Joshua Ryan

Every kid has a story. Jimmy's birth story was not all that exciting. I went into labor, we were giddy on the way to the hospital (with plenty of time to spare), labor was uneventful, and before we knew it, we were holding our precious son.

Jackson's story was much different. Pre-term labor. Hospital stays. Bed rest. Police escort. Almost didn't make it to the hospital. Delivery sans epidural. It was quite the story, to say the least.

And two and a half weeks ago we welcomed our third son, Joshua Ryan into the world. Here's his story.

Thanks to the highly eventful pregnancy with Jackson, I was considered "very high risk" for this third pregnancy. I started progesterone shots at 15 weeks, making me a human pin cushion for 21 weeks. My husband even had to play doctor one weekend and give me my shot, something that I think he will gladly tell you he will never do again. I listened to the doctor's orders (I had two OBGYNs this go round - my primary and a specialist) and controlled my stress levels, rested and didn't partake in any activities that would risk putting me into labor. No, my house wasn't up to my typical standards in terms of cleanliness and yes, I gained more weight in this pregnancy than any in the past, but I was exceedingly proud of myself for doing everything in my power to prevent pre-term labor.

My doctor gave me the green light at 36 weeks 5 days to resume normal activities. I could clean, take long walks, skip afternoon naps (who the heck would do that, though?!) and go back to life as normal. My contractions were always the same - painful and inconsistent. I was paranoid about going to the hospital to see if I was in labor thanks to the not-so-welcome response we got with Jackson. On the evening of 36 weeks 6 days, I told Jimmy I thought labor would come very soon, but he looked at me like he always does when I say that, as if to say, "Right, Jess, you always say that."

Well, I woke up around 4:30 a.m. on my 37th week of pregnancy (on the dot) and timed my contractions at about 13 minutes apart. I got up, had some water, and forced myself back to bed.

"Still too far apart to go in....still too far apart to go in..." I told myself over and over until I fell back to sleep.

When I got up a few hours later, I took the boys on a walk and then we hopped in the car to take a trip to Starbucks. On the way home, I called my mom and told her I felt like the contractions were close, and labor was close, but I was just too scared to go to the hospital only to be told to go home. She suggested I go see my doctor (Hello! That is what she's there for!). I made an appointment, secured a babysitter, and headed in for what I thought would be a, "You're not in labor, yet" appointment.

Nope. Not the case at all. I was 4 cm dilated and my doctor told me to march my behind right next door to the hospital to get admitted. After making all the necessary calls, I did just that. Luckily I got there at a good time, because most of the rooms were already filled with women in labor. I got my room, got settled in and waited for my mom to come meet me. It was 11:06 a.m. when I was admitted.

About an hour and a half later, my epidural was in. Jimmy had made it home from school and was at the hospital at this point. My doctor decided to give me a small dose of Pitocin to speed things along (at that point I was 7 cm) and speed things along it did. At 3:41 p.m., after only five or six pushes, I was holding the smallest of my Fraser boys in my arms. Joshua Ryan was absolutely perfect, weighing in at 6 lbs 2 oz, 18.5 inches long. And, in true Fraser fashion, he decided a short trip to NICU was in order to expel the remaining fluid from his lungs. Luckily, he was back in my room in no time, ready to be loved on and meet his big brothers.

Joshua has two huge fans in Jimmy and Jackson. They love on him, kiss him and even ask others to put him back in his crib if they hold him for too long. What was a family of four just a a few short weeks ago is now a happy, healthy family of five - and I can't imagine life any other way.

It's amazing how each of my kids have such a unique story - from Jimmy's uneventful, typical labor and delivery, to Jackson's roller coaster ride, to me taking myself to the hospital while in labor with Joshua. I can't wait to share the story of how each blessing was born with them later on in life.

More to come later, on how we're coping with three under three, adjusting to little Jimmy in preschool and what the future holds for our not-so-little family.