Colter's Arrival according to Me....

This post is meant to be funny, so don't take it too seriously. As Cheryl said in here last post, she was starting to show signs of Colter's arrival. He had dropped a great deal and she was starting to efface. I still don't know what that word means and I honestly don't want to. The day Cheryl went into labor was like any other day. Well, sort of.... I was starting my long change from work. This happens once a month where I receive 7 days off. It's like a weeks vacation once a month! I was having some problems with my back. This was a first for me. I had to go to a chiropractor for the first time. This isn't something I was fond of. My number 7 and 8 rib on the right side of my body had managed to pop out of my spine. This is some serious PAIN!! This had happened about two weeks before Colter was born, so I was in the process of healing.

Anyway, I was at the chiropractor getting tied into a pretzel and my phone starts to ring. Dr. Lewis asked if I needed to answer, and I said "nope", bad idea. Apparently, Cheryl's water had broken in Walmart, not her favorite place. It wasn't as bad as it sounds. About five minutes after she had called and left a strangely calm message. I checked my phone and noticed she had called and left a message. At this point in my session I have to move to a different room and lay down on a scary looking table. So, I decide to check my voicemail to see what is going on. Cheryl's message sounds like this, " hey babe, my water just broke at Walmart. I know you're at the Dr., so take your time coming home and don't kill anybody. I love you." This sends a wave of panic thru my body that I can't even begin to describe. I had a list of stuff that I needed to do before he was born. I run out of my room almost taking out my Dr. and the receptionist. "is everything ok?" "NO!! My wife is going into LABOR!! It is NOT OK!!" Where the *&%# are my shoes man? I need to go 10 minutes ago." Laughing, Dr. Lewis hands me my shoes and tells me congrats and to call him and let him know how everything goes. Which I actually did a few days later.

My so called "b-line / parade / drag race to the house left half of Midland hating me and my driving skills I'm sure. I'm not usually a person to freak out and panic, but this is my wife having a baby, I'm a little freaked out and on edge. I ran every light, drove on the wrong side of the road, routinely scared the hell out of people and myself, and 2 wheeled my truck all the way to the house. Cheryl and her mother heard me squeal the tires into the driveway. From this point on I was a mess until we got to the hospital. I walked around the house in circles trying to pack while they laughed at me. In retrospect, this was quite hilarious. I have pictures I'll post later. One of the things on my list was to put the carseat in. I've spent the better part of my working career working with my hands on something. Vehicles, Motorcycles, Elevators, Oil Field Equipment, Welding Machines, you name it I've probably fixed it or had my hands on it. But for the life of me the Graco Carseat whooped my ass!! This was rocket science as far as I was concerned. This was a job best left to the professionals. After a few minutes, I managed to calm down and click the little red button that every Graco product has and........ ta - freakin - da!! The car seat is in and level. At this point, I thought that was going to be the hardest part of my day. Man was I wrong.....

A few short minutes later we're on our way to the hospital. I'm still a mess at this point but I can still function relatively well. Cheryl being the prepared person she is has already preregistered and taken care of everything. We where put in a nice room and taken care of really well. My heart goes out to the folks at the Birthing Center, you guys are amazing!! The nurse on shift came in shortly thereafter and "checked" Cheryl. Shouldn't have watched that bit. Never again during our stay did I ask "what are you doing?" to anybody that worked there. I just wanted my wife to be ok and my son to be healthy. The part in between I wanted nothing to do with or so I thought. We sat around and watched the George Straight concert after Cheryl had her epidural. This was easy for me. Get Cheryl ice and popscicles. I ate dinner later on. Yes, I left the room to do that, she was happy but hungry and I don't dare tread those waters. A few of our friends came by to check on us. Josh really helped me out. I was there for him during his first child. He showed me the same kindness and was there for me. Cheryl's brother Cory showed up later on after he left work. Sorry for the after thought.

The main concern aside from Colter was getting Stephanie to Midland in one piece. She was flying in from LA that night to be with Cheryl. Steph wasn't happy with anybody involved with her flight from LA to Midland. NOBODY!! Delayed flights, annoying passengers, luggage, Cory not driving fast enough. The poor girl made it though, right about the time Cheryl started to push. My wife is a champ at having babies. No screaming, crying, yelling, hitting, or anything that I imagined would happen. She popped him right out after an hour and a half.

During the actual delivery I was in awe of the process. There where so many nurses and doctors with us in that room that I was almost overwhelmed. Steph, Cheryl's mom, and I where the only family members allowed in the room. I held one leg and Juan held the other. I actually had Cheryl's leg in her ear during the process. I was trying to watch Colter's head pop out rather than be concerned with her comfort. Come on, she had an epidural, she couldn't feel anything. I held her hair when she was sick, put a wet rag on her head to cool her off, counted with the nurse, and I also squeezed the hell out of her hand. She didn't notice until later on that night. Colter started to crown and I put her knee almost behind her head and had my face right there with the doctor, I wanted to see this. I can say I watched the whole delivery and enjoyed it. Child birth is an amazing thing. I can't put it into words. Just, wow!!

Colter was born on May 28, 2009. He weighed 6 lbs. 11 oz. and he was 20" long. He had his eyes open as soon as he was out. I was the first thing he saw and he saw me crying. I didn't leave his side after that. Nobody was taking him anywhere without his Dad. They put him in some sort of heating lamp buffet table looking thing to check his vitals. I wanted to hold him so bad I couldn't stand it!! Then, the nurse did the worse thing ever. She cut the cord and didn't offer me the honor. I was fuming!! I couldn't believe it!! I got over it. My boy was here and he was beautiful. Nothing else mattered. They cleaned him up and checked his vitals and I talked to him the entire time. He would get fussy, then hear my voice and look in my general direction and calm down. That's what I think was happening anyway. I was butter at this point. I had however completely forgot about Cheryl. I turned around and she was just fine. I felt horrible about that but she assured me it was ok.

After Cheryl was ok the rest of our family came in. This included Cory, my mother, father, and step mother. Everybody held him and laughed and told me how much he looked like Cheryl. That isn't the case know. He looks just like his Dad!! I couldn't be more proud. They moved us into a recovery room so Cheryl could sleep and the nursery could monitor Colter. They would come in occasionally and check on us and Cheryl would start to feed Colter. It's been a learning experience, but we're getting the hang of it. I say "we" like I have something to do with it. I can't take credit from her, she deserves it all. We went home a few days later and it has been a blast!!

At least that's the way I saw it!!!