Sophia Kate's Birth Story

Well it seems I have slacked on the blog long enough! You may have noticed the change in the title. I considered making Sophie her own blog, but figured I sometimes have a hard enough time keeping this one up, so I'd better just keep it to one.
And what better way to begin the now shared blog, than with the birth story of the little girl who is now sharing it.
It began early in the morning on Monday, March 14, 2011. At about 4:30 or 5am I was awakened with crampy pains in my way lower abdomen. I was way too tired to really pay much attention; the only thing I knew was that I had to continually go pee every time it happened, so I knew it was happening with some sort of regularity, and it was annoying-I just wanted to sleep! At about 6, Rob got up to go work out and by the time he came back at 7, I was fully awake, sitting up in bed, wondering if this was really "it".
"I think I'm in labor," I told him.
"WHAT?!"
"Yep."
I wasn't positive since the pain was so concentrated in one very low spot, so I sent him on to work, promising to call him if I needed him.
By 9, I was on the phone with my Dr. asking to come in and get checked. They had me come in at 10:45, and told me I was only 1cm dilated, so it could be false labor or it could be the very early stages of labor. My actual Dr. was already at the hospital having what was apparently a very insanely crazy baby delivery day, so he told them to write me a prescription for some pain meds and send me home. If it was false labor, the meds would stop the pain, if I was really in labor. . .they wouldn't. I also learned that my Dr., Dr. Wortham, would only be at the hospital that day and not back again until Thursday (my actual scheduled c-section date). I was positive I wasn't going to make it until Thursday, and no one else was delivering this baby, so I'd pretty much made up my mind that we were going to the hospital that day regardless.
By this time the pain was pretty intense, so I had Rob take me to PapaGigi's since it was close by. Mary was there sleeping, so when I knocked on her door and said "wake up, we are having a baby today" she nearly exploded.
I took a pain pill and laid down. Rob went back to work to wrap some things up. At 1:30 I called him and told him we were going to the hospital. NOW.
We checked in about 2:00, got put in a room, hooked up to an IV and monitors, and the waiting began. I don't remember much about that time waiting. Except that the pain was so intense and so concentrated, I began begging some unknown, unseen being to please make it stop. Poor Rob was sitting there looking so helpless. I'm sure he felt just as helpless, the only thing he could do was rub me and tell me I was doing great. Unfortunately, I didn't want to be touched. At all. Or talked to. So there was absolutely nothing he could do but sit and watch.
Finally, at about 4:00, my Savior came. His name was Josh. And I loved him from the moment I first laid eyes on him. He was a anesthesiology student who was on his next to last day before graduation. He could have been a bum off the street offering me illicit drugs for all I cared. If it would've made the pain stop, I would have taken it!
They wheeled me back to the OR and Josh began his magic. He warned me that sometimes spinals could hit some nerve that ran down a persons leg, but even if it did, I needed to remain perfectly motionless. That notion still makes me laugh: I know you are in tremendous pain, and we just might hit a nerve to cause you even more pain. But DON'T MOVE!
As he slid the needle into my back, I realized just how impossible that was. He hit the leg nerve. I almost jumped out of my skin. Thankfully, there was the nicest old black woman there holding my hand. She had the most calming presence, and I think whoever she is, the hospital should make her only job going around to comfort people in pain. She was great at that. As I went into full blown panic/freak out mode from the pain and fear, she gently stroked my hand and told me very calmly that I was ok. I could do this. And so very soon I was going to meet the little one that would make all of this worth it.

Within a minute I was completely numb, feeling fantastic, and holding Rob's hand again. Dr. Wortham had already come in and his presence alone made me feel a million times better about the whole thing. I thought he was still prepping me, but the next thing I knew, I heard him say, "We have a bald head!. . .We have fat cheeks!. . .We have a tummy!. . .We have a GIRL!!!"

Rob's voice rose a few octaves as he just kept repeating, "It's a girl! We have a girl!"
Sophia Kate was born on March 14, 2011 at 4:18pm. 7lbs 13oz, 19 3/4 in long, and completely perfect. It was honestly one of the happiest, exciting moments of my life.

Being able to hear her first cry was the most amazing experience. I missed it with Bella since I had to be put to sleep for her birth. I was crying and kept telling anyone who would listen that I never got to hear Bella's first cry, so this was even more special and amazing. No one listened, but I didn't care.
Other than being COMPLETELY shocked that she was a girl (we were sure we were having a boy!), I remember Rob saying, "She was born at 4:18? That's her sister Bella's birthday!" How sweet that he instantly thought of that?! I love that man.

Seeing Sophie for the first time took my breath away. She was screaming and so angry!

She looked so much like Bella.
She was beautiful.
They finished stitching me up, and took the 3 of us to a recovery room,where another 3 hour wait began.  We were dying to introduce the kids to their new baby sister. At this point, they didn't even know she was a sister! Neither did anyone else! But they all knew she had been born! We kept getting texts threatening bodily harm if we didn't reveal the sex, but we refused to tell anyone until the kids knew. Finally, at 8pm, they took us to our room. We immediately brought the kids back, and as they anxiously crowded around the new baby, we said, "say hello to your new baby. . .SISTER!"

I think all preference for a brother or a sister left in that moment. Neither one of them was upset or disappointed, only overjoyed at their new little pink bundle. Seeing both of them so happy and looking down at Sophia with such love, truly melted my heart. After a little time had passed, it was time to invite the rest of the family back and introduce them. We told the kids not to say a word! As everyone filed in, I think we were all bursting with excitement! We wanted to simply shout out, "IT'S A GIRL! But we waited until everyone was gathered around, waiting on pins and needles, and said, "Say Happy Birthday to. . . Sophia Kate!" And the room erupted in cheers, laughter, and "I told you so-s."

And so began the life of Sophia Kate. . . .