"One, two, free!"

Sunday July 24th, Pioneer day, 2005 we had a normal Sunday dinner at Kurt's parents house.  I was two weeks away from my due date and I was feeling really good.  So good that when Kurt and I were playing a really competitive game of croquet I was chasing him around like I was only four months pregnant.  Hahaha!  We had just moved in to Kurt's grandma's basement because we were moving to come to Hawaii soon and our lease was up on our apartment.  That Sunday night we were down in our little dungeon watching a good old Disney flick, "That Darn Cat!"  The movie ended at 2 am and although Kurt feel right to sleep after the movie I on the other wasn't feeling to great.  I had had a couple of "braxton hicks" and my whole stomach and back were tighter than tight every time I had one.  I had timed them thinking in my wildest dreams that these could be contractions but they were not consistent and although everything was tight nothing hurt.  I had witness the decision making for my sister, Nikki and her husband Mike, when they decided it was finally time for them to go to the hospital with their first born Davis.  She had said, "You know when to go in when your contractions hurt so bad you can't walk."  That and them being at least five min. apart of course.  So I laid down and even fell asleep for half an hour.  I woke up around 3 am and made the climb to our one and only upstairs bathroom.  This I did every 15 min for the next hour.  I had so much pressure that I had to constantly pee.  And so much pressure that it stung to pee because the baby was pinching my pee tube.  I trekked back down and then I timed my contractions coming every fifteen min.  Could this really be it?  I was skeptical so I walked around the room.  I didn't know if that was supposed to make it stop or keep them coming but I heard that's what you do so I did it.  No contractions came while I walked so I laid in bed to try to go to sleep thinking I was defeated in my thoughts.  Every time I laid down a contraction hit.  They were getting harder too.  Enough to keep me from walk?  I stood up.  No!  I felt like I could do a jig during the contraction.  Finally after doing these routines of going to the bathroom without any relief, walking and trying to lay back down, at 6 am my contractions were seven to ten min. apart.  I finally woke Kurt up and told him he needed to time them with me.  We went upstairs where Grandma Kay was up and sat around timing my contractions.  At 7 am the were consistently five min apart and then we decided it was time.  I was so excited.  After I wobbled slowly down the stairs I started to get dressed and get some things in order.  I got up to grab my bag from across the room and my pain from my contraction slowly brought my upper body down to where I was a walking fetus all curled up in a ball.  Kurt could not keep from laughing which made me laugh and brought me to my knees.  I was now crawling to my bag.  After the contraction subsided Kurt finally got up from rolling on the floor with laughter and we hurried out to the truck before I got stuck crawling on ground.  We walked through the hospital doors around 8:30 am.  Kurt grabbed a wheelchair and parked it in front of me.  I was horrified.  "I don't need a wheelchair!"  I saw his hesitant face but I was so defiant against the cripple chair that we both started laughing and we slowly made our way to the labor and delivery unit.  When we opened the double doors three nurses heads popped up. 

"Yes?"

"Umm...is this where you go if you think you're in labor?"  I had known where to go due to labor classes Kurt and I had taken but the way they asked, yes, you would've thought I was a hobo walking into a Louis Vuitton store.

All the nurses shared a long look then one finally said to follow her.  Kurt and I knew exactly what they were thinking.  This girl thinks she's in labor and we're going to have to send her home.  What a waist of our time!

We followed her into a delivery room where she said to hop on the bed;  Specifying to lay on top of the covers.  That solidified my thoughts.  She rubber gloved me and guess what?  I was dilated to a seven!  Buy ah!

"Wow!  I thought we were going to have to send you home.  I even told you not to get under the covers because of it."

So they hooked me up actually and started the labor routine.  Grandma Kay had spread the word and Kurt's uncle Keith came in and after retrieving Kurt from the cafeteria, they gave me a blessing.  I was so grateful for that blessing.  It really calmed me and cleared my mind to make the decision to have a natural child birth.  Kurt and I were having a good labor.  We were talking and laughing.  I knew I could handle the pain of the contractions.  I was already at a seven.  The labor was harder than the delivery right?  After I told my Certified Nurse Midwife that I wanted to go natural she instructed the nurses to fill up the jet tub with hot water and to get me some juice.  I was in the only room with a jet tub and because I was going natural I could have any liquid I wanted to drink.  I got in that tub as quickly as possible.  It cut the pain in half.  I would say more than in half.  It was SO nice!  The nurse came in regularly and just said that if I felt the need to push to get them and they'll get me out and start the actual delivery.  They also said that my water would break soon and when it did the contractions would get heavier.  Well sooner than I had expected I felt that need to push.  I had the nurses come in and help me get on the bed.  Funny thing for me my water hadn't broken yet.  Everything was happening so fast I don't remember if the nurses finally broke it or if it broke up itself.  I think the nurse was checking me and it broke.  My CNM came in right as I started pushing.

"Let's have this baby by 10 am.  My sons are in the Pioneer Day parade and I said I'd see them."

She said it in a totally funny manner.  No worries.  So I pushed and screamed and pushed and screamed.  I was using every muscle in my body.  Kurt had to constantly remind me to open my eyes so I wouldn't pop blood vessels.  I had to flip from my back to my side because I was having back labor and the pain was killing me.  I even remember pleading to them to give me some kind of numbing pain.   If you don't know what it feels like to give birth Bill Crosby gave a good explanation from his wife.  Take your lower lip and pull it over your head.  I personally would say put your fingers in your mouth and pull them has hard has you can against the ends of you mouth.  Then times that stinging by five!  Moving on, I pushed a good half hour and on July 25th 2005 at 10:03 am out came Drew Maeliana Reynolds 6 lb. 15 oz. and 20 inches long.  Ten fingers and ten toes with a good head of black hair. She was so healthy and pink when she came out that they didn't even need to put her under the warming light or need special attention.  Just straight on my chest she went to keep warm.  It was one of the single most amazing feelings in the world.  To have this tiny body on you for the first time.  My CNM didn't get to see her sons in the parade but she said it was okay.  They'll be in it next year and she much rather be here.  Although she ran out almost as soon as Drew was born.

It's amazing to me to think that it was 3 years ago today.  I honestly look back and can still remember everything so vividly.  I would do it all again in a heartbeat to have my little girl.

Drew is such a special spirit.  She loves her brother so much!  And he in turn thinks the world of her.  She show's him how to get into mischief and then in turn disciplines him for it.  They were jumping on the bed today and they were laughing so hard.  Nothing is more exciting to hear than little children laughing out of joy.  Drew has her dad's singing talent of hearing a song once and being able to pick up.  She'll even take a song and plug in her own words.  "Old McDonald had a farm EIEIO.  And on that farm he had a FOOT!  EIEIO.  With a foot foot here and a foot foot there..."  Drew also loves to wave and say hi to everybody she sees.  She'll get a smile out of almost anybody when she does it too.  When you say bye or say goodnight she has to give you hugs and kisses.  If not she'll throw a conniption!  Her heart is so full.  If you have something pretty on she'll tell you and if you look old enough to be a grandma she'll ask you if you're one.  She loves grandma's!  Drew loves to ask the girls waiting in the women's bathroom, "Oh, you got to pee too?"  I found myself in the beginning hushing her and stopping her from making contact for fear the person is being bothered.   But I quickly learned that she helps them more by brightening up their day.  I'm so grateful I was blessed to have my little Dew-b-Dew.  She brightens up my day and I know she will forever.  I love you so much Drew!  

Happy Birthday!