one year ago

(bad pictures from John's cell phone from a few days before Ruby's birth and the morning of)

Last year right around this time, at 41-weeks pregnant, I started to feel my first contractions. The contractions lasted for days and unfortunately ended up with the c-section that I was hoping to avoid. While the nine months leading up to this day last year felt long, the following four days of (pre/false) labor felt the longest. I was so anxious to meet Ruby (and not be pregnant anymore, and avoid a c-section) that I was trying to will myself into labor. It didn't work out as I had planned, but I still ended up with a beautiful baby girl, whose birthday we'll be celebrating in four days.