What a new years eve party we had. Yes you have got it right. We rang in the new year with a beautiful baby girl being born at St. John's Hospital in Jackson Hole Wyoming. What a haul this has been, but one of the most worthwhile experiences our family has ever gone through.

Labor actually started at 1:35 a.m. on the 31st of December. By 3:00 a.m. my wife could not handle it on her own anymore and woke me from an elk hunting dream. We timed contractions for awhile and I tried to convince her that we should wait a bit longer while I finished sleeping but SHE CONCLUDED that elk hunting could wait until next September. By 4:00 a.m. we were on the road to Jackson (a 75 mile drive) and were thankful that the roads were in good shape. My biggest fear of driving on the roads this time of year is not that they are icy but the wildlife that insist on spending their nights on the highways. As we arrived in Jackson and were headed downtown I was very relieved that we had made the trip with no accidents when all of a sudden there came a noise from my wife which did not resemble any of the sounds she had made the whole trip. DEER! Right in downtown Jackson and I was a sliver from smacking one. That was close!

Now, I must get everyone up to date on how we left our last Doctor appointment. My wife had been progressing over the last couple of checkups and had managed to get to 2 cm by last Thursday. With all of the contractions that she had been having we were certain to be well on our way to 6 or 7 cm and rightly so. She deserved it. Well I will never forget the look on my wife's face when the nurse that morning said "Good Job, you are at 2 cm". "The look" was of anger and of sorrow. The latter (I am sure) was for how sorry she was going to feel after she decked the nurse.

It did not take long though because by the next time she was checked 4 cm had been reached and we were on our way. I always joke with my wife about women being like cows and children being like cow dogs. I do believe there is some truth to this, but this was not the time to discuss the woman/cow theory. As for the kid/cow dog theory, well, maybe we should not talk about that either. Maybe in a later Off The Pave Road story. One thing I did attempt to talk about that was short lived was the TOCO chart that was on the monitor. By looking at the numbers on the display screen I could tell when a contraction was about to start before she could feel it. It only took once when I said "O.K. honey, here comes a contraction. Be tough." I am pretty sure that the look on her face resembled the one she gave the nurse earlier that morning.

We were working on 12 hours since the start of labor and my wife was doing remarkably well. She had received some kind of wonder drug in her back and by 2:30 p.m. she was ready to push. At 2:47 p.m. on December 31, 2001 I was looking at the most beautiful little girl I have ever laid my eyes on. She weighed in at a modest 6 lbs 9 oz and measured 19 inches long. Her name, Emma Grace Amanda Rogers. In English that is short for Cinderella.

I am a very proud father, but more importantly a proud husband. My wife has been magnificent through this whole trial and I am very fortunate to be married to her. She is a beautiful wife and an awesome mother. I am also very grateful for all of the help that we have received from our family and friends. The meals, phone calls, cards, and help with Clancy will always be remembered. Thank you all so very much for your thoughts and prayers.

We have evened the score at the Rogers house - 2 boys and 2 girls -. This may be a fine time for only one more trip to the hospital and many many more trips to the mountains and stories to share from Off The Paved Road.

Join me next time…..

 

Please feel free to e-mail me or give me a call if you or anyone you know might be interested in opportunities here in Pinedale or just wanting to spend some time in the area. I am happy to make myself available to show you around our little town and probably even a little bit of off the paved road.

Want information about Pinedale and area real estate? 
E-mail me: jrogers@wyoming.com
Or visit our Pinedale Properties Inc web site: www.pinedaleproperties.com

Want to know about hunting and fishing in Sublette County?
Visit our web site at Black Diamond Outfitting:
www.blackdiamondoutfitting.com