Parker

Parker Thomas Calvert has made his arrival! He was born August 19th at 12:05 p.m. at Huntsville Hospital. He weighed 7 lbs 12 oz and was 20 inches long. He was exactly 2 weeks early, and I was READY for him.

For those of you who are interested in the details, here is a summary of how things happened. For the rest of you please skip to cute baby pictures below. Wednesday morning around 2:30 a.m. I woke up to go to the bathroom. This was not uncommon as I was getting up around 5 times a night (no exaggeration). This time was different, and I felt what I thought was an early contraction. Of course I was so excited I could not fall back asleep but I didn't want to wake Ben up because I knew it would be a long road ahead of us if this was the real deal. That morning I told Ben that I was pretty sure I was in early labor but not to worry and that he should go to work because who knew when this would actually happen. He very unwillingly went to work but was able to come home early. Besides I am sure he was not getting anything done sitting at work thinking about it ;) After dinner my contractions quickly went from 6 minutes apart to 2 minutes apart so we panicked, packed our last minute things, and drove to the hospital. By the time we were in the parking lot at the hospital my contractions were about 5 minutes apart. I was determined NOT to go in too early and be sent home so I made Ben drive around looking at houses in Blossomwood and the Downtown area. He was nervous, but I was even more stubborn. After a while of driving I was in much more pain than earlier so we headed back to the hospital. We walked into the hospital about 8:30 p.m. and I was admitted by 9:00. I was 3 cm dilated and IN SERIOUS PAIN. I waited and toughed it out for a while, but when they told me I was 5 cm I asked for the epidural. There was a HUGE difference between pre and post epidural Jess, just ask Ben. There was a small scare in the middle of the night. When my water broke, Parker's heart rate dropped significantly. All of the sudden there were 4 or 5 nurses and a doctor giving me meds through my IV, giving me shots in my arm, putting me on an oxygen mask and putting my bed at a very uncomfortable angle. Thankfully his heart rate returned to normal after a while but all the meds they gave me slowed my labor. NOT what a woman in labor wants to hear. After all the excitement Ben and I tried to rest for a little while. Around 11 a.m. I was ready to push and Parker was born at 12:05 p.m. Unfortunately the epidural drip had run out and I was REALLY feeling the pushing part. I can't even imagine how it would feel with absolutely no meds...kudos to you ladies who do it naturally. Once he arrived and they put him on my stomach the main emotion I had was relief. It was so wonderful to see him and know he was healthy. One of my first thoughts after seeing him: Where did all of that hair come from?? Once they took him to another part of the room I told Ben to go with him. I couldn't see Parker but the sweet look on Ben's face was priceless. He was enamored with his son from the beginning.

Here is Parker right after he was born.

Ben was a natural and wanted to hold him all the time.

This picture was taken right after I delivered him, so please excuse my tired and swollen face.

This is still his favorite sleeping position. He looks so relaxed with his hands up like that. What a cutie.

This is our "celebration dinner" that we got from the hospital. I was a little concerned about ordering salmon from a hospital kitchen but my dinner was great! The sparkling cider was a nice touch as well. I love that stuff!

We got a picture of Ben and Parker right before we left to go home. Thanks for the cute outfit, C!

These next 2 pictures were taken by the hospital photographer. We fully intended to not buy the pictures that they took at the hospital but we ended up doing it anyways. It's a pretty sneaky business...you are hormonal and excited about having a baby so of course you will buy the pictures. We admit it, we were suckers. But I like to think of it as proud parents instead.

I just want to add one more thing. I was very proud of Ben during the whole experience. He was so sweet, supportive and helpful. Most importantly, he didn't faint. He even cut the umbilical cord. I was shocked! More on our experiences since we have been home at a later time.