Nina's Debut

After being 6 days past her due date, Nina showed up in the wee hours on Saturday morning.  On Friday evening, I began feeling contractions around 6, checked into the hospital by 9, and at 2:41 am she made her appearance.  HOORAY.  We were really excited to meet our little girl, and one of the first things I said post-delivery was, "I'm so glad I'm not pregnant any more."  I again surprised the delivery team with a 8.15 lb baby - same as Tate.  In both cases, the nurses predicted my baby wouldn't be bigger than 7.5 lbs.  Why do I have such large babies?

Matt wrote an email to our families that I've included below, should you be interested in his activities around birth-time.

Otherwise, here are some photos of baby Nina.

This is what we were doing when I started having contractions: watching Tate play with his pool and run through the sprinkler.  He's so precious, and now he just seems really, really huge to me.

Our midwife, Candi.  She was lovely and calming.

Hi Nina!  10 minutes old!

My very wonderful parents watched Tate while we did the hospital thing.  They brought Tate to see us when Nina was about 9 hours old.  He was very wary about the hospital, the baby, seeing me in a bed, etc. 

First family photo (Tate is giving me a "love" here)  Matt and I haven't slept yet here...can you tell?!

Working very hard to be gentle.

Superdad.

So tired.  Your own newborn is the most precious thing in the world.  Be honest - newborns are a little crazy-looking, but as this baby's mama, I think this is the cutest picture ever.

Welcome home sign that my cute mom made when we came home today (Monday).  I was in a few of these photos which will be wiped out for anyone to see.  Postpartum is just not a good look.

Tate asked for Nina to be brought near us for dinner and she was making these little smiles, so Tate joined in the smiling.

Tate's chipmunk smile.

Matt's side...

I was determined to make Tate's dresser rather than get one for $189 at IKEA. Alissa said, May 20th. If there was no dresser by May 20th than she would buy one from IKEA. May 20 turned into end of May, turned into the Thursday before Alissa was due (June 16), turned into, well...Besides missing the due dates, I was also beginning to feel guilty that the baby would never come if that dresser was not finished. I was sure Alissa's nesting hormones would keep that baby in until there was a suitable home for both Tate's and Baby Girl's clothes. 

June 22, I had finished the casework of the dresser, the drawers were installed, and the dresser was functional, minus only the drawerfronts. Alissa had seen the midwife that afternoon and there was no signs yet. Later that evening, about dinner time, Alissa started to feel a little uncomfortable. She left the table early and we finished up dinner. Alissa's mom, Brenda, had been here since June 16, so she dutifully cleaned up and I dutifully put Tate down and headed out to put a finish coat of paint on the drawerfronts. Four out of five drawerfronts later, Alissa came out and suggested in an imperative kind of way that I should put some things together. 

Reflecting on the labor with Tate, I figured this suggestion was nothing to get ancy about. I finished up that fourth drawerfront and put my paintbrush in the fridge and went to ask whether I should also put the lid on the can or whether I could finish that last drawerfront. Timing on that question was ill timed. As were the rest of the questions, as Alissa informed me. I put the lid on the paint can. 

We headed to the hospital at about 8:30 and were directly admitted. There was a flurry of anesthesiologists around 10 or 10:30 and around 11:00 we settled into a fairly comfortable viewing of Captain America. Why bother with that detail? It turns out we have begun a pattern of superhero movies while in labor (with Tate it was Iron Man). Alissa was a lot nicer now with the epidural in.

Around 2 am Alissa was ready for some additional epidural goodness but the midwife checked and said she was ready to start pushing. After pushing for only 20 minutes or so, baby girl emerged looking perfect with a nearly full head of hair. She weighed in at 8 lbs 15 oz and measured 20 3/8 inches—exactly the same size as Tate (if perhaps a little shorter). Alissa tells me after the fact that I did a good job of not talking to her during the pushing. 

Today we have enjoyed a little bit of sleep and Alissa is dozing right now with our little baby on her chest. 

Tate came in with Nana (Brenda) and Grandpa (who arrived late last night for the weekend) and he was quite uncomfortable with the foreign place. He warily explored baby sister—fingering her fingers, touching her toes, caressing her head—for about a minute before turning to the window to look at the crane and cement mixers outside. Can't blame him. Babies don't have wheels. 

We have decided on a name. You've heard so much about NinaRubyLina, so you might be comforted to know that we have decided to simplify and just go with Nina Lynne, naming her after some of our most beloved women in this world. We feel so blessed at the uneventful arrival of Nina, so grateful for a second child, and so amazed at the power Heavenly Father has granted us.