Our Hospital Adventure

Don't worry I won't go into all the details, but here is a brief overview of how this all happened.  I had been keeping up a rigorous walking routine to get my contractions going ever since a little before my due date (June 27th).  This routine included walking up a large hill 3 times.  So, after having irregular contractions for a week or so (nothing major just some lighter, walking induced contractions) I finally started having more consistent contractions (i.e. ~10 minutes apart and waking me up because they were much more intense) on the night of July 5th ( I was already 7 days late).  This made me excited.  I thought for sure he would be born the next day.  Unfortunately, my contractions remained the same throughout the day: intense, but not close enough together.  So, again we did not sleep on Saturday, July 6th.  Too many contractions.  I left church after sacrament meeting Sunday morning, because they were so intense I couldn't concentrate or sit still. I just kept walking every night and morning.  Still no baby.  We didn't sleep Sunday night either.  I went in on Monday to see my midwife and she stripped my membranes.  Things started progressing, while playing a game of cards with my parents they started becoming 3 minutes apart.  So I called Jake and he took me to the hospital.

Here I am right before my appointment Monday with my midwife (yeah, I think Pace was ready to come, don't you?)

The nurse at the hospital was less than friendly.  She indicated that we brought too much stuff and should have left it in the car, because she doubted we would stay.  Unfortunately she was right.  As soon as I laid down on the hospital bed things slowed down.  She stripped my membranes further and sent me packing. 
I was so extremely uncomfortable at that point; I had to do something to keep my mind off of it.  That night I walked further, despite the pain, because I couldn't think of anything more awful than having to lay awake in bed that night again going through contractions.  So we went to bed at 10 and a little after midnight my water broke (by the way that is way less dramatic than I had expected, really just a tiny trickle rather than a gush of water).
So, we were admitted in the hospital.  After sometime they put me on pitocin to get my contractions going further.  When Jake couldn't stay awake anymore to help me through contractions (remember he had been awake as long as I had), I decided I couldn't do it without medication.  So I got the epidural.  The last part of cantractions are a blur, because I was so tired I slept through most of the rest of it.  When it came time to push I was ready.  I pushed for 2 1/2 hours and out came our beautiful baby boy.
He had swallowed his meconium in the womb.  He was not crying so I wasn't even able to see him.  they rushed him off to the incubator to get him breathing and get the gunk out of his lungs.  When they got him pretty stable they brought him over so I could see him and then they rushed him off to get him even better.  After what seemed like an hour to me they brought him back and I was able to nurse and cuddle him.  He was beautiful.
Jake was great, he changed all the diapers that our nurses didn't.  That night we were visited by my parents and our good friend Huey.  The next day our friends Brian and Kelley visited and of course my parents came back to see their first grandson again.  In the end I got an epidural headache, which is very painful.  So we stayed for 3 days in the hospital before bringing Pace home.  Here are pictures of our hospital time and Pace going home from the hospital.

First time holding my baby.  Yes I look tired, but it was a very happy moment for me.

Grandma holding Pace for the first time.

Our little guy :)

Enjoying our time in the hospital.

Cute!

Waiting to be fed :)

Daddy holding Pace after dressing him to go home.

First time in the car seat

Wlaking out of the hospital, and yes I still have a bump (it's supposed to be that way).

On our way home.

Penny meeting Pace for the first time.