We welcomed the arrival of Jad Michael on November 2nd at 5:04 AM. The evening before, I began to have contractions at around 5 PM, but realizing that life goes on in spite of the possibility of being in labor, Nik and I went on with our usual routine of picking up the kids from preschool, getting the kids through dinner, and then putting them to bed. Nik had previously arranged a board game night with David, Chris, and April; we played together after the kids went to sleep and warned them that someone might have to stay over since I was having contractions. However, the contractions didn't seem to be regular or that strong, so everyone left at midnight.
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| Tootsie pops for dessert.. our last picture as a family of four! |
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| Pre-baby festivities |
Having already gone through this twice before, Nik and I knew that the most valuable thing we could do at the time was to try to get some rest, so though we were excited with anticipation, we both lay down. But when I tried to sleep, I couldn't because the contractions were too strong. At around 2 AM, I decided that I should just go to the hospital to get checked out, since the worst thing that could happen was that they would tell me it wasn't time and send me home. I didn't want to impose on our family or friends in case it was a false alarm, so I decided to drive myself to the hospital since my contractions weren't too bad at the time.
I arrived at the hospital and the nurses looked at me skeptically, but when the doctor examined me it turned out that I was already 4 cm dilated. Once I realized that I was going to be admitted, I called Nik at home immediately so he could arrange childcare for Kai and Sora, and Chris and April (who had just left out house), immediately came back so Nik could go to the hospital. Nik got to the hospital around 4:30 AM. I'm glad that I had driven to the hospital when I did, it wouldn't have been possible later, since my contractions got stronger after I was admitted. I had just had an epidural placed and Nik was just settling in to get some rest, when I felt the pop of my water breaking. I had warned my nurse that Sora had come precipitously after my water broke, so when my nurse came in to check me and I told her I felt pressure, she explicitly told me not to push and lo and behold, baby was on his way.
From there, things progressed quickly. The nurse told Nik to pull the cord on the wall, and staff flooded into the room. The nurses rolled me onto my left side, and I heard my nurse curse and the words "forceps" and "vacuum", so I knew that the baby was in distress. So when I heard the urgency in everyone's voice telling me to push, I just closed my eyes and pushed as hard as I could. It was such a relief when I heard him cry. Later, Nik told me that Jad had had a low heart rate for almost seven minutes.. I'm really glad I didn't know that.
Once we knew everything was okay (and had taken some choice photo ops), Nik had to leave to send Kai and Sora off to school, and to get some rest at home. He brought Kai and Sora back with him in the evening so that they could meet the new baby and we could spend some time together as a family of five. The kids were eager to hold Jad and "pet" him. As it was with Sora, aside from the scary time when I was pushing, the delivery and my recovery were relatively easy.
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| Not loving his first bath |
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| Kai offering Jad a juice box. I was really worried that the kids would upend the bassinet! |
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| Proud papa |
We were discharged the day after Jad was born (Nik and I aren't fans of long hospital stays.. we've never stayed at the hospital for more than one night). Jad has had a number of visitors already: my parents came to visit us at the hospital right before we were discharged, and David and number of other friends have already met Jad. Nik and I are so fortunate: my Mom has been bringing over groceries and food, and our church friends graciously set up a meal train for us so we haven't had to worry about food.
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| First time meeting Uncle David. Jad slept through most of the visit, but Kai and Sora loved playing with Uncle Dave! |
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| Uncle David putting those muscles to good use |
Kai and Sora are adjusting to having a baby brother. Nik has taken on the brunt of caring for Kai and Sora since I'm caring Jad most of the time. It's been stressful for Nik, but the kids are adapting and as strange as it may sound, I miss Kai and Sora. Kai is completely enamored with his baby brother and tries to get his attention whenever possible (he can be a bit aggressive and "in your face" about showing his affection.. yelling, "I love you, baby Jad," repeatedly in Jad's face). Sora is a little more skeptical since I think she's still adjusting to not being the baby of the family anymore.
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| "I love you, baby Jad!" |
As for Nik and me, it's amazing how much you can fall in love with someone that you've only known for a week.
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| Natural phototherapy |
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| How can you not love a face like this?? |
