Matthew watched the waterwheel.
And Jane slept.
Dr. Venuto was ahead of schedule so we started earlier than planned, it was time to head off to the OR. Erin and I hugged and prayed together just before she went off to the operating room without me. I sat in the room for 10 minutes reading a book waiting for a nurse to escort me back into the room where Erin was prepped ready for birthing.
I walked into the OR and it was like a party behind the blue curtain that I was only semi invited to. I sat down next to Erin’s head in front of the blue curtain so that we wouldn’t have to bare the sight of the details of the procedure. Her arms were laying flat straight out on either side of her like a good girl so as not to disturb the operation. The anesthesiologist was our narrator to the whole event. I don’t remember his name but he was Asian, funny, and friendly.
So that I wouldn’t get too queasy I held the camera over my head to take the first couple of shots of baby Jane; considering that I wasn’t watching where I was shooting, the images turned out pretty good. Jane was born at 9:46am weighing in at 7 lbs and 14oz, her length was 19½ in. She looked identical to her older brother on his “birth”-day, and sadly like my father.
Jane was tagged and swaddled and handed to me to show to mommy for a couple of minutes, just enough time to capture a picture, taken by the anesthesiologist. Next it was back to the room while Erin was being sewn back together. Erin was not more than ten minutes behind me, but Jane was too impatient to nurse, she had found her thumb to suck moments before mommy was ready. Once Erin was ready, Jane latched on like a pro. No lactation specialist nurse needed for this baby, she knew what was going on.
More babies needed to be born, so an hour after surgery we were moved down one floor to our new, smaller room. Among Jane’s first guests were big brother Matthew with Grandma and Grandpa Hardwick. Matthew loved Jane from the very beginning; he smelled her hair, hugged her, and kissed her. Then he went to tug on every wire, cable, and cord in the room asking, “What is that?” I took him away for about an hour so the grandparents could get more acquainted with their 12th grandchild. Someone had carved a bunch of letters and painted them all sorts of colors and left them in a park downtown, Matthew thought they were just as much fun as his new baby sister.
Jane passed all her blood tests for diabetes and didn’t give us cause for concern with jaundice because she was such a good eater and pooper at the hospital. In fact, she went through an entire package of diapers in just the two days at the hospital. It is much different changing the diaper of a girl, if she pees in the middle of a change it is very covert, all of a sudden she’s just laying in a puddle and you don’t know why.
Other guests that visited us in the hospital were: Uncle Joe, Aunt Pattie and Uncle Jim, Aunt Mary with cousins Marisa, Chandler, and Mavric, Friends Janelle with daughter Ella, Heather and Kimber with her daughter Reece, and Erin’s former student Katie. Marisa stayed with Erin the second night at the hospital while I got to stay home with Matthew.
Matthew went shopping with mom a couple of days before Jane’s birthday to pick out a special gift. He was apparently picky and directed mommy to go to several different stores before he picked out the perfect one. I figured that Jane needed to get Matthew a gift too. “Jane” got Matthew a wooden train set. When we got home we stayed up until two hours passed his bedtime playing those trains. His cousin William had introduced him to them a week before, and he totally got it.
I feel blessed to have a wife and two great healthy children, and I thank her every day for carrying them into this world.
More pictures can be found by clicking here.
We arrived at Grandma and Grandpa’s house and took one last picture of our family of three. Matthew was not cooperative, but was happy to wave us goodbye and have a grandma fun day.
It is less than an hour to baby time. We are admitted into the hospital and have a room with a great view of the Puget Sound. The weather is overcast with grey clouds hovering over us. It is 55 degrees outside, but no rain… yet.
The worst part of Erin’s anticipation is already over, the IV. One attempt and it is in. We listened to the nurses give us the standard questions and procedures of the operation. Erin’s nerves kept her shaking the whole time until a baby started crying next door. Something about the baby’s cry made Erin remember why we are here, and she is now feeling calm.
Yes, I am very pregnant in this photo. This was taken just 10 days before baby girl is scheduled to arrive. But here I am for all you bloggers to see.
We have been eyeballing a bike seat for Matthew and found one at a super yard sale a few weeks ago. He has so much fun wearing his "helmeck" that we got at the fire station and riding Daddy's bicycle.
That's the number of times I will have to draw my own blood in the next 11 1/2 weeks. Sigh ... I was really hoping diabetes would pass me by this time around. Just to make myself feel better, let's look at the bright side:
I had the infant carrier out for the baby girls I watch. Matthew climbed on in "baby sisser's chair" and asked me to pick him up. Umm, no thanks!
We were getting ready to go somewhere (probably the zoo because Matt was excited to hit the road) and I told him he needed a diaper change first. He ran down the hall, opened his bedroom door, grabbed a diaper, and called me over when he was situated as pictured. Ok kiddo, if you know that much you are ready for potty training!
This was taken at 6 am. Enough said.
We spent a lovely sunshiny day in Tacoma. First, a picnic lunch overlooking the Narrows Bridge. Then on to the Camp 6 Logging Museum in Point Defiance Park. Matthew enjoyed the train ride through the wilderness. Next, we strolled around the park in the wagon watching the ducks in the pond with their ducklings and the turtles sunbathing. Then we found a nice spot to blow some bubbles.
Here are my fellas - the man who gave me a child and the boy who made me a mommy. Ahhhhhh. True love.
He loves his new "gulasses" and wears them at every opportunity (like when we were at a friends house last week playing indoors). Here he is posing with his new "octopus" (?) who also has "gulasses". Oh yeah, he will tell you that Auntie Jackie made his new jacket and Daddy made his haircut.
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