Well, first things first, it was time to retire the whole Title with the word Blog in it. Sorry if that disappoints anyone. But I did make it a year, with I think only one repeat. So, pat on the back to myself.

Not that they were all winners or even creative. But goal = accomplished and that's all I can ask for!

SO. It's been a week. As Miriah reminded me, I've had plenty of time to recover!

And the truth is, I actually have had time to sit down and write something. BUT I can't seem to put the little button down long enough to write anything. Or even get on Facebook! Which I know is crazy. I'm a regular certified stalker on that social network.

Which PS, and under normal, not a lot to talk about circumstances I would totally be blogging about that movie and why I now think Mark Zuckerburg is a douchebag and how I don't get all of the Golden Globe Nominations and Wins!

But today we've got labor, the birth of a child and life since then to cover. So lets get talking people!

Ok, so first things first, I never knew so much work and effort (I'm speaking about raising and taking care of three children...) could be so wonderful and bring so much happiness! I was terrified of having a third little rug rat demanding my attention and sucking the life and any remaining hope of the benefits of gravity out of me.

I never imagined a life so fulfilled and overflowing with blessing!

It helps that Stryker happens to be the easiest baby alive. Apparently. In fact, he's never even woken up more than once for an overnight feeding. Down at 10. Awake at 4. Asleep until 9.

Those are hours I can work with!

Ok, he also has a little bit of jaundice. So that might be aiding in his easy-going-sleep-all-the-time-mannerisms, but I'm hoping for the best here!

Anyways, the hardest part of having three children is the first two!

They just LOVE their little brother SO much. Like too much! Wayyyyyy Too Much! Like their love for Stryker, kind of equals life threatening situations.

Between Scarlett's smothering, air-restricting kisses, or Stella's confusion with the fact that she is not actually his mother and cannot actually carry, bath, feed or burp him, we are going to be the most happy to reach his Stryker's first birthday!

And if they aren't literally loving the poor kid to death, then they are attention starved and poor neglected children acting out in terrible ways or through the night making up for the fact that their brother is sleeping through it!

But I suppose we will make it through. And they won't always love him so dearly. One day he'll be able to fight back and make them question why we let him into this house at all!

I better start at the beginning though.

Labor.

Since it was a scheduled induction, there wasn't much surprise in the whole situation. We sent the kids to the grandparents the night before and then were up and adam by 5AM to make it to the hospital by 6.

We were of course running late, and Zach was very concerned about this, but I just kept assuring him that they can't start anything until we get there. And even when we do we are just looking forward to a day of pain and suffering, so really there is no hurry!

And I was right.

We got there. They sent us to our room. And then we waited. We waited a whole freaking hour and a half! Just sitting there!

We didn't know what to do. And I couldn't go anywhere, I mean the whole hospital gown thing just doesn't scream modesty..... And we were tired. Too tired to talk.

We kind of tried to discuss names, but it would last like three minutes at the most and then we'd go back to checking Facebook and playing games on our phones trying to stay awake, sure that the nurse was going to walk in at any moment.

(Confession, we had the name for like two weeks. Kind of. We had picked it out, but were still discussing up until the moment he was born if we were brave enough and/or if it was too far out there...)

PS, nobody is posting on Facebook that early in the morning, so we were just staring at the same thing over and over. It was awesome.....

Eventually, right around the time I had convinced Zach to go see if they forgot about us, they came in to assure us they had NOT forgotten about us.

Apparently there was an emergency twin-situation in the ER PLUS someone had come in right behind us in serious labor, so since I wasn't even in labor yet, we were not exactly a priority.

I get that.

Who can compete with emergency twins?

Finally we got started at 7:30. They started the Pitocin, AKA the drug from hell, seriously, I'm pretty sure Satan invented it. Ok, not Satan, it does good things for a lot of women, but man it hurts like a bitch!

The doctor came in moments later and broke my water and then we began the adventure of waiting on the progression of labor.

With Stella, the hospital confined me to the bed and I was in so much pain I could have cared less.

With Scarlett I had most of the day without popped water so I could walk the halls and use the birthing ball and do all kinds of tricks to outlast the contractions.

With Stryker, I wasn't going anywhere after they broke my water. It's so awful. And gross. And that's that.

So Zach and I just hung out. Made jokes. Watched old reruns of Top Chef and by the time 3PM rolled around I was ready to go.

Zach said it was the easiest day of his life. And it really was. I do this thing when I'm in pain, I think it's unnatural and I get no sympathy from anybody, so it really works against me. But when I am in pain, any kind of pain, but especially child birth because you have so many people watching you struggle through it, I just go to sleep. That's it. I get really quiet. Don't talk and fall asleep.

Zach says that I have no fight or flight reaction. None. He thinks if I was in a serious life-threatening situation where I was in physical pain I would just die. Like if I was the guy in 127 hours that I would have just fallen asleep and eventually just died. No fight. No flight. Just sleep.

I call it my Pain Coma.

But it works for me. Well most of the time.... The only time it doesn't work is when I have to convince people that I am actually in pain while I'm in pain.

I had to do that with Stella. The nurses would not believe me. They kept saying because I wasn't screaming at the top of my lungs I wasn't ready for the epidural. Zach had to step in and explain to them The Pain Coma.

Ok, so anyways. We had an awesome nurse who understood people experience pain differently. Although I waited WAY too long to ask for the epidural. I mean, I made it. I didn't die or anything. But it kind of felt like I was going to for like an hour. It didn't help that the anesthesiologist was watching Top Chef Reruns during the procedure too.

Yea, I know. Zach said he kept watching the guy stop what he was doing and focus on the TV. Obviously we've learned our lesson. TV goes off when any health care professionals are in the room. And they're supposed to be the Intelligencia. Ha.

JK, kind of....

The nurse had gone a little crazy with the Pitocin too. Since after the epidural she was like, "Oh I should turn this down, the baby's heart rate keeps dropping every time you have a contraction."

And I'm like, Um yes you should.

But other than that the day was super easy. Zach and I both agreed we could have like five kids like that.

So we started our adventure at 7:30AM and at 3:33PM our little Stryker Michael Higginson was born!

And he was perfect. He literally was almost perfect. His Apgar score was 9.9. 10 being perfect. So. What can I say?

We also knew that since, as the nurse said, I have a "Very Roomy Pelvis," (Yea, small hips are not a cross I have to bear...... I'm so lucky...?) not to push to hard the first time so he wouldn't come out looking like a Prize Fighter like Scarlett did.

And one push and there he was. Labor suddenly became the easiest part of pregnancy.

Actually as it turns out the third child is just easy all around. Recovery is a breeze. Nursing is cake. I know what I'm doing. He knows what he's doing. It just was super easy.

I can see now how families can get up to 19 kids. Ok, I can also see why people stop after one. And even after two. But three? Heck, I'm basically ready for three more!

And I'm not really joking....

Zach says I have to get a job first! Haha.

So other than a little bit of jaundice, that hasn't even needed lights or anything, we are just adjusting to this beautiful life that now includes five.

It hasn't come without a TON of help from grandparents. Meals. And meals. And groceries. And diapers. And my mother being the most wonderful woman alive.

But we're loving this little addition to our family.

Zach couldn't be prouder! Things are different with a boy though. Like Zach will hold him literally all day long. He would be perfectly content to NEVER have to be apart from this kiddo. His pride and joy. BUT. If I hold him too long, Zach says, "Rachel, put him down, you're smothering him! He's going to turn in to a mama's boy!"

I laughed for like 30 minutes straight.

And also diapers. Ok, I've nannied plenty of little boys, but none this young. Actually none before the age of 2. Girls from birth, besides my two, I had tons of work-related-experience! But not boys.

So, Stryker was circumcised and guess what, that is like the most horrific even ever! And I have to change the diapers because Zach is terrified of them!

It's almost like I've never changed a diaper before in my life. Like every time I have to change a diaper it's a brand new experience!

Not to mention the..... parts.

I asked Zach, since obviously I don't know, "So, exactly how sensitive are you down there? Like how hard is too hard when I'm trying to clean it up down there?" Because you know, I want to be thorough....

And Zach's horrified response: "What do you mean? You have to be gentle Rachel! Gentle!!"

Ok, so that doesn't really help me! But I guess we will get through this learning experience too.

Whew. That's a long one! But that is what life's like on this side of happiness! :)