Details, details

Here's the long and the short of the birth story. I'll try to find a happy medium for those of you who want to know more details, but are totally disgusted by words like 'catheter.'
Since Michael was born a week early, weighed 8 lbs 8ozs, and had a very difficult birth because of his size, I was a little scared the same thing was going to happen with this one. As I discussed this fear with my doctor, I was informed that they are willing to induce you any time after 38 weeks because after that the babies are just packing on the pounds. That left me with a difficult decision to make.. would I get induced and risk a harder labor, but have a smaller baby, or would I wait until labor started naturally, resulting in a better labor process but a bigger baby. After a few days of indecision I made up my mind to be induced and called the doctor on Friday. They said they could have me in at 6 am Saturday. So I ran around like a crazy person the rest of the day and tried to get things all ready to go.
Dustin's mom came into town Friday night so we were able to sneak out Saturday morning without having to worry about Michael. It took about an hour and a half for them to finish all the paperwork, get some fluids through my IV and then finally start me on the PIT (the medicine that produces contractions). At 9:30 I was dilated to a 3 and they broke my water to help me along. By 10:30 I had lost all resolve to be brave and let my labor keep moving along fast, and had an epidural. That slowed me down a bit, so it took a while for me to reach a 4, but then only an hour and half after that, I was a 7. I reached 10 right as the Oklahoma game was starting, but the baby still hadn't dropped, so they decided to let me 'labor down' for a while (let my contractions push the baby down instead of me having to do it). By the beginning of the 4th quarter we were almost ready to go. They got everything set up and ready, and the doctor finished up delivering a baby down the hall from me. Right as the game was ending, the nurse had me push through one of my contractions. I have never heard such beautiful words as the ones that she spoke next... "Um.. don't push anymore. The head is coming out, let me go get the doctor." I couldn't believe it! I pushed for an hour and a half with Michael and still he wouldn't crown. Luckily, the doctor was on her way down the hallway as the nurse was going to find her. She came in, suited up and 2 contractions full of pushing later, I was holding my little boy.
So in the end it seemed I made the right choice since the labor wasn't very bad and he came out 10 days early at 8lbs. 7 ozs, 21 inches long. I can't imagine if I'd gone full term....
So now I sit here at the hospital eating mediocre (at best) food, and being totally bored. But loving every moment of holding and kissing my new little boy. My perfect little James.