At my
40 week check up on Friday, May 15th (due date), we scheduled an induction
date for Friday, May 22nd (our 5th wedding anniversary).
I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to be induced again and would
never know the feeling of racing to the hospital while breathing through
contractions and screaming obscenities at my husband. I have super strange
goals in life, I know. Anyway, I had a packed weekend planned to get everything
done I needed to get done prior to your arrival. Saturday I ran errands all day
and attended a wedding. On the way home from the wedding, we stopped to get ice
cream and then headed home just like any normal night. Big brother Graham had a
very difficult time going to bed when we got home and ended up sleeping in our
bed.
At 3:00 am, I woke up thinking Graham had kicked me in the back again. As
I woke up and got my bearings I realized that Graham was all the way on the
other side of the bed and that was a monster contraction instead. I laid in bed
until about 4:00 when I decided I should get up and get the laundry done since
I would probably be having a baby that day. (again, my brain doesn’t work like a normal person). I finished 3 loads of laundry while timing contractions. They were
coming every 7 minutes and lasting anywhere from 1-2 minutes. Around 7:30 am, I
heard little Graham feet upstairs and decided I would go up and take a shower.
At this point, my contractions were coming every 4 minutes, but only lasting 45
sec-1 min. I gently asked Casey to get up and get Graham dressed while I took a
shower, but I guess I failed to mention that I was in labor. He probably
wondered why it sounded like I was “singing” in the shower. Ha. After we got
everyone on the same page, it was kind of a fast track. We finished packing our
bags, Graham got super excited to go to Grammy’s house with his suitcase and we
loaded up in the car. We dropped graham off at my parents house on the way to
the hospital, which caused a slight emotional breakdown on my part. It was the
first time I realized that it would no longer be the 3 of us. The contractions
were every 4 minutes steadily and lasting longer each time. We called the
hospital to let them know we were on our way and tried to have a normal
conversation with a few expletives shouted here and there. All my dreams were
coming true! Casey dropped me off at the door and we decided to take our bags inside
because there was no turning point. When I decided to take the stairs, Daddy
looked at me like I was absolutely insane, but it was faster!
I was already
dilated to 4 and completely thinned when we arrived. I decided to wait a
little while for the epidural and tried to breathe through the contractions as
best I could while being tethered to an IV pole and fetal monitors. When they
asked about the epidural again, I told them to bring it on. It is a good thing
I did, because if I would have waited any longer, I would have been going all
natural and probably taught the nurses and doctors a whole new colorful vocabulary.
Around noon, the Dr, Casey, and I made a bet about when you would arrive. Dr:
1:30 pm, Mommy: 2:30 pm, Daddy: 5:30 pm. (Mommy always knows best, buddy!)
I
felt a lot of pressure and an intense wave of nausea so I told Casey to call
the nurse and she said it was time to push. 20 minutes later at 2:55 pm, Tucker
Lane Dickerson was born with a full head of dark hair, full cheeks, and just
barely a cry. I couldn't believe Big Brother was right and he was going to get
a “Tucker”. It is always amazing to experience the intense feeling of pregnancy
immediately followed by the presence of a tiny, wet human on your chest. You
nursed like a champ, latching right away, and just gazed up at Mommy stealing
my heart as each second passed. After you had nursed and everyone checked out
ok, it was time to introduce you to Big Brother. I will never forget this
moment. He has been so incredibly smitten with you from the minute he walked in
to that hospital room. We spent some quiet time as a family of four, but knew
we had a waiting room full of wondering minds.
Daddy carried big brother out to
the waiting room and he yelled to everyone that he had a BROTHER! Grandparents
came back and everyone began asking how big you were, but we hadn't weighed
you. It was apparent that you were a pretty big boy, 9 lbs 6 oz, 20 ½” long
with a 37 cm head circumference. You look absolutely nothing like your brother,
have a full head of incredibly long black hair, and chunky little
cheeks. You are covered in dark hair and will probably need to start shaving
your face by the time you start kindergarten. You have been an absolute trooper
when it comes to dealing with Big Brother’s constant affection, nurse every 3
hours on average, and are keeping the diaper business afloat single handedly.
You are perfect, Tucker Lane, and I couldn't love you anymore.
Photo Credit: Raisor Sharp Images
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