Labor and Delivery

(the real 9 hours) 
On Wednesday afternoon (1/11/12), I had my "last" doctors apt before my due date. I was really hoping that there would be some progress since last week there was none. We saw Dr. Ridgeway, and the same thing happened; he couldn't even feel my cervix. So, he sent us home with an appointment for the following Tuesday (4 days after my due date). I was pretty discouraged. I didn't necessarily want him to send us right to the hospital, but I was hoping he would see SOME progress.
Well, we went home, had dinner, and started watching some Grosjacques family videos my dad sent. I started having a lot of (what I thought were) Braxton Hicks. But, by about 8:30, the started getting a very regular, closer together, and started spreading to my back. So, I asked Sean to go on a walk with me. We made it about three houses down when I realized I could hardly walk through the contractions. So, we called the hospital and they told us to wait until they were 3 1/2 minutes apart, and I have trouble talking through them. So, we waited....all of about 3 hours. They weren't super painful at that point, but they were so regular, and making me so uncomfortable, I was in tears. So we decided to go to the hospital.
When we got there, the nurse checked me and I was only 1 1/2 cm dilated. She didn't want to have to send us home, but didn't think I would progress fast enough. An hour later she checked again and I was already at 3 1/2 cm; it was happening pretty quickly. The contractions were also picking up pain and intensity. We decided that I wasn't going to have an epidural or any pain medicine and trudged on....
Kristin, our nurse, and Sean helped me through the next 5 hours of contractions. They got so strong and so intense, but I was determined to do it all naturally. I tried standing and swaying through them for a little bit, but my legs got to shakey and all I wanted to do was lay down...even though that was also incredibly uncomfortable. By about 4am I was in transition, at 7-8 cm, and was literally screaming in pain. When it came time to push, I knew it. I could feel the pressure, and that's all I wanted to do. So, I did. I think the first push broke my water, if I remember correctly, which is funny because at that point I had completely forgot that it hadn't yet.
Everything I've read about delivering a baby basically came to life right there. When I started pushing, I feel like my whole mind shut down, and that's all I focused on...I remember hearing Kristin tell me to do a few specific things (like pull back on my legs instead of pushing them down, and how to breath and when to push), and Sean tell me to keep breathing and how great I was doing, but that's about it. I pushed her head out...almost, and everyone started saying how much hair she had. Her head started to come out several times, but my contractions weren't lasting long enough for me to push her out. About 45 minutes later (even though it felt like 10), our precious daughter arrived!
All that intense pain immediately turned into intense relief and happiness! She is here!!! What a miracle life is and what a joy to have my baby in my arms!
Sean cut the umbilical chord and then the nurse took her to get checked while my midwife cleaned me up.
We got to keep her in there with us for about an hour before they took her to the nursery to get cleaned and weighed, and warmed.

Annabelle Grace Flynn, born on January 12th, 2012 at 6:17am; 7lbs, 5oz and 19.5in long. 

She has a full head of dark hair and big blue eyes. Everyone kept saying how alert and bright eyed she is....from the second she was born she was looking around and if Sean or I talk, she tries to find our voices! It melts my heart. She really is absolutely beautiful...I just can't say it enough :) She has already stolen our hearts and every time I look at her, all I feel is love.

Forgot a few things:
-while we were watching family videos, I kept seeing Wacky cake (it's a fluffy chocolate cake...a family recipe I think) at all our birthday parties and had a MAJOR crazing for it, so my mom made me some! :) I'm spoiled. anyway, I think it made my labor pick up. Well, that's going to be the wives tale from now on anyway! I ate a piece, covered in milk, in between contractions :)
-When we got to the hospital, my contractions were still relatively mild, and when the nurse got me all set in bed, I said, "well....I'm bored" lol So, we turned on Adele Radio on Pandora and that's what I listened to through the first part of my labor.