Ryan Bennett Achatz
Born 8-10-10 at 9:13 am
7 lbs. 3 oz.
Bennett finally came to join our family! Here's how it happened:
Bennett didn't want to come until he was good and ready. At every appointment leading up to his birth, I was only dilated to a 1, and my doctor thought I'd have to be induced at 41 weeks. Ugh! I was so HUGE and totally over being pregnant. Every week at church, people asked, "You're STILL pregnant!?" I was way more impatient than them. But really, Bennett was only two days late; it just seems longer when you're ready to pop.
On the morning after my due date at about 4 am, I started having what I thought were "real" contractions. So of course I started doing housework and getting everything ready. By noon, NOTHING was happening, and that continued all afternoon. That evening, Ryan and I went for a long walk after FHE, and that got things going again. The contractions started again at about 9 pm, and they HURT. But I had read that you should wait for them to be 5 min. apart until you went to the hospital, so I timed them. I thought they were hurting more than they were supposed to, but they never reached regular intervals. Finally Ryan tired of me groaning in bed next to him and decided to take me in. I kept having to stop on the way up to labor and delivery because I couldn't walk. The nurses didn't think I was very far along because I wasn't completely screaming and said, "You know, this might just be early labor, and we'll have to send you home if that's the case." I was DYING and thought "don't send me home!" But then the nurse checked me, and I was an 8! Woohoo. Everyone was super impressed, especially me. Because I had labored so long at home, things went GREAT after that. I got my epidural, which was PERFECT. Baby had dropped pretty far, too, and so by the time I started pushing, it only took 45 minutes before our beautiful boy was in our arms.
Ryan and I had some time alone after he was born, and we just stared at him in awe. He is so much more perfect than I could have imagined, and we love him so much! We feel incredibly blessed that everything went so well and that Bennett is a part of our family. Most people say he looks like his daddy, but all agree that his GREAT head of hair couldn't possibly be from him. :) For the past almost three weeks, we've been completely enthralled by our little man and all the cute things he does. We love you so much, Bennett, and we are excited for everything to come. :)
