he's here!

Parker Daniel Rucks.
December 24, 2010.
6 pounds 7 ounces 18 inches long.
Perfect.

here's his story:

Friday December 24 we had a doctors appointment in the morning. i was feeling really bummed out that he still wasnt here when three other girls i knew who were all due around the same time as me had each already had their babies. i was keeping my fingers crossed that we had made some progress and would be heading to the hospital but, no such luck. we hadnt progressed any. we scheduled an appointment to be induced monday, the 27th at 7:30 am, went over to the hospital to pre-register and home we went.

we decided to go out to lunch around 11:30am as kind of a last-date-just-the-two-of-us kind of thing. my contractions had started to feel very different, but were still coming 15, 20 and 30 minutes apart. after we got home i laid down in bed and turned the tv on. my contractions started to come closer and closer together and were getting strong... nothing too horrible though.

i remember texting my mom "im not sure if we are going to make it to monday..." then at 1:45 i got a VERY strong contraction... 5 minutes later, another one.... i decided to take a bath and when i got into the tub they seemed to come stronger and faster.... jared had gone to help his brother move a few things so when he got home i told him to call the hospital... they told him to have me lay on my left side and drink 2 cold glasses of water and see what happens... i was too uncomfortable and they were coming so fast i couldnt drink any water... i debated back and forth about going to the hospital cause i didnt want to get turned away....

but i couldnt take the pain any longer... and i told jared if this is "false labor" i dont want to know what "real labor is." that drive from idaho falls to rexburg was LONG! every time i had a contraction i would get really hot so we would turn the AC on, then after it passed i would freeze so we would turn it back to hot. we go to the hospital around 4:00 pm the nurse checked me, and i was already dilated 5 cm and 100% effaced... things went WAY fast from there as they began hooking up iv's and monitors... i begged and pleaded for them to get me an epidural and when that man came in and put something wonderful in me all was okay in the world again. i dont know why or how any woman would not want to have one, but props to them... i couldnt do it.

my doctor showed up and immediately told me things werent looking good for the baby and he was 90% sure were going to have to have a c-section... i remember just crying.

finally things seemed to calm down a little and they had me lying flat on my back with a pillow propping me up on one side... they kept coming in every now and then and having me switch sides to see if that would help calm baby down. i kept asking how he was looking and my nurse would say, better but still not great.

at 10:00pm my nurse sadie, who was awesome, checked and said "looks like you're complete! let's start pushing!" i was SO relieved not to have a c-section. we got set up and started pushing at 10:10pm, my doctor showed up at 11:00 and by 11:15pm Parker made his debut into the world!

he is perfect and we love him. he has been the center of attention with my sisters and mom and jared's mom since we've been hom. he gets held constantly by one of them during the day, but i dont think he minds :)