On the 10th when I woke up, every picture in my head was as clear from a year prior as if it were happening all over again. I woke up thinking, "Well, a year ago I was having mild contractions 5 minutes apart..." I called Marie, my sweet friend and doula, and asked her what I should do...she told me to bake something or clean the house...I put a rump roast in the crock pot, did some laundry, and cleaned the house...the contractions remained 5 minutes apart but grew in intensity. I called to tell her that they were getting a little stronger but I could still do plenty. She said to head to the hospital when the contractions were causing me to slow down and concentrate on breathing. I hopped in the shower, shaved, did my hair, a touch of waterproof mascara, and thought it might be about time to pack my overnight bag! Meanwhile, Jason and Em were sitting quietly on the couch watching 'The Sound of Music', waiting patiently for my cue. Em kept asking Jason, "When's my little brother coming? When are we going to get the baby out of mommy's tummy?" Jason kept responding, "Whenever your mom says so..." At 3pm, we headed to the ER to check in. The contractions were more intense by the time we walked through the doors of the hospital, and I was having to hold onto things to breathe every 5 minutes. At about 3:15 when we headed to the LD floor, there was a group of pregnant women touring the hospital, all smiling and giddy, not knowing what was in store until they saw me trying to walk down the hallway! They grew quiet. I wasn't being loud or obnoxious, I was just trying to breathe and walk simultaneously, which usually isn't a problem for me!

I was ready to go for it at 5:45, but the substitute doctor was late, so I wasn't allowed to push! Finally, Noah was born at 6:57pm with Jason by my side, along with my little sister, Dana, and 3 dear girlfriends, Marie, Becky and Rachel. A worship CD that my sister had made played continually in the background. It was a beautiful day!

Fast forward one year later and we are all together celebrating Noah's life, once more. Many friends surrounded us physically while everyone else was encouraging us with prayer. Thank you! We had a big 'bring your own picnic' at a park near our home and were going to have a bike parade for the kids, but the wind got pretty intense and it started to sprinkle, so we skipped that. Once the wind stopped and the skies cleared, God sent...yep, you guessed it, a beautiful rainbow! How stinkin' cool is that?! People were starting to head home, so we ended the afternoon with a rainbow balloon send off...I only wish in reality that balloons actually made it to heaven. I know heaven's full of kids, and what kid doesn't love balloons?! I'm quite convinced that entertainment in heaven is cooler than here, though, so I'm not that worried about it. He's not missing out, on anything really, we are...How could you be 'missing out' when you are beholding the Glory of God?! Maranatha!