Here's what happened.

For the last four years, Amber has been doing a tremendous job keeping everyone up to date with our lives via this blog. Today marks a slight shift as I bring you my inaugural blog post (and it may be the one and only...I'm not making any promises!).

We may hear more from Amber on this topic later, but I wanted to document the day Wes joined our ranks from my perspective.

The journey actually began the night before, Thursday July 23rd, when we checked into Los Robles hospital at 8pm. Amber donned that beautiful pregnancy glow and we were both buzzing inside with anticipation.

By 8:30, the induction had begun when they started Amber on the Cervadil. She began to feel its effects within a couple hours which meant slight contractions and overall discomfort.

(I was fortunate to have a long bench with a 2-inch pad on it for sleeping. While normally I might complain about such accommodations, in light of where we all know this story is heading, the bench was great, and I'm glad I got to be near Amber to help during the night.)

As a side note, the last meal we had eaten was at 7pm. Once we got to the hospital, Amber was limited to ice chips. For someone who snacks every two hours, ice chips really just come up short for delivering satisfaction.

So we made it through the restless night with Amber getting maybe an hour or two of real sleep. The nurse came in and started helping Amber around 7:15am and getting the IV started. She was telling her about some of the things to expect--how she'd get a shower at 8 and then we'd start the pitocin around 8:30 and see how that goes for a couple hours and really work our way into the labor gradually, etc.

As often happens with our plans, things took an unexpected turn. At 7:45am the doctor arrived and said "ok, we're going to get this going and break your water."

Amber rose to the news like she always does and even negotiated 3 minutes from the doctor to brush her teeth and put her contacts in (nice work AJ!).

So Amber got settled and the doctor came back in to break the water. Then things really started getting interesting.

Here's a pic of Amber before. (note the cup o' ice chips on the table beside the bed).



And here's the belly after. I was shocked to see it "deflate" and form around Wes (I think that is his behind sticking up there).

So with labor progressing along even faster now, we began preparing to hold Wes in our arms at any moment. Little did we know that moment was still many hours away.

Breakfast came. Pancakes, sausage, fruit salad. Not bad for hospital food. Of course, Amber was still on the ice chips diet. I tried to eat without her seeing, but I inadvertently made a comment about how I couldn't remember the last time I had had pancakes....a mistake not to be repeated at the next meal!

Amber was gracious enough to let me finish before refilling her cup of ice chips.

For the next two hours we watched the monitors as the contractions came more frequently but still sporadically. The nurse would come in and check the monitors and show Amber the "Universal Pain Chart" which has a bunch of carefully drawn emoticons and pain descriptions from 0 to 10. While you're at 0 to 1 it's a cute, eye-roll-worthy little chart....however, the cuteness does wear off as the pain you're feeling gets higher on the scale.

During this time, Amber would say "how do I know when it's time to ask for the epidural?"

The answer came at about 11am when they started the pitocin to regulate and intensify the contractions.

"Now! I need the epidural now!"

The nurse and anesthesiologist came in quickly and began to get Amber in position for the epidural.

Now, during this time Amber had a bit of an issue with hyperventilating as well. So her arms were tingling, she had the oxygen mask strapped on, and all the while the contractions were getting worse (we're up to 7 or 8 on the pain scale now).

The anesthesiologist rumbled into the room, talking loudly, singing (yes, singing), and then was all business telling us what was about to happen at the speed of an auctioneer.

So Amber is hyperventilating, the oxygen mask is on, the contractions are coming more and more, the anesthesiologist is raucously at his work, and then the blood pressure cuff slips up and tightens extra hard around Amber's arm making it straighten out like "the Claw"!

All the while, the anesthesiologist is inserting the needle into Amber's spine so she can't move or she'd risk damaging her spinal cord!

But she dug deep and summoned Zen stillness and focus like I've never seen to get through about 10 big contractions while the doctor tried to get the epidural in the right spot (it took him about seven tries to thread the flexible catheter into the right spot in the spine).

It was a very harried few minutes there, but the epidural was successfully administered and the pain scale went back to 0....eventually.

There actually was one spot that didn't take the medicine very well so they had to do a couple "boosts" throughout the day to make sure it was getting coated in the feel-good sauce as well.

Now it was noon. In came sliced tri-tip, a baked potato with sour cream, and steamed broccoli. I ate in silence this time and refilled the ice chips without being asked...

This next phase is what I remember as the calm before the storm. With the pain now under control, we waited through the now pain-free contractions while her body continued to prepare for delivering Wesley into the world.

The hours rolled by. Amber actually slept for a few minutes. The ice chips kept coming. We watched the Karate Kid on TV (I was hoping it would be inspirational to Wes).

Fried chicken came for dinner.

Next shift of nurses (we're on shift 3 now since being at the hospital).

Then, 24 hours later, we are finally ready to being the pushing stage.

A couple practice pushes at 8:30pm on Friday, and at 8:50, the hard work begins.

The next three hours were some of the most intense of my life as I was beside my precious wife struggling with all her being to get our boy into this world. I'm so proud and impressed with her.

With the cord around Wesley's neck, the process was very much a two-steps forward, one and a half steps back experience. The cord kept pulling him back in and they didn't want to pull him out because they didn't know how much slack there was.

The nurses kept lying to us too!

"You're almost there Amber! Almost there!" We heard this refrain for about an hour and half before Amber finally called them on it "You've been saying that for two hours. Seriously, how close are we?!"

Actually, this was one of the great parts of this stage. I got to hear Amber actually say all the things she usually just keeps to herself. And the best part is that the nurses were not on the same page as her so these unreserved remarks were not directed at me!

And of course, Amber saying what's in her head is still better than what most of us actually say on a daily basis....

After three grueling hours, the final push came at 11:45pm and Wes took his first breath of air and let out a beautiful little cry.

I cut the cord and they laid him on Amber's chest.

It was a truly amazing experience that I'll have with me forever. I had no idea the extent of love I would have for that little boy, and it just continues to grow stronger with each day.

Here are a few more pics to finish off the time from the hospital.

The first weigh-in

Footprints

...on one of my t-shirts

The first bath

The first diaper change

Relaxing on the hospital bed with his GIANT pacifier.
Leaving the hospital with his entourage
Buckled in the car seat
Heading up the stairs for the first time with Mom and Dad.

There will be more pics and such to come later from our time at home (most likely from our regular blogger).