What A Day!!

Tonight Mindy is (hopefully) sleeping soundly in the hospital after a very long day.. Around 9PM last night Mindy and I knew something was happening... It almost seemed surreal as we timed each contraction, starting around 14 minutes apart, all the way down to 8 minutes apart.



With excitement and some real pain we headed to the hospital, both of us thinking the nurses would probably send us back home labeled as over eager expecting parents. It was while Mindy was waiting to be admitted that we both knew, we were in it for the long haul..



As the nurse took Mindy back, I was left waiting until summoned when she had been appropriately admitted. Waiting with excitement and anxiety, I heard soft footsteps hurrying in my direction and knew it was go time. The nurse proceeded to tell me that I should "hurry" as Mindy was already dilated to a 5 (I know to the normal guy this means nothing but to a stoked expecting father, I knew she was well on her way and I was scared to death)..

--The THREE major things Mindy wanted for this pregnancy was ONE, of course to have a HEALTHY baby, TWO, to actually be able to go into labor (with Jack, our first, the delivery was induced) and the LAST but certainly not least, to get an epidural.--

With that said, I asked the nurse as we headed back through the maze of delivery rooms, "will she be able to get an epidural?". The nurse replied nervously, "I think it's too late".. At that time I can around the corner of our soon to be Room of Miracles and saw my wife wincing in pain from a current wave of contractions. It was impossible not to flash back 18 short months ago when she went through this exact thing, delivering our first all NATURAL... And as Michelle can attest, that is no place for the man that caused all this to happen...

Not to bore with the play by play, but I will tell you that never in the last 13 years I had known my wife, had I been so proud of her.. Not for the obvious pains and burdens of motherhood but in that moment, after anticipating the euphoric bliss of an epidural for the last 18 months, to hear the nurse say, "I don't think we will have time to get you the medication", YET from a distance I could see Mindy's determination to accept the allotment that she truly had no control over and focus like never before for the next assuredly painful sequence of events.

Only those that truly know and love my wife could understand her ability to transcend the negative horrors of today for the HOPE of far better and peaceful future. Her contagious optimism, laughter and love propels her life's motto, "if you are a good person, good things happen to you".... She is a strong believer in karma..

With only 10 mins prior to the delivery, the anesthesiologist put the finishing touches on the long awaited epidural. Now that is Karma..






Mindy I love you for your HOPE, I love you for your Passion, I love you for each tender moment I've watched you with own son, I love you for the amazing past we have experienced, the exciting present blessings you have brought into this world and a future that we will undoubtedly ROCK together!!



Sleep well my love.... Can't wait to see you both tomorrow..