According to the Calender...

I should be laying in a hospital bed, with an epidural, pushing, resting, pushing, resting, and pushing some more but lucky for me our little Beckam decided to surprise us all, some more than others, and come 15 days early (the exact same as Cade). On the night of Tuesday the 17th of June Jared and I were up late talking when I felt a sharp pinch but didnt think much of it because Becks sat on my nerves on a continual basis. However, once I felt a gush of water I knew he wasnt joking this time. I looked at Jared and said, "I think my water just broke!" and he said, "really?? Are you sure? How do you know?" I sat there for a moment until another warm gush of water came, just to make sure I hadnt peed my pants and said, "Yep, it broke," as I ran to the bathroom, leaving a trail behind me. For the following 30 minutes I waddled around the house trying to figure out how I would make it to the hospital without making a mess and Jared called everyone we knew, despite the fact that it was midnight.

After running around, trying to get a hold of our friends to come stay with Cade and making a stop at the gas station to fill up, something I thought about doing ALL day but decided to wait, we finally made it to the hospital at about 1am. My contractions were starting to come on stronger but were far enough apart that we were actually having a good time. Jared decided that he would do 10 push ups and 10 sit-ups every time I had a contraction. He was bouncing all over the room and was so so so excited to get the party started. It made me laugh when all the nurses were surprised with his enthusiasm but all he could say was, "we are having a baby boy...that is exciting!"

The doctor said that I could have my epidural at any time that I wanted and after waiting until about 3am and deciding that there was no reason to be a hero and wait until the pain was unbearable I decided, after encouragement from Jared, to just get the epidural while my contractions were still 4 minutes apart and we were still laughing and enjoying the process. At one time I was thinking about going natural but decided that I wanted Jared to see me enjoy labor at least once before I opted for no medication. And enjoy we did!
The epidural kicked in at about 3:30am while I was dilated to a 6 and 70% effaced and we both soon dosed off so we could be well rested for the big moment.

At about 6 am I woke up starving and convinced Jared to grab me a granola bar and sneak it in. As I was stuffing the granola bar in my mouth the nurse broke my second sack of water and Beckam immediately dropped into place, I dilated from an 8 to a 10 in a matter of moments and I was ready to push.

I started pushing at 7:00am and he made his big debut at 7:04am with his cord wrapped around his ankle and everything. It was so exciting and such a wonderful and emotional experience. I so loved having Jared at my side, cheering me on and smiling ear to ear as he finally saw one of his babies born. I have to say that this labor, delivery and recovery has been a breeze. I know, that means I am in for a long road to make up for the ease of his entrance into the world but it was such a joyous experience.

Beckam has been such a good baby. He is happy, cuddly, loves to sleep, likes to eat, and is adored by his big brother. It has been such a joy to have this little guy in our home and to feel of his spirit. I feel so lucky to be his mama and am starting to now get my feet wet and feel what it is like to be a mom of 2. My mom has been with us for 2 weeks and had to go home yesterday so today is D day for me. It was so wonderful for all of us to have her here!
I have been on a journey, I have learned more about myself and my family, and I have experienced more joy than I could have ever comprehended. And it has only just begun...