What were you doing 9 years ago?

October 28, 1999. My due date. I worked a short shift (dr's orders!), stopped at DQ for blizzards for Paperman and I then came home. We ate our ice cream (pumpkin pie for me and choc chip cookie dough for him) outside at the picnic table as it was a picture perfect fall day. We decided to go for a ride to see a friends' house he was building, back a long gravel (bumpy) lane. I guess it was bumpy enough...after we got home Paperman went hunting out back and I made supper of chicken breasts, green beans and apple crisp. Then I sat down to watch tv (I thought I remembered what show....). I felt a 'pop'. hmmm...then I thought I peed my pants, a little. (sorry) Nothing else felt different so I waited for Paperman to come back, about 1/2 hour later. He was telling me about his hunt and I kind of listened....then I told him, I think my water may have broke. So we ate supper (I paid for that later), finished packing some last minute things and headed to the hospital. On the way my contractions started. They continued to pick up but I was only feeling things in my back, nothing like I had imagined. I was around 3 cm when we got to the hospital. We got checked in, the contractions worsened, still only in my back....(from this point forward, for any of my children's births, if I say "contraction" it means BACK LABOR. I've had 4 kids, and not a single "regular" contraction....oh the things we miss out on.) I was the normal, stars in my eyes, first time Mom thinking I wanted to do a non medicated birth. That lasted a while, but I wasn't progressing much (around 6 cm at 1 am) and the only thing I was saying was "help me, help me...". I got an epidural and 20 minutes later I said I needed to push...they didn't believe me, but I did. So I pushed for about an hour and the dr came to check on me. She said she could use a vacuum to get her out now, or I could push for another 2 hours....(she had a c-section to do!). Fire up that vacuum! At 3:45 am on October 29, 1999 DD1 was born. Paperman is an awesome birth coach and maybe could become a doula if times get tough! In fact, I kept him on for the next 3 births. :) He got to call our parents, who didn't even know we were at the hospital, to tell them the news. My Dad was the first to meet DD1 as he stopped on his way to work a few hours after she was born. We brought her home on Halloween, a beautiful 80 degree day. Such a fitting beginning. I love you dd1, thank you for being part of my life and our family. You'll always be my #1 baby.