Happy Birthday Lucy!

I woke up early this morning, with that excited nervous feeling you sometimes get before a party, and thought about what happened on this day last year.

Matt and I didn't talk much on the 45 minute drive to the hospital. We were both pretty nervous, of course. We were in Grandma Connie's Prius, and Gus was still asleep at home in bed with Grandma Connie and Aunt Molly there to care for him. We checked in to the hospital about 7 am. The nurses got my IV and catheter going. There was a baby being born before it was my turn, so at this point we waited and waited and chatted with the nurses. With a scheduled C section, it is really surreal. No "just get this baby out of me!" moment at all.

Finally, Dr. Bradford walked in my room around 9:45. Then he proceeded to tell us stories of his trip to Germany. He had just got back two days beforehand. I still can recount details of the beverages he consumed, schnitzel he ate, etc. He has a thick Texas accent and to hear him speak some German phrases was hilarious. And all the nurses gathered around to hear his funny stories.

I finally raised my hand and said, "Can I have a baby?" (this was the closest I got to the 'just get this kid out of me' moment.)

The anesthesiologist came in briefly, he was the same we had when Gus was born. He is such a great guy, yet on this day, this morning, there was a tiny little, er.. dribble wet mark on the front of his pants. You know what I am talking about. He left the room. Matt and I looked at each other with a do-we-laugh-or-cry look. (in my mind, he hadn't scrubbed up yet, so I am telling myself all will be well).

They take me back around 10:30 and give me a spinal. That was the scariest part. I hop up on the operating table and they insert the needle and right away I can feel my legs starting to go numb. I lay down and they do the prep work for the C section.

Meanwhile in the hallway, Matt is practicing all those breathing techniques we learned in our birthing classes.

Matt walks in, sits down next to me. The anesthesiologist is on my left, Matt is on my right. Everyone takes a guess. Boy, girl, boy girl, girl boy.....

Here comes your baby, here is the head, we have some hair, and at 10:51: "Its a girl!"

Happiest moment ever. Tears are streaming down our faces. I continue to blubber and discuss the lack of pink anything in our house.



And so it began, Dear Lucille Kathleen, we love you so much, more every day in fact. Happy Birthday sweet girl!