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The Adventure Begins Very Early on the Morning of July 15th


Note:
In-N-Out is the first place I go when I arrive back in California. The California chain tastes like coming home.

My day had been planned. I was going to walk with friends. Have coffee with my mom and a phone date in the evening. Followed by my husband asking, “what should we have for dinner.” And me responding “In-n-Out.” I’ll admit it I did exercise in hopes of expediting the labor process, but as I had been told, “babies will come when they will.” So I laid my plans: Plan A the aforementioned walk etc. and Plan B— Have a baby.

When my mom arrived, full of more energy than I’m used to her having (a contrast with my labored lack of energy), it was apparent that Plan B was in effect. We were most definitely not going to coffee. I was going to have a baby.

Labor… it’s not fun.

Epidurals… they are a wonderful invention.

It was late evening. I’d hoped they’d let me push on the 14th. The history nerd in me was caught by the idea of having a baby on Bastille Day. Also, I was hungry. Visions of In-n-out began dancing in my head. And it dawned on me; In-n-out didn’t close until two am! What better way to welcome a new baby into the world than with a cheeseburger, a coke, and the world’s best fries? This could be a testament to my need for simple extrinsic motivation to handle the coming pain.

Twelve AM came and the nurses told me I needed to wait—wait for food, wait to push, wait to meet my little girl. The lighting in the room was dim and soothing. Nurses walked in and out and quietly filled out charts. Nathan was there, with me, sometimes standing by the bed, sometimes sitting by the window. Soft music played in the background. Outside cars passed on the freeway with people going places. I was also going places.

Then, they let me push. Nathan held my hand. They told me to breath and push, and then again, and again. And in the early morning she came—My little, dark-haired Felicity—face wrinkled, body curled, placed on my chest.  


Felicity met the big world at 1:26 AM. Sadly, In-N-Out closed at 1:30. The adventure had began!


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