Welcoming Randall.

I had an appointment the morning of October 8th. I was exactly 39 weeks. As much I was trying to cherish the last few weeks of what most likely will be my last pregnancy I was a little irked that I had made it this far without going into labor. I had been seeing Sarah, a midwife, throughout my entire pregnancy and we had become good friends. So good in fact, that she promised to deliver our baby whether she was working that day or not. She had good news for me. I was already 2-3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. When she asked me about my labor plan (which was to labor at home for as long as possible) she chuckled a bit and told me I may want to think about just coming in--this baby was going to come fast. She stripped my membranes and we said our goodbyes.

The rest of the day I felt different but I assumed it was because I was so far along and had just had my membranes stripped. I started to feel some pretty strong pressure in my pelvis. I really didn't think anything of it. That night I lost my plug. I was so excited! Historically I had gone into labor within 24 hours with my other babies. When I told Tim he gave me a weird look. He was getting nervous. I asked him why. He said he couldn't explain it but he was getting really anxious and felt like the baby was going to be here VERY soon. I shrugged it off. Not ten minutes later I got up from bed to go to the bathroom and my water broke. It was strange, I felt very calm. I told Tim and he looked confused. I explained that I wasn't really in any pain. I told him to jump in the shower while I called our friend Heather and Sarah to ask what she thought I should do. We dilly dallied a bit and went to hospital (as advised by Sarah) by 1 am.

The nurses in L & D didn't really take me very seriously. I really wasn't in much pain yet but every once in awhile I'd have to stop and breathe. We decided to walk around bit to waste time. We only made it about 2 laps before I was stopping so much it wasn't worth it. I was on my hands and knees listening to some music on my ipod when Sarah came to check up on me again. It was starting to hurt. She checked me and I was at a 6-7. Okay, I can do this. I suddenly realized that my music choices were probably not super appropriate and apologized to her. She laughed and told me she liked it. Still, I felt like a ghetto mom playing Ice Cube- You Can Do It while in labor. It helped for awhile but soon these contractions were full on painful. I joked with Tim that I wanted to start swearing but I was afraid if I did that God wouldn't want to help me. Ha!

Though my water had broken it was still gushing through every contraction. I had actually lost 3 lbs already since my morning check up just from my waters breaking. I continued to move around but tried to stay near the few mats we had laid out so as not to make a mess. I had noticed that I went from wincing, to heavy breathing, to moaning to full out yelling. Okay, I was in yelling stage, it can't be too much longer, right? I had prepared myself for pain up to this point but this was becoming more. She checked me again. 8 cm. The next 45 minutes seemed like years. They tried to administer demerol, (not a pain medicine but can sometimes help relax you) and nothing. By this point I didn't know what to think. Tim was there, holding my hand, telling me I could do it--it wasn't much longer now, you're doing so good, we're almost there. I was in so much pain I asked to be checked again just to boost my moral. We kept trying to wait for a break between contractions to check but there were none. We just decided to go for it, heck, it was going to hurt anyway. 10 cm, 90% effaced. So dang close but no cigar. Suddenly, on the very next contraction my body just started pushing. By this time all my communication was in screams so I yelled to Sarah, "I think I have to push!" She smiled and said, "You are pushing. That's okay." 

She called a respitory therapist on the phone since she had given me demerol. I heard her on the phone so calmly saying, "Hi we need you for a delivery. Yes, it was administered 30 minutes ago." I about died. It was only 30 minutes ago?! It felt like it had been hours. The next contraction I went full out Braveheart mode. I was screaming through these contractions like a primal Amazonian woman. I realized how loud I was being but I didn't care. The pressure was so intense I didn't know what else to do. I screamed to Sarah, "Get him OUT!" She smiled and calmly said, "No, you're going to push him out." On the next contraction his head was out. One more and he was here! As soon as he was out, that immense relief of pressure and I  fell silent. He was here. He was safe. He came out screaming so the respitory therapist smiled and said, "Okay well, see you guys later!" The nurse kept commenting on how clean he was. Like he had already been bathed, ha! They didn't weigh or measure him for about an hour or so. He turned out to be 7 lb 14 oz and 21 1/4 inches. Had he been full term he would have been just as big as his brother! Thank goodness he came a week early!

When it was all over I kept thinking to myself how lucky I was. I had so many people support and love me through this pregnancy. It was hard (a few choice words may have been said) but it really didn't become too difficult until the last hour. He was born at 4:44 am. Just 4 1/2 hours after my water broke--3 1/2 after arriving at the hospital. I just couldn't believe it. It was the best I could have asked for. I know in my heart that all of our prayers were answered. I know that through my struggles and my faults my Heavenly Father was aware of me and was there with me every step of the way. Tim had given me a blessing in the car before we went into the hospital and he mentioned that I would feel the love of my Father and of those who were praying for me. Boy, did I. I really can't thank you all enough. For your thoughts, prayers, support and love. We are so blessed to have friends and family like you and we are over the moon about our little Rand.

He is such a special little guy. Our other two children looked almost identical at birth but Rand really doesn't look like either of them. He has his Dad's long, finger toes and his Mom's gap between his toes. He has soft black hair that we adore. Not quite the thick mop our other two had but hair none the less. He has the sweetest little wrinkly ears and the cutest little frown. 

We named him

Randall Cruz Wood

Randall is Tim's Father's middle name.

Cruz is my Mother's Father's first name.

We call him Rand. Not Randy, just Rand.

And it fits him.

His brother and sister adore him. They are constantly fighting over who gets to hold him, saying, "I want baby!" "I hold you--pleeease!" They are so delighted to help and get so excited to give him a binky or rub his head to tell him, "It's okay bebe."

So, so much love.

We are a happy family.