What's all the fuss about?

So I was looking at another mom's blog this morning and her daughter turns 2 today (as far off as that used to seem, as fast as these past 8 weeks have flown by I know it will be here before I know it). Anyway, she had posted about the big day and linked back to past blogs she had written about her little girl. I became inspired. I know I have fallen off the blog band wagon as of late, but I am going to try and be better. With a baby, school and 2 jobs, you have to cut me some slack.
Anyway, if I am going to keep everything for Caleb, I guess the first place to start is the labor and delivery story.
So, let's turn the clock back 1,382 hours and 11 minutes. Yes, that is precisely how long it has been since little coccolo entered the world. And yes, I also realize I am a nerd for calculating that.
Anyway, getting to 12:53 a.m. on July 20, was not the quickest of journeys, however, I wouldn't say it was near as bad as all of the labor horror stories you hear.
I checked into the hospital about a quarter til 7 on Monday morning to be induced. I was induced around 9 and had my water broken around 12 because not much progress was being made. At this point Dr. Alverson told me when I thought I was getting close to any kind of pain to let the nurse know so I could get my epidural ordered because it would take an hour. Well, I thought he was exaggerating just so I wouldn't get to the point of needing it and expect it to be simultaneous that I received the drug.
Well, dude wasn't lying. I think I decided about an hour after I had my water broken that it was time. It took another hour and a half for the anesthesiologist to get up to my room. I probably shot daggers at him when he walked in the room, but in the end the guy was there to give me the goods so I just leaned forward and let him do his magic. Except that wasn't even that easy. Earlier in the morning I had agreed to let a student nurse shadow my nurse. I thought, well no big deal they'll learn and just be monitoring my stats and what not. Nope, wrong. They were there for everything including when the epidural was administered. So as the doctor is inserting the catheter in my back he is explaining step by step what he is doing and all of the possibilities of things going wrong and leaving me paralyzed. Uhm, hello?!?! Who wants to hear this when they have been in labor for 6 hours and are in enough pain without the agony of considering being a paralyzed mother... not this chick that's for sure.
So anyway, after Dr. Dundee (his accent was just like Crocodile Dundee, so at least that added a little entertainment to the talk of a catheter entering my back {note the little}) was finished with his work I was feeling pretty good. It is absolutely absurd how you truly do lose complete control of your lower body. My legs felt about 1,000 lbs each and there was not a thing I could do to will my body to even give me a slight bit of control over them.
Fast forward about another 3 hours and you can cue the nausea. It was awful I was physically sick for the rest of labor until 12:53 a.m. No joke, I was still getting sick as I was pushing. Ok, sorry that is as graphic as I'll get.
Anyway, labor was pretty easy if you ask me. I napped a lot of the day. I watched tv, movies and the Cardinals game. The funny thing is that the Cardinals were losing and the labor was progressing very slowly and Dad and I joked that Caleb was just waiting until the Cardinals started winning to make his appearance, and sure enough as they took the lead my labor started progressing much fast. The Cardinals ended up winning and a few hours after that I was holding my sweet baby for the first time after only an hour of pushing. God is good! Birth has to be the most miraculous event ever. It was crazy when I was holding him and admiring how perfectly he was made the next day to think that just hours before he had been inside of me for 40+ weeks. Anyone who can say humans evolve and that God doesn't exist is just plain stupid. Witness the miracle of birth and surely you will change your mind.
Well this was long enough, but Caleb, one day when you are older I can look at this and remind you that it took nearly 17 hours to get you into this world and out of me, and if that day you are not listening, I'll also remind you that within 17 secs I can take you out. JK Caleb Lawrence, that is just such a typical mom line that I had to say it.
You are the joy of my life and your dad's and no matter what you do you should know that we will always love you and we will always be here for you. Nothing can change that. I love you to the moon and back.