The birth story

Thursday, August 5th

I woke up at 4am. Wide awake and feeling good. You know, as good as you can possibly feel when there is a whole other person living inside your guts. I wait until the sun comes out and then walk a few miles. Angi calls from Istanbul while I am walking. I don't realize it until after, but I need this phone call. She is thinking about me and wondering how I am. It makes me feel good to know that she is caring about my new baby. I come home from my walk feeling happier. My neighbor brings her baby over for me to watch for a few hours. Once she leaves, the contractions start. I soon recognize that these are different. Not sure how, I just know, as I have known both times before, that she is coming. I play with all the kids in the playroom until my neighbor comes back. I go about my morning activities as usual, trying to prepare the house. Of course this is the day that my childcare option has left town. I call Heather, a friend stationed in Pensacola three hours away to see if she can come. Her husband has the car and won't be back until seven. I lay down on the bed and stop worrying about it, because either way, this little girl is on her way and I will figure out what to do with the girls when it gets closer. I know I have a long day of labor ahead of me. I send Braden a text to let him know that he should plan on staying when he comes home for lunch. I take a shower and put on my most comfortable clothes. About the time Braden comes home from work I decide I want to lay down and be as mentally relaxed as possible. Braden feeds the girls and puts them in bed. Heather calls- she has worked out the car situation and she is on her way.

I spend the next few hours laying down as the contractions grow in intensity. I think about good memories with Braden: walking in the fall and crunching leaves as we got to know each other, Sundays living in Provo, the waterfalls in the Blue Ridge mountains, building fires in our basement apartment. I picture us standing at the throat of Iguazu Falls on the Argentine side and remember how overwhelming it was to watch the water pour over the side. So powerful and majestic. I keep this mental picture in my head and keep thinking of it as the contractions come. I imagine that they are doing the same thing with the baby- pushing her down. It is getting harder so I ask Braden to give me a blessing before I slip into the non responsive, fiercely focused stage of labor that I know is coming soon.

The girls are upstairs sleeping and the house is silent. I sit up on the bed. He blesses me to know that she is excited and anxious to come to our family. I have been told this in a blessing before and I can feel it. He blesses me to know of her great potential and capacity, that she has things to do here. He tells me that she is healthy. This makes me cry. I am so relieved not to worry about her. I am being my strongest because I know what is coming and it is hard. The blessing makes me feel better and I know that I can do this.

Heather arrives. She and Braden are playing with the girls. Braden and Anabelle build a little wood project together and everyone sounds happy. I go upstairs because I can't be still through them anymore. It helps me to have already been through this so I can gauge the pain and guess how far I am. I know I am making progress. I close the office door and sit in the chair to rock and listen to the playlist I have made for labor. I have my headphones on and listen to Alison Krauss's "A Living Prayer" over and over. There are only 5 or 6 songs on my list- songs that bring either sweet memories of our family and life together or a hopeful vision of our future. I lose concept of time. I have no idea how long I spend doing this but it is working. I am rocking and breathing through the contractions. Braden comes to check on me. He brings ice chips which I need because I am out of breath after each one. He stands behind me and plays with my hair for a while. After watching me a minute, and having seen me do this before, he recognizes that it is probably time to go. I agree. I want him to put these songs on his ipod because I don't think I can do it without them. I tell him to buy them- I don't care what it costs. I'm on the floor rocking through them. Lila comes and lays on the floor under my face to play peek a boo with me. Braden can't get the music to download and I realize how fast things are getting worse. It's okay- we have to go. I kiss and hug the girls. I try to walk downstairs but have to drop to the floor and rock each time I get one. I make it downstairs and the thought of sitting in the car for 30 minutes is unbearable- I know that isn't an option. I ask Braden to make me a bed in the back of the Durango. "Now?" he asks. "NOW" I say. I rock on the floor while he does this. I ask him to get me some ice packs and the new primary cd from Megan and he helps me to the car.

I can tell that he is speeding, especially for driving on base. The ice packs help and the music saves me. It helps me think past the pain and focus on what I'm doing. I know that this little girl has important things to do here, I feel of her potential for good and of her happy personality. I know that I am her way here. I think of myself as I giver of life. This is what I was made for, this is what makes my body so amazing. I read somewhere that childbirth is where for a moment, the heavens open up and you get to be a literal portal of life, bringing a person to earth. I like this visual and think of myself this way, it is powerful for me. I start to make noises through each one, not consciously, I just can't help it. Primal sort of noises. Braden is swerving and honking and cutting people off. It makes me happy to know that he is loving this part. It is 5:30 rush hour traffic and it is taking a long time to get there. We pull up to a stop light and he rolls down his window to tell the person that I am in labor and to let him pull in front when the light turns green. The person happens to be Brittany Miller, a girl I met through girls camp in Alabama. I lift my head and wave. What are the chances?

Finally we get to the hospital and Braden pulls up and helps me out. He leaves the car running and walks me in. I have to stop several times to lean on something and rock. We get to the desk at labor and delivery and they recognize which stage I'm in. "She's doing the dance". They ask when labor started. 8 am. Now it is 6:01 pm. They tell me I look great for having been in labor all day. I don't think I ever said thank you. Braden says he will go move the car but they tell him not to leave me. Security will move it. We make our way to a room, slowly, stopping several times to get through one. A couple passes us and tells us congratulations. We get to the room and the nurse gives us a gown. I take off my clothes with the door wide open. Modesty is officially gone. I don't care who sees what. I put the gown on and grab the wall. She checks me in between contractions- six and a half. I am okay with that. I know that I will move faster now. She puts the monitor on me and I lean on the sink and rock through each one. Braden is rubbing my back and it helps immensely. I am getting louder now. Not screaming or yelling or crying, just louder. I have to. She tries to put an IV in me and I tell her no. She asks a million health history questions that I already answered on paperwork before. What was the point of pre-registering I wonder? The doctor comes in to meet me. I glance up at him but ignore his conversation. He is older and seems jolly but he is breaking my concentration. I hear him talking to Braden about where we're from. Each one is very hard to get through. Braden gets a text in the middle of one and stops rubbing to look at it. He was just making sure it wasn't Heather. I snap at him that he better not read a text right now. I can't bear it without him rubbing my back and legs. The nurse checks me- I'm at 8 cm. She says when my water breaks it will go faster. "Break it!". She gets the doctor. He asks if I want him to, telling me that it will go much faster after its broken. "Break it!". At this point I just want it to be over. Although I know the worst part is just ahead I need it to happen so I can end this. He breaks it and I get up again and lean over the sink. I ask Braden to go to the car and get the camera. He runs and I ask the nurse to rub me while he is gone. My body starts to groan and push the baby out without me trying. The nurse is getting nervous and asks me if I need to push. She keeps telling me to go to the bed if I need to push. I know that it is close but not yet. A few more contractions like these and I know that it's time. I go to the bed and push with my next contraction. I push again and Braden yells at me that she has hair. Her head is out and I want them to just pull her out. But they tell me to push long and hard. I do this two more times and out she comes.

Born at exactly 7:00, weighing 7.77 lbs, 19 and a quarter long, she was perfectly pink and healthy.

The nurse hands her to me. She is warm and wet and gooey and she smells good for some reason. I love that she comes straight to my arms. She does have hair. Lots of it, and it is dark! Braden asks if she is his baby. I say if he wants his paternity leave next week he should investigate that later. The doctor stitches me up and shakes my hand and tells me that he is impressed, that I am tough, and that I sure know how to have a baby. A room full of nurses agree and I am shocked to know that all those people were there watching. I had my eyes closed the whole time and did not open them until she was in my arms. Braden kisses my very sweaty head and we are elated at our healthy baby girl.

A few hours later, in the middle of the night when it is just she and I awake in my bed, we stare at each other. And I fall in love with her. Absolutely, completely, and totally in love with her. I think of all the sickness and trials of pregnancy and know that I would do it all again for her. My heart could not feel any fuller for all the love I feel.

We like names that are not made up but also not common. I have a sense that she is vivacious. We think Maisey fits her. Maisey Virginia Reynolds. Virginia after Braden's paternal grandma and also after the state where we fell in love and want to return.

Meet Maisey.






fresh from the oven

it's over, it's over, it's over, it's over, it's over, it's over, it's over

first hawk by Dad. there have already been many more.


2 hours old

a proud dad with tired arms


let the poking and exploring begin

the moment Anabelle has been waiting for the entire year

the girls meet Maisey

Lila enjoying my breakfast