7 pounds, 10 ounces.
Dark thick hair.
Chubby little cheeks.
Quiet little cry.
Easy to love and hug.
He's my new crush: Henry.
And here's how we got him:
On Friday morning at 4:30 am, Heath called and told me, "it's time! I've been having contractions since 1:30, and am feeling like just like I did with Amelia. It's happening!". So, I jumped out of bed (looking fabulous) and headed straight up to Snohomish. On the drive up, I was hoping I wasn't "too late" and worried that I might miss the birth. Little did I know what lied ahead-24 hours ahead....
Once I got to Snohomish, Amelia was up and at em', getting ready to spend the day with "gamma Tanya". Heath was watching tv, counting through her contractions every 5 minutes. Amelia left soon, and it was just Heath, me, and Grant. Waiting.
Around 9:00 am, we decided we should move this labor along, so I coordinated a jogging and jump jack routine that lasted about 15 minutes. It was more of a laughing hysterically at Heather trying to do these things than the actually exercise, but it was a good distraction. Still, the contractions stayed the same frequency and intensity. It was getting a little tiring to watch, but, don't worry, I was okay. :)
We watched Jersey Shore and read some People mags for about 3 more hours. Still, Heath's contractions didn't change. When she had contractions, we muted the tv, put the mags down, and counted through it with her. After about 25 counts, the tv was unmuted and we resumed our convo about Jessica Simpson's life going down hill.
Then around 1:30 (a wee 12 hours of contractions for Heath), the contractions became more intense, the celeb gossip had come to a lull, and we decided we should get in the car and head to her midwife's home, where we better be havin this baby.
So, the midwife checks Heath, to find that she is 2 1/2 cm dialated. You've got to be kidding me. This labor is going as slow as Kristi Alley's weight loss. Heath is in so much pain, and it doesn't quit. 2:30 rolls around, then 5:00, then 6:00. Heath is silent, exhausted, and her face showed excruciating pain. The midwife checked her again. She was only 3 cm. This is when I cried. I know, such a wuss. The contrations were never ending. I'd spent the last 13 hours staring into her pain-filled face, squeezing her hand, imagining the pain. She told me that counts "3 through 20" were the most painful, so it was during that time that my face mirrored hers. Not because I could feel her pain (I wished I could), but because I know her face (it's just like mine) and I know what every wrinkle meant. Pain. Exhaustion. Sometimes I just felt like she would be in labor for the rest of our life, and that absolutely nothing will ever be as horrible as watching her go through this. Oh ya, that's when I lost it.
From 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm, she continued contractions every 3-5 minutes. Grant and I held her hands while she squeezed and we took turns counting with her. He kissed her all the time, and sometimes she would smile when he did. I was so glad she had him.
At 11:30ish , the midwife checked Heath again. She was still 3 cm. I couldn't believe my ears. All of this pain and no change. Then the midwife asked Heath if she would like her to break her water. Heath didn't hesitate. "Yes. Do it", she said calmly. After that, Heath kind of lit up for a second and had a look on her face that "IT'S GO TIME". And that's exactly what happened.
All of a sudden, Heath turned into the incredible Hulk. With one push, she went from 3 to 6 cm. Another push, 6 to 9 cm. One more push, she was at 10 cm. Grant and I were cheering for her, she was so focused and so determined. No screaming, no yelling. Just totally focused. Three more pushes, and there was Henry.
It was a surprise gender, they didn't know what it was going to be. We were so tired and glad to be finished, it didn't matter what it was - we were just thankful Heath was finished. Both Grant and I agree, it could have been a monkey and we would have said, "great. let's go home".
So, that's my birth story. Henry is absolutely adorable, and Heath is amazing.
I'm so glad I have a new baby to hold and am so happy to be Aunt Meg to this cute little guy.
