All the while, the OB is playing Jenga with your organs to get the kid.

Breathe in and out...You are a strong woman and can remain calm.  Ironically the test of my resolve during the day had nothing to do with Ching and the girls.  I don't want to discuss what tested me but it reminded me of my potential of gathering my strength and remaining calm.  Perhaps I am just sentimental since it's Rachel's birthday in a couple of days and I tend to appreciate the gift of strength that she (and Laurel) instilled in me.

Because I run a few miles each day, I have been asked (very infrequently) if I am training for a marathon.  I quickly say no and think quietly, "I gave birth twice, that was my marathon. I have the resolve of steel."

Deep breath in...Blow out

I was able to experience child birth twice---drugged up with Laurel and naturally with Rachel.  I think of the experiences as amazing and lucky. (Now...at the time, while grateful, "luck" would not be the first word to come to mind.)  I truly believe that the harnessed strength that I had with both girls, having both girls, could have lifted a car over my head.  Ching thinks he has the secret on Wang family focus...nope, that would be me.

Deep breath in...Blow out

That was my experience. But the resolve of any mother is quite astounding.  I pushed as hard and as fast as I could to avoid a C-section.  (This just happened to work for me.) The resolve that you need for this astounds me even more.  As a mother is giving birth, she can't move, with a sheet hindering her view. (Sidemouth--sounds like conception)  All the while, the OB is playing Jenga with your organs to get the kid.  (Ching doesn't even realize how lucky he was just seeing me poop on the table.)

Deep breath in...Blow out.

But then there is my friend Lesley who may have the most resolve of all.  Her older daughter was born in Vietnam.  Lesley and her husband flew over to meet and bond with her for a week thinking that they would bring her home on the flight back to Maine.  The way Lesley explained it to me, the paperwork wasn't complete with her daughter.  While she was assured that the process would be done soon, Lesley couldn't bring her home on that original return flight.  I can't imagine the strength and resolve it took for her to get on the plane having faith that she would be reunited with her girl.  They were..but to this day, I don't know how she did it.

So I breathe again and harness my resolve...granted deep breaths were highly overrated.  While you could do your best with them, you were always wondering where the hell is that epidural guy when you need him?