Happy Birthday, Henry!

Today is Henry's second birthday. So, to honor him and to mark the most amazing day of my life, I am sharing his birth story with you.

On Friday, October 13th, 2006, I spent the day walking around our cute neighborhood. I went shopping at Diversey and Clark, got my hair cut, and enjoyed a beautiful Fall day in Chicago. I felt like I had cramps all day, but I didn't think too much of it. I hadn't had any Braxton-Hicks contractions, so I didn't realize I was in the early stages of labor! Plus, it was 9 days before my due date, so it wasn't really on my mind as a possibility. The cramps worsened as I walked home (due to the walking!), and I called Andy to tell him that maybe we should revise our dinner plans. We had plans with Eddie and Risha to get Thai food at Penny's, but I was thinking we should maybe get take-out instead. Once I came home and rested, the cramping was gone, I felt fine, and we decided to go to dinner.

Our dinner was one of the most memorable ever. I had red curry (labor inducing!), and Eddie was excitedly playing out the scenario of what we'd do if I went into labor right there. Eddie's vision was a bit too movie-like, thinking we'd throw money on the table and rush out to grab a cab. He kept badgering Risha (who is a doctor) about whether she could deliver the baby in a pinch, if needed. She assured him she could, but she didn't really think it would come to that. We laughed about the visual on our walk home--jumping in the cab, baby about to be born. Little did we know that's about what we'd be doing a few hours later!

After going to bed around 11, I couldn't sleep. Any person who has been 9 months pregnant can tell you that this is not a news-worthy issue. Not many people can sleep well at 9 months pregnant! I decided to make the 10 minute journey that was rolling to my other side, when I heard a "pop!" and I thought to myself, Hmmm. I got up, headed to the bathroom, and my water broke. It was midnight.

We made it to the hospital, did the whole triage thing, went up to labor and delivery, and, after a slight scare that I may be pre-eclamptic (I wasn't), I got my epidural. At about 7 am, I was ready to push. I pushed once, before the Doc arrived, but Henry's heartrate didn't recover well, so they had me wait about 15 minutes until Dr. Chen and the halo I swear he had shining above his head came in. I pushed for about 25 minutes. Yes, those of my friends with 3+ hours of pushing hate me (especially Melissa), but it was FAST. Henry Warren Zone came into this world at 7:48 am. He was 7 pounds, 4 ounces, 21 inches, and perfect. And it happened in downtown Chicago, with the shadow of the Hancock tower on one side and Lake Michigan on the other. Happy Birthday, my sweet boy!