It is the night of August 1st, and I am beginning to feel cramps.  They are mild, and I am not sure if I am going into labor – I had had similar cramps before.  In the morning, the cramps get stronger, so now I am pretty sure that labor is near.  I am getting ready to go to the Mt. Auburn hospital, but the labor kind of stops, so I spend the whole Sunday on the red couch in the living room, with Mindy (our golden retriever) as my attendant.  I am uncomfortable, but not in pain. Nothing really changes for the whole day, but then all of a sudden, at around 10 pm on Sunday night, the contractions begin.   Philip and I get into the minivan, and drive to the hospital.  The front and side entrances are closed, but someone who works at the hospital lets us in, so we don’t have to wander around the building looking for the only entrance that is open.  We go to the labor and delivery ward, and are greeted by a midwife and a nurse.  The midwife, Kate Damon, is blonde, petite, and calm.  The contractions are strong and painful, but not unbearable.  We go into the room where our son will ultimately be born, and I get situated on the bed.  Philip is next to me in a armchair.  I ask for an epidural, and the same anesthesiologist who had helped me when Alex was born, appears.  The epidural is magical, and both Philip and I fall asleep.  I wake up a couple of hours later, and ask the midwife to check on my progress.  Apparently, things have progressed rather well.  Just a little bit later, my water breaks.  I push only a few times, and the baby appears.   Welcome Elliot!   It is August 3rd, 2015, 2.24 am.  He is 9 pounds 11 ounces, and healthy.