Friday, August 24th 4:00PM
It all began on Friday afternoon and I was rapidly packing for our trip to Northern Kentucky to have Christian's 1st Birthday party at Shan's Mom and Step-Dad's house. I was very excited to be going for a visit since I hadn't been down there since Mother's Day, but at the same time, I was sad because I can't believe that my baby is going to be a year old already. I was also anxious to get there because Christian decided about 2 hours into the trip that he was done being in the car and screamed the last 2 hours of the trip solid!
Saturday, August 25th 2:00PM
We had Christian's birthday party on Saturday and it was very fun. He dug into his own little chocolate cake like a pro and had icing everywhere! (Good thing we were doing it outside)
Well, after the party Shan and I had to pack up our equipment and head back to Akron because Shan had a wedding to shoot on Sunday. We had arranged for the boys to stay with my mother-in-law on Sunday so that she could spend more time with them and then we would drive back down on Sunday night so that we could pick them up.
Sunday, August 26th 2:00AM
Here is where we lacked better judgement with regards to time management! LOL We decided to go out bowling with Shan's brother and his wife on Saturday night and didn't end up getting on the road for the 4 hour trip to Akron until 2am on Sunday morning. Ugh....oh well, thank heavens for the 3rd row in our minivan. It is my hotel on wheels! Just give me a pillow and blanket and I am good to go.
So Shan drove through the night while I dozed in the backseat. (Unfortunately I tend to not get very sound sleep while we drive because I wake up every time Shan stops.)
Sunday, August 26th 4:00AM
Just after we hit Columbus on the trip, we get a phone call on my cell phone. It was from Jessica, a mommy that I am scheduled to do a Prelude to a Life (birth photography) with. She is in labor and getting ready to leave for the hospital. We explain that we are on our way home and that I will be there as soon as I can.
We formulate a plan to have Callie be Shan's 2nd photographer at his wedding so that I can focus on Jessica and Nathan's birth photography.
Sunday, August 26th 6:30AM
We pull into Akron. I immediately jump in the shower and get my gear together to head to Medina for the birth. With only about 2 hours of sleep, I grab a cup of coffee and I am at Medina General Hospital.
Sunday, August 26th 7:30AM
I arrive at Medina General while Jessica is having her epidural done. Jessica had labored for about 5 hours in intense pain and was ready for the relief of the epidural. Sadly, Jessica's labor didn't go exactly like they had hoped. It turned out that the baby was face up (posterior) and it was making it very difficult for her to drop. Unfortunately, it also meant for a lot of back labor for Jessica as the baby's head was basically pushing on her tailbone. Even through the epidural, the pain became very intense for Jessica. She labored all day long and progressed all the way to 8cm, but the baby just wasn't moving any further down and she wasn't dilating anymore. After 17 hours of labor, it was decided that Jessica needed a C-section.
In the end, Lynsey Brooke was born at 8:01pm, weighed 8 lbs. 3 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. She had a full head of beautiful dark hair and is very beautiful.
I ended up being at the hospital for over 15 hours and felt so honored to be there. I can't thank Jessica and Nathan enough for allowing me to capture this moment for them.
Jessica and Nathan's Prelude to a Life Slideshow
Monday, August 27th 12:00AM
Shan and I are back on the road to N. Kentucky to pick up the boys. Now I have had 2 hours of sleep in 40 hours and Shan had only about 3 hours of sleep. I curled up in the backseat again hoping to get a little sleep on the way down to NKY. Poor Shan was trying to drive straight through, but he was too exhausted to do it. He ended up stopping 3 times during the night to get a little sleep and we arrived back in Kentucky at 10am on Monday morning.
Monday, August 27th 12:00PM
The down side to arriving at this time is that we had to pack up the boys and get back on the road at 12:00PM so that we would be home in time for Ian's class. (It was the last night and they were having a party, so we couldn't miss it.) So back into the car we went for another 4 hour trip home.
All in all we were in the car for over 22 hours in 4 days. Needless to say, I am tired of my van right now! LOL
Monday, August 27th 10:00PM
I am exhausted. Shan is exhausted. We grab a shower and head for bed. (Way before our normal 1am bedtime because we just can't stay awake any longer.)
Tuesday, August 28th 6:00PM
I head back to Medina General to get some more pictures of Jessica, Nathan and Lynsey. Normally I would do these the same day the baby is born, but everyone was so tired on Sunday night that I determined that it would be best to let everyone rest and I would just come back and do the rest of the pictures. So I got some great images of Lynsey today. I get to show Nathan and Jessica the slideshow I created for them. They were thrilled with it! Nathan thanked me several times and told me that watching the slideshow, he was able to relive all of the emotions of the day. The ups, the downs, the stress and the joy. Jessica cried when she saw it. Here are just a couple of images of Miss Lynsey and her new family:
Tuesday, August 28th 11:30PM
I am working on a slideshow of Lynsey as I type this. I am hoping to get that posted tonight as well. (I will probably create another post with the 2 slideshows in them since this one got so long! LOL) To top the craziness of the weekend, we are preparing for a 2nd birthday party this weekend here at our house, so we have a ton of work to get done! LOL
There is no doubt that I love what I do. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else on Sunday except with Nathan, Jessica and their families. I enjoyed being with them and getting to experience and capture the gamut of emotions that circle a birth. I can't wait to get more Prelude to a Life clients so that I can provide them with images that capture this amazing moment in their lives. I love what I do!!!!!!!
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