I figured it was a long shot, I mean every pregnancy is different and every birth is different, but with my first baby my water had broken at 3:30 am when I was 39 weeks, and a I had a brand new baby boy by 9:30 in the morning...could it happen again? I went to bed doubtful...but then just before 3:30 am I woke up & had to go to the bathroom, this was not the least bit unusual & I crawled back into bed. However, after laying there for less than a minute I went back to the bathroom & realized that my water had indeed broken at 3:30 am again! With Jack there was an audible pop! like the sound of a balloon bursting. This time there was no sound, but I still knew it was time! I woke Jeff up & remember his "Are you kidding?!!" response! We called my brother to come over to stay with Jack. I packed a bag & straightened up a bit. I kissed Jack's sweet head, seeming so small in his big boy bed, thinking it would be my first night away from him in all his 2 1/2 years of life! Pete got to the house pretty quickly; and Jeff & I climbed into the Jetta & headed to the hospital, just 5 minutes away. We drove through the Dunkin Donuts on our way so that Jeff could get a cup of coffee. When we got to the Hospital, we drove around the block once hoping to find a street parking space so we didn't have to pay to park in the deck. We didn't find anything, so Jeff drove me up to the entrance & I went in while he went to park the car. The night was a mild June night in Chicago, one of those night where you can feel summer in the air. I think we got to the hospital just before 5:00 am. When Jack was born I was practically one of the only women on the labor & delivery hall; with Sophie, it was a different story. It had been a BUSY night, L&D was jam-packed! We got the last available room & it was t-i-n-y! It was connected to the nurses' station, so there was a lot of traffic through the room & honestly not much more than the bed fit in there. If there were more than 2 people in the room besides me, someone had to leave. I remember heated blankets that felt nice on my contracting belly, I remember an epidural that only took on one side..."Roll over on your side" the nurse kept saying, so that the epidural drugs might trickle down to the other side...I don't think so! My doctor was not on call, so one of her associates, Dr. Darrell, whom I had met before delivered the baby. She walked into the room literally about 5 minutes before Sophie was born at 8:30 am...a couple of pushes & she was out, "It's a GIRL!!!"
Remember how I mentioned that the room was t-i-n-y...there was not even room for the little bassinet they use to do those first baby checks, so they set it up right outside the doorway in the hall behind a curtain. (Not the public hallway, but a staff only hallway.) Pretty quickly we were transferred to the postpartum hall where I initially shared a room with some poor soul recovering from a c-section...I was holding my baby girl, nursing her & feeling great & I could hear this poor woman's moans & groans from the other side of the curtain. I felt so sad for her & prayed that she would recover quickly. After a couple of hours I was able to move to a private room. (I never even got any pictures in the delivery room because it was so busy the whole time we were in there!)
We love you Sophie Rose, Happy 6th Birthday!
Here are a few more photos from her first days & weeks at home...
Meeting Zoe for the first time!
Hugs from Jack
HOME!
First walk around the neighborhood!
Enjoying Taste of Chicago at 3 weeks old!
Chubby cheeks
Relaxing with Sammy
All snuggly!
Jack's a natural as a Big Brother!
On her dedication day at church, all smiles & big brown eyes! (Notice the way her hair sticks up, it grew straight up for several months before it would lay down!)
Jack is over-the-moon to have a baby sister!
Proud Yaya!
And some photos of Sophie over the past 6 years...
Happy little rose at 4 months
First Christmas
First Easter
First Birthday!
Second Birthday
Just turned 3 (above)
Four
4 1/2
Five
Last year on her 5th birthday...stay tuned for pics of our new 6 year old!
8 comments:
I've been getting to be the first comment often, as I get up and try to get all my computer stuff done before the kids wake...Anyway-Happy Birthday to sweet Sophia! What a blessing she is and so much like you! I really enjoyed seeing the pictures of them when they were little! My how they have grown and your family!!! What a wonderful post, thank you so much for sharing-
Ahhh...Melanie, I cried as I read this post. So super sweet. Thank you for going back in time and letting us in on the birth story up to present day. I agree...Sophie is a bundle of sweetness and love. She is so very precious and I absolutely love her to death! Love the pics of her growing up...esp that dedication one! She is so beautiful...inside and out. Happy happy happy bithday sweet precious Sophie!!
Happy birthday to your darling girl! She looks just like her pretty mama!
I have to comment myself because I was showing the pictures to Sophie & when she saw the first photo of our new family of four she asked "Who's that?" referring to Jack at 2 1/2!
awww, reading this brought sweet tears to my eyes as well, and i totally remember that hair that won't be tamed for those few month, and here she is, such a beautiful little princess. :-) Happy sweet Sophie's 6th birthday!!!
which hospital was it? yikes, what a crazy experience... :S
thanks for the beautiful recap, and what a sweet blessing she has been. :-)
What a doll she is!!! I loved reading your birth story. Zachary is 2.5 years older than Abbie --- did you notice that after Sophie was born that Jack all of a sudden seemed huge? I left my baby boy at home to go give birth, and when he came to visit us in the hospital the next day he was like a giant to me! All your children are adorable, and you are beautiful!! Blessings!
Happy Birthday Sophie! It's funny how even in her first picture...you can tell that it is her.
Love, love, love this post. Sophie gets more beautiful every year! Congrats to her on her 6th birthday.
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