I forgot to tell you I had a baby a week ago... the little stinker decided to show his face a little earlier than expected. He is here, 3 weeks early and so tiny, but healthy and we are so extremely grateful. So, here is the story. gory details and probably a little tmi but I need to remember it all somehow. Enjoy.....its a super long post so i won't be offended if you don't read it all.No matter how many people tried to tell me or whatever it was I was expecting to happen, this birth story started out in its own unique and unexpected way from the others. Early in the a.m. last Thursday morning I woke up thinking I peed myself. Not thinking much of it, I went to the bathroom, cleaned myself up and hopped back into bed. Then 30 mins later I thought I had peed myself again. Nice lack of bladder control on my part, I put on a feminine pad this time only to have it soaked again in 20 mins. It was 4:15a.m. and I finally woke up Brett and told him I think my water might be breaking. I was going to drive down the road to our hospital (about 5 mins away) and have them check me out and give him a call to let him know what was going on. I honestly thought I was over reacting and thought I would be sent home as I was not having any pains just yet. I got there, got all hooked up to the monitors, checked (dilated to a 3), and still "peeing" myself haha. The nurse did that nifty little paper test to see if it indeed was amniotic fluid and not urine and ten mins later she told me we were going to have a baby today. Getting over the initial shock of it all, I called Brett at 6 a.m. and told him to meet me at the hospital after kids got dropped off at a friends. Here is a fun/annoying part of the whole story. The hospital we were going to deliver at that is pretty much right next to the house has this policy of only being able to deliver your baby if you are 37 weeks+. I was technically 36 and 6 days so I had to be transferred to downtown Des Moines because they have a better equipped NICU just in case. I was feeling just fine and was more than capable of driving myself or having Brett drive me downtown (about 20 mins away)but they made me take the ambulance. They wouldn't even let me walk and get myself onto the ambulance stretcher, they had to get me to slide over onto it from the bed. Super embarrassing. I felt like a sick old lady who they thought was about to die, but I really was feeling great. Even going through the hospital halls and passing some other patients and Dr's was a bit flustering because I didn't feel like an invalid. The ambulance ride was awkward with the emt in back and I just didn't know how to keep up interesting conversation. Thankfully, his wife was actually attending DMU as well and so we had something to talk about with both of our spouses being in med school and getting ready for residency's and what not. Then another awkward trip through the er doors and sharing the elevator with a few people who probably thought I didn't look sick enough to be having an EMT escort through the halls and to my delivery room.
Just waiting around
They had to give me two rounds of antibiotics since I had missed my strep test before delivering (which was actually the Dr. apt I had for that afternoon) and I was also hooked up to some pitocin to get things moving along....which we were hoping wouldn't be very long. I got started on it at 9 had an epidural by 9:30 am and baby came out with a push and a half (haha they actually said give us half a push...is that even possible??) later at 12:56 p.m. 
Best of all though.....it was all pain free. Which was a WONDERFUL treat considering Cason's delivery of no epidural and torture everywhere. I did however, experience many embarrassing moments of soiling my britches since I had just eaten a Big Mac meal at 10 pm the night before...had I known I would be going into labor that next morning I would NOT have done that. But, I had a wonderful nurse who was so extremely sweet and when is delivery a pretty moment any way??
They had to give me two rounds of antibiotics since I had missed my strep test before delivering (which was actually the Dr. apt I had for that afternoon) and I was also hooked up to some pitocin to get things moving along....which we were hoping wouldn't be very long. I got started on it at 9 had an epidural by 9:30 am and baby came out with a push and a half (haha they actually said give us half a push...is that even possible??) later at 12:56 p.m. 
Best of all though.....it was all pain free. Which was a WONDERFUL treat considering Cason's delivery of no epidural and torture everywhere. I did however, experience many embarrassing moments of soiling my britches since I had just eaten a Big Mac meal at 10 pm the night before...had I known I would be going into labor that next morning I would NOT have done that. But, I had a wonderful nurse who was so extremely sweet and when is delivery a pretty moment any way??
He was so little and didn't cry much, so I was a little worried when he came. But the nurse there checked him out and I took in comfort in the fact that they weren't running him off to the NICU. It was such a surreal and funny feeling this time around. I was so unprepared to have a baby that day. With Cason and Adalie I knew it was about to happen, but with Brody- it was a complete shock. I could have sworn we at least had another week and had totally convinced myself he wasn't coming yet.
He was nameless for the first few hours of life. As I am sure you noticed, Brody wasn't even on the list. It was a name change we were not expecting either. But, it definitely fits. It even goes great with Adalie and Cason too. We have an A, B, and C. =)I always think the "after delivery" party is the funniest thing ever. There you are laying in the hospital bed while there are a million people cleaning up your bodily mess all around you, and you have this brand new little person in the room. I am trying to deal with the fact that one second this baby was in my body and the next second out. Covered in what looks like moldy cheese and blood, but I am totally in love with him anyway....gross mess and all. Then everyone leaves the room as the adrenalin dies down and you're like "now what?". That was great and all, but both Brett and I realize we are super tired and I really need a shower. I can't take one though for at least the next 12 hours and until I can feel my legs again. But there is nothing like a post delivery shower. It is one of the most wonderful feeling showers you ever take. Icky to instant clean and fresh!!
Welcome to the family baby Brody Vance. Weighing in at 5.2 lbs and 18 inches long, we love every tiny bit of you. Here are a few more pictures of new Baby....
Ready to go home!!
First Night Home
