For Posterity Sake

So I decided to fill out "one of those" surveys for posterity sake. I have a terrible memory. When I went to fill out the bottom questions I realized I could only remember Ivory's weight, not her length, the times, etc. I began to try and track the information down which led to a hunt of her birth certificate which was AWOL. Then I realized I never received one. I didn't realize we had only filled out a form to record her birth, not receive a birth certificate. Good grief. So, we ordered two today. Anyways, here's the story of Ivory's birth, to all who care to know.
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1. WAS YOUR PREGNANCY PLANNED? Aren’t they all? {God}


2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? 1.5 yrs (at the time) to my amazing Jason Allen (over 2 yrs by baby’s birth).


3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? I went from terrified/nervous one moment to ecstatic/giddy the next. In the first trimester fear outweighed the excitement, by the end I could hardly wait.

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Never.

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 22.

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? Home pregnancy test, which I didn’t believe. By the 2nd positive (taken internationally—Canada) I was pretty convinced, but not fully until the 3rd test at the Health Department.

Yes, I know, crazy woman.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Jason, then Debi (sister), Mom, so forth.

At Debi's place in Canada: site of test #2.

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Definitely.

Look at that precious little girly face!

9. DUE DATE? August 14th, 2008.

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Yes. Thankfully, no puking. But lots of mild queasiness, especially in the first trimester.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? One time I craved cheese wontons. Otherwise, nothing in particular. Well, in the beginning sometimes only ice cream and french fries sounded good. I was not a big fan of meat, especially not chicken.

Cheese wontons from Super Canton are the best!

12. WHAT IRRITATED YOU? Going to the bathroom almost constantly. Not sleeping well at night. Swollen feet. Sweat dripping off my feet into pools of sweat. Not being able to keep up with Jason & the youth in outdoor activities.

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Female.

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? We were surprised, but not in the least disappointed. I love ribbon & pink!

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 35lbs. My exact max.

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? 2.


17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew.

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Nada.

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Gulf Coast Medical Center, Panama City, Florida.


20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? About 15 total. 2 hrs of pushing.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Jason—at a ridiculously fast speed (my contractions kept getting faster and it was like 2am—no traffic)—crazy, loveable man.

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Jason (best husband ever), Mrs. Patty (my amazing mom-friend), Tina (my incredible nurse), Suzie (my fabulous midwife), and the other nurses in the hospital room.

The incredible Patty with her sweetie, David.

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural—thank the Lord! We prayed so hard.

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? By God’s grace and the amazing support of my birthing team, no.

25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 7 lbs. 9 oz. 20.25” long

26. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? August 18th, 2008, 4:26 pm


27. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 6 months on the 18th


28. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Ivory Rae