Four years ago....at this very moment, I was laying in bed next to Chad while he was on the phone with John Hicks talkin' about HU football....when all of a sudden, I began to feel contractions. Chad was on the phone for an hour and I just sat there timing my contractions till he hung up. When he got off the phone, I stood up said..."alrighty...time to go to the hospital!". Sure enough, I was 4 centimeters dilated and was having regular contractions....they offered me an epidural to which I said..."no thanks - and please don't offer that again!". 18.5 hours in to my labor....I was dilated to 7 centimeters and hadn't eaten in about 21 hours....I was physically and emotionally exhausted and in so much pain that I wanted to die! I had done sooooo good up till that point...but out of no where, I hit a huge wall and emotionally could go no further! I vaguely remember begging the doctor to give me an epidural and 2 minutes later, the anestesiologist was in the room....what they didn't tell me was that the epidural would wear off and that I couldn't get another one!!! About 22 hours in to the labor, I could feel my epidural wearing off and I remember this wave of panic coming over me as I realized what was happening.....I closed my eyes and began attempting to mentally prepare myself for what the actual delivery might be like. Well ladies, for those of you who have delivered naturally, you know that there is absolutely no way that you can mentally prepare yourself for delivery! I was in labor with Shepherd for 25.5 hours....the last 30 minutes I thought my eyes were going to actually pop out of my eye sockets due to the pressure!!! lol!!! But then he was there....and Chad was telling me that he had blue eyes....and my mom was laughing because she said ALL babies have blue eyes. He had a little crooked nose and the sweetest furry skin.....my heart was captured by my little boy in a matter of seconds! I could just cry thinking of that moment! My sis-in-law went to Wendy's and got me a burger and a milkshake from Wendy's at midnight and after I ate that meal, I think I slept off and on for 24 hours!!!....they woke me up to nurse Shep but that was about it. (Little did I know that I should have really treasured that sleep in the hospital because I don't think in 4 years that I've slept as good as I did before that night!)

Well, an amazing amount of events have occured in the past 4 years...Chad and I were talking tonight about how crazy it is that we have a four year old....the labor/delivery, the growth and maturity, the health issues, all the many "firsts" we've experienced with him,...we are constantly trying to teach him and yet so often, we are the ones learning from him! It's truly been a blessing to have been a part of his life and Chad and I thank God that he was given to our family to love and nurture and raise and enjoy!!!!! We love you Shepherd - Happy 4th birthday!!!