November 18, 2005

Has it really been FIVE years already? I can't believe it. I have to pinch myself sometimes to make sure that yes, it has been five whole years since I gave birth to the most unbelieveably amazing daughter in the world.

Five years ago today I was at home alone when I received a phone call from my doctor who was a little perturbed that I wasn't already at the hospital waiting to be induced.  I was already two days overdue and he wanted to induce me. I, deciding that I wanted my labor to start naturally, didn't go to the hospital but after the phone call I couldn't say no to my doctor. {Side note: with a doctor looking like a young Rob Lowe, who could really say no?}

At lunch Lucky came home and we packed up to head to the hospital to begin the nerve-racking process of giving birth. After being administered pitocin, the drug that is supposed to help start labor for all you no-children people, I didn't actually start going into labor until after 1pm. Then it was time to wait.

And wait.

After a while the nurses decided that it was time to stick me with an epidural so that when the real fun begins I would be prepared. Thank god they decided to do it then because that anesthesiologist must have been new as it took him OVER AN HOUR to stick my back with a freakin' needle. An hour. And I was already having contractions. Do you know how long an hour feels when you are having contractions? THREE YEARS. AT LEAST. I'm sure I was breaking Lucky's hands by now because they only thing he could do was hold my hands and hold me up straight enough for that stupid guy to get to my lower back. Little did I know that this guy was just a moron and I could have layed on my side and it should have taken no more than a few minutes but alas, it took having a second child to figure that one out.

After seven hours of labor, with all our friends and family kicked out of our room {into the waiting room where my brother had overtaken the tv and hooked up his XBox} it was time to start pushing. 7:45pm I started and 8:08pm is when Kate came out. The first thing I said after she came out is that she had huge feet. Yes, that is a Cardwell trait. The second thing I said was giving birth was a lot easier than what I thought it was going to be. Lucky looked at me, laughed, and said I just screwed it up for every other pregnant woman. If giving birth was so easy, would others still get away with screaming bloody murder? The ones without drugs would. :D

Here, on my chest, was this precious little baby girl and I couldn't look away. She was ours and so tiny and so perfect. Well, not really TINY, she weighed 8 lbs, 6 oz, and was about 21.25" long. But close enough.

The days in the hospital were a blur, people coming in and going out, I never got to hold Kate longer than 45 minutes before someone else wanted a turn. No worries, though, Lucky and I both were completely at ease and it felt like this was baby # 9 in regards to being stressed. That part was really weird. At no time in the first couple of months were we stressed and wondering what we were going to do. I've heard of subconsciously knowing how to raise a child but we had unknowingly taken that one step further and were completely at peace with this change to our lives.

Now, over the next five years it wasn't all rainbows and butterflies all the time but it was pretty close. Kate is too smart for her own good AND KNOWS IT. She seems like she's 9 or 10 and it still frustrates me that she throws little kid tantrums - which is what she's supposed to do as a little kid.

What's really weird are those times I have to catch myself from getting upset with her because she can't peel a potato or how to press the menu button on the DVD player. What???? Four-year-olds aren't supposed to know how to do that?

She can, however, count to 100, pour her own milk, break Oliver out of his crib, take care of him so much better than I ever took care of my little brother, count to 10 in Spanish {that darn Dora!}, draw better pictures than I can, be the life of the party, ignore the sound of my voice better than Lucky can, and too many other things I can post here.

Instead of talking any more I will post some pictures.

Kate, you will be our little princess forever and I thank God every day that you were born. I love you.

EE