I keep thinking back on the 17 hours I was in labor, thinking about everything that happened because I don’t want to forget a single moment. The one thing -and really the first thing- that comes to mind is how I could never have done any of it without Brand. I needed him so much and am so grateful he was there for me.
I feel like the moment we got to labor and delivery he went into supportive husband mode. He was there by my side the whole time -except for the 45 minutes after we were just hanging out doing nothing and he went to get us something to eat.
He was such an amazing coach, the entire time he was always so positive, helpful, and upbeat. He was there to hold my hand when I was having the worst contractions -we used our Lamaze class breathing rule lots, thank heavens for Lamaze class. He was there to distract me when I was getting my IV catheter -we talked about pictures on instagram and text messages we got from family, he’s such a good distract-er. He was there holding my hand when I got my epidural -the thing I was most scared about. He was there when we were just moments away from seeing our little girl for the first time.
And I’m constantly thinking about how much he was there for me because I know he is always going to be there for her. My favorite moments seem to be when Brand interacts with Hazel. Trying to capture these moments in picture is only one thing you can do because the pictures only show that exact moment. But knowing the stories behind the pictures, like right after we took this picture Hazel gave us the biggest smile, but we were too busy enjoying it to get it on camera. I love these times.
Boy are we lucky to have Brand -more than I’ll ever know.
