"Take a deep breath... and... PUSH!"

"1... 2 ... 3... 4... 5..."

I pushed as hard as I could, focusing intently on the excruciating pain I was experiencing and the only means to end it -- birth. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and bared down, giving it my all, even though at that point I didn't have much left to give. I felt the cool rag against my hot skin as the nurse wiped my forehead. I could hear their voices offering me words of encouragement and strength.

"You can do it! ... 6... 7... 8... 9...10... and deep breath..."

I took that deep breath just as the doctor had ordered and felt as the air rushed quickly back into my exhausted lungs. I loosened the death grip I'd had on Aj's hand momentarily and watched as he wiggled his fingers quickly in attempt to regain some feeling from the pain I was certain I'd inflicted.

"Another deep breath, you're almost there... and... PUSH!"

If you're looking for a fun and exciting birth story, it won't be mine. There was no rushing to the hospital in eager anticipation of impending birth. No water breaking in the middle of the grocery store or restaurant. No giving birth in the backseat of a filthy California taxi cab -- thank God for small favors! -- Honestly, the whole thing had been pretty boring.

I'd woken up at 4:30 in the morning having slight contractions... really... they barely noticable at all and in fact I truly believed I wouldn't have felt them at all if I hadn't been trying to sleep when they began. It was the end of a peaceful night's sleep, and the beginning of a long and boring waiting period. You see, with those barely noticible contractions began a nearly five hour, less than thrilling adventure of laying on the couch beside Aj, watching movies and reading while he timed my tiny twinges of pain.

Finally, at 9:15 when the contractions were around five minutes apart and the pain was growing a little more unbareable, and I do mean a little (at that point I thought labor was a walk in the park!), we hopped into the car -- Aj threatening me all the while about not letting my water break on his nice seats, as if I had a choice! -- and drove to the hospital where they hooked me up to IV's and monitors and left me alone in a room for several more hours of boring waiting.

Around 4:30 in the afternoon and following very little progress on my part, my doctor finally deemed it necessary to break my bag of water and that's when the real pain began. Yeah... the pain hadn't really been anything to write home about until that time, but I quickly found myself praying for a quick end to the misery.

"... 7... 8... 9... 10... breath. I can see the head!"

An hour's worth of pushing and with those words my heart leap into my throat. The head? That meant the baby was right there... right close to being born. Our baby was on it's way into the world. I'm not sure how I missed out on that fact throughout the entire labor... maybe throughout my entire pregnancy -- but Holy Shit! I was having a baby!!!

"Push baby! You can do it! Push!"

I could hear Aj's words now, right next to my ear as he whispered them repeatedly. He'd been amazing throughout my entire labor... sitting beside me and holding my hand while we talked about all of the great things we were going to do when our baby finally decided to make his or her grand entrance into the world. He'd brought me ice chips and wiped my head with a cool towel and even allowed me to cut off the circulation in his fingers a few times when the contractions had been exceptionally painful. I looked up into his eyes as I continued to push with all of my might. There were fresh tears there, and not from the pain of me injuring his hand either. These were good tears... tears of joy... of love... of peace. These were tears of true happiness.

Just then, as I was watching the look on Aj's face and getting caught up in the moment of what our life was about to become, I felt a huge burst of pain and then momentary relief.

"The shoulders are out Jessica, I need you to relax for a second..."

I could feel as our baby slid out from within me. I exhaled deeply as my body trembled and then relaxed on the table. The doctor held the baby up for Aj to see... this had been our plan... and Aj's smile widened by a million times.

"It's a boy Jess!! We have a little boy!!"

The doctor laid him there on my chest... slimy and wet, warm and sticky. I cried. Aj cried. We kissed as the nurse suctioned his mouth and then removed him from my stomach to weigh him and clean him up. It was the most amazing and surreal thing I'd ever experienced in my entire life. Aj stayed by my side the entire time, obviously wanting to go to our son's side, but not wanting to leave mine. Finally I waved him away, shooing him towards our new child and he went willingly, excitedly. Like a child in a candy store who couldn't even wait to get outside the door to unwrap his chocolate bar.

"7 lbs, 2 ounces Jessica," He beamed coming back over to give me a kiss on the cheek... "he's absolutely perfect in every single way."

I'd heard so many times that you will fall in love with your child the exact moment he's born and they lay him on your chest. I didn't get that though... not right away. I can't lie. He was slimy and messy, with a cone shaped head and a funky bluish complexion. The only thing I'd felt at that moment was relief. Physical and emotional relief. Relief that our child was finally there. Relief that I was no longer pregnant. Relief that the pain had ended. Just relief.

The true love didn't come until about 20 minutes later when the nurses had cleaned us both up and they brought him to me all wrapped up like a baby burrito in a pink and blue hospital blanket. I stared down at the precious child I held in my arms and without even realizing it... I loved him. More than myself... more than my husband... more than anyone else in the world.

I loved him. I would die for him.

Where had the emotions come from? I didn't even know. All I knew was how I felt and it was a feeling far beyond anything I'd ever felt for anyone else in my entire life. I hadn't known true love until I held him.

I glanced up at Aj who was staring down at our son with the same look of bewilderment and wonder that I'm sure I was wearing. I couldn't believe that the two of us had created something so beautiful together. I felt more love for my husband in that one single moment then I'd ever felt for him before. He stared down at me and smiled, mouthing the words "I love you," as he gently touched our babies soft brown hair with his fingertips.

"I love you too."

There's that one moment in life when everyone sits back and takes a look at where they've been and what they've been through. You take in the world around you and the life you've lived and you realize that every single tiny moment... every breath and every second of your life has led you to the point where you are and that everything you do from that moment on will be an extention of this new moment.

I realized it then, sitting there in that hospital room, my tiny baby curled tightly in my arms, my husband right beside me gently stroking his fingers through my sweaty hair... I wouldn't be where I was if it weren't for everything I'd been through and I would never be the same again because of this very moment.

This was my moment.

I was complete.