That night, I slept soundly until about 4 in the morning. I woke up to use the bathroom and just felt...different. I waited until Zach woke up around 6:30 to tell him about it. He figured if we were headed to the hospital that day, he should take the dogs to the park to tire them out. He armed me with his stop watch and a "contractions chart" and instructed me to "Pay attention to how you feel and track everything!" He did a really nice job channeling our child birth class instructor; he said all of the right things :-) I wasn't too worried and assured him that not only would I be fine while he was with the mutts, but that he would be able to play in a golf tournament later in the day. WRONG!
When Zach came back about 40 minutes later, my contractions were about 8 minutes apart. (I remember this because I've saved said contraction chart and am looking at it while I type!) At that point, Zach called the guys he was supposed to play with and informed them that he wouldn't make it: he was having a baby!
While he preferred to follow me around the house, I asked him to give me space. He promised he would comply as long as I let him know when a contraction began and ended, so I ended up yelling, "STARTING!" and "IT'S OVER!" from each room of the house! I eventually got in the tub and watched my belly move with each contraction. Our "daughter" would be here soon, I was sure of it!
We left for the hospital around 12:30. My parents were going to a graduation party that was half way to the hospital, so my brother ended up riding with us. Poor guy: he was stuck with us for what turned out to be a veeeeery long time! Mike took over timing the contractions, Zach navigated through the construction and traffic in Oakland, and I wedged a softball between my back and the seat because the pain was getting worse and worse.
When I was finally checked out by a doctor, I was 5 centimeters dilated so they admitted me. It was around 7 centimeters that I agreed to an epidural. I was disappointed immediately in my decision, but the back labor was too intense and I wasn't prepared for it; I expected pain in the front, but not in the back! The whole family was there, Jen even stopped in, and I was glad I could appreciate their company. I remember Zach reading the board that listed the on-call nurses and telling me it was a "sign." The two nurses were Theresa and Julie, Zach's mom and aunt's names, but they weren't spelled the same. The difference? The H in Teresa and the E in Juli: HE. Right then, Zach said we were having a son; of course, I told him he was wrong :-)
By the time I was ready to push, my mom had begged to stay in the room with us. I had just wanted it to be me and Zach, but she can be quite persuasive when she wants to be! I pushed for about 3 hours, long enough for everyone to announce my child had blond hair, and then...nothing. Julie The Best Nurse Ever grabbed the doctor and explained that I had been trying for a really long time, to no avail. The doctor gave me about four seconds of her time and decided I would have to have a C-section. The exhaustion and sense of failure set in immediately, so I cried my eyes out, and then was wheeled in for surgery.
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| Julie, my favorite nurse! |
During the surgery, Zach was by my side, holding my hand, and we were talking about names. He said we should decide on a boy's name, and we narrowed down our choices to Eli and Brady. All the while, I was still thinking Zach is clueless; Mia Rose would meet us any second now! At 3:30 am, the doctor introduced us to our SON, and I vividly remember slurring, "Liar! We're having a girl!" But low and behold, there was Brady Thomas Jankowski, all 8 pounds, 3 ounces of him. Our beautiful, blond and blue-eyed boy was here! He wasn't the girl or the Zach look alike that I had pictured over and over in my mind, but he was perfect and he was ours.
Our parents and our brothers were waiting for us when we were wheeled out of the OR. I'll never forget that Derek came directly from work (the Jonas Brothers concert!) at, like, 1 am, and then stayed to meet his nephew. Everyone else had been with us for FOURTEEN hours! Those memories mean so much to us. Brady was welcomed by his family and loved more than life itself from the second he came into our world.
In the short year that Brady has been with us, our life has changed dramatically; it is better than we ever could have expected. Brady makes us want to be better people. Zach is opting to coach closer to home, I've resigned from Riverview for an online teaching position so I can stay home with Brady (and future siblings!), and our family has been an amazing help and support system for us. I can honestly say that we have been truly blessed.
As we look back on his first year, we remember not the sleepless nights or bouts of crying that seemed like they would never end. We remember how much joy Brady brings us every day and how amazing it will be to watch him grow, learn to talk, and (eventually!) learn to walk! He's a great sleeper, a fantastic eater, and he's an incredibly happy kid. Overall, I'd have to say Zach and I aren't too shabby when it comes to this parenting thing. I'm ready to spread the wealth: Brady needs a sibling :-)
Happy First Birthday, Baby J.
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