We have definitely expanded . . . . well, I personally have shrunk . . . but the number of us has increased!!
June 16, 2011 Kaelani Faith Palmer joined us, in a rush of excitement!!! Felt some lower back pain the evenng of June 15, 2011. I was sent home when I didn't progress as they monitored me! Danny was not impressed because he wanted RUSHED and HECTIC . . . no leisurely and calm!! I came home and went to sleep. Woke up about 8:20 a.m. and began planning a possible trip to the zoo. Around 9:20 a.m. I felt a trickle and a sudden urge to push occured! I was on the phone again with same said friend who told me I was not pushing because I was alone!! I hung up with her and called Danny, and in not so many words told him to get here now or else!!! I then called my friend back and she continued to tell me how I was so not going to push!!
Danny arrived, to what he says was the sound of a fire truck and me flailing my hair around. He wanted fast and frantic, I was about to deliver. Hee Hee! He was in mission mode, mission get J to the hospital now. I love the focus he gets when he is in mission mode, nothing stops him from accomplishing what is is set to do. In mission mode, he wanted me to just up and walk out to the truck. I was in the middle of a contraction when he arrived. On our way to the door, I had another contraction where I stopped and began to bend over to sway and breathe thru it! Danny wanted me to keep walking and attempted to encourage me to keep moving and stop me from dropping to the floor. . . not sure my verbal response but am certain I dropped to the floor anyway. Pretty sure I told him I was not walking any where during that contraction!! There was another contraction mid front yard that I grabbed Danny during cause falling to the rocks and swaying was not happening. He was so sweet, stopped mid yard and didn't complain at all as I am sure I squeezed his arm. We got to the truck, as always without fail, he opened my door for me, and helped me into the truck (somethign that had become an always since my stomach started expanding).
I remember a seemingly very long drive to the hospital. Danny was getting me to the hospital and was only slowed down because I told him to be safe. We hit every single light on the way to the hospital! Every light!! Danny had a strategy to not be stuck behind the traffice, he kept going into the right and left hand turn lanes, pulling in front of the cars stopped as he yelled out his window "She is in labor." All drivers were kind as he has communicated to me and waved him ahead! One lady stayed on the same path as us all the way till the block before the hospital. She waved us on with a good luck. All the way to the hospital I beat the door of his truck and probably screamed, "I need to push!" As we pulled into the hospital, I asked him to not park far away, I couldn't walk that far. Danny being the ever insightful man he is, had already decided I wasn't going to walk, and told me he was going straight to the entrance . . . for a moment, I wondered if straight to the entrance meant thru the entrance, he was being very sweet and making sure he got me as close to the door as possible.
We abandoned the truck at the front door, I remember Danny basically lowering me out of the truck, not sure how he got me inside. I remember holding onto Danny (or was he holding me up) swaying and telling the lady at the counter I needed to push!! I remember there seeming to be a ton of people in the waiting room and all of them were glaring at me (secretly I wanted to ask them if they had never seen a lady in labor before)!! I remember a wheelchair being brought, and Danny being anxious (the cute little lady at the counter was not moving fast enough for Papa bear).
I remember someone in triage saying, "Your a 9.5" I don't remember ever laying on the triage bed, I am certain I did to have been measured, I think! I remember them saying they didn't have a delivery room . . . I remember seeing Danny's face and him saying, "we need to get a room." I was wheeled to a room, cant remember if I was in the wheel chair or on a triage bed. After the declaration of 9.5 cm I asked for an epidural . . . eventhough in my right none labor mind, I knew that was too late for such business, I asked for one!! I am pretty sure I asked for one not just once but a few times. Yes, I was whimping out!! The nurses kept telling me we have to ask the Doctor, such monkey business!! Next, I remember a ton of nurses milling around a room, prepping it! Honestly as I think about it, it must have just opened up and they were cleaning it and prepping it all at the same time.
My next memory is grabbing the rails of the bed, particulary the one on the side Danny was standing next too. Danny in his very concerned voice kept telling me to breathe (yes, we discovered I hold my breath when in pain). I kept trying to focus cause these people weren't giving me an epidural. At one point in time I told Danny to quit telling me to breathe it was breaking my concentration (which he understood because of all the time he has been in pain and told me to quit making noise cause he needed to concentrate)! Then the blessed words of a nurse telling me I could pull my legs up and push! Danny grabbed one leg, I think the nurse had the other leg, and I remember being so happy to push!! I don't remember much else, except my Dr. arriving, and telling me to not push but to hold pressure! HOW . . . how do you HOLD PRESSURE when all you really want to do is push!! Definitely spoken like someone who had never been in that position before, hold pressure. Not sure if I held pressure or pushed . . . guess it doesn't matte cause it turned out okay she is here right!?!?
Soon, I had a beautiful little girl laying on my lower abdomen cause the umbilical cord was super short . . . so the dr. said. I haven't really ever measured umblical cords, so I will take his word for it!! Danny cut the cord, he kissed me, and then he was off to be next to our beautiful Kaelani's side, she had him hook line and sinker. I asked for food, I remember while Danny tended to what the nurses were doing to our baby, I was chowing down on some good grub. Including Chocolate CAKE!!
Danny came over a little worried about me, and asked if I was okay. I told him "I think I am in shock!" Pretty sure I was, the whole process took 10 minutes once to the hospital! Really, I was expecting a Danny and J go to the hospital . . . we hang out in a room for a while, laughing, talking, being silly, Danny asking lots of questions of the nurses what is this monitor for, that monitor, etc making certain everything was working well. I was definitely expecting to have a million pictures of me in a bed waiting for the whole thing to start. And to be honest, was just expecting for it to move a little bit more slow so that we could enjoy each other, and take in bringing this child into the world together.
We were taken to the maternity ward for our permanent room. Danny didn't leave my side for a second. Come to think of it, I don't think he ate breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Oh my! He never left the room, unless Kaelani was going some where for test etc. And he did just as we had decided one of us would go with her. I was out of bed by noon moving around the room, which had him so concerned. He wanted me in bed recovering! Kaiya came she was over the moon about Kaelani! We took lots of pictures.
We had lots of visitors, I need to post those pictures. It was just so nice to be there together! Grandma Palmer came later that day/evening. Spent some time with us! I had a dear friend come visit, I showered, and she did my hair for me. We (Kaelani and I) were definitely loved and taken care of . . . . Danny directed all compliment from anyone and everyone towards me giving me credit for it!
