Not really sure what happened...

Hello everyone. The end part of last week was a busy and eventful one for this family...so it's kind of still surreal to be here. On Wednesday, December 3rd, I turned 31. However, in my mind, I'm still like, 27...so that's how old I'll refer to myself as, from now on. It's just more logical to me, this way. Besides, I can only handle so much reality, so you'll all be the ones forced to deal. Anyway, on December 3rd, I got a text from my sister-in-law saying that she'd been in labor a while, and they were going to break her water. I was happy for her, as I knew what she'd been going through, believe me, I knew. But at the same time I was overly jealous, as well. She was due a week later than I...and here she was going into labor, about to be done. Sometimes I am a terrible, terrible person.
Anyway, my birthday was good. I was still pregnant, true, but for Sydney's sake, I didn't want her to have to share birthdays with me. Jeff and I took the kids to school, and then went to the mall, just to hopefully put me into labor, and buy me some stuff from Bath and Body Works.
Have I mentioned how great buying stuff for me is? Well, it is. However, I'm sure you're more interested in the next part of the story. I made Jeff and the kids take me to the Training Table for dinner...where I can order and eat an entire plateful of french fries covered in cheddar cheese. It. Was. Awesome. After our dinner, I wasn't feeling that great. Massive stomachache, and issues from overeating fries and cheese...and the worst cramps ever. So, I took castor oil again...just to maybe get things started, or other things stopped. Anyway, all grossness aside, I started to have contractions. And after a while, Jeff went to sleep, and I kept feeling them. I decided that I would take myself to the hospital after two hours of feeling them, about two minutes apart, each. (They were tiny, and I knew there was no way my body was moving anything with those, but Sydney'd kind of stopped moving for a long time, and I thought I'd just go get everything checked out, and make sure there was no stress on her behalf. I woke Jeff up about 2ish, and told him that I was driving myself to the hospital, and he asked if I wanted him to take me. I told him no, because I didn't want to be embarrassed, when they sent me home, and I didn't want Kelli to come over to be with the kids for a few hours, and then have to tell everyone about my false alarm. He mumbled "okay", and laid back down.
I got to the hospital, and checked myself in. They took me to a room equipped with a bed and all the hookups. I got into one of those ridiculous gowns and just waited for the nurse to tell me that things weren't progressing, and that I was going to have to wait until the next day, when I'd have been a week overdue, and my doctor would induce me. So an hour went by and they watched my and Sydney's progression, which wasn't that intense, however, my contractions got harder...and fewer. So the nurse went to call my Doctor, came back, and told me that my doctor, the same man that made me go home two hours early of an exact week when I had Cole, said I could be admitted. I called Jeff, he showed up at about 5:30, they gave me pitocin, things progressed, and they broke my water. (The HARDEST and quickest labor I've ever had ensued, and) at 10:46 am, on December 4th of this year, Sydney Joy was born. She was encased in the waxy stuff the nurse referred to as "cheese", weighed 9lbs. 1 oz., and was 21 in. long. Cheese aside, she was beautiful. I was so happy to see her...and as you can see, I had no reservations about having my picture taken with my now larger family...however, seeing my hair right now, tells me I should have taken the proper precautions, first.
Anyway, she was healthy, and strong, and I'm so grateful, still. Seeing her little face, hearing her sighs, and feeling her weight makes me so happy. Even worth the saggy tummy and excess fat that will take forever to lose. I hate being pregnant...but I love my babies. I was so scared to have another one, because it's hard to imagine loving something the way I love Jeff, Riley, and Cole. But as soon as I saw her little face, she just made her way into the same category as them.
My sister-in-law ended up having her baby on my birthday. Story Grace, 8lbs. 7oz.I'm excited, and I've vowed to be a better "Aunt Twin" than the one I had while growing up. My Aunt "Bambi" had the same b-day as me, too...but she was completely whacked. She had three inch long nails, wore blue eyeshadow, huge hair, and had a huge gap between her front teeth that she'd stick her tongue in when she'd laugh at one of her own dirty jokes. (Also, she would sporadically remind me that we were a type of kindred spirits, and our birthday was a reason why we were so much alike). So, I have had the example to learn about what NOT to be like. I promise that I will be less trashy than Bambi, no matter what. Also, Sydney and Story will be the best of friends, I'm totally sure of it. Look at them, they're pretty tight already, so it's all planned out. My sister-in-law ended up having a c-section, so even though I went into labor later, I got to leave the hospital sooner. But besides some uncomfort for obvious reasons, she and Story are doing well, and as you can see, her daughter is beautiful. A big thanks to all visitors, callers, etc. Everything is going great, and we are all happy. Right now, I'm a bit out of it...lack of sleep and all, so please know that we appreciate all of you and all the attention. We're truly blessed. Love to all.