this is the big idea: May

Chad thinks it is an old wives tale, but I must say that my pregnancies with my girls have been much easier than those with my boys. Just as with Aimee, I was rarely sick after the first trimester, and I carried high enough so that I didn't feel as though they would fall out of me at any moment. With the exception of some pretty severe varicose veins, and the run of the mill discomfort of being large, pregnancy was much easier than the last two times I did it! In fact, I was able to be something of a gym rat, and I often say that May was my little weight training and Zumba buddy. I know this made several of the class instructors and other class members nervous, but it made me feel good! It was pretty frustrating to tear a tendon in my foot at 31 weeks and be in a walking boot and out of the gym for several weeks.

Things went pretty smoothly. In fact, I let my OB know that because this wasn't my first rodeo, and I have to have c-sections, I didn't see the need to come in every week or even every other week as the end approached. Initially, I think this made him a little nervous. I don't think he has ever had such a request. After making me promise to let him know if anything was ever out of the ordinary he agreed (and I don't think it hurt for him to know that Chad is a doctor, and about the most protective husband in the world). This made my life much easier to not have to schedule and plan around several pointless (at least for me) appointments.

Everything was par for the course, until just a few days before I was scheduled to deliver. I am a planner. It is my favorite thing about having to have c-sections. I had scheduled this date months in advance. My family had booked plane tickets and planned a visit based on all of my careful planning, and all o my arrangements for my family were tailors around it as well. The Wednesday before my Saturday delivery date I started to feel a little nervous. Everything in Omaha had always run like clock work, but with only a few days to go, I had not heard anything from my doctor or the hospital about surgery prep. I thought I was probably just getting eager to be done, but felt I should just check in with the hospital. When I called they assured me that there was no need to pre-register, or do any home prep and to just show up the morning of the delivery. Again I felt the need to just be reassured that everything was in order and asked the nurse to please verify that I was in fact on the schedule for Saturday morning. I was not! The nurse assured me that this was no big deal, that she would add me, and not to give it another thought. Since my husband is training to be a surgeon, we both knew this was quite an oversight.

Friday morning the phone rang. The man on the other end identified himself as Dr. Horlacher. "Dr. Wood is out of town and asked me to do your c-section," he told me. "It is a good thing you called the hospital, because with him out of town, and no one on the schedule, I wasn't sure what was going on. So, what do I need to know about you?" I briefly went over my concerns and requests for the surgery that I had previously discussed with Dr. Wood, and said good-bye. I immediately paged Chad and explained what had just happened. While a doctor change happens often in the OB world, I admit I was a bit upset. Another good thing about scheduled c-sections is that I can be familiar with the doctor, and he can be familiar with me and my concerns. I didn't like that all of my careful planning was not well planned on the other end! Luckily, a new friend of mine is an OB resident, and she and I had recently visited and talked about the attendings she worked with. Dr. Horlacher was spoken of highly by her, and turned out to be a really good guy.

Friday night my little brother Cubby flew into town. It was great to have a family member around to ease the worry of being away. Chad and I made it to the hospital bright and early to get all prepped for my little May to make her entrance to the world. Chad also got all prepped, and was glad that because this was one of his hospitals, he was able to just wear scrubs in the OR instead of the bunny suit they initially provided for him! I don't know the ins and outs of how or why my spinal was a little off, but this was the most pain delivery I have had. I wasn't numb as high up. I think this was why I had such a difficult time getting my pain under control once I was put back together. I have never felt so loopy and out of control. It was very frustrating to have my sweet new baby girl, and not dare hold her, for fear of dropping her. I couldn't even talk to Chad without dozing off in the middle of speaking. I was so glad Chad was there to cuddle and hold her while I tried to get it together.

Honestly, there were two miracles that day. The first was that when Dr. Horlacher got inside me, he told Chad and I that, "It looks like no one has ever been in here." I always dread hearing the doctor tell me that I can't have anymore babies. And of course the other was when my beautiful little May popped out! At 7 pounds 7 ounces I don't think any of the Zumba made her worse for wear. Porter was the biggest by one ounce, but he was also 8 days past due, and May was a full week early. To me that means she was actually the biggest! It only got happier once I was coherent again, and my three other babies and little brother came to the hospital to meet the highly anticipated little sister! They all loved her! Even my spitfire Pratt sat next to me on the hospital bed for a good 15-20 minutes (that may be a record for him) just holding her and looking at her. And, while my room was anything but calm, I loved the peace of having my four sweet babies around me!

This was the only picture Chad got of me and May that I don't look stoned in.

This is one excited big sister!

The hospital was very "granola." I was glad I had brought my KY, bows and lotion so that she looked like a girl, and smelled right!

We had planned to bring May home Monday night, but I was so sick of having someone come into my hospital room every 20 minutes that when Chad and the crew came to visit Monday morning, we made an early exit. I wanted to lay on my own bed and even in a house full of kiddos, get more rest than I was getting there!