April l4, l98l

29 years ago, Mon. April l3, l98l, I was very anxiously waiting our first child to be born....Back then, we didn't know if it was a boy or girl.....but I was convinced it was a girl....after all...I prayed for a girl, with dark hair and blue eyes, to be born on a Tuesday (because after taking a tour of Childrens Hospital ...found out they served prime rib to the new parents on Tues) AND I prayed for a big baby....I was afraid that I would be more nervous handling a tiny infant than a bigger one.....

That night I was a bit uncomfortable....I had a cold and was very stuffy and was afraid that if I went into labor, it would be difficult to do the breathing
exercises we had been practicing in our Lamaze classes.....ah...those Lamaze classes....sitting on the floor with brian behind me....coaching me....slow breaths.....blowing breaths.....all those weeks of learning to focus/breath properly so that you can relax, and make it a joyful birthing experience....yep, we knew breathing and relaxing...we were as ready as we ever would be!

Besides being stuffy, one of the main reasons I was uncomfortable was....I WAS HUGE...I had gained over 50 lbs.....well, I guess if you're going to have a big baby, you have to
gain more weight than usual, was my justification.....I have to admit, after my seventh month, I was pretty sick of people asking me if I was due any day now.....Finally the due date had approached, and I could answer yes to that question...of course, by then, the question was "are you having twins, you're so big?"!!! I think
when you're pregnant, everyone and their brother feel they have the right to comment on your body.... I got to expect the comments, and actually was surprised when someone didn't say anything about how big I was...AND I suppose the big fur coat someone gave me didn't help....I looked like a huge grizzly bear!!!!

Finally went to bed...it was hard to get comfortable...with the stuffiness and the hugeness....have to admit, I was a little cranky, here I am tossing and turning...and
my very sweet, dear husband is snoring away....
I must have fallen asleep at some point...but at 3:30 I was awakened....my water broke!!! so I wake up brian.....nervous, excited, a little bit scared....forgot all about the stuffiness....and was very much looking forward to finally delivering this little bundle of joy that has been growing inside of me for the past 9 months...
Well, nothing happened....no pains, not even a cramp.....so we decide to wait until
a decent time and call the Dr.....of course, the next few hours, for me felt like forever.....brian, bless him, snored away......

around 6:30 a.m. called the Dr....they said to come in... in a couple of hours if nothing happened sooner....so around midmorning went to the Dr. He sent us to the hospital and since still no contractions, around l2:30 p.m....they induced labor.... within minutes, the contractions started.....ok.....not too bad....but quickly they got more intense....
.....ok...now relax, slow breaths, blowing breaths.....THIS REALLY ISN'T WORKING FOR ME!.....I decide that I am going to focus on Jesus and pray in the Spirit instead....MUCH, MUCH better....maybe I should teach a class...I will entitle it..."Forget the breathing....praying works better!" Around 8:00 p.m. the Dr. comes in and checks me out and says that we are not going to have this baby for a long time yet, that he was going to go out for something to eat....besides, I was in good hands with the midwife that worked with him. She was a doll....very encouraging, positive....stayed with us the whole time.... and I had Brian, rubbing my back, doing everything he could to make me comfortable....

After about an hour and a half, I was at the point where I wanted to push so bad, but she said no, not yet....I think that part was harder than having the baby, the pressure, the wanting to push, but trying not to.

Finally, with no Dr. to be found, the midwife says I can push....and at l0:l5 p.m.
our precious baby was born....now they had this mirror on legs set up in front of me so I could see the baby coming out...but it had a decal of Raggity Ann on it...and wouldn't you know it, she came out right where the decal was on the mirror, and I didn't get to see her the moment she arrived!....disappointing, but funny at the same time.....

They quickly whisked her away to do what they do, and all of a sudden we hear the nurses making all this fuss, screaming....we immediately thought something horrible had happened....but no, it was because she was so big, the scale was not set that high.....boy, what a relief that was....she weighed in at l0 lbs. l2 oz....God had
REALLY answered my prayer.....

well, the stitching afterward took awhile, because she was so big, I tore pretty bad, but that was ok....I was so thankful she arrived safely, was indeed a girl, dark hair and beautiful blue eyes, it was Tuesday...and prime rib was on the way!!!!

God is so good....He cares about everything we care about....and I learned nothing is too frivilous to ask Him and believe Him for.....

As I held this precious gift of God in my arms, I was amazed at how quickly this tiny bundle of joy could create such emotion in you, how you can feel so much love immediately, and what a miracle it is that we were responsible for bringing this little person into the world.....

Welcome Nicole Marie Stelley....you have a God given destiny and from this moment on....will forever change this mom and dads lives for the better...you are truly a gift from God and an answer to our prayers....

HAPPY 29TH BIRTHDAY NICOLE....we love you and are so proud of the woman you have become.....