PORT ANGELES, Wash. — On Dec. 2, Libby Waldron of Port Angeles thought she was ready to deliver her baby and went to the hospital prepared to do just that.
"We were there for about three hours, but there was no progress, nothing that said labor was starting," Waldron said.
Expecting it would be at least another few days before the baby arrived, Libby and her husband, Cortland Waldron, went back home.
Two hours later, her water broke.
Immediately, Libby knew this time her contractions were for real.
"We grabbed a towel and a blanket," said Cortland. "We were on the road pretty fast."
The couple loaded up their Chevy Suburban and started the hour-long drive back to Jefferson Healthcare in Port Townsend.
They had chosen to have the baby there instead of the much closer Olympic Medical Center out of personal preference.
"I just told Cortland this is not gonna be a fun car ride," she recalled. "After about 30 minutes, I remember telling him we're not making it. I can feel everything. He's coming quick. A few minutes later I told him to pull over. It's coming."
"I was in denial at first," said Cortland. "We're on our last stretch of road. I thought we could make it!"
After a nerve-wracking search for a place to pull over, they found a cold, dark logging road off Highway 20 at 3:45 a.m., just 10 minutes from the hospital.
Libby was in the backseat.
"I started to panic a little bit as I was running around the back of the car," said Cortland. "I had no idea what to do if something bad happened, if he came out and there was something wrong."
"By the time he came around to the back of the car and opened the door I was holding the baby's head," said Libby. "With two pushes he was out. He was, crying, he was breathing and he's perfect."
"He made it easy on me," laughed Cortland. "I work as a cook. I'm used to taking buns out of the oven but not this!"
That little "bun" was named Henry James after the couple's brothers. They wrapped him up, kept him warm and brought him to doctors who pronounced him completely healthy.
The couple credits their faith in God with keeping them calm through a chaotic situation and bringing their little miracle into the world safe and sound.
"I wouldn't say it was easy," said Libby. "It just couldn't have gone any better. It really couldn't have."