bennett's birth story. part one.

today is the one year anniversary of my due date. i must admit i'm happier and much more comfortable today than i was on july 1, 2012.

several weeks prior at my 37 week appointment, the OB felt my tummy and said,

"i think this is a big baby..."

panic set in.

"umm, like... howww big?" i asked, tentatively.

"i'd say 9-10 lbs," she said, confidently.

after asking me a number of times if i had gestational diabetes (which i did not), she decided to send me for a growth ultrasound to get a better idea of how big he was. i'd like to say i kept my cool about having a giant baby inside my tummy, but let's be honest: i freaked out. i began preparing myself to argue for an early induction and to get the show on the road. i started assuming i'd have a c-section. i started secretly (but not so secretly) hating joe for saying "it's going to be just fine."

a few days later i went in for the growth ultrasound. it did calm my anxiety to see our sweet boy on the screen. they took several measurements and were able to estimate that he weighed about 7 lbs 12 oz. alright. i can handle that. what do doctors know, anyway? ;-)

a week before my due date (give or take... it's all a bit of a blur now), i was at work and noticed that the baby hadn't been moving as much as normal. at first i chalked it up to him getting bigger and not having as much room to do his gymnastics. but as the evening went on, i started just feeling like something wasn't quite right. i called the doctor and she said i should come in so they could check on the baby and make sure everything was alright. they monitored the baby and noticed some inconsistencies in his heart rate. they kept me overnight so they could get a good, long read on how he was doing. in the end they determined he was just fine and that it could've been any number of things that caused the decreased movement, but that he was healthy and strong. they sent me home to hurry up and wait.

fast forward to my due date: july 1, 2012. i had already started my maternity leave in hopes of coaxing our little friend to make his debut. it was H.O.T. like, unbearably hot. i was OVER being pregnant. plus, i had plans. i was going to have bennett on his due date and then head up the cabin for the 4th of july so as not to break tradition. however, our independent, strong-willed boy was not interested in following orders. he was snuggled in there tight and wasn't even considering budging. weekly checks indicated that i was not progressing or dilating past 1cm. i was having some small braxton hicks contractions but certainly nothing that made me feel like he was going to come any time soon. everything was ready. his room was set up. the hospital bags were packed. i was ready to meet this baby, and my long-lost ankles.

the days crawled along and i had several hormonal melt-downs about how the baby would never come and how uncomfortable i was. joe tried to be sympathetic but let's face it, there was no rationalizing with me. we went to the mall to walk most evenings, i was eating the spiciest food i could handle, and we tried to carry on with life as usual as much as we could. we even went to see spiderman in 3-D with my brother and his wife on july 3rd.

don't let the smile fool you. i was miserable.
and mostly i took this picture making fun of the guy in the tank top behind us.

i had hopes that the action movie would kickstart labor. instead i just had heartburn from the spicy salsa i ate at chipotle before the movie. lame.