After being 5 excruciating days overdue, Madison Elyse arrived at 10:50 on Wednesday, Dec. 11th, 2002!!! She weighed in at a whopping 7 lbs. 10 ozs., and was 20 1/2 inches long!! For me, that is HUGE!! She outweighed both of her sisters birth-weights by more than a pound. **I 'woke' up on Wed. morning...about 6:45, to get my eldest dd ready for school. Contractions started around 7:00...but being ever doubtful...I waited to see if they would stop yet again...NOPE!!! At about 9:00 they started getting seriously intense...and went from every 10 mins. to every 2! I made Michael call his parents...and started putting on my shoes. Contractions were every minute by the time we got Michael's parents notified and the bags and Natalie loaded in the car at about 9:30. The hospital is only 4 miles away...on a normal day maybe a 10 min. drive. This was anything but a normal day, so of course, we get stuck behind every slow diver possible! A student truck driver...a mail truck...A very tiny, very old lady.....Then we get to the hospital...It is almost 10:00...and they are doing MAJOR construction next to the birth center There is NO parking...and Michael's dad isn't there to get Natalie yet. We circled the lot 5 times until we found a parking spot...on the other side of the lot from the birth center. Spotting Michael's dad, we flag him down and toss Nat's bags and carseat in his truck...and he gave me a lift to the center (no way I could have walked it!). Michael runs across the lot with my bags. We go into the center, and they lead us right to a room. It was now 10:05. I changed into a gown between contractions...and by the time the midwife checked my cervix, I was already at a 7-8! The nurses got a bit frantic, started running around throwing things together. Within half an hour I got a major urge to push. The midwife was great! She coaxed me through it so well...I didn't need an episiotomy...didn't tear...it was amazing! Madison Elyse was born at 10:50 a.m. 7lbs 10ozs...and absolutely perfect! MIL's dream was correct...she DID miss the birth...by about 30 seconds! Can I just say that the birth center was AMAZING!! I never had to leave my room...labor, deliver, post-partum...all in one room....and they were so nice...whatever I wanted, I got! It was wonderful. All I had to do was get to know Madison. After 2 days of bonding with my new daughter...I absolutely adore her!! I'm glad to be home, but am going to miss that extra special treatment, just a little bit ;)