Good grief. Sorry. I guess I thought October 2012 was like, a month ago. My bad. If you haven't done that math in your head already, that's half a year.
Annnnnyway, here's what I wanted to write, when I had the brainchild of writing today. Please step into my time machine, while I set the dial to April 22, 2008, and insert your own personal time machine noise (here).
It's 11:30 pm, shit just got real. I was watching Chris Farley try to pull off a triple axle as "El Nino" on an SNL throwback, on the delivery room television. It was so funny, I thought I peed in my pants. I didn't. It was amniotic fluid, and I realized that this baby was actually going to make it's way out, in the next 24 hours.
It's midnight. Jay Leno is on, and if there was a brick on the wheely table next to my bed, I'd have thrown it. At Jay Leno. The contractions were real, the pain was real, and Jay Leno's fat chin was driving me crazy. Turn it off. No more TV now, it's business time. Or so I thought; business time would actually last another 5 hours and 20 minutes.
It's one a.m. Ryan steps out for a break. Alisa takes his place. Cowboy Junkies Black Eyed Man is on for the second time in the last hour. The nurse draws a bath. Sure! That sounds amazing, because my body is trying to kill me currently. I get into the bath, Alisa by my side. At this point Auntie Deb, Kristi Aunt Cindy, Stacy and a 7-month-old Ibrahim had all been in and out since six pm. The bath feels amazing, until it feels like someone is stabbing me in the crotch, every 10 minutes.
It's two a.m. I'm out of the bath, with shakey legs, trying to regain my ground, and get back to the bed. Let's put Cowboy Junkies on one more, for good times sake!
The next few hours are a blur. I remember Gatorade, Ryan on one side, Aunt Deb on the other. The midwife. The faces of my best peeps looking at me from across the room. There was a lot of pushing. There was a lot of flipping from side to side. There was a lot of work. Not unlike tonight; making 18 Cinderella cupcakes and making sure the house is clean for tomorrow.
Rowan Katherine Lago was born 5:23 a.m. on Wednesday, April 23, 2008. She weighed 8 pounds exactly, and was 21 inches long. That was the best morning of my life! Until they put me in a wheel chair and rolled over the threshold of the delivery room to the hallway. Ouch.
We had many visitors and stayed in the hospital 2 nights due to my hypertension. It's a shame they don't sell a t-shirt that says, "I gave birth and all I got were these lousy, enormous ankles." I'd buy it. Just sayin'.
Five years have gone sooooo crazy fast. Rowan is just an amazeballs kid, any of you who know her, know that. We have a lot of fun, and I try to make her laugh once a day. Sometimes that's hard. Sometimes I get like a hundred points :)
Happy Birthday, my little Rowie. I remember the day you blew my crotch out like it was yesterday <3
