More details for the curious and/or bored

It is surreal to be typing this in a hospital room. Fourteen hours ago Shelby and I walked down to Monroe Street for dinner, joking about the possibility that the baby would arrive in time for us to watch football on Sunday (his expected due date). The day was really "no big deal" - the biggest excitement was that our dog Triscuit turned five yesterday so we made sure he got ice cream on the walk. We ate dinner, worked, and went up to bed early since we had both been up early exercising.

While I was getting ready for bed, Shelby was in bed reading. Suddenly her water broke and there was no doubt that the baby was on its way. Contractions began almost immediately and our OB urged us to come immediately to the hospital. Despite what the books and classes told us, there was no discretionary time at home to pack up last minute items or watch a movie. It was time to go. Fortunately, we dropped Triscuit off with our friends and made our way to the hospital. 

As soon as we arrived, it was clear that labor was reasonably far along. Shelby's pain was the first clue, but it was confirmed after the doctor examined her. Several other women were delivering at about the same time, so the biggest immediate issue was the queue to get an epidural anesthetic. Eventually she got the drugs, which made the rest of the process far more pleasant than it otherwise would have been. We waited around for about an hour, watched an episode of Arrested Development, and were told it was time to get this baby out. About an hour later, the baby was born. Total time from water breaking to baby born was less than 6 hours. 

The next few hours were a blur as our terrific nurse efficiently told us a lot of information that I've already managed to forget. At some point around 6, I was able to get a little bit of sleep; Shelby is catching up on sleep as I write this. The baby (who I really need to start referring to as 'Eli') is able to soothe himself, but he has a powerful scream even at this young age. Fortunately, we've been able to calm him the three times so far that he has begun wailing. 

If all goes well, we should be in the hospital until Friday having other people help with the mind-numbing number of tasks that need to be accomplished to keep Eli healthy and happy. An advantage of delivering in the middle of the night is that it essentially guarantees you an extra day of hospital care. Judging from the advice of everyone we know, we need to take advantage of this luxury because it won't last!