Be There!

When you're laying in the pool with a friend who starts having contractions, you sorta start keeping track of things.  When you and that friend head out for dinner and the contractions get stronger and closer together...you really start keeping track of things.  And of course when the fireworks on the 4th of July end and the friend says "hey lets head down to Labor and Delivery now, shall we"...you sort of go without hesitation and of course you stay for moral support!

Now I must confess...children are not exactly my forte.  (Read I don't even really like kids and don't know the first thing about them)  I had the privilege of learning first hand about 100 more reasons why I have NO desire to have children.  For roughly 24 hours I watched a friend go through every single emotion humanly possible and enough pain to scare me half to death.  She did it like a champ though...I'm proud of her!  (Read I have absolutely no idea what it is like to be pregnant, be a single mom or go through actual child birth - nor do I wish to learn.)

Joy: FINALLY having her body back, being able to hold little Owen, and of course the simple fact that he was a miracle baby that she thought she would NEVER be able to have.
Exhaustion: Mental and physical.
Sadness: That the baby's dad is a total asshole and loser, the loss of her mother and the fact that she couldn't be there during this most AMAZING time.
Fear: Its not only frightening to go through child birth, but its really scary to think about being a mom.
Happiness: For family and friends sending texts and love constantly!! 
Pain: That goes without saying - refer back to YAY for good drugs.

I will say that of all the people on earth that I could have shared this experience with, I'm glad that it was her.  Giving birth is really a lot of hurry up and wait...there is "checking", "effacing", "membranes", "contractions", "breathing", "positioning", drugs - oh there are drugs!  Thank GOD for pitosin, epidurals and phenegran.    No matter what you think will happen or how you think things will come along...it really boils down to mother nature and that kiddo taking their course of action in accordance with their plans! But it is a really neat thing to experience (read its scary and time consuming, sometimes icky, but a miracle all in itself.)

Having not quite wrapped my head around the whole thing - I'm just happy that I could be there to support her, hand her ice ships and squeeze her hand during the process!! Most of all I'm excited that baby Owen is here...healthy and perfect!  I mean...look at the little foot!!  **sniffle**