And Now We are a Train

We've ventured out since baby's birthday twice.
Yesterday was the first time I had all three by myself, and I realized that when we are alone, we must be a train.
Bucket seat under one arm, little girl in other hand, big girl on other side of little girl.
A train.
It felt a bit like a three ring circus.
We will adjust and this will be our normal.
Right?

Wow.  We have three kids.  THREE!

How did this tiny beautiful creature come to be a part of our family?
Here is his story:

After four, that's right, you're reading right, four, false starts, or prodromal labour, and ten extra days, baby Adams began his real journey into the world.

On the morning of May 14, I started having some contractions.
Again.
I had started to believe that I was just going to have to live as a pregnant person forever.
I could make it work.
People live with all sorts of challenges.
This would be mine.

Quickly, my contractions were coming around 4 minutes apart, and so for about an hour, my life was lived four minutes at a time.
During my contractions, as I was breathing and gritting through my teeth, "Audrey!  Get!  Dressed!", the little girl was copying my breathing.
Funny stuff.
Unless your uterus is gripping your torso.
Phone husband.  Get home.
Phone Grandma.  We're coming with girls.
Phone birth centre.  We'll meet you there and it.  Is.  On.

Arrive at birth centre around 9 am.
Contractions had slowed to 8 min apart.
Then.  Nothing.
WHAT?!?!  AGAIN?!?!

4-5cm dilated, so we're not going home, but no contractions.
"Lovely, helpful, kind midwife.  I'm concerned that this baby has a big head and/or is big and so is not staying in the right place to keep labour going."
She assures me that this baby is not big and the head is a perfect, small size.

Four must be the lucky number, because during the day my labour would pick up, full steam ahead, and then stop.  Four times.
We walked.  Alot.  I swayed and squatted and sauntered and paced.
After another walk at around 4pm and a quick run to the Mac's store for food (nuts, cheese and juice - fuel!), we just made it in the door of the birth centre and I paced through a few more extremely uncomfortable contractions so I could be sure this was it.
Water is natures epidural.  Truly.
When your body eases into the tub, the contractions become suddenly calm, and easier to manage.
Having said that, in the moments before the baby is born, there isn't a more intense feeling in the world.
I know what the pain is for, and that the end result is our baby's arrival, and that each crazy contraction lasts for only a short time, but holy Mother F'er, those things are something else!
The last contractions don't even have a slow build up.  They just pounce on you and you scramble to grab someone.  Anyone so you can just live through the next moments as your baby moves towards his exit.

Hopped in the tub around 5pm and by 545pm, Mr.Sterling Murray Adams made his debut.