The ants go marching

Today was not a rockin' and rollin' day.  Mostly, really, it was a rollin' day. Rollin' off the bed (ouch), rolling out of the baby chair (ouch), rolling over my leg and face-first onto the unforgiving floor (ouch).  Tears and screams were had by all.

This week Keaton has his first cold. It's not what he wanted for his 6 month birthday but it's all we could afford. Ha! Not true. We also got him a lovely toy from Target that he adores. A rattle thing. It sticks in front of his high-chair and he plays with it while we eat. He doesn't know he's being gypped. Yes indeed, he gets a plastic rattle thing while his Mom shoves brownies, pasta, cookies, burgers, pizza, etc in her mouth as fast as she can. He doesn't know his Mom has given up caring about her figure. He doesn't know that plastic rattle things don't taste as good as all this other stuff. Soon he will get food. But not yet. He's just not quick enough to get it before it's gone.

Now he's asleep in bed with his parents and his breath is, for the first time in days, not heavy with congestion. It is a gift. It is heaven. 

The last thing of note:  today Keaton finds the words "chicken stock" hilarious.

dreamin'

Last night Keaton had a night terror. At least, that's the going theory. He abruptly woke up at 1am and started screaming. It was a new scream, not a scream we've translated before. It was a scary scream.  I picked him up and rocked him, tried to nurse him, took off his diaper, checked for bug bites or scratches or any other clue to his unhappiness. His eyes were tightly shut or, if open, not really open.  He screamed like he was in horrific pain.

So I cried.

I was fine, but my eyes were dripping, you know how that is.

We turned on all the lights and walked him around and finally, after about 15 minutes of screaming, Keats' eyes popped open and he looked at us calmly.

5 minutes later he had nursed back to sleep, and that was that.

He's fine today, but I'm still recovering.

Birth Story

THE STORY OF KEATON’S BIRTH

12:30am on Sunday morning: My water broke. A big gush followed by lots of little gushes which lasted for hours. I finally fell asleep by about 4am.

That afternoon (still Sunday) Ali and I were at Central Market gathering last minute snacks. We had just eaten lunch at Freebirds and I had been having light contractions on and off. By 2pm they were starting to get strong enough that I wanted to be at home. We went home and walked a mile together, the contractions kept building.

By 5pm it seemed like the contractions were getting regular, about every 6-8 minutes. Some were very intense. Zoiks.

7pm: Walked another mile. Things are intensifying but still at most about 5 minutes apart. We are watching Roswell episodes which is comforting. Mom and Meg and Gio are on call and I feel bad that I don’t have more info for them and that I’ve left them hanging.

8:15pm: Contractions 4 minutes apart. So intense. I called Gio who made me drink water and breathe. Hearing her voice made me wanna cry. I didn’t, though. I couldn’t talk through the contractions. Had to ask her to hold.

9:10pm: Meg and Mom just got here. MM called and says to drink wine, take ibuprofen and take a hot bath to slow things down (this is called "the trick"). She thinks it’ll be a late night and wants us to rest if we can. Meg brought so much food. Mom and Meg left so I can try the trick.

We tried to sleep. Ali did a little. I didn’t. Contractions have slowed to 8-10 min apart but are increasingly painful.

3am Monday: Ali called MM. She thinks it’s pre-labor. Advises rest, offers to come over. We say not yet.

3:30am: Things are so intense and I am freaking out that this might not even be labor yet. Ali is asleep. I called Mom, she and Meg were asleep in the car outside my house. They came in. I was so glad. Nauseated from the wine. Mom put a cold wash-cloth on my head, really helped. I believe this isn’t even labor yet and I worry about what a wuss I apparently am.

5am: I’m convinced this has to be something, it can’t be pre-labor. Ali calls MM and she says she’s coming over. I am so glad.

5:40: MM arrives, checks me, I’m at 7cm. I am wild with pain but hearing that it is real labor strengthens me. MM suggests a walk. Ali and I step outside and walk. The moon is bright but morning is just starting to break. We get to the end of the road and back and things are heavy. SO hard. We come back in and MM suggests the birthing tub. I got in and it took the edge off, barely. Mom was watching and grinning and I growled at her, "stop smiling." After 2 contractions MM checked fetal tones and told me to get out immediately. She checked me and I remember her saying “uh, honey? I need you to PUSH!”

6:30: I started pushing and squatting to push with Ali’s support. MM gave perineal support and called Aleah who was lost but near. Pushing was a whole new and different pain. It was work.I was dripping sweat, literally. I couldn’t stop making a noise with my throat as I breathed out and MM told me to stop and I jumped on her with “OKAY OKAY!” and feel bad about that. After pushing awhile squatting we moved to the bed. MM did major work to help with stretching. The breaks between contractions were so surreal, so pain-fee except the ring of fire which was more scary (I was sure I was ripping) than excruciating (though it was that, too). MM offered to let me see with a mirror and I said no. She told me to feel the head and I did but it didn’t connect with me that it was my baby’s head, so it did nothing for me.

Finally I pushed and MM told me to LOOK and to keep pushing and I did and watched the baby come out. When I first looked down he was out to the waist and needed just one more push. Ali caught him. While we looked at him in complete shock, MM worked on me and soon the afterbirth just popped out. She said it looked great, I was so healthy. Keats was pink and had only a small bit of vernix on him. MM massaged my stomach which hurt like hell. I was elated, shocked, overwhelmed. Keaton nursed immediately, easily. It was mindblowing.

It took three days to come down from that high to normal land. It was the most incredible thing I’ve ever experienced. Well, until motherhood.

Born 9/22/08 at 7:24am. 8lbs 6oz, 21.5" long.