So hard to believe that a week ago right now I hadn't even laid eyes on my son yet.....
The action all kind of started last Saturday morning. Around 4:00am I started having contractions and got up and started timing them. By 8:00am they were about 6-10 minutes apart. I was sure that we'd be at the hospital by noon. Well...Jay changed his mind because my contractions slowed down and by bedtime pretty much had gone away.
I woke up Sunday morning not feeling anything and figured we'd still be on for the induction Monday morning. Well, around noon the contractions started up again. They were different this time though....much further apart, about 30 minutes, but much stronger. Then at 3:30 I got the surprise of my life when my water broke. I immediately went and told John who was outside mowing the lawn that it was time to head to the hospital!
We got to the hospital and hooked up to all the monitors around 4:15. When they checked me I was 2-3 cm and completely effaced. Man oh man were those contractions coming fast. Thank God for John and my mom for keeping me calm and talking me through it. SO much of it is a blur and seems like it was all a dream. They checked me again around 6:30 and I was 5-6 cm and it was time for the EPIDURAL......which I ended up getting some time after 7:00, again, its all a blur.
My mom and John were asked to leave the room while the epidural was put in. My dad had just gotten to the hospital with dinner for the 3 of them so they ate it in the little waiting area while I got the epidural. While they were putting the epidural in the contractions just wouldn't stop coming, they were right on top of each other. As soon as it was in place the nurse wanted to check me again and I was a full 10 cm and ready to push. Unfortunately, Jay's blood pressure kept dropping down so they put me on oxygen and kept John and Mom out of the room. They were getting me all prepped to push and I was freaking out b/c I was by myself. Thankfully John and Mom were let in the room by the time I had to do that first push.
I started pushing at 8:00 and at 10:39....yes that is 2 hours and 39 minutes of pushing...Jay made his way into the world. John and my mom were there for all of it and John cut the cord to free our little man. The entire experience was the most life changing thing I have ever gone through. To go from being just "Chelle, John's Wife, Russ and Lynne's daughter" to "Jay's Mother" in an instant is something I couldn't have prepared myself for. Jay came out perfectly pink and gorgeous....well....except for a serious case of "CONE HEAD". But that actually went away very quickly.
We came home Tuesday just after lunch from the hospital and have been figuring out this whole "parenting" thing ever since. There have been a lot of sleepless nights, some tears (from Jay and me!), TONS of pictures taken, and millions of smiles. I can't believe it has only been a week, so much has happened in our lives. We have already learned so much but have SO far to still go. Jay completely has his days and nights flip flopped, but we're working on helping him get them figured out!
John and my mom go back to work tomorrow, not gonna lie, I'm a little nervous about being alone all day. Thank goodness John's office is only about a mile from the house and unless he is in a meeting could probably run right home at any time if I needed him. Today we're taking our first trip out of the house with Jay, we're headed to my parents for Easter dinner. I'll be sure to take pictures of him in his Easter out fit and post when I get a chance.
Well thats his story......by the sounds of the monitor I think he is waking up from his nap and is probably hungry. Here are a couple more pics from the past couple days. Thanks for everyone's love and support this past week. We couldn't do this without our family and friends!
Jay will meet his other 3 cousins Kayla, Cameron, and Connor this summer when they come visit us from South Carolina. 
Stretching after a nap
Laying in his rainforest
So stinkin' handsome!
The Easter Bunny visited Jay and brought him a basketful of goodies. He wasn't sure what to think of it....
All dressed up in "bunny" garb ready to go to Grammie and Grandpa's for Easter dinner.
Ahhh...nice a cozy in Grammie's arms. What a great day!
Pam is SO creative and crafty. She painted Jay's name onto wooden letters, made him custom onesies to hang on the clothesline, made an awesome diaper cake, and painted picture frames that held pictures of John and I as babies!
Needless to say between my mom and I, my students, other family members, and the showers I've had....I'd say this kid has a pretty awesome wardrobe. We're pretty stocked from Newborn up to 12 Months! He's going to be SO stinkin' cute!
I was lucky enough to receive so many gifts that are really going to come in handy once Jay gets here. But....I must admit....I think I got the most excited about the gift that included a bottle wine! I think after all of this baby making business I've earned myself a drink!