Benjamin continues to amaze us every minute of every day. We can hardly believe that it has been almost a week since he was born. At this time last week I was on my first, and last, day of non-bed rest in ten weeks. Looking back, perhaps my agenda was a bit on the aggressive side. Let's just say it was a very productive day for me.
In the middle of the night leading into Saturday, I began to suspect that something was up even though I wasn't having any contractions. After speaking with a nurse over the phone, she recommended that we head in to the hospital just to get things checked out. I took a shower, had a bit of breakfast. repacked the hospital bag, and we headed off to Boston. After months of worrying about going into labor during rush hour, we barely even hit a red light. Thirty minutes door to door.
Within a short while after arriving at the hospital, and fully expecting to be sent home for a false alarm, we were told that yes indeed my water had broken. By noon we were fully admitted and settled in to our delivery room. We like to think that Benjamin was so excited to meet us and start experiencing life that he just couldn't wait.
I wasn't doing much along the lines of contracting, so my labor was induced. The whole process was remarkably straightforward and complication free. Kevin and I mostly relaxed and focused on breathing through the contractions for the next few hours until they decided that it was time for me to start pushing. One hour later, almost to the minute, I was holding our little man.
Cue the sappy. Kevin was amazing throughout the whole process. He was just the right amount of encouraging, holding my hand, holding on to one of my legs while I pushed, making sure I had a cold washcloth on my forehead, helping me to focus. I think I was only rude to him once. I'm not exactly at my best when I'm tired. Mostly what I remember about active labor is looking into the eyes of my best friend and feeling like I could conquer the world if I put my mind to it. Brave guy watched the whole thing and even cut the cord. Since that moment, he has been unfailingly amazing with Benjamin. He has changed almost every diaper, done almost all of the burping (of the baby). He can calm our little guy down within seconds and loves to hold him and talk to him. I find myself tearing up with complete happiness fairly frequently watching the two of them together.
And of course there is Benjamin. He is changing before our eyes. He loves eating and sleeping, and had a glowing first appointment with the pediatrician. He smiles and squirms and seems to love exploring the world. We had our first family outing yesterday. A nice walk around Salem and lunch with Grampa and Grammie P. He loves opening his eyes and looking around. We can't wait to show him the world.
