Home sweet home...

So much to share... and so little time to get it all down. Thanks for waiting patiently for a new post as we settle in to a routine (is there any such thing with a new baby?).

Our labor and delivery was an amazing process. My contractions started at about 10:30 on Saturday night, just as we had settled into bed for the night. Mike was sleeping soundly, and I saw no reason to wake him, so I headed for the downstairs couch to work through early labor. Contractions were regular, but about 15 minutes apart. Daylight came, and contractions were still spaced too far to head to the hospital, so we did what we could to stay comfortable and keep things going - a few walks around the block, using the birthing ball, a long hot shower... Mike called the midwife as things got more intense, but she encouraged us to stay home until contractions were consistently 4 minutes apart. We finally hit the 4 minute mark at about 5pm, so we headed to the hospital. I fully expected to hear that I had a lot more dilating to do, but to everyone's amazement, I was at 10cm and ready to push! Pushing began in earnest, but contractions all but disappeared, as Aaron's head presented sideways instead of crown first. So the first 2 hours of pushing were just me giving it all I had without help from my uterus. We finally decided that a little pitocin would help, and it did! Aaron arrived at 10:21 pm, and Daddy helped catch him and put him up on my chest.

Looking back, it was such a wonderful gift to do all of my laboring at home. Being in my own bed meant I could stay as relaxed as possible, and the work was efficient. Had it been available, there were moments I would have been tempted to ask for an epidural, but I feel certain that doing so would have meant a cesarean, as I wouldn't have had the control or power to push as well. So our natural birth didn't look exactly the way I thought it would, but I feel really proud to have accomplished such a task, knowing I brought my son into the world in the healthiest way possible.

We're having some real trouble with feeding, but we've got good support and we're working an action plan to get things resolved. I'll tell more of that story soon... Please pray for us!

Finally a word from Dad....

I thought I'd be sharing my birthday with my son, but no! He gets his very own special day to celebrate. Which day will it be?
I'm currently looking at a Certificate of Birth that is incomplete:
This______day of______, 2007
Time: _____________
Weight____________
Length_____________

I really hope the Lord enjoys watching the anticipation Mom and Dad feel as we try to figure the exact day of birth. The labor scenario has been running in my head. Everytime I would talk to Sarah this past week from work, I was sort of expecting something like this:
Mike: Hi Honey! How is your day going?
Sarah: Fine. Just wanted to let you know that my water broke, the midwife, an ambulance, two firetrucks and the neighbors are here. I'm about to deliver! GET HOME NOW!!!

But, No. That did not happen and I must be "paysniff" (patient) and wait with eager anticipation.

As I told a co-worker this week, I'm excited to know what the story will be...

(as the Lord smiles on me and says I already know - ha ha ;-)

From the midwife...

Dialation: 0

Effacement: 50%

What this means: Baby's not ready to come yet. Though I'm having contractions, he'll probably be a late comer. :-(

This week's good word

Mike and I were blessed with a simple but profound piece of advice at church this week. One of the worship leaders, Andi, himself a young parent, came over to congratulate us on our impending birth. When Mike asked for Andi's best advice, his reply was something like this:

You're not just having a baby, your having your baby. He'll come with his own preferences and personality. God will equip you with exactly what you need in the exact moment you need it. So don't worry if you don't feel ready now. You don't need God's parenting power now. But you'll get it.

Duh! Why didn't I remember this earlier? As the music began and the worship got underway, I felt God' perfect peace melt over me. A lot of the secret fears that had been hidden away in my heart took flight, and are now replaced with a quiet contentment and growing excitement at meeting my son face to face very soon.

Sweet Dreams

I dreamt last night that I was holding a tiny newborn in my arms. He had olive skin and lots of curly dark hair. A predictor of what's to come???

Speeding towards delivery day...

September. Yikes. Mike and I agreed we'd better "be ready" for baby to come, just in case, by the start of September. Everyone's telling me stories about how their babies came 3 weeks early. Better get going on packing that hospital bag . And finishing the nursery. And interviewing pediatricians. And washing tiny baby clothes. And, and, and...

September is freaking me out a little. Our friends are threw us a baby shower over the weekend - another reminder that someone's arrival is imminent. I think the real source of my freaking out is all the tiny voices in my head that try to convince me that I can't do this. What if I'm not a good mother? What if I totally screw this kid up? Or let him get really sick? Or don't feed him all the right foods? Or, or, or...

So I'm just trying to remember that God knows what He's doing. He chose Mike and me to be this boy's parents. He must think we have some kind of clue. I'll just have to trust Him on that one. Psalm 23 has been good for me recently - just a reminder that God walks with us through all things.