First Ten Days

It's been an incredible start.  Yes, KJ and I are slow to figure out our new sleep cycle.  ("Cycle" isn't the right word, either, because that implies something circular, something with regularity, which--Thank you, Louisa--it is not.)  And we are very appreciative of everyone who has come over, whether to help or just to pay homage to the new princess in town.  We've introduced Louisa to our downstairs neighbors Alicia and Amanda and our next door neighbor Carlise.  We've been visited by KJ's co-workers and their significant others, including Jamie and Tom Januszyk, Yi-Lo and Colby.  And of course family members on both sides have come to greet the newest member of our family. Super (KJ's maternal grandmother) came down with Madeleine last Monday (9/26), bringing lunch from Burlington, VT (as well as a signed copy of U.S. Poet Laureate Philip Levine's new book for me!).

KJ's brother Tucker and his wife Sarah came last weekend, and of course my parents with my great-aunt Zina as well as KJ's parents who returned yesterday with KJ's sister Lizzy, fresh off the overnight flight from SFO.  And KJ's aunt Kris and Tom came yesterday (Saturday afternoon) with a delicious bottle of wine which we enjoyed with dinner.

Greg's great-aunt Zina

And we are grateful to our family members who could join us in the hospital the first 48-hours of Louisa's life:  both of our respective parents (Chris and Joan; Martha and Steve), my brother Eric and his wife Melissa, and my aunt Denise.

At the hospital the first days after Louisa was born, we were visited by more co-workers than I can name, but included residents Jamie Januszyk, Lisa Mack, Angela, and Abby.  And we were happy to show off our new bundle to Dr. Crumbleholme, residents Mike Lavallee and Quan, and the dozens of nurses who, in my mind, clearly appreciate KJ based on the compliments I heard paid to her.

Some of the compliments, to be fair, were more about the ease of her delivery; many remarked how simple and quick the delivery was.  On Tuesday, September 20, I met KJ at Dr. Mihalek's office for her weekly office check-up (or check-in?).  KJ's blood pressure was moderately high, and since she was already at term (38 and 3), Dr. Mihalek suggested KJ be induced the following morning.  The impact of that suggestion hit KJ immediately, while I, holding almost as a badge of honor my complete incompetence for most things medical, took longer to absorb what that meant:  "We are actually going to have a baby tomorrow!"

That night we joined friends Alan Goldstein and Kate Sullivan at The Half Door, the Irish bar a mile or so down the street, for our weekly Tuesday quiz night.  Instead of using one of our usual team names, like "Qaddafi Duck," I insisted on the prescient and comical "I'm Having a Baby Tomorrow, So I'm Having a Beer Tonight."  (Thanks to poor tabulating by the host, our tie for second place he miscalculated as fourth place, so we left home empty-handed.)

But no matter.  Tuesday night was not so much a night for celebrating intellectual acumen as it was for totally freaking out.  Which, I think, we did with aplomb.  Which is to say we were confident in our ability to lack all confidence.

We actually did get some sleep, but we were up early to drive to the hospital for the 7:00 a.m. meeting with Dr. Mihalek.  Somewhat typically, we didn't leave the house until 7.  At the stoplight at Trout Brook Dr., I looked over to KJ, and remarked, "We need to remember this trip.  This is not what I expected.  I expected a mad rush in a panic with you screaming or in pain."  Instead, it was a calm, relatively leisurely drive in the early morning on what promised to be a beautiful and clear day.

View from the delivery room

We arrived around 7:30 and after a lengthy (which for me meant 'frustrating') processing at the Admissions office, we walked ourselves to the familiar Labor and Delivery wing and settled in to room 8 and met our nurse Joanne.

T-minus ten hours!

I took pictures of the room, and the last profile picture of KJ with her big belly, the last baby-on-the-inside photo.  But one of the machines wasn't working, so they moved the bed to the next room over (Rm. 7).  I took more pictures.

Long story short, hear are the time-stamp details worth our remembering (most times approx.)
7:30 a.m. We arrived at the hospital.
9:00 a.m. KJ got induced with pitocin. (An additional drug was foregone when Louisa's b.p. dropped temporarily just before drug was to be administered.)
10:40 a.m. KJ's water broke while walking around the hall.  She rushed back to the room.
1:10 p.m. KJ received what she later called, "The best epidural ever."  KJ virtually fell asleep after that.

KJ after "the best epidural ever"

Soon after that I met Martha, Joan and Chris in the waiting room.
5:40 p.m. I sent my last text message to Martha, Joan and Chris: "Ready..."
KJ began pushing.
6:09 p.m. Less than thirty minutes after pushing, with me holding KJ's left leg, I saw our baby being born.  The sight of her head appearing first began a wave of new feelings.  KJ and I later agreed we had abstractly pictured what our baby would look like, but neither of us could anticipate anything like this moment.  Within moments the rest of the baby emerged, and I became a father, and KJ became a mother.  About ten or fifteen minutes later I emerged from the delivery room to the waiting room to spread the terrific news!

Louisa Marie Hill was born on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 6:09 p.m.
She was 19.5" long and weighed 7lbs 8oz.

We love her.