Newly Released Photos - Labor #1

Okay... so we've just hit 31 weeks. Darin and I have BOTH had dreams that this baby has come super early. I am trying not to get my hopes up because Adie Grace came 3 weeks and 1 day early. I am precise with the 36 weeks and 1 day because if she would have come exactly 3 weeks early, maybe, just MAYBE in that one day I would have had an inkling day to pack my bags for the hospital. Or would have had things ready at work so I wouldn't have had to work until 1pm the day of her birth. Or get a few more outfits (she had 4 total.. we were surprised with her and at our 4 showers everyone got us what we needed.. not clothes.. PERFECT!) Or Darin would have had her crib ready and he wouldn't be in his wood shop THE DAY WE GAVE BIRTH TO HER to finish her crib.
Yeah.
So this time we are prepared. Which probably means she'll be 2 weeks late! HA!
My mother-in-law recently emailed me the below pictures of the day we were in labor and man they made me laugh and want to cry myself to sleep at the same time.
But I had fun reminiscing and trying not to remember the intense pain that contractions and birthing a human out of a small whole bring.

Here's the first one.. man my face gained some sympathy weight! This was about 3pm in the afternoon when Darin was finishing up the crib and we were about 2 hours away from heading to the hospital. As you guessed.. this picture is between contractions. I'm able to smile. =/



And my hilarious track-coach-of-a-husband is wearing his stopwatch to time contractions. He took his job seriously. The stopwatch was especially funny when I had a contraction at the front door of the hospital. I leaned up against the side of the building resisting my urge to punch the next innocent person I saw as my husband was cheering me on with his stopwatch 3 inches from his face.
I'm sure we were a funny site to see. =/

And I wonder why the gal at the front desk just looked at us and said, "3rd floor."

How did she know we were in labor?

And this one is great... a fun contraction in the wood shop... obviously before the epidural...

(Side note: this picture is for my sister who didn't experience a contraction with her twins cuz she had a c-section. And she wanted SO BAD to have a natural birth with baby #3.. um, does this picture help you cope with the c-section you are signed up for in June?)

This picture is obviously AFTER the epidural...

I was pretty much epidural drunk as I was asking the midwife how in sam-hill I was supposed to push because I couldn't feel anything below my belly-button. She says push like your pooping.. that I do well. =) I pushed like I was poo-ing and she came out in 26 minutes...

And the result...

Meeting Adelyn Grace for the first time.

This picture makes me excited.. my hubby so, so in awe of his baby girl. We are THRILLED to meet you, Baby JJ!!!