my corner suite...it is pretty sweet...and I instantly have to go through a million and one questions. Oh no, the ten page packet I already filled out and mailed to the hospital a month ago didn't answer any of the questions I am very politely trying to answer while trying not to throw up on the nurse and bite my husband. (seriously, you'll read later how the nurse made Matt take my pillow away because I was tearing it to shreds with my teeth)

I do convince them I do not want an IV and they allow me free range of the floor. Matt and I patrol the halls and conveniently make it back to my room every time I have a contraction. NO WAY am I going to let other women laboring there take any of my natural birth secrets! (really, I don't want them seeing me acting all weird and crazy like)

3pm-I am off and on soaking in the bath tub. This is nice but when I have a contraction every part of the tub is uncomfortable. And we have to keep draining and refilling the tub because the water was getting too cold.

5pm-I am so freaking tired! Who thought that not getting much sleep the night before and then going through a battle not only for your life but for the life in your tummy would take so much out of you!

The nurse insists that I get an IV. I did not drink enough juice or eat enough jello for her chipper self and now I am getting dehydrated. It took them SEVEN EFFING TRIES to get the IV going. I felt like a pin cushion. And for those of you who know me and my love (read-loathe) for needles you can just imagine how totally radical this experience was for me!

7pm-They insist on breaking my water. Yup, you read that right, my water had yet to have broken and it was just about to get more and more painful. Hooray! I cannot believe I consented to that. My doctor (who was the most gentle person in the whole hospital-and perhaps the most gay heehee) told me that when he broke my water it was going to intensify the contractions. DUDE! They're already intense enough as it is! Fine, do it. BRING. IT. ON.

8pm-WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME??? Why did I let them break my water? Holy hamsters! This sucks! But at least now I'm progressing a bit better.

Oh! I neglected to mention earlier that when a contraction would stop I would have a HUGE and very strange hiccup. At first the nurse and Matt thought I was just goofing around but they soon learned that it was beyond my control.

AND...I cannot control the urge to bite Matt whenever I start contracting. I know I know. Try to focus all your energy on birthing the baby and not on gnawing off your husbands arm. What. Ever. After a few nibbles Matt found my pillow for me to chew on. I found a new meaning to cotton mouth.

11pm-Excitment! The nurse and the doctor decide it's time to get this baby out. They get my room ready; called every inturn in the hospital and possibly surrounding county to come witness this amazing birth, got the baby's warming bed ready, told Matt to go pee and asked me if I was ready. Serioulsy? Do I get a choice? Right. Thought so.

11:30pm-After riding his bike from an emergency twin c-section the doctor pops his head in and decides that it's time. Here we go. The nurse is on the phone with the other hospitals saying they're going to win the New Years baby competition. Great, glad I could help you out.

And that is where I will leave it until tomorrow!!!!

5 years ago today...

Was when I went into labor with Claire. I labored for 2.5 days and finished the adventure with a c-section. So for the next 2.5 days I will recount what I was doing, or I should say going, through 5 years ago in snowy Spokane, WA.

5pm-went to dinner with Bryan and Amy Utecht. I believe we ate at The Olive Garden. ( sigh. I miss the alfredo and the bread sticks. Oh to enjoy their fattening buttery goodness just one more time...)

7pm-went to go see Life Aquatic. In MY opinion it was one of the stupidest movies ever made. Matt loved it of course.

10pm-woke up in labor. Hooray. Here we go!

December 2009

Captains log December 2009-

Chili is simmering, Matt is at the piano talking to himself (and practicing a bit) Lea is dressed up at Scooby Doo and Claire is on the floor making paper dolls.

I am not much of a journalistic type so we'll see how long this lasts. I just figured with all our family spread out all over the globe that this can be just one way to reach out to them.

We had a very relaxed Christmas at home and then drove down to Matt's parents house where we spent 2 days there visiting. Claire and Lea had a lot of fun playing with their cousin, Finn, and all the dogs there. They totally sacked out in the car on the ride back to Seattle.

With 1 week to go before Claire hits 5 we have a lot to plan for. She wants to continue with ballet, she got piano books for Christmas so we're going to start lessons in January, she might continue with horse lessons-it just depends on how much time her parental units have. Oh! And on the 9th we have to sign her up for KINDERGARTEN! Whaaa????? Crazy, I know.

Lea is just a happy little almost 3 year old. She wants to do exactly what her big sister does and as cute as it is for her parents Claire finds it quite annoying. Having been a big sister myself I can completely sympathize with Claire.