2 years ago today...

On November 18, 2006 at 4:58 a.m. baby girl Gabrielle was born.

Friday November 17th I was waiting for Brian to get home from work so we could go grocery shopping. I was scheduled to be induced on Monday November 20th so I didn't have to be in the hospital on Thanksgiving Day and I wanted to make sure we did all of our errands before we had the baby. Brian gets home at around 5 p.m. and I started to have cramps. I figured it was no big deal they were probably Braxton Hicks contractions so we headed to the store at 6 pm and the cramps started to get stronger. When we get there I asked one of the employees if I could use one of those carts that you ride in so I could get my shopping done. We started to shop and I realized I forgot my wallet at home and Brian didn't have his wallet because he accidentally left it in his work truck. SO he had to drive back home and get my wallet and the contractions started to get stronger as Alyssa and I hung out in the cookie aisle. We finish shopping and get home at around 7 pm.

I was induced with Alyssa so I had no idea what real labor felt like or what it was like to go into labor on your own. I call my step mom telling her I think I am in labor because I am cramping and she tells me yep I am in labor and to start timing the contractions Then she says my dad will come pick up Alyssa so she can stay the night at their house. I told her to give me an hour because I wanted to make sure this wasn't false labor. I call the hospital to see what I should do and they said if my contractions start coming 5 minutes apart or I can't talk through a contraction to come in. I call my sister Delia who lives in the Santa Rosa area and Lety (my BFF) to tell them I think this might be it and to be ready to come down here… I try to get a hold of my mom but it was her birthday that day and she was out with her boyfriend (now husband)at a wine tasting dinner. GREAT, she lives an hour away and I didn't want her to miss the birth of her grand daughter! I start getting Alyssa packed to spend the night at my dad's and Brian starts to get the car seat ready because we hadn't done that yet. My Dad comes and picks up Alyssa at 8 and my contractions were the same before so I take a shower and start packing the little things I haven't packed yet for the hospital and decide I am going to try and sleep. But at around 11 pm my contractions started to get stronger and stronger and I told Brian we have to go to the hospital NOW!! I call my sister and tell her it's time… I finally get a hold of my mom at her boyfriend's house and tell her to hitch a ride with Delia because I did not need her to drive drunk or buzzed. Then I call Lety who is the closest to the hospital and tell her to get to the hospital ASAP. On our way we were on the entrance to 238 at the light and I start to get a contraction and the light turns green and sometimes Brian lags at lights…. So after the light was a green for a few seconds I screamed at Brian "GO!!!!" (Think this is no Dana only Zuel voice from Ghostbusters)

We get to the hospital at around midnight at the emergency drop off and Brian leaves me in the car so he could ask if this is where he can park and while he does that there is a group of people outside the ER that realized I was in labor and started staring and pointing at me while I was having a contraction. I felt like slapping every one of them. Brian comes outside and says this is where we park and we get inside of Eden and they tell me to hold on and ask if I registered. I tell them yes but they say to wait because they need to tell Labor and Delivery I am on my way up. The security guard leaves and I ask Brian if he is serious because now the contractions are 3-5 minutes apart and I can barely stand. We wait for 5 minutes for the guy to come back and he sends someone from the ER to take me up by wheelchair because obviously I couldn't walk. So the lady asks how far my contractions are apart…. I tell her 3-5 minutes and she gives me this "Oh Crap" look and rushes me to L&D. So we get there and I tell the nurse I NEED DRUGS!! So she puts me in a gown and checks me and I am 3 cm dilated. She says yep you are staying… and gives me some Demerol… oh yeah that was nice. Twenty minutes later the anesthesiologist comes to give me the epidural. I tell the anesthesiologist that I love her. Lety arrived at that time and waited out the door. When the anesthesiologist was done at around 1 a.m. Delia, her now ex boyfriend Yann and my mom arrived…. My mom was a little buzzed but it was pretty funny she provided the entertainment. I started to shake because my body started to transition so fast. The next time she checked me (around 3 am) I was 6 cm dilated she said she would check me in another hour. My sister leaves at 4 am because she has a test the next morning at school that she can't miss and two minutes after they leave the nurse checks and I am completely dialated BUT the doctor wasn't there yet and there was another woman ahead of me that was complete too. I knew Delia would be so mad that she missed the birth by minutes! So the doctor got there a few minutes later and delivered the other lady's baby. I was waiting but I didn't care because that epidural worked really really good… unlike with Alyssa where I felt EVERYTHING. The nurse had me sit up so the pushing wouldn't be as long. So when the doctor got there I pushed a few times and Gabrielle Lauren H***** was born November 18th at 4:58 a.m. Brian cut the cord and they put her on my stomach and I started crying. Finally my baby was here!! She was 6lbs 14oz and had lots of brown hair.



Happy Birthday to my Gabbers!!



Tonight we celebrate at Chuck E. Cheese! Someone get me some aspirin!!!