Dear Ben, you will be 3 in a few hours...
Dear Ben,
Tomorrow you will turn three. But today, right now, at 9:33pm, you are still my two year old boy. You are my 41 lb. two year old! My big little guy. Three years ago, right now, Grandpa and Grandma Marcy and Ernie were speeding to the Cities, to be with Luke, because you were definitely on your way. I had my first contraction around 6:30pm on a Saturday night, April 30th (you were due on April 24th). We were at a hockey game for your cousin Jonathan in Plymouth. I went to the bathroom there, and when I started to sit down, a sharp pain shot through my belly. I was already a week overdue, so I knew you would be coming soon, however, I wasn't convinced it was a contraction at that moment. It felt very different than how things started with Luke (that's another story!). So I somehow got myself in and out of the bathroom and headed back out to your dad and Luke. The hockey game was over, so we headed to the little golf course by our apartment so your dad and Luke could do some chipping and putting (Luke had just turned 2 years old). I don't think I had any more pains until after we had gotten to the golf course. It was windy and cool, so I sat in the clubhouse, reading my George W. Bush non-fiction. I remember getting an occasional achy pain, but they were 25-30 minutes apart. Contractions - at least contractions when you are in labor - are often 5 minutes apart or less. I should have known this was labor because you were a week overdue, but again, it was so much less intense than it was with Luke, and the contractions were so far apart. So...around 8pm or so we left the golf course and headed to Chipotle in Crystal to grab some food. It was close to 9pm and I finally decided to call my parents. I told them I still wasn't sure if it was really labor, but Grandma Marcy said they were on the way, and if it ended up being false labor they would just turn around and head home. After Chipotle we headed to the apartment, where I decided the contractions were really contractions, and they became a little more frequent and intense. I remember being on all fours on the living room floor....which sometimes help relieve the pain during contractions. We decided we better head to the Maple Grove Hospital. Grandpa and Grandma weren't going to be there for a little while yet, so our good friend, Amy Hertel, came over to be with Luke until they arrived. We left for the hospital at 9:45pm. When I got to the hospital, the nurses checked me and I was already 7 1/2cm dilated. Oops. I waited too long again! They told me not to wait so long to come to the hospital this time (with Luke I was 6cm dilated and they wanted me to get there earlier). I couldn't believe I had been in labor since 6:30pm'ish and was almost 8cm dilated and still wasn't in nearly the amount of pain that I was with Luke. I wish I would have just gone in and had you without getting an epideral, but I decided to get one. That slowed my contractions down, so the nurses had to give me petocin to start the contractions back up. The question was if I was going to have you on Saturday night, April 30th, or Sunday morning, May 1st. At about 11:35 they called the doctor to come in. When she came in, she said I was 10cm dilated and would break my water. After she did that, she said I could push. I pushed once and you flew right out! "IT'S A BOY!" she said. And I was SO HAPPY. I couldn't believe it. I had wanted another boy. And you looked SO different than Luke had. At first I thought you had no hair, but when they put you in my arms I realized you had white blond hair! Lukey's was dark black. It was so opposite of Luke, but you were another healthy boy! I was in love instantly. The doctor had only been in the room for 5 minutes. She laughed that it was the quickest and easiest delivery she'd ever had. I have a new computer so I don't have the pictures from the day you were born to paste in here. But I know if you look back at the earlier blogs from 2011 you will find some there.
I like to journal to you in pictures. This is who my little almost-three-year-old boy is right now.
Tomorrow you will turn three. But today, right now, at 9:33pm, you are still my two year old boy. You are my 41 lb. two year old! My big little guy. Three years ago, right now, Grandpa and Grandma Marcy and Ernie were speeding to the Cities, to be with Luke, because you were definitely on your way. I had my first contraction around 6:30pm on a Saturday night, April 30th (you were due on April 24th). We were at a hockey game for your cousin Jonathan in Plymouth. I went to the bathroom there, and when I started to sit down, a sharp pain shot through my belly. I was already a week overdue, so I knew you would be coming soon, however, I wasn't convinced it was a contraction at that moment. It felt very different than how things started with Luke (that's another story!). So I somehow got myself in and out of the bathroom and headed back out to your dad and Luke. The hockey game was over, so we headed to the little golf course by our apartment so your dad and Luke could do some chipping and putting (Luke had just turned 2 years old). I don't think I had any more pains until after we had gotten to the golf course. It was windy and cool, so I sat in the clubhouse, reading my George W. Bush non-fiction. I remember getting an occasional achy pain, but they were 25-30 minutes apart. Contractions - at least contractions when you are in labor - are often 5 minutes apart or less. I should have known this was labor because you were a week overdue, but again, it was so much less intense than it was with Luke, and the contractions were so far apart. So...around 8pm or so we left the golf course and headed to Chipotle in Crystal to grab some food. It was close to 9pm and I finally decided to call my parents. I told them I still wasn't sure if it was really labor, but Grandma Marcy said they were on the way, and if it ended up being false labor they would just turn around and head home. After Chipotle we headed to the apartment, where I decided the contractions were really contractions, and they became a little more frequent and intense. I remember being on all fours on the living room floor....which sometimes help relieve the pain during contractions. We decided we better head to the Maple Grove Hospital. Grandpa and Grandma weren't going to be there for a little while yet, so our good friend, Amy Hertel, came over to be with Luke until they arrived. We left for the hospital at 9:45pm. When I got to the hospital, the nurses checked me and I was already 7 1/2cm dilated. Oops. I waited too long again! They told me not to wait so long to come to the hospital this time (with Luke I was 6cm dilated and they wanted me to get there earlier). I couldn't believe I had been in labor since 6:30pm'ish and was almost 8cm dilated and still wasn't in nearly the amount of pain that I was with Luke. I wish I would have just gone in and had you without getting an epideral, but I decided to get one. That slowed my contractions down, so the nurses had to give me petocin to start the contractions back up. The question was if I was going to have you on Saturday night, April 30th, or Sunday morning, May 1st. At about 11:35 they called the doctor to come in. When she came in, she said I was 10cm dilated and would break my water. After she did that, she said I could push. I pushed once and you flew right out! "IT'S A BOY!" she said. And I was SO HAPPY. I couldn't believe it. I had wanted another boy. And you looked SO different than Luke had. At first I thought you had no hair, but when they put you in my arms I realized you had white blond hair! Lukey's was dark black. It was so opposite of Luke, but you were another healthy boy! I was in love instantly. The doctor had only been in the room for 5 minutes. She laughed that it was the quickest and easiest delivery she'd ever had. I have a new computer so I don't have the pictures from the day you were born to paste in here. But I know if you look back at the earlier blogs from 2011 you will find some there.
I like to journal to you in pictures. This is who my little almost-three-year-old boy is right now.
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