the day before

I sat in the kitchen unpacking and unwrapping dishes from boxes to be put away. I listened and watched as many bodies shuffled around the house placing boxes in there designated rooms. That was a year ago today when we were moving from Dana Point to Tustin. My family and closest friends came to help get our house in order as the movers emptied the truck. I was forbidden to lift a thing due to my very pregnant state. I had just seen my doctor three days prior and measured 2 cm and was 80% effaced. I know some of you are thinking WHOA why wasn't I in the hospital but here's the thing. I received the same exact measurements when pregnant with Elsie and didn't even start having contractions until two weeks later when I measured 4 cm and 100% effaced. I told EVERYONE I had at least another week and that no one needed to panic.

our last time at the beach together just a couple weeks before Vernon was born

So here we all are on a Monday moving our lives to a new place. I felt useless and busied myself as much as I could. Everyone was so helpful that I felt a little in the way. I remember feeling sad and a litle unsure if we made the right choice to move. Throughout the day I needed to sit down for a few moments not because of contractions but because of the intense pressure from this sweet baby inside of me that I felt at any moment would just fall out.

I had no appetite throughout the day and snacked on some sweet pumpkin bread Shan made for all of us.

The movers had left and most of the boxes had been brought in. The day was coming to an end and we thanked our loved ones for all their help as they gathered their belongings and drove away.

My stomach hurt. Like really hurt. Like I ate too much sugar and had a tummy ache kind of pain. I laid Elsie down for bed around seven and Micah went to return the UHUAL rental. While he was gone I started to sweat... profusely. Then my body started to shake all over.

Then before I knew it I was over the toilet. There wasn't much of anything coming, more of dry heaving affect. Then as I'm crying and heaving I realized I hardly drank anything that day and was dehydrated.
I literally army crawled to my phone that was on the nightstand. My body was shaking and in too much pain to walk. (trust me this was a pathetic sight, I'm even rolling my eyes rehashing the whole scene)

two weeks before 

I called Micah. voicemail. hmmm. Called him again. voicemail. This continued for about five minutes until I felt the urge and crawled back to the bathroom. This time I started puking my guts. Sorry folks. I know this is such a lovely picture I'm painting but I'm just telling it like it is or was, well you get it. I called Micah again and was starting to panic. My body wouldn't stop shaking and I knew I needed fluids.

After one final attempt he still didn't answer. So what do I do? Call the next best thing right? You know my sister in Tennessee who can do absolutely nothing for me!! In my defense I was scared and she has had three kids and I always turn to her for advice about such matters.
After she got me to calm down, she forced me (by the tone of her voice) to get up and drink some water. It helped. A little. I was more comforted with just having her on the phone with me as I lay there sprawled out on the kitchen floor.

last picture of me that was taken before Vernon was born. This was a few days before while touring our new home.

Just as she was getting on to me for calling her and not someone who actually lived in the same state as me who could come and help, my line beeped. It was Micah. I told her goodbye and that I would call her in the morning after I got some rest.

I cried to Micah over the phone about my situation and he rushed back to me with a bag of Pedialyte in tow. I pounded those bad boys so fast and instantly felt relieved. My body absorbed all of those yummy electrolytes it was lacking and finally stopped shaking.

I felt better, but my stomach still felt a little off.

My parents had just arrived home when Micah phoned my dad and let him know that he should come back over to stay the night. We thought that I would need to go to Urgent Care or possibly the ER if the weird pain hadn't subsided through the night and needed someone to be here with Elsie.

Though my parents live an hour away it just so happened that my Dad's job at the time was located fifteen minutes from our new house so he thought he'd just come and stay then head to work from there in the morn.

We were asleep by the time he came home. Come to think of it, I don't even remember him coming into the house.

Throughout the night I had weird cramping. I had no idea if they were contractions because I didn't have contractions with Elsie. At least not like the contractions they taught us about in our child bearing class. No pain in the stomach. No cramping. Not anything like they said it would be. With Elsie I felt like I had bad gas and was never sure if I was having contractions until we went to the hospital and they informed me I was 7 cm and almost ready to have this baby.
So this was a completely different pain.
Like light menstrual cramping. I know you guys are just loving this post and all of the lady talk right?
But fo realz, that was the discomfort I was having.
I asked Micah to time it when one of those feelings came about. The pain would come and there would never be a follow up pain one or any other indication that these were contrations. I really just thought I over did it with the move and all.

It was about five thirty in the morn when we awoke to my dad shaving in the guest bathroom. I looked at Micah and told him I still didn't feel well and that we should go see my doctor about the pain. He asked my Dad if he didn't mind going into work late so he could stay with Elsie while we could hopefully get into an early appointment with my doctor when the office opened.
We all went back to sleep.

OOOOHHHHHH MYYYYYY GOOOOOSSHHH!

I jumped out of bed and stared at Micah. The clock read 7:08 am. He jumped out of bed and stared back at me. Both of our hands leaning on the bed bracing ourselves.

"I NEED TO PUSH"

that was all I said...