On December 19th, 2022, our baby girl surprised us by making her debut 3 weeks early. It was the best Christmas gift we could have asked for. Our lives are forever changed and we couldn't be more in love with our little Charlie girl.

Around 4:30 pm on Sunday the 18th, I started having mild contractions. I wasn't 100% sure, since this was obviously my first child, but after some google searching, I was like... ok, these have to be contractions, right? They felt like period cramps. I texted Daniel saying, "I feel like I'm going to go into labor in the next 24-48 hours," and he responded, "Babe, you're not," lol. The contractions started to feel more intense when we were going to bed, and even then, I was still questioning whether they were contractions or not. Daniel gets up at 4am to get ready for work, and by that point, I was so uncomfortable, and was sure I was having contractions. Needless today, Daniel did not go into work, lol. He told me to try and sleep some more while he packed a hospital bag, but I could not sleep - so I threw on a robe and we went for a walk outside... literally as the sun was rising. (Contractions were about 20ish minutes apart.) Around 9am, they were a little more intense and closer together, so I slowly started to get ready to go to the hospital.

Once we got there, we still weren't sure I'd even be admitted, but again, first child, and we had no idea how bad contractions would eventually get or when it would be "time." I was only 2cm dilated when we got there, so they decided to give me two shots for the pain before sending us home. Then I had to lay there for 30 minutes to let it settle in. I felt GREAT afterwards, lol. Since I was adamant about getting an epidural, they were like, "let's go ahead and get the bloodwork taken care of, that way you can get the epidural right away when you come back later." So we were like, k great, but how do we know when we should come back? And the nurse casually goes, "When the contractions are so painful, you can't speak or stand up straight."

Blood work gets done, we head home, and I finally get some sleep. Around 6pm, Daniel comes in to check on me and I'm in DESPERATE need of chocolate chip cookies. So I ask him to make me the Toll House Cookies we have in the fridge, and you would have thought I had never tasted a cookie in my life - they were SO GOOD, lol. (I've made them every night since then, no joke.)

My mom comes over around 7:30, starts cleaning the house, (Iykyk,) and around this time, my contractions were really ramping up. My mom's birthday is December 20th, so before I started getting ready to go back to the hospital, I wanted her to open her birthday gift... she was like "no! my birthday is tomorrow, let me wait till then," and I was soooo sure Charlie was going to be born the 20th, so I told her she was getting a grand daughter as a gift for her birthday, and then BAM, my water breaks. Literally felt like someone popped a water balloon. Naturally, Daniel, my mom, and I all start freaking out - (Lupe does not end up opening her gift, lol.) I run upstairs to rinse off and of course, put my makeup on. My mom is freaking out saying I need to hurry or I'm going to have the baby in the car, and I was like, k calm down.

Leading up to this day, I heard so many people tell me once their water broke, they still didn't end up having the baby until way later, so I thought I had a decent amount of time. As I'm doing my makeup, my contractions are even more painful, but I'm managing. By the time Daniel and I are in the car headed to the hospital, I feel like I am literally dying. I'm crying and starting to yell out in pain. We get to the hospital and I immediately drop to the floor in the parking structure because I physically cannot stand up straight. Fast forward a bit, I'm laying in the hospital bed begging for the epidural, and the nurse tells me she needs to pump fluids in my for 40 minutes before that happens, and in my head I was like "are you fucking kidding me," but the only thing I could get out of my mouth were sounds of agonizing pain. A while later, they wheel me into the delivery room and on the little ride there, I am literally screaming in pain as they wheeled me through the hallway. If I were a fly on the wall, I would've been like, omg how embarrassing... but when you're in labor, you don't give a SHIT. lol.

We get into the delivery room and Daniel is asking every nurse who walks in about the epidural and they keep saying the lady is coming in after she finishes with the patient next door. I'm literally on the verge of breaking the handles off of the hospital bed - The nurse then checks me and goes, "Ok, I'm not going to lie, but the baby's head is right there and it's time to start pushing." and I'm like "What about the epidural?!" and she goes, "There's no time." And I swear my soul left my body at that moment, lol.

I'll spare you the details, but giving birth is 1000% the most painful thing I have ever experienced in my entire life. No one could have ever prepared me enough for it. The movies/shows you see where a woman is giving birth and she's dripping sweat, screaming bloody murder - yeah, all incredibly accurate. Full on felt like I had an exorcism.  At one point, Daniel said I was grabbing both of his arms and head at the same time, lol. But after 20 minutes of pushing, our perfect girl was born at 10:56 pm. She was 5lb 1oz and 19 inches. She came out wide eyed looking back and forth at her mom and dad and didn't even cry. She was READY to be earth side with us.

We were all so sure she was going to be born on my mom's birthday, but Charlie was like "nope, I want my own birthday." My dad had texted Daniel around 11:30 pm and was like "hold off for 30 more minutes," and Daniel sent him a picture of Charlie saying, "too late, papa!" hahaha. Although it was the most painful experience and I had thoughts going through my head that I could never do it again, it was the best day of my life. I'd relive it all over again just to have that moment of her looking at us with a little smile the second she came out, one more time.

Once we were finally settled in our hospital room, I was starving. I think it was about 3 in the morning, but my first meal post baby was Chicken Stars & French Toast Sticks from Carl's Jr. lol.