Annie's Baby Story- Part 1

Where does one even begin to write “The Baby Story” for the third child?  I honestly didn't think I’d be writing anymore of these, but I must say that I am sure glad I am.  Annie Lamar is sweet as pie and has stolen our hearts.  Let’s start at the beginning…

Trey and I sold our house we had lived in for 7 years, had begun building our forever home, and moved into a rental house in late April of 2014.  At the end of June I took a pregnancy test on a whim, not expecting to see the plus (+) sign, ohhhh but it was there.  My first reaction was, “NOWAY!”  Then I panicked, cried, and immediately got on the computer.  I put all the necessary info in and it determined my due date to be February 27, 2015.  I couldn't call Trey.  You just don’t call your husband and be like, “SURPRISE!!!!”.  Instead I panicked alone for 1 ½ hours.  John Brantley was napping and Ford had a friend over.  I’m pretty sure I didn't think straight the next little bit.  After the friend left and Bitty woke up, I loaded the boys up and we headed to see Daddy.  I sent the boys to talk to Ms. Judy because she gives suckers, and I ran up the stairs to Trey’s office.  I had the pregnancy test in a zip lock bag and chunked it at him.  He looked up and me like, “SHUT UP!” and then I cried.  He, unlike me, was positive about it from the first.  The date was June 26.

Fast forward and in late July we found out that Annie was a girl by doing a genetic test called MaterniT 21.  And the rest of the pregnancy is nicely documented in the pages of my blog.  By January things got “real”.  I was bigger, it was only a few weeks until sister arrived, and Trey left for his 4^th term as State Representative in Jackson.  I worried.  I tried NOT to worry, but God wired me that way.  I honestly didn't worry as much as I should have under the circumstances at hand.

By 36 weeks I was going to the doctor every week to be “checked”.  I never dilated and was always told, “See you next week”.  Unlike many other females, I did NOT want Annie to come before her scheduled induction date of February 23.  I knew that if my water broke there would be pain.  I knew that if I went into labor at night there would be panic of who would keep the boys.  I knew that if Trey were in Jackson he would miss the birth.  I just couldn't worry about all of that.  Instead I prayed and trusted that God would make Annie come on 2/23 and her daddy would get me to the hospital.

The week leading up to her birth was bad.  Not for me, but weather wise.  There was snow.  There was ice.  There was inclement weather all over the place and school was canceled for FOUR days.  Four days!!!  I needed my last week to nest and do stuff that you do before you bring a new addition home.  Instead we had ice.  That brought on more worries for Gran, Boom, Puddin, Pops, and most of Mayberry who worried about me traveling the 1 hour distance to the hospital.  See with all those people worrying, I didn't have to!!!

My last appointment was scheduled for Wednesday, February 18, but I canceled it due to “inclement weather”.  So the final weight gain count was 35 pounds!  Please hold your applause.  I kept telling everyone that since I had made it this far Annie wasn't coming out.  I will be honest, there were times I would get a pain and be scared to move because I thought my water my break, and I did not want that to happen.  Last Sunday we went to church and ate at Puddin’s house for lunch.  We knew that snow and ice was in the forecast for Sunday night so I convinced Trey that we should go to Memphis Sunday night and stay in a hotel by the hospital.  He didn't love that idea, but I am pretty sure he was tired of hearing about it from about 10 people so he caved.  After lunch I came home and nested like a fool.  I washed, cleaned, packed, and organized stuff.  I didn't want to come home to a mess and be faced with multiple chores and all that I would have going on after birth.  

We dropped the boys off at Puddin and Pop’s house, and left for Memphis on Sunday night at about 5:30.  Our first stop was dinner at Benihana’s.  It was delicious and I know my body appreciated all of that sodium.  After supper we checked in at the Hampton Inn which was only yards away from the hospital.  In true Joe and Suzanne (my parents- Gran and BoomPa) fashion, they were the most panicked about the weather and had themselves a hotel room at the Hampton as well.  Since I had 35 pounds of extra insulation, I was toasty warm in that room.  I finally turned the AC on 62 degrees and attempted to sleep.  Between bathroom breaks every 30 minutes, feeling like I was having menopausal sweats, and restless leg syndrome at an all time high, I think I slept 4 hours.  I woke up Monday morning, February 23^rd at 4:10 AM.  I showered and got all dressed.  At 4:46 I was trying to get Trey up because he is the slowest human being I know.  We were supposed to be at the hospital at 5:30 AM.  We were definitely still at the hotel at that hour. 

We road to the hospital (through parking lots basically) with my windshield completely iced over.  Trey dropped me off at the front door and I walked inside.  He went and parked the car and together we headed up to the second floor of the Baptist Women’s Hospital.

To be continued…..