Six years ago...

Six years ago right now, I was waiting for a room at Meriter Hospital in Madison. My water had broken at about 8:45 p.m. in the parking lot and I went to maternity triage. I called Jesse once I got there to tell him I was staying this time, and he got off work to come down. I remember being anxious and frustrated at the same time. I had been to the hospital three times before thinking I was in labor, and this time, I really was but the nurses had to verify my water had broken. Um, does the trail of water behind me or the soaked shorts and sandals confirm it for you? I know some women think their water has broken when they have only peed on themselves, but anyone who's been pregnant knows that the average full-term pregnant bladder only holds about a dropper-full of pee. After much conversation between nurses about "ferning," they let me stay.

I got to my room about midnight. Jesse went back to our apartment to get some things of his own and brought up mine when he got back. I called Stephanie, my best friend who was also a labor and delivery nurse in Chicago (incidentally, the one who told me I was probably leaking fluid and should get to the hospital). She came up about noon.

It was a long labor, so I won't bore anyone with the gory details. One of the things I remember most were the windows outside my room. The nurse started pitocin (the devil) at 6 a.m. By 10, I had strong contractions. Here I was in this beautiful, state-of-the-art room with TV, DVD, CD, VHS...and I wanted silence. I stared at those windows as a focal point. Just a few minutes ago, I was on Google Maps and they have this new feature called "Street View". I was able to see my labor windows again, which reminded me that it was tonight I went to the hospital.

Six years ago tonight, I was a very excited and scared individual. A mere 29 hours later, I had a son. I was only 23. Jesse and I had been married six days less than a year and we had a son.

Nate was born at 2:52 a.m. I couldn't sleep at all after that. After I had gotten sewn up and cleaned up, I just stared at him. Clueless but delirious. I remember those few days at the hospital very fondly.

I've had two children since then, and each very memorable and wonderful. But the first, my first, the feeling is almost unexplainable.

He was the science experiment, the test-market baby. If this went right, maybe we'd do it again.

And now, he's in first grade. Smart as a whip. Very beautiful still. It's true what I was warned: It goes by in a flash. I'm sure in a blink, he'll be graduating high school.

Look at us in the picture above. I look so young. And Nate looks adorable. I forgot just how dark his hair was. Such a good baby.