Happy Birthday, K!

7 years ago today, I received a call from the hospital saying they had an opening for induction *right now* and if I could come in, I could have it. I had been on the waiting list for 5 days due to an increasingly higher blood pressure, but I thought I might get a little more warning. So I called W and my mom, jumped in the car, and headed to the hospital where *I couldn't find a parking spot*. I drove through 2 lots, thinking thoughts not lawful to be uttered, and finally just parked in the emergency spots next to the maternity ward. Because this was obviously an emergency.

After lots of pitocin, an epidural that wouldn't work only to then work too well, an oxygen mask, loud alarms as my blood pressure plummeted, an external monitor crammed into my belly by the nurse after every push while we held our collective breath listening for K's heartbeat to come back since it slowed down dramatically whenever I pushed, and the threat from the doctor that if I didn't deliver *right now*, he would be removing that baby by force (and people wonder why we adopted the second), K made her rather dramatic entrance. She was blue, quiet, and had her cord wrapped twice around her neck, but she got over all that very quickly and started screaming at the nurses. Yep, she was fine.

Today she celebrated her birthday by taking 2 tests (yep, I'm the mean mom who at least made her do a little school today so we could officially count it) and having a birthday party with 4 friends at the local pottery painting studio. She had a Kim Possible cake, a Hannah Montana balloon, and painted a car. We had a blast at the party and got lots of compliments from the staff on how quiet and well-behaved all the girls were. Then they ate cake and ice cream and started chasing each other around the tables. Between shelves stacked with pottery and signs stating, "You break, you buy". Ah, the joys of sugar. But the staff was still stating their amazement at how smoothly the party went as we were leaving, so I think it was all good and K has officially declared this her Best Birthday Ever. And that's what I was hoping for.