Happy Birthday Kelsey!!!

It was late on Friday, May 13th when Kelsey Leigh started kickin' and screamin' to come in to the world. We had had a busy several weeks with Ally being in the hospital with rotavirus and then heading back to the ER just one week later for stitches in her chin for falling off the slide. Things were just quieting down from all of that fun when it was time for Kelsey to arrive. I had a doctor appointment that afternoon with Dr. Dodder. She was the one I met with the night we ended up in the hospital with Ally and she did not disappoint this time either...she just had the magic touch. My contractions started around dinner time and were very irregular throughout the night. At one point, they even stopped completely, which seemed very weird to me. I couldn't understand why they had been coming with at least some sort of consistency, but then just stop. So, I continued to do my nightly routine in preparation for a hospital visit...we did all the laundry, took showers, made sure all the toys were put away, and we did a last minute sweep of the nursery to make sure we weren't forgetting anything. After all of that, we headed to bed, with no contractions. And I was so sure we were going in. And, I was right. I no sooner laid down in bed when the contractions started up again...this time much more regular, much harder, and much closer together. With the speed at which things progressed with Ally, we weren't taking any chances. After just 45 minutes of contractions, we called the doctor because there was no way we wanted this baby to be born on 400. We were very nervous...even more so this time than the last. At least last time we thought we had hours. This time we knew we didn't have hours...we were talking minutes. Bunky came to stay at the house with Ally. On our way out the door, I remember giving her a quick kiss as she laid in her new, big girl bed which dwarfed her at the big age of 2. And I cried as I left her room because I knew the next time I saw her, it would no longer be the 3 of us. Don't get me wrong, we were so excited to be bringing a sister home for her, but there was a kind of loss that it was no longer going to be just us. Bo drove to the hospital 30 minutes away like a controlled maniac. We had discussed several times that safety was an issue, speed was not. And if we got tagged by a cop, he was just going to throw on the flashers and keep going. If the local authorities had a problem with a man trying to get his pregnant wife to the hospital, we'd see them in court with said screaming child!! We arrived around 10:30 PM with no fanfare and got checked in to a room...just across the hall from where we had Ally. After all the paperwork, the nurse checked me and I had dilated to almost 3 cm on my own...1 more than at the doctor's office that afternoon, so I was staying for sure. And given the history, they gave me the epidural immediately. As happy as I was about that, it really slowed things down...Kelsey pretty much went to sleep after that. So, Bo and I rested in the hospital that night and the next morning at 7:00 we started the pitocin. As the morning went on, I was feeling great...SITTING UP and talking to family, friends, and the nurses. Oh...and let's not forget the real estate agents who kept calling because we were working on a final offer for our house. We had bought a new house in February and were in the process of selling ours, LITERALLY, as I was in labor. Anyhow...as the nurses came in and out of my room, no one bothered to mention to me that the epidural works on gravity and that if I was sitting up to help bring Kelsey down, that the epidural would go to my feet. At 11:30, I was really beginning to feel the contractions and that's when they decided to tell me I should have been laying down. The nurse checked me and I was at 7 cm, but feeling a lot of pressure and pain. Within 5 minutes, Doctor Rosenberg came in and checked me again. I was in a lot of pain and I had completely dilated...3 cm in 5 minutes...SERIOUSLY?!?!?!? At this point, the nurse tried to give me a bolus dose of the epidural, but it was already too late. Kelsey Leigh was coming fast. After several attempts at pushing and being tense through the pain, the doctor told me to relax as much as I could and to push through the pain. I only remember one thing after that...I looked at Bo with wide eyes...kind of like a deer in headlights...very scared and in pain. And he looked back at me and had a very serious look on his face. He grabbed my hand hard and told me to focus and do this. So, I did. And at 12:25 PM, Kelsey Leigh arrived in the world weighing 6 lbs. 4 oz.

Kelsey has been such a special part of our family for 4 years now and we hope we have many more to celebrate with her. I can't tell you how awesome it is that Kelsey has a big sister so close in age like my sister and I are. We know they will be close for the rest of their lives. We Love You, Kelsey Bear!! Happy Birthday!!!