The Gabers is 3!!!!

Yesterday Gabe celebrated his third birthday. We had a great time with friends, pizza and a fun Nemo theme, picked by the birthday boy.

Growing up my Mom always told us the story of our birth on our birthday. Some years it was kind of annoying, but these days I enjoy hearing how "...your dad and the doctor wheeled me into the delivery room and had to turn on the lights, it was so strange Heather, I always imagined it a different way...". So in true Leppert tradition I had to tell Gabe about his birthday (the version I told him this year was slightly truncated, he is only three):

When I got pregnant with Gabe we weren't 100% sure that 3rd Brigade would be going back to Iraq. They had been home 2 months and we felt pretty comfortable in getting pregnant, fairly certain that Greg would be home at least for the birth. By July we knew they were definitely going back. By August I had convinced myself that giving birth with out Greg would not be that big of a deal. I knew tons of other Mom's who had done it and if you've ever heard my husband in the delivery room you know he sounds a lot like a drill sergeant. (Baby, you were much better with Joel!!)

In December a friend of Greg's was killed on patrol in Iraq and as a couple we went to his memorial. There I was eight months pregnant watching a wife holding the hands of her two older children and carrying her six month old baby that her husband had never met. That was when I knew that Greg had to see Gabe be born, no matter what!

If you know me I am a very persistent person. In most cases I get what I want, and if I can't talk someone into something usually Greg can. At the time I was seeing a newbie midwife for my prenatal care. I had spoken to her several times on the phone about stripping my membranes at 37 weeks (which they did for Ethan), which would give us 11 days home with Greg before he left again for Iraq. She was adamant that she simply could not do this, the earliest it could be done was 39 weeks, which was after Greg deployed. I still vividly remember getting off the phone and just sitting on my stairs and bawling my eyes out. A couple of days later I had an appointment with the same midwife and she had had a change of heart. She agreed to strip my membranes at 36 weeks 6 days as long as I kept my mouth shut about it (I'm not mentioning her name now and she no longer works at Riley, so I figure we are safe.)

Greg and I went in to the hospital that night, I was supposed to say I was having contractions and I needed to be checked by my midwife, unfortunately, my midwife was no where to be found and the nurses on Labor and Delivery were on to me. I can remember laying in the triage room and crying and praying that they would find her, the stress in that room that day was intense. Finally the midwife showed up and stripped my membranes at around 5:30.

My parents and in laws were in town we decided to go get dinner. If you know anything about Junction City, KS there aren't a whole lot of sit down restaurants. We drove to one that was packed and then decided to go to Cracker Barrel. When we got to Cracker Barrel the contractions started and were fairly close. There was no way we were going to have time to wait for a table but I was bound and determined to get food before I had Gabe (at Riley, if you have a baby after the cafeteria is closed, your only option is peanut butter crackers or a Healthy Choice meal, how insulting!). I can still remember going through the drive through at KFC and trying to order threw contractions. I nearly through the mashed potatoes at Greg when he was irritated that I had forgotten the Chicken strips!

At about 8:00pm I finally decided that we should head back to the hospital. Once there they admitted me and got me all settled. I remember the nurse saying, "settle in honey, you aren't having this baby until the morning", boy was she surprised.

I decided to have Gabe all natural. I had had a terrible spinal headache with Ethan that had me in my bed for 10 days straight. With Greg leaving I knew I couldn't risk that, so it was no drugs for me. After all the craziness of being admitted I had stopped contracting, so Dr. Ochoa wanted to put me on pitocin. I had the wise idea of no pitocin, just break my water Doc, I think everything will happen from there. OH MY HEAVENS did things ever happen. I went from 5cm to delivered in one hour. I have never felt such intense pain and I'm fairly certain I've never yelled that loud in my entire life. Dr. Ochoa didn't even make it back in the room from his break, Gabe was delivered by a resident and a nurse (by that point I would have been just fine with my Mom and Greg delivering him, I just wanted him out!). Gabe was such a cute little baby. He had a dimple in his cheeks from day one! He was 6lbs 10oz and (I think) 19 1/2 inches. He's such a sweet boy. Check out these pics from his party yesterday! (I gave Gabe the two minute version of this yesterday, he listened patiently and looked at me quizzically and finally asked "Mommy was I crying in your tummy?", I thought it was cute!)

Opening transformers and a book from the Taylors!

A cool "Cars" pillow book from the Kules.

Gabe's new favorite toy Automoblox from Mommy, Daddy, Sam, Ethan and Joel.

More Automoblox from Gigi and Papa.

His very own computer like his brothers from Granny and Grandpa.

Mommy's version of a tropical fish cake. In case you are wondering
those scales are 1200 Necco Candy Buttons!!! Pretty cute huh?!

Gabe seeing the cake for the first time. He just had to touch it. I don't blame him, it was very tactile!

Blowing out the candles.

Enjoying some cake!