Jill was originally due on either July 1st or 4th, depending on whether you trust the OBGYN or fertility doctor more. Regardless, the week or so leading up to the due date was pretty stressful for both of us as it was almost impossible to think or talk about anything else. It felt like we were going stir crazy, and I especially felt bad for Jill home alone while I was at work. We had a doctor's appointment set up with Jill's OBGYN, Dr. Sun, on Monday morning (July 2nd) to check in and see how things were going. That night Jill couldn't sleep well and around 4/5 AM started having more regular contractions, to the point that she downloaded an app to help track their timing. When I woke up it definitely felt like something was happening, but they weren't extremely painful or 5/6 minutes apart at that point. We went to see Dr. Sun, and she seemed excited about the possibility of seeing Jill again later that day for the actual delivery. She said we could go into the hospital right then or wait and see if the contractions progressed at home. We obviously took the second option as we didn't want Jill delivering on an empty stomach and also thought home would be more relaxing anyway. [Once you get to the hospital, you don't get to eat and I've never been known to miss a meal.] Greg [Jill's brother] was already in town, but I called Dad and Wendy and told them the news. Janet [Jill's mom] was already on the way but unfortunately Dave [Jill's dad] stayed home as he had a pneumonia scare. We got home and I ran out to get what we thought may be Jill's "last meal" - she chose Chicken Salad Chick. We hung out at the house and tried to get some rest, but obviously emotions were high and it was tough to settle down too much. Jill's contractions stayed about the same throughout the afternoon, and that evening around 6, Dr. Sun called to check in. She said that we were fine to stay home until the contractions got bad, but if we didn't feel like we could rest, it may be best to go ahead and come into the hospital. [Who can sleep when you have contractions for 24 hours and you are waiting to meet your baby?!] We decided that was the best option, so we had one final meal (Hobnob chicken fingers and onion rings for Jill *the healthy option* and pizza for me) with Greg and Janet, and then headed to the hospital, arriving around 8 PM.
A HUMONGOUS THANK YOU to Amanda of A.Bloch Photography for capturing these moments we will cherish forever. She was 39 weeks pregnant herself and got up in the middle of the night to be there for us. WE LOVE YOU!