Good morning, Ben.

I'm stuck in a hospital alone until tomorrow. I might as well blog, right? Plus you're all DYING to know what happened. Bwahahahaha....

But first, a few pictures.

Welcome to the world, little dude.

Benjamin Joseph Larsen
7 lbs (okay technically 6 lbs 15.9 oz. They rounded up to 7) 19 inches long

Abigail meets baby brother. She says she already loves her baby brother. And she wonders if my tv works in the room. Cursed tv's...

First, before you "oh" and "ah" over how cute this picture is, check out that curl behind Claire's ear! She's getting hair! And who knows what color it is. Red blonde? Sure seems like it. Claire spent her time here saying "Hi baby Ben!" over and over and over. And she refused to let anyone take him from her. "Mine baby Ben!! Mine turn!"

Eyes. :)

So here's the story. I woke up Thursday morning and things felt "different." My body hurt a little more, the pain was a little more sharp, however not any contractions. But it definitely felt different. Around 3 p.m. I actually started noticing contractions. And they weren't just the dull ache kind, but the painful kind. They happened about every 20-30 mins, sometimes every hour, for several hours. I even went and walked the mall that night with my creative brilliant friend. They never really got any stronger or any more consistently. I went home, watched tv, attempted laundry, and finally was able to fall asleep around 12:30.

Unfortunately I only slept about 1 1/2 hrs. I kept waking up with each contraction and finally around 2 a.m. I realized that they were happening pretty frequently.

So yes, I am retarded. I had never dealt with timing contractions because my girls were induced. From what I read, they were supposed to be five minutes apart, lasting a minute, for at least an hour. My friends told me that oftentimes the hospital won't admit you until they're 2-3 minutes apart, and you can't be able to walk or talk through the contractions.

From 2-4:15 a.m. I paced my kitchen and living room floor and timed my contractions. Ever since I had gotten up they were at 2-4 minutes apart, but they weren't unbearable. I could definitely still walk, and I could kind of talk. I finally woke up Jesse and told him to call the hospital to ask. They said to take a shower, eat something, and then come in. We called Brilliantly Creative and she came over around 5 a.m. I don't think Jesse totally understood how far I was because he kind of seemed to be taking his time.... In the meantime, Brilliantly Creative was cracking up every time I had a contraction because I just doubled over and wanted to curse. She knows I've never experienced this. She knew I was in for a new experience.

And who knew that it would be THAT new. So, we jump in the car at 5:20 a.m. They admit me at 5:37 a.m. and leisurely walk me to my room. In the meantime, I'm stopping and dying with every contraction. They freakin' hurt. My lands. I change into my gown, lay on the bed, completely expecting to hear, "You're only at a 4, so go home." I had an argument all planned out in my head about how I go from a 4 to a 10 super fast so I needed to stay. I had never timed contractions before; I didn't know how hard they needed to be or anything. But before I could say anything, the nurse quickly looked up and said, "You're at a 9, sweetie. This baby is coming!" I absolutely froze inside. A NINE?!? That means I don't have time for an epidural. I was instantly sick inside. I looked at the nurse and pleaded for an epidural. She said she'd notify the anesthesiologist, but she didn't think they'd have time. And just like that, there were nurses all over my room acting as quickly as they could. It was a circus. She checked me again, and within seconds I was at a ten and I felt that baby drop.

Oh my heck.

I wish I could describe the pain. I went into absolute hysterics. I was pale, my eyes were wild, and I was screaming like I've never screamed before. I was NOT mentally, emotionally, or physically prepared to deliver a baby naturally. You know on The Princess Bride when Wesley is in the Life Sucking Machine and he makes the most unearthly, awful scream you've ever heard? I think that's the best I can compare it too. I was completely traumatized and in shock. My body was telling me to stop because it hurt so bad, but I could vaguely see and hear the nurses telling me I had to push. At one point, I remember slapping my hand over my mouth to make myself stop. Jesse says I had him traumatized too. He had no idea I could scream like that. I entered that hospital at 5:37 a.m. Ben was born at 5:57 a.m. A mere 20 minutes after getting out of my car. Good thing there wasn't any traffic. My doctor didn't even make it in time. She said that was the first time she's missed a delivery because it was so fast. The nurses did an amazing job though. I didn't even tear. It took a while for the shock to wear off. The nurses and my doctor kept coming back to ask if I was okay. Not physically, as much as mentally/emotionally okay. They all said I did a "great job" but there's no way. Just by the way they were asking me if I was "okay" and looking so intently at me, I could tell that I had been CRAZY.

Whew... Natural child birth, folks. It's a killer.

But as much as I HATED delivering naturally, the recovery has been KICK BUTT AWESOME. No epidural to wear off, no stitches to take care of... I was up and walking an hour after he was born. Maybe Heavenly Father knew that I needed a better recovery since I have two other crazies to take care of at home. Who knows? But I'm definitely grateful for it.

Ben already LOVES to be held, and always wants his binky. He gave the nurses some trouble last night in the nursery because he was so awake and just wanted attention. I laughed. He was always awake late at night when I was pregnant too. It was nice to pass that off on someone for the night.

He's a handsome little dude. We'll post more pictures soon. Thanks for the congrats! I love you all. :)