Karis' birth story in installments - part 1

Good morning.  It's after 8 AM, I am half done with my coffee, Karis has been fed and is napping on the Boppy next to me on the couch, and Lizzie is actually still in bed - the first time she has "slept in" past 7:30 in several weeks.  So, since it has been a full month since Karis was born, it is high time for me to write her birth story. 

July 3rd and 4th were the first two consecutive days that Sam did not have to work [Lizzie is up and thrilled to see that Karis is still living at our house this morning.  I guess I spoke too soon.], so on the 3rd we focused on relaxing, and on the 4th, we got serious about getting prepared for the new addition.  We had stowed all of the infant baby stuff in the attic above the garage, and needed to drag them out, wash them, and put them in their appropriate places.  In order to access the attic, however, we needed to make room for the attic stairs to come down into the garage.  The garage was actually somewhat perilous to try to walk through, because it was so full of crazy clutter and disorganization.  So we spent several hours simply rearranging the garage and throwing away a lot of junk.  Oh, and did I mention that it was well over 90 degrees and humid?

My 39 week pregnant self spent at least 4 hours in the garage, evaluating whether to keep or to toss, keeping Lizzie happy by coloring with highlighter markers we'd found in a box, and then rearranging things long after Sam and Lizzie went inside for a break and naps.  I was highly motivated, and didn't want to lose any momentum.  We were getting the stuff out of the attic, and we were getting ready for this baby.

Due to all the heat and all the activity, I was getting slightly dehydrated, so I did my best to keep drinking water and a Gatorade throughout the day.  I was feeling kind of crampy, but that was surely due to doing so much and needing to drink more water.  Surely.

Besides cleaning the garage, I also washed and dried all of our laundry (but did not put it away), washed most of the baby stuff. including the car seat cover, I made lunch and dinner and cleaned up both meals, changed the bed sheets, and got the guest room half-way ready for my parents to stay with Lizzie.  I also wiped down the kitchen counter, scoured the grimy stovetop, and rearranged the spice cupboard (because that was clearly urgent).  At some point I even started fussing at Sam because he was just relaxing on his day off, and I needed him to keep working.  I was partially right, but I could have been nicer about it.

After all that, I finally showered and fell into bed around 12:30 a.m..  I was worn out and my back was hurting.  Because of all that work, of course.  Then I remember looking at the time on my cell phone at around 4:30, I had been awake for a little while with cramps in my lower back.  They were not very relaxing, and I couldn't sleep between them.  I stayed in bed, though, and didn't wake Sam up.  If these were real contractions, I needed both of us to get as much rest as we could.

When Sam's alarm to go to work went off at 6:30, I had not gotten any more sleep, and I told him, "You might not be going to work today."  The contractions were getting more and more uncomfortable.

[And I'm back.  Coffee is long gone, but I'm debating whether to make a second cup.  It is almost 3 in the afternoon, and both girls are napping.  Well, I take that back; one girl is in her bed, singing to herself, and may or may not sleep; the other girl has been in her bed for a long time, and will likely wake up soon, starving.  ... Yeah, like now.  So much for that.]

[And I'm back again.  I started writing that on Friday, and here it is Wednesday evening.  More will come...]