Speechless

There's no other way to put it.

I'm sitting in the hospital right now thinking back on the last week. If you would've told me last week I'd be here with Liza and our baby, I would have laughed at you.

Just last week, Liza made a marvelous roast for dinner. We had our friends over and played games too. Apparently, it was an appreciation dinner for the help I was giving Liza while her back was acting up.

It was a great night.

Last Friday, my friends at work threw a little shower for us. A little shower with big gifts. It was nice.

We had the final baby shower last Saturday. Again, family and friends showered us with love and gifts. Liza's parents and Julie came by and helped organize the gifts in the baby's room. Terry, Rhea and the kids stopped by to check out the room too.

And we made a short list of things we needed to get done over the next 6 weeks.

Sunday, Liza was tired, but still wanted to go to church. She had missed a couple weeks and really felt like she should go. It was a great service.

As we were leaving, Rick Collins told Eliza to stay away from sharp objects.

She turned around and said, " I know, I might just pop!"

We headed over to my parents after church for a birthday party for my sister in law Nicole. We ate lasagna, had some cake and ice cream and we were home by 7:30 or 8.

We just relaxed at home, discussed how busy my life was going to be that week. Based on the outside of work schedule, I told Liza I was going to have to work late Monday. Here's how my week looked as of 8 pm on Sunday, March 9.

Mon - work late

Tues - Liza dr. appt (3:45) and our birthing class (6:30)

Wed - Pistons game

Thurs - Pistons basketball clinic at OU

Fri - Gary Allen fam birthdays at AJ and Julies

Sat - Couples small group and bible study

Somewhere in there, we needed to get a few more things off the registry, pack her hospital bag, I needed to get the dogs nails clipped and get their heartworm medicene.

So we turned the lights out at 10:30 pm Sunday, March 9 "knowing" what the week ahead was going to bring at us.

12:30 am Monday March 10 2008

"Nate"

"Nate"

I look around....Kobe's looking at me like "Dude, she's talking to you and I want to sleep."

I finally see Liza leaning out of our bathroom.

"I think my water broke."

Still groggy, I said, "What?"

Then I see it looks like she wet her pants.

So I said, "Are you sure?"

She said she just couldn't control what was happening.

I panicked for a second, but realized panic paralyzes, and gives me a migraine. So I took a deep breath, and rolled out of bed.

We discussed whether or not , but the more we talked about it, the more we figured it was.

So, since we hadn't packed her bag, I pulled out the book from our birthing class to see what we should pack.

While packing, we kept discussing whether or not her water really broke. I went back to the only thing I somewhat remember about the water breaking.

C.O.A.T.

Color, Odor, Amount, Time

It seemed like that's what it was.

So, we got it all together, packed some extra towels, and got in the car at 12:45 am.

We laughed because it was so early.

I turned on the radio, and just to hear the song "Feels like Tonight" by Daughtry. The next song was "The First Time' by Lifehouse.

Now we're really laughing at the songs that were be played.

So I switch stations to 99.5 and the next song was "There goes my life" by Kenny Chesney. Those of you who know your country music know it's a song about a young man having his first baby.

We got to the hospital within 25 minutes.

The security guard wheeled Liza up to the Labor and Delivery, and they gave us a room. The nurse came in and checked the fluid to make sure it was the amniotic fluid.

"Oh, yeah." She said and we started making the phone calls.

It was a whirlwind from there. We took notes, but thoughts are blurry right now.

It went something like this:

Labor started around 6:30 am with contractions 4-6 minutes apart

10:30 - Dr. checked and she was dilated to 2 and the baby was 80% effaced.

11:30 - Liza gets her epidural.

12:05 - Baby's heart rate dropped and we alerted the nurse station. All is well.

1:00 - They start Petocin (Petossin?) to help the contractions.

1:40 - Dilated to 3+, 90% effaced stop Petocin.

3:30 - 100% effaced, dilated to 6

4:15 - More Petocin

6:00 - Liza started pushing

7:17 pm - It's a boy! Jakin Christopher joined our family.

I'm still breaking down the moments from the nurse's "Oh, yeah" to them whisking our little man away, to watching him breathe so rapidly trying to get his air, to watching his amaizing progress, to where I'm at right now...

Sitting in room 214, thinking about the strength and determination my little boy has already shown me and the world.

The name Jakin means "He establishes" and one of the pillars of Solomon's temple was named Jakin.

A pillar holds things up, and our little guy has held us up with his progress, development and strength.

That's my boy.