One year ago today....

Owen was born!!! Since I didn't have a blog back then I never wrote about the day he was born or the time leading up to it. This is something that I would like to remember forever so I have decided to document it now before I forget. For those of you not interested in reading this long story go ahead and skip to the cute pictures of my little boy.

I had a fairly easy pregnancy, even though I complained A LOT! I worked right up until I gave birth; literally. My due date was December 22 so I planned for my last day of work to be Saturday December 8, but my boss really needed me Monday the 10, so that ended up being my last day. When I came home from work Monday afternoon I sat down and made a list of all the things I wanted to get done in the next 2 weeks before the baby came. With Christmas and the birth of the baby right around the corner, the list was REALLY long, but I thought I had time to get it all done.

The most important thing that I needed to accomplish was getting furniture for the baby's room. That night Spencer and I went to Redlands and had dinner with his parents and then went and picked out baby furniture at Babies-R-Us. I promised Babies-R-Us that I would return first thing in the morning to pay for and pick up the furniture. Well that didn't exactly happen.

At 4:15 Tuesday morning I woke up thinking that I wet the bed. I jumped out of bed and not seeing or feeling any wet spots I dismissed it as a dream. I went to the bathroom and as I was washing my hands I felt a stream of water trickle down my leg. I froze!! I stood there a second not sure if what I thought was happening actually was happening. Then all of a sudden there was a GUSH of water...YEP, it's happening. At that point I woke up Spencer and told him my water broke. He jumped out of bed and was in an instant panic.

Since water continued to pour out of me I stayed standing on the bathroom floor as Spencer ran around like crazy. He called the hospital and let them know we would be coming in then he frantically packed a bag as I shouted at him what to pack. I was surprisingly calm during this time, I was the one reassuring Spencer.

Soon we were in the car on the way to the hospital. I felt no pain, just wetness. We laughed and joked during the drive. As soon as I stepped out of the car at the hospital another huge GUSH occurred. It was so embarrassing walking through the hospital with soaking wet pants. I never imagined that so much water would emerge from my body.

Once we were settled into a room one of the doctors decided to give me some kind of pill to induce labor. To this day I have no idea what she gave me, but I'll tell you one thing, it didn't do anything! I laid in the hospital bed until noon feeling no pain at all even though the machine I was hooked up to said I was having contractions.

At noon I was re-evaluated and it was decided that I would be given pitocin. Within minutes of having that junk injected into my arm I started to have some major contractions! I was in a lot of pain, but Spencer was right there to do the breathing exercises we learned in lamaze class. Those techniques actually helped, but they were no match to the extreme pain I was feeling.

After enduring about 45 minutes of labor on my own re-enforcements were called in and I received an epidural. I slept for about an hour and then at about 3:20 p.m. I started pushing. Without going into all the details here's some key points of the 2 hour pushing fest that will give you just enough of an idea of how it all ended:

• The epidural wore off and I could feel EVERYTHING!!!
• The nurse was walking around the room while I was pushing so I was running the show
• I kept wondering if Spencer was going to have to deliver the baby since there was no doctor in sight
• My mom answered her cell phone and talked on it during the pushing (for real)
• There was a lot of screaming and commotion
• I kept throwing off the oxygen mask because it was suffocating me
• The doctor arrived 5 seconds before Owen was born at 5:40 p.m.

It was all worth it when Spencer handed me my little angel. He was perfect and I was in heaven. Owen Spencer Hull came into this world weighing 7 lbs. 9oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. I will never forget that day, it changed my life!

Owen Spencer December 11, 2007

So tiny in his car seat ready to go home on December 13, 2007.

On his blessing day. February 3, 2008

Taking a bath in Grandma's sink. Three months old.

Six months old in our backyard.

And now he's a big 1 year old!!! Happy Birthday Buddy!!

Things I want to remember about Owen at one year old:

• He isn't walking yet, but took his first steps a few days ago.
• He has eight teeth
• He sleeps through the night and takes two naps a day...he's a good sleeper now
• He still enjoys baby food, but is getting better about trying new things. He loves cheese sandwiches and applesauce
• He can say "mama" and knows who that is
• He is becoming more independent and will go to other people, but he still loves mommy best.
• He has developed great relationships with his Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle and gets excited when he sees them.
• He crawls super fast and loves to pull open all the cupboards and drawers.
• He's a friendly, happy baby and smiles a lot.
• He loves the water...he recently learned how to turn the water on in the sink and has discovered the water in the toilet.
• He babbles and "talks" a lot.
• He loves to play with his friend Kaelyn and enjoys being with older kids who will play with him.
• He is the best thing that ever happened to our family. We love you so much Owen!