On your first birthday, I'm feeling a little sentimental and reflecting on the day you entered our world. It feels like just yesterday that your Daddy and I were walking into Labor & Delivery at United Hospital, hoping and praying that it was time for you to be born. I was 2 days away from being 40 weeks pregnant and ever so ready to meet you. I wasn't sleeping at night, using the bathroom nearly every hour, not fitting into anything except Daddy's t-shirts, and feeling downright restless and impatient.
It was Saturday morning, October 2nd, when I started having contractions. Your Daddy went to the library to sneak in some studying, so I decided to drive over to Auntie Kim's house for a few hours. I was timing my contractions and they were about 7 minutes apart. By the time we arrived back home in the afternoon, my contractions were 4-5 minutes apart and I was feeling a bit uncomfortable. I talked to Gramma and she decided to pack a bag and head down to St. Paul. I also called the nurse at the hospital and was told to come into the hospital for an exam within the next hour. Daddy and I quickly did some shopping, packed our bags, and waited for Auntie Kim and Uncle Leo to come over and watch Calvin.
We walked into the hospital around 6pm. The nurse had me change into a gown and did an exam. I was dilated to 4 cm and she said my water was very close to breaking. She called in Dr. Mickelson, who was very nice and excited to speed things along by breaking my water. Oh my! Then my contractions really kicked in and quickly became more painful. Within a few hours, I was dilated to 8 cm and ready for an epidural. By 11pm, the nurse said I was 10 cm and it was time to start pushing. Dr. Mickelson arrived a short time later as they expected you would be born very quickly. But, like your brother, you were faced the wrong direction and not making it easy on me to deliver you. The doctor worked for nearly 30 minutes on turning you right direction. As soon as you were flipped, you were on your way out with just 2 pushes. You were born at 12:25am. You immediately starting crying, and so did I.
You were a big girl -- 8 pounds, 9 oz & 21 inches long. You had just a little bit of light brown hair and beautiful brown eyes. We fell in love with you at first sight. Your Daddy and I agreed that Kadence Grace was the perfect name for perfect you.
It really does not seem like it has been a year...I remember the day and the phone calls so clearly!
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