I knew Charlotte was going to make her debut soon.. I just didn't know when. Mothers Day marked 3 days after her due date and I had an appointment the very next day to go to talk to my doctors about how long they would let me go before they decided to induce me.
As the day came to an end, I got all of Liv's stuff ready for school the next day, laid out her clothes and got her to bed. And then decided to catch up on some laundry. I guess something inside told me not to go to bed.. although in hind sight, I probably should have!
Well 11:30 rolls around, and I started having mild contractions. I had a fake out a couple nights earlier, so I just kept going about my business. Olivia had woken up coughing, so I got her nebulizer set up and gave her a breathing treatment, just in case I would have to leave to go to the hospital. Right in the middle of her treatment I had a contraction and the intensity was much greater than the last few had been. That's when I knew I had to wake up Zach.. it was time!
We called my dad to come over to the house, and we gathered all of our bags, got Liv's big sister outfit ready to go for the next day and said our tearful good-byes.
By the time we got in the truck around 12:45am, and headed to the hospital, my contractions were about 3 minutes apart and pretty intense. I called my mom and she met us in the parking lot as we were walking to the Emergency Room door. They wheeled me up, checked me in, and got me safely in my delivery room where soon I would meet my sweet girl for the first time.
Things slowed down after I got my epidural so Dr. Riojas came in and broke my water to speed up the process. By 5:30 am I was dilated to a 10 and my nurse was telling me that I could start pushing whenever I was ready. I couldn't feel much, but I knew it was time. So after pushing on my side through a contraction, then rolling to my back to push through one more contraction, she came into the world! 6:04 am, 8lbs 1oz and 20-3/4 inches long. Absolutely perfect and everything I imagined.
They took her to clean her off, and I just kept saying, "I want to see her, I want to see her". I remember finally seeing her face and thinking, "yes, I know her... she is exactly who I thought she would be." Because it's a funny thing, to be carrying this child you love so much- but not even know who they are for 10 whole months. But when they come out, it's like you've known them for a million years. She reminded me of Liv at first, she looked so similar to me. I just remember feeling like the luckiest mama on the face of the earth. And I couldn't wait for Liv to meet her. She brought this new element to my life and my heart, that no one really can prepare you for. And at that moment, I felt like our family was whole.
