2am

I have always been a night owl. Call it genetics (like mother, like daughter), youngest child syndrome, FOMO (fear of missing out), or whatever you want, but I like to stay up late. College was great for me because that's pretty much what everyone does. Things that happen after 10pm in college: go to Common Grounds; start studying; drive to West for kolaches; start a movie; IHOP; and many others. That was the life. Fast forward to me working 12-hour shifts at the hospital and my love of late nights is replaced with a love for *hopefully* reading in bed for a few minutes before I fall asleep. At 9pm. Not so exciting anymore.
But lately I've had a revival of 2am fun. And it all started last Saturday night around midnight.
I went to bed early because I was tired from my shift and my legs were swollen (see instagram for proof) and because Jake was out celebrating a friend's birthday. When he got home at midnight, I got up to use the bathroom. And there it happened. Pop and gush. My water broke. Being an uncertain first-timer, I just went back to bed. After an hour of semi-regular contractions I thought I better time them. They were about 7-8 minutes apart. I woke Jake up at 2am and he sprung into action, calling the doc and packing a bag. I was a little more reluctant, not wanting to be that girl. You know, the one who goes to the hospital a million times because she thinks she's in labor... Turns out I was in labor. I was admitted to the hospital at about 3:15. I was only 1cm dilated, but 90% effaced. All I had to do was get to 10cm and I'd be set. We made some calls and our parents started the trek to Waco. At 4:30, I was still at 1cm, so they started me on pitocin and I said no to an epidural, in hopes of an all natural birth.
Over the next two and a half hours, my contractions got more regular (read painful), so I changed positions a couple of times and had a Popsicle. My parents got to Waco around 7. At about 7:15, I was having a mental debate about whether or not I would make it another couple of hours in this amount of pain. I decided (still in my head) that I needed an epidural. I felt delirious when, all of the sudden, I had a major urge to push. My nurse was in the room (thank God!), so I informed her I needed to push and then proceeded to do so. She told me to stop because I wasn't fully dilated, but that she'd check me. To everyone's surprise, especially my doc who wasn't at the hospital yet, I was fully dilated. Suddenly my room was a beehive of activity, everyone frantically trying to get ready for the delivery. Meanwhile, my rock, Jake, was at my head calmly helping me breathe through each contraction and holding my hand. I wouldn't have made it without him. There was no time for an epidural, but by then I didn't care. I just wanted to push! My doc arrived and after 10 minutes of pushing, Harper Ella Griffin made her debut! Though she came a little early, she is perfectly healthy (5lbs 14oz and 18 1/2 inches long) and obviously ready to take on the world.
So, now my 2am consists of quality time with my new favorite person in the world. And I wouldn't trade it for all the kolaches in West.