Hospital Sketches

As has been broadcast far and wide via Facebook and a campus email, he's here!  Baby Joshua (Samuel Joshua Fee) was born at 6:12 pm yesterday after a long, lazy, easy labor.  After a night of regular contractions, Sam and I woke Miss Diane (a/k/a Saint Diane) at 6:00 a.m. yesterday, and when she arrived at the house to take care of the girls, we drove over to the hospital.  Gillian was still asleep at that point, but AC had awakened and come downstairs in her little footed pjs.  When we told her that the baby was probably coming, she was really moved.  She ran over to me, kissed my stomach, and said sweetly and almost tearfully, "Congratulations, Mommy!"

They had a fun day playing and going to the park, and after having thought we should get to the hospital in case things happened fast, Sam and I actually had a really relaxing day.  I had the epidural, which may have slowed the labor down a bit, but that was fine--we read and napped off and on all day.  Apart from the occasional random person probing my cervix and the lack of food, it was much like a vacation.  It was, in fact, one of the most relaxing days I've had since we left the vacation house in Flagstaff two years ago. 

Eventually, I felt some discomfort through the epidural, which was the signal that it was time to push, and after a few pushes, our sweet boy entered the world in less than 12 minutes.  He was not happy at first, squealing and squalling, but when placed on my chest and patted, he settled down.  More angry squalls when he was lifted away to get wiped up and have a needle stick and eye drops put in, but he calmed down right away when brought back.  He looked around warily and seemed to be trying to figure out whom he could trust.  "I trust her . . . and this nipple," he seemed to say to himself, "but no one else."

We got settled into our room while he had his bath (the nurse reported that he did not enjoy it).  He roomed in with me for most of the night because I was intending to give him a feeding before I sent him back to the nursery, but he kept falling asleep before he could eat.  He also was coughing up some mucus and choking on it periodically, so we were both up a lot, but he mainly seems like a pretty calm little guy.  Wary. Likes to be cuddled.  Exactly like his dad in these respects.

Sam brought the girls in for a visit in the late morning, bearing doughnuts for all.  They were really excited, Allison Clare still moved and a little teary.  She has this new habit of holding her nose when she feels an overflow of emotion to stop herself from crying, and she was holding her nose, a little overcome when she saw him, and also telling me that she missed me.  Gillian was filled with sweet wonder, whispering: "He's so tiny . . . he can't even walk yet!  He can just lay in his blanket in his bed!" She wanted to be picked up to get a closer look.  He was asleep, so she asked, "Mom, what does his eyes look like?"  She adores him.  They both asked, "Can I touch him very gently?" and put their little fingers out to tap on his blanket or his cheek.  Sam and I looked at each other and one of us said, "It really feels like our family is complete" and the other said, "In a way it never did before."  I can't believe we ever even considered not having a third. :)