Middle of June 2002. I wasn't feeling so hot, and something told me to pee on that little magic stick. So, like many women before me I took the dreaded march to the restroom. 3 minutes is a really long time. Trust me on that. Pacing back and forth for what seemed and eternity it was finally time to look. So, I did and it was positive. I had a feeling of dread and excitement. I was scared to death it's a day I waited for, longed for, wished for. Now that it was here I changed my mind. How the hell was i going to do this? Have this little person depend on me for it's (at this point he was still an it in my eyes) everything. But, that scared feeling soon turned into excitement as I shred the news with Shawn and the rest of my family and friends. It seemed so unreal, not much had changed life went on as usual.
Then it happened I had my first pre-natal visit. Nervous and excited I sit there in this little room waiting to be called. Finally, it's my turn. I go back and was asked a bunch of questions it was so normal. Then I am taken to a room and there is this little computer looking thing in there with all these attachments. I soon find out this is an ultrasound machine. The doctor comes in and gets everything set up there is this black fuzzy screen and I had no idea what I was looking at (but, like the intelligent woman I am I went along with it shaking my head) it looked like something from a weird sci-fi movie. So my doctor points and says theres your baby. Uh, huh? This does not look like any baby I know. It looks like a peanut. And then there is sound. The most amazing sound the sound of a heartbeat. Not my heartbeat, but my babies heartbeat. That's when it happened that's when everything changed. My entire life changed with that one single sound. The sound of life. My babies life. I was making a person. With this little black and white photo I go off and show the world. Look this is my baby! See it? Yes still an it apparently you don't get to find out gender till like 20 weeks. A grueling 20 weeks.
Again, things settle down. Not much changes for a really long time when your pregnant. But, when the changes come they really come. I started putting on the weight. The belly started to show. It was growing and growing and growing. I was blessed with no morning sickness. Thank God!
It's time. No not to have the baby. Don't you wanna know what "it" is? It's time for the highly anticipated ultrasound. Nerves wrack me all night. I wake up drink all that lovely water. (this is not the fun part). Get to the doctors office and wait, and wait, and wait. Really are you guys serious? I had to drink more water in one hour than is not humanly possible. The door opens....(yes lets get this show on the road did I mention I have to pee?) Sorry Mrs. Collier but, we are having some technical difficulties with the machine. !?!?!?!?!?!?!? Are you kidding me? 30 Minutes later we are a go! YAY!! I get in the room and expose the mammoth of a belly already at 20weeks and we get going. Everything looks great! I hear the most beautiful sound again. So fast beats it's little heart. Here is were "it" becomes a He. A boy! I am having a BOY!!! A little boy growing in my belly. The most amazing day! (well, up to then!) I tell everyone. I am on the phone before I even get outta there. First stop! Anything BLUE! You got it I am buying up a storm. Baby needs it all.
Now that I no longer have an it I have a he :) It's time for business. We can't call him he I don't think HE would like that. About a bazillion names later still nothing. Nothing is good enough for my little man. I never thought naming a little baby could be so hard. Well, his middle name wasn't so hard. Giles, the easiest decision of my life. My little boys middle name shall be Giles! No veto's Shawn! This is the name of my Papaw, there is not a greater man to have ever blessed this planet with his life. And my son will share his name. Finally, we have a first name as well. Taver. Yes Taver Giles. Perfect! It's the perfect name for my perfect boy.
Still, a pretty uneventful pregnancy. Had the occasional labor and delivery visits because I was a paranoid first time mama.Things go along fairly slowly. I guess pregnancy slows everything down. I start having some blood pressure problems but, nothing serious. They just "keep an eye on it" Then I started swelling. This combined with the High blood pressure puts me in what the call Pre-eclampsia. Apparently this is not good. But, again they "keep an eye on it". One day I am sitting on my couch with my water and a good ole Hershey bar YUM! Watching some tv and look down and my ankle is on the verge of exploding. I am not lying when I say a softball is smaller than my ankle was.Call the doctor, "we are going to need you to come in" Get there now I have proteins in my urine and apparently they are pretty high. "We are going to need to induce you" Uh, come again? He isn't due for a few more weeks this can't be right. "we have to take him now so there are no further complications" Uh, ok. At this point my head is spinning and I am losing it. But, I put on my brave face. And it was just a face I was more than terrified. "Mrs. Collier,is there someone with you to take you to the hospital?" Um, can't I drive myself? "If you go straight there, they are expecting you." At this point I am a ball of nerves and can hardly even think straight. I call my mom. What crap I need to call Shawn. Oh well, Hey mom I am having a baby! On my way to the hospital. I need to call Shawn Hey baby we are having a baby. Today. It's time. It's February 3rd 2003. The last baby free day of my life.
I get to the hospital. I get taken to my room undressed poked, prodded, and asked more questions than I have ever been asked in one time my whole life. I am ready to go! Pitocin (the medicine that starts labor) started. Mama's there. Shawn's there. And we wait. Friends and family come in and out all through the night and day. 12pm on February 4th. My doctor comes in. We are going to break your water. this will move things along. Would you like your epidural now? Oh, no. This isn't bad at all. I can handle it. I will let you know when I am ready. Water broken doctor gone first contraction after broken water..... SOMEONE GET ME THAT MEDICINE NOW!!!!!!!! Yes, when the water is gone there is no cushion for those pesky contractions. Now I know why my doctor asked. And this anesthesiologist is not coming fast enough. I cannot handle this. fix it NOW! Ahhh...he's here. They clear the room. What? Wait? Where's my mama? Where's my husband? Why am I all alone? What do you mean they can't be here? It took forever. And i was lonely and it sucked!But, they get it in and it's working :) Thank God! My husband and mama are back. Life is good. I get to sleep.
This is it. The nurse is here. "your at a 10! let's do some pushing" um..ok. "your doing great. I am going to page your doctor, baby will be here soon" Yes!!! All these waiting months it's almost over I get to hold this little boy who's has been growing so peacefully. Wait a minute the pain is back . No no go away this hurts it hurts it hurts. "you will feel some pressure" no this isn't pressure. My face is hot I can't breathe and it hurts. god does it ever hurt. Please do something about this. Doctors here I am pushing. Then theres a mask on my face. This is where it goes blank. I don't remember anything from the mask going on and hearing the most precious cry. He is here Taver Giles is here!! And he is......gross...what the hell? This is so not what happens on tv. I am crying, looking at this goopy alien thinking what the hell. But, his cry. Oh that sweet little cry. The most amazing sound since I heard his little bitty heartbeat. And they take him. Once again I am left alone. While I am being stitched up Nana and Daddy take off to Taver. I am now chopped liver. I got to experience a wonderful episiotomy! Thanks Doc! He was born at 6:10pm. Weighing in at a whopping 6lbs11oz. 18inches long. I get him back and he's all clean and beautiful. Amazing. I did that! I made that! I made a human! Me! Little old me! He is Amazing.
Those days are all a blur now. My amazing little alien is now 7 yes 7 years old. And still amazing. He steals my heart everyday. He is so smart. And still so beautiful. Taver Giles my first born.
Then it happened I had my first pre-natal visit. Nervous and excited I sit there in this little room waiting to be called. Finally, it's my turn. I go back and was asked a bunch of questions it was so normal. Then I am taken to a room and there is this little computer looking thing in there with all these attachments. I soon find out this is an ultrasound machine. The doctor comes in and gets everything set up there is this black fuzzy screen and I had no idea what I was looking at (but, like the intelligent woman I am I went along with it shaking my head) it looked like something from a weird sci-fi movie. So my doctor points and says theres your baby. Uh, huh? This does not look like any baby I know. It looks like a peanut. And then there is sound. The most amazing sound the sound of a heartbeat. Not my heartbeat, but my babies heartbeat. That's when it happened that's when everything changed. My entire life changed with that one single sound. The sound of life. My babies life. I was making a person. With this little black and white photo I go off and show the world. Look this is my baby! See it? Yes still an it apparently you don't get to find out gender till like 20 weeks. A grueling 20 weeks.
Again, things settle down. Not much changes for a really long time when your pregnant. But, when the changes come they really come. I started putting on the weight. The belly started to show. It was growing and growing and growing. I was blessed with no morning sickness. Thank God!
It's time. No not to have the baby. Don't you wanna know what "it" is? It's time for the highly anticipated ultrasound. Nerves wrack me all night. I wake up drink all that lovely water. (this is not the fun part). Get to the doctors office and wait, and wait, and wait. Really are you guys serious? I had to drink more water in one hour than is not humanly possible. The door opens....(yes lets get this show on the road did I mention I have to pee?) Sorry Mrs. Collier but, we are having some technical difficulties with the machine. !?!?!?!?!?!?!? Are you kidding me? 30 Minutes later we are a go! YAY!! I get in the room and expose the mammoth of a belly already at 20weeks and we get going. Everything looks great! I hear the most beautiful sound again. So fast beats it's little heart. Here is were "it" becomes a He. A boy! I am having a BOY!!! A little boy growing in my belly. The most amazing day! (well, up to then!) I tell everyone. I am on the phone before I even get outta there. First stop! Anything BLUE! You got it I am buying up a storm. Baby needs it all.
Now that I no longer have an it I have a he :) It's time for business. We can't call him he I don't think HE would like that. About a bazillion names later still nothing. Nothing is good enough for my little man. I never thought naming a little baby could be so hard. Well, his middle name wasn't so hard. Giles, the easiest decision of my life. My little boys middle name shall be Giles! No veto's Shawn! This is the name of my Papaw, there is not a greater man to have ever blessed this planet with his life. And my son will share his name. Finally, we have a first name as well. Taver. Yes Taver Giles. Perfect! It's the perfect name for my perfect boy.
Still, a pretty uneventful pregnancy. Had the occasional labor and delivery visits because I was a paranoid first time mama.Things go along fairly slowly. I guess pregnancy slows everything down. I start having some blood pressure problems but, nothing serious. They just "keep an eye on it" Then I started swelling. This combined with the High blood pressure puts me in what the call Pre-eclampsia. Apparently this is not good. But, again they "keep an eye on it". One day I am sitting on my couch with my water and a good ole Hershey bar YUM! Watching some tv and look down and my ankle is on the verge of exploding. I am not lying when I say a softball is smaller than my ankle was.Call the doctor, "we are going to need you to come in" Get there now I have proteins in my urine and apparently they are pretty high. "We are going to need to induce you" Uh, come again? He isn't due for a few more weeks this can't be right. "we have to take him now so there are no further complications" Uh, ok. At this point my head is spinning and I am losing it. But, I put on my brave face. And it was just a face I was more than terrified. "Mrs. Collier,is there someone with you to take you to the hospital?" Um, can't I drive myself? "If you go straight there, they are expecting you." At this point I am a ball of nerves and can hardly even think straight. I call my mom. What crap I need to call Shawn. Oh well, Hey mom I am having a baby! On my way to the hospital. I need to call Shawn Hey baby we are having a baby. Today. It's time. It's February 3rd 2003. The last baby free day of my life.
I get to the hospital. I get taken to my room undressed poked, prodded, and asked more questions than I have ever been asked in one time my whole life. I am ready to go! Pitocin (the medicine that starts labor) started. Mama's there. Shawn's there. And we wait. Friends and family come in and out all through the night and day. 12pm on February 4th. My doctor comes in. We are going to break your water. this will move things along. Would you like your epidural now? Oh, no. This isn't bad at all. I can handle it. I will let you know when I am ready. Water broken doctor gone first contraction after broken water..... SOMEONE GET ME THAT MEDICINE NOW!!!!!!!! Yes, when the water is gone there is no cushion for those pesky contractions. Now I know why my doctor asked. And this anesthesiologist is not coming fast enough. I cannot handle this. fix it NOW! Ahhh...he's here. They clear the room. What? Wait? Where's my mama? Where's my husband? Why am I all alone? What do you mean they can't be here? It took forever. And i was lonely and it sucked!But, they get it in and it's working :) Thank God! My husband and mama are back. Life is good. I get to sleep.
This is it. The nurse is here. "your at a 10! let's do some pushing" um..ok. "your doing great. I am going to page your doctor, baby will be here soon" Yes!!! All these waiting months it's almost over I get to hold this little boy who's has been growing so peacefully. Wait a minute the pain is back . No no go away this hurts it hurts it hurts. "you will feel some pressure" no this isn't pressure. My face is hot I can't breathe and it hurts. god does it ever hurt. Please do something about this. Doctors here I am pushing. Then theres a mask on my face. This is where it goes blank. I don't remember anything from the mask going on and hearing the most precious cry. He is here Taver Giles is here!! And he is......gross...what the hell? This is so not what happens on tv. I am crying, looking at this goopy alien thinking what the hell. But, his cry. Oh that sweet little cry. The most amazing sound since I heard his little bitty heartbeat. And they take him. Once again I am left alone. While I am being stitched up Nana and Daddy take off to Taver. I am now chopped liver. I got to experience a wonderful episiotomy! Thanks Doc! He was born at 6:10pm. Weighing in at a whopping 6lbs11oz. 18inches long. I get him back and he's all clean and beautiful. Amazing. I did that! I made that! I made a human! Me! Little old me! He is Amazing.
Those days are all a blur now. My amazing little alien is now 7 yes 7 years old. And still amazing. He steals my heart everyday. He is so smart. And still so beautiful. Taver Giles my first born.
