TODAY MATTERS: Not a baby anymore...

Selah Blaire has officially entered toddlerhood. Wow! A year? Really?! This day is a little bittersweet. Of course it's exciting to think about her future, what will she learn next? Who will she become? But also sad that this year passed so quickly, my baby girl is now a little lady.

Let's take a look back at that day just one year ago when our lives forever changed...

Selah Blaire's Birthstory ~ Tuesday, August 8th, 2006

At 41 weeks, 2 days, I was 9 days past my due date of July 30th, and WAY beyond ready. After having had my membranes stripped twice within the past week with no success, I was waiting for the birthing center to open at 9am so that I could call and find out the next plan of action. At 8:40am the phone rang and it was Cherie, my midwife, calling to ask if there was any change. After telling her how things had gone the day before, she told me to come in and she would check me. We took showers and got ready for another trip to Dallas (the 3rd in less than a week) and before we left Terry asked if we needed to bring everything with us (bags, food, etc.). I naively replied that there wasn't any point because they would just strip my membranes and send me home again.

We got to the birthing center around 10:30am. Cherie checked me and I was 100% effaced and 5 cm dialated! Yeah! But still, I felt nothing. She told me to go walk in the park right next door and asked Terry to bring our stuff in from the car. OOPS!! Stuff?! We left it at home! So...Cherie sent Terry home for our bags, but wouldn't let me go because it was too risky considering I was fairly far along. The right decision, but it was still scary and upsetting to me that I had to stay there and work on getting my labor started without him! Today was the day we were going to meet our baby girl, FINALLY!

While Terry was gone I walked in the park. I walked and walked, taking many breaks for water and the bathroom.

When Terry got back around noon (the fastest trip to Arlington and back EVER!) we made a few more laps around the park before heading inside for me to be checked again. I was 6 cm, and Cherie suggested breaking my water to help move my contractions along since they were still barely noticeable. She broke my water at 1pm and things really progressed from there! I labored through mild contractions for a few hours, mostly rocking on a peanut shaped birthing ball. A little after 4pm Cherie and Debbie, my birth assitant, came to check on me and commented on what a quiet laborer I was. My pain really had not been bad at all to that point, so I was getting a little worried that I wasn't progressing and would have a long night ahead of me.

I ate a snack of crackers and juice, and then Cherie sent me to the bathroom and then she would check me. Terry came to the bathroom with me and the moment I sat down I felt a HUGE wave of intense pressure and pain. Now THAT must have been a contraction! Let's just say the quiet part of my labor was over; I grabbed Terry around the waist and buried my head in his stomach as hard as I could to try and counter the pressure with each contraction. After about 10-15 minutes, the contractions let up enough for me to head back to the birthing room. As I walked down the hall, I prayed that God would strengthen my body and my spirit to be able to endure what I thought was the beginning of true labor.
When Cherie checked me, we were both surprised that I was 10 cm dialated and ready to push! Praise Jesus for an incredibly short labor and transition! I squatted for the first 2-3 pushes, and then moved to the bed. With 3 more pushes Selah was born, and Terry got to "catch" her and put her on my stomach!

Selah was born at 5:14pm, weighing 8 lb. 6 oz., and 21 inches long.

I truly cannot imagine having a better experience and wouldn't change a single thing...except maybe remembering our junk!