125/365

So, the boys are officially seven now, and they couldn't be happier about it. They are feeling like this is a "big" birthday. It's been such a joy to watch them grow up a lot this year.

So, at this time every year, I can't help but laugh at the events of the actual day of their birth. One of the strongest feelings that I remember is, well, HUNGER. Like I said yesterday, I was at an afternoon doctor's appointment when my water broke. By the time I got to the hospital, I was ready for some supper. The doctors wouldn't let me eat because of the medication that they were using to try and stop my labor. Ice chips were not cutting it. Well, at about 2:30 AM they decided that my labor wasn't a force to be stopped, I was relieved. I was going to eat! Oops, oh no, I couldn't eat. I was in active labor. Sigh. So finally, the boys were born at 8:48 and 8:59 AM. I guess I got back to my room around 10:30. The nurses asked me what I needed, and I just wanted to eat. I was starving by that time. They ordered me up an early lunch. Fried chicken. I just couldn't wait for it to get there. In comes the nurse, and she leaves the covered plate by my bed. When I finally sat up and get situated, I lift the cover and I have never been so frustrated in my life. I was overpowered with the odor of collard greens. If there's anything that everyone should know about me, it's that I HATE collard greens. I can't walk near the school cafeteria on days they are being served. So, when I opened that highly anticipated lunch plate and found everything in it to be tainted with the overpowering stench, I lost it. Thank goodness there was a great little Greek place across the street from the hospital, or else I may have totally flipped my lid. We laugh now, but at that moment, it was anything but funny!

124/365

Seven years ago today, I was home from school on bed-rest thinking that I had a month to rest before our little bundles of joy came along. About 3:30 that afternoon, I went to the doctor for a check-up. Well, there was no more waiting. As I stood on the scales (not looking at how much I weighed), my water broke. Convenient location, yes. Convenient time, not so much. That set a hilarious chain of events into motion that we still laugh about today. Since the boys' birthday is tomorrow, we spent time at dinner tonight telling them about stories from their first few weeks. They were hilarious (then and now). In honor of their birthday, I'm hoping to spend a few days recording some of that history here.

The Water Breaks...
So, like I said, I'm standing at the doctor when my water breaks and the OB/GYN sends me straight to the hospital. It's baseball season, so of course I'm trying to get up with Davy on his cellphone. Little did I know, but it was sitting on the kitchen counter. Super. So, for plan B, I call his assistant coach and our good friend Kyle. Kyle, as it turns out, is not at practice that day. He's at home. Before I can tell him "thanks" and hang up, he puts down his phone on the table and I hear him rummaging around saying "Where are my keys? I need to find my keys. Gotta get to school." He wasn't even on the phone any more but was in a panic. I hung up. To this day, I have no idea how long he looked for his keys. Then I called the school where Davy and I worked. Our school secretary, Mrs. McClammy, answered and I tried to get her to get Davy for me without raising too much concern. You see, McClammy was a bit, ummm, excitable. Well, I finally had to tell her that I was in labor and headed to the hospital. Later I found out that she, a rather robust woman, went bounding out of the building and onto the baseball field, screaming, "Hines! Hines! Get your @$$ in here. You're having those babies!" That's a mental picture that still cracks me up. Another coach (thanks Ed) finished up practice for Davy, and he was finally able to meet me at the hospital by about 5:00 pm. At this point, the doctors are telling me that they are going to try and hold off my labor, since I was 6 1/2 weeks early. They even mentioned staying on bed rest in the hospital. Yeah, it didn't quite work out that way.

More to come... Oh, and this picture was the first taken of all four of us at home. It was about 11 days after the boys day of birth before everyone was home together.

123/365

122/365

121/365

120/365

The wild pony pen at Ocracoke.

119/365

Spiral Staircase at NCCAT in Ocracoke