Reagan's Birth Story

Tuesday, July 20th, I started feeling contractions throughout the night. They weren't terribly painful, but I figured things were getting started. Richard took Wednesday, the due date, off work because we thought it would be THE DAY. We ran some errands around town, hoping the contractions would get stronger and closer together. No such luck. We went to Bible study that night, answering questions about why I was "still here" over and over. I was tired of answering questions, tired of being pregnant, and just plain tired.

Richard went to work Thursday because I figured nothing was going to happen. My contractions were randomly spread out during the day, but started getting closer together when he got home. We went to Popeyes for dinner around 6:30, then went to the mall to walk. We walked for about 2 hours, leaving just about the time the mall closed. My contractions were about 5 minutes apart at the mall, so I went home and started pacing through the house, hoping to keep them going. Rubix followed me as I paced, and I called my mom to let her know that I was pretty sure tonight was the night! However, shortly after calling her, my contractions started coming further apart. I sent her a text message to get some sleep and tried to do so, myself. The contractions continued, mostly 5 minutes apart, but randomly 7-9 minutes apart. I was frustrated because in order to go to the hospital, we were told they had to be 5 minutes apart for an hour.

Around 2:00 Friday morning (July 23rd), I woke Richard up and we called the doctor. She told us to come on in. We quickly packed the car and I called my mom. On the way to the hospital, the contractions were 2-3 minutes apart, and by the time we got into the triage and I was hooked up to a monitor, they were coming 1.5-2 minutes apart. The nurse said she thought I would go quickly. I was already 5cm dilated when we got to the hospital. I was worried because I needed to have 2 doses of penicillin 4 hours apart before delivering because I tested positive for Group B Strep (not harmful to me, but could cause blood disease and blindness in the baby if I wasn't treated before delivery). The first penicillin drip started around 4:00am, before we left the room. We told the triage nurse the baby's name, and that it was a secret. She promised she wouldn't say anything.

When they wheeled me over to the labor and delivery room, I was surprised to see my brother, Justin, sitting on the couch in the room. He beat us in there! The couch is where he would spend the entire day, resting on the pillow I brought for myself. Around 5:30am, shortly after arriving in labor and delivery, I met the man I will always be grateful to and never forget--MARK, the anesthesiologist! This man gave me such a good epidural that I felt NOTHING my entire delivery. I couldn't even feel the pressure of the contractions! He made this one of the most enjoyable, relaxed, and memorable experiences! I'll certainly be asking for him the next time I give birth at TGH!

After the epidural was administered, my Granny and parents arrived. The doctor didn't want to check my progress again until after 8:00am, to ensure that she didn't break my water before the second penicillin drip was administered. I was so excited I couldn't sleep. I spent hours just talking with my family, so relaxed because of the epidural. When Dr. Lynch finally came into the room to check me, I was 7cm dilated and she broke my water in the process. When they sat the bed back up, I felt my arm getting squished against something, which I quickly found out was my leg. I hadn't even realized they had moved it until they sat me up and I could see it! Thank you, Mark!

Dr. Lynch left to perform a C-section and said she'd be back to check on me when she was done. I was turned on my side because the baby wasn't facing the right direction completely. Another dose of penicillin was administered and she returned around 1:00pm. (Our family spent the time from the last check till then talking with the labor and delivery nurse, Monique, who was really sweet. She wasn't supposed to be our nurse, and was just subbing while our nurse was busy with another patient. However, she asked if she could stay with us because she enjoyed talking with us so much.) At 1:00pm, I was 10cm dilated and told we were going to start pushing. Since I wasn't feeling any pain or pressure, it was a bit surreal that we'd already reached this point.

Richard was by my side the whole time. Between the pushing, we were talking about the weather, joking around, and laughing the whole time. My family sat outside the door on a gurney (when they were supposed to be in the waiting room--don't know how they got away with that) and listened to the whole hour and a half of the delivery. They were worried when they heard me gasping loudly between pushes because they thought the epidural was wearing off, when in fact I was just trying to breathe because they'd made me hold my breath the whole time I was pushing. Dr. Lynch did tell them to turn off the drip so I could at least feel pressure. I had to receive oxygen at one point because I'd been pushing for so long.

Reagan Milton Smotherman arrived at 2:28pm on Friday, July 23rd. He weighed 8 lbs., 13 oz. and measured 21" long. Richard and I were sobbing like crazy, so happy to meet our sweet little man. Rubix met him Sunday, July 25th, and fell in love immediately. We're all doing well and adjusting quite nicely! This next year will be an adventure for all 4 of us!

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes...

a TURTLE?! A short, stumpy thing with a big head, fat tummy, and little nubs for arms and legs? That's exactly what we saw on the screen... and it's inside of me!

Yes, we are expecting. As of now, we're not exactly sure what we're expecting, but the doc says it's a baby, due July 21, 2010. Today marks 10 weeks, and we're currently calling our offspring "Turtle-Bean". Since it's almost Christmas, we thought we'd send you all a special greeting from the fam! Happy Holidays!

A word to the wise... Never ride with or near a Smotherman!

Since mid-August, Richard and I have collectively witnessed 4 car accidents, 2 of them within 12 hours of each other. I don't know if we just drive too often or on too dangerous of roads, but I had never witnessed an accident since these began!

The first one was about 5 miles away from our house on a 6 lane road with a middle turn lane. It was raining and there was a lot of traffic. We were heading North-bound in the traffic. A little red Honda was sitting in the center turn lane facing South-bound. As we began moving, we watched a black Toyota sedan drift from the left South-bound lane into the center turn lane, without signaling. We then watched the Toyota continue moving, braking only when within a few feet of the North-facing Honda. It was too late... there was crunching metal and I was yelling, "WHAT WAS THAT PERSON THINKING?!" We turned around and went back with ponchos on to check on the drivers. The Honda was being driven by a slightly crazed woman who kept saying, "I should have stayed in the pet store a little bit longer! I can't believe this happened!" over and over. The Toyota was driven by a petite elderly woman who had be defrosting her windshield with her hand while changing lanes and claimed, "That woman just came into my lane." Hopefully she doesn't have her license anymore.

The second one was about 2 miles from our house near a 45 degree turn in the road. We were heading South-bound at about 10:00 on a Friday night 2 weeks ago. I heard a screeching sound and saw a pick up truck coming around the turn North-bound. The truck jumped over the curb and ran head-on into the corner of an office building. The impact flipped it sideways, with the driver's side laying on the ground. We pulled over and immediately called 911, watching the driver and passenger climb out of the passenger window, unharmed. While we waited to talk to the cops, we noticed they were both wearing wrist bands and acting like they were in a daze. The girl lit a cigarette off of one lying on the ground that was still burning. (I assume she dropped the other one during the accident.) Long story short, the guy ended up with a DUI... and I got a phone call from his insurance company the other day. We've been playing phone tag, but I can't WAIT to talk to them about what we saw!

The third accident happened the very next morning, at the entrance to our neighborhood. (Notice they keep getting closer and closer to home?) As we were waiting to pull out, we watched a driver pull out from a gas station at about 5 mph to cross 2 lanes of traffic going 45 mph. He's lucky all it ended up being was a fender bender. After we waited for 30 minutes for the cops to show up, we ended up giving the other driver our information and leaving.

The fourth accident was witness just this evening by Richard. He was driving home from work and was about 5-6 miles from home. Heading East-bound in the center of three lanes, he saw a car about 1/4 mile ahead driving in the right lane with its left turn signal on. As Richard approached, the turn signal was still on, but the car was not changing lanes. Then, just when Richard reached the car, he decided to TURN LEFT (not change lanes, but TURN PERPENDICULAR) to cross over 2 lanes! Richard slammed on his brakes to avoid an accident, but the car in the lane next to him T-boned the driver's side door.

I don't know why we keep ending up witnessing accidents, but if you decide to ride with or near us in traffic, please proceed with caution!

"You want to put that thermometer WHERE?"

We took Rubix to the vet at 8am this morning. Fortunately, they take walk-ins. She had her temperature taken (not fun!) and that checked out fine. The vet then explained to us that she needed to shave the hair from around the wound, flush it out to sterilize it, and then put an antibiotic ointment in and around the puncture. Rubix came back to us looking a little bit different. She now has a "summer cut" and we can keep an eye on the wound (and find it a lot more easily)!

We were told that it was very important that we make sure the wound stays open and heals from the inside out. Dogs apparently are able to heal quickly, but with bite punctures like this one, bacteria can be closed up inside when it scabs over and an infection may develop. We were given both a topical and an oral antibiotic to administer twice daily. Rubix is doing just fine, showing off her "tough dog club" initiation wound like a pro!

Hole in One... One Rubix, that is.

Richard and I were so excited to take Rubix and her Poppa and Momma Smotherman to the dog park tonight! She was goofing off with several different dogs, enjoying herself as usual. We all were laughing at their antics, taking pleasure in watching her socialize with her dog pals.

After about 10 minutes at the park a fluffy, spotted dog trotted into the group from across the way. I mentioned to Richard that her hair was raised near her tail. This usually indicates the dog is about to show some aggression. Seconds after I said that, the dog was showing its teeth and began snarling and attacking Rubix.

Poor Rubix tried to fight back, but was unable to get the dog off of her. Richard and I began yelling and ran toward the two dogs. He tried getting between them and breaking the fight up, but they were traveling across the park. He pushed the other dog with his leg, giving Rubix the ability to fight back a bit.

Finally, the owner of the dog ran up and grabbed her off of Rubix. He held her down, trying to calm her down. Rubix walked over to the gate and I started looking over her for injuries. At first, I didn't see anything. Then, the other dog's owner said his dog had blood on her teeth and he didn't think it was hers. I looked again around her collar and this is what I found:

That dog bit Rubix and left a puncture wound on her neck! I was so angry and worried. We drove Rubix home and I cried the whole way. She didn't whimper or whine at all. In fact, for most of the car ride, she was hanging out the window.

When we got home, Candace and Richard took her outside and cleaned the wound out with soapy water and peroxide. Then, they put Neosporin on it. She didn't seem bothered at all. Our puppy is quite the trooper! We're going to take her to the vet first thing in the morning to find out what all we need to do for her. We just hope it won't get infected and she won't be in any pain.