a little about why Oliver was born in the car...

Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I cry when I tell this story.  I don't know where to start... But maybe by saying I have always enjoyed trying new things.  I loved my water/home birth with Callin.  I didn't mind my hospital birth with Rhett.  I guess I was ready for something different.  I was planning on a home birth with Oliver.  I was planning on having my house clean.  I was planning on having my preschool sub plans all finished.  I was planning on Doug being a little more involved in the whole process from start to finish.  I was planning on having my mom by my side coaching me every step of the way.  I was planning on having a friend take a few pictures of the whole process and film the actual birth.   It turned out a little different, but the end result was still the same. 

Saturday morning I posted about how I still needed to take a picture of my belly.  That day could be summed up very easily: I was in denial. I had contractions every 10 minutes since the moment I woke up.  But they were tiny little 20 second ones that didn't hurt and I had just had an exam the day before... I was sure it was false labor that was going to end any minute.  Doug got home from camping with the boys around noon.  I casually mentioned to him that I can been contracting for the past 5 hours...I called my mom in Arizona and convinced her not to come yet.  I was sure they would stop soon.  I promised to go take a bath, drink lots of water, take a nap, and then call her back.  After about 3 baths, they were still coming, just a little closer together and a little harder, and I told my mom maybe she should come.  She was the only one who got it.  Her bags were already packed and she already had a flight.  Doug on the other hand went to take an afternoon nap since he had stayed up til 2 am the night before on the camp out.  Then he woke up and clean out the car, worked on all the camping gear.  Just before my mom got on her flight, I heard him ask her, "Do you really think this is it?"  My mom told him that she was not going to make it.  That we would need to go to the hospital soon.  Then my sister called and told me I needed to go to the hospital.  The hospital!  I didn't have anything ready.  I called on my amazing friend Kim who came over and packed/cleaned/ and gave me some words of encouragement while her husband took care of the other boys. 

I kept thinking about how I arrived at the hospital with Rhett thinking I was so close to the end, only to labor for about 7 more hours there.  So I stalled... just one more bath... let me sit on the couch... I have to go the bathroom... I need a pillow and a blanket for the car... Oh and some water...And my music please.  I didn't want to go.  I wanted my mom there.  I wanted to stay home and do it the way I had planned.  But my contractions were now only a minute or two apart and they were the really low moaning ones.  The ones where I start to panic because I have no one in my face to help me and tell me what to do.  So we got in the car.  And Kim got in her car to follow us there.  For the life of me I wish I would have yelled for her to hop in the back seat.  And then we raced away....