Painful Goodbye...Joyful Welcome...Two People Being Welcomed Home (Part 2)

It had been a long and intense week, from enjoying the holidays with Lindsay's family in Montana--relaxing, laughing, eating, and playing--to feeling the deep pain of losing Lola, yet relief and peace at the same time. I was back home Saturday night, and Lindsay and I were glad that I was home again with Grace and her. We breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't gone into labor while I was away.

We were looking forward to having some time to get our lives and home back in order after the holidays, in preparation for Noel's arrival. Our Christmas tree and decorations were still up. The bassinet was still in the attic. Lindsay hadn't yet packed a bag for the hospital. We'd have time to take care of all these details. Or so we thought.

At 5:30 Sunday morning (12 hours after I had gotten home), Lindsay's water broke, or as the doctors call it, the "bag of waters". That little liquid revelation threw us into a frenzy. The first person I contacted (via text message) was our church's youth pastor, at about 5:34. I had previously asked him if he could be my back up for leading worship Sunday morning in the event that Lindsay went into labor. He must've had his phone next to him because he texted me right back. No problem. That was at 5:35 a.m.

We called our friends Monica and Aaron. They came over to watch Grace because we left for the hospital by about 6:30. Then they passed off Grace to our friends Kari and Nate to take Grace for the day and night. This was part of the plan we actually had put in place awhile back. We have great friends!

Ok, I've got to cut this story down or it'll go on too long. We were in the hospital for awhile...several hours with no real action (by "real action" I mean painful contractions). They gave Lindsay pitocin and that immediately kicked things into high gear. Lindsay labored hard for awhile then she found the blessed relief of the epidural. By 3 or so in the afternoon the cervix was almost completely gone.

By about 3:40 the doctor came in and got Lindsay all set up. At 3:45 Lindsay gave her first push. In 4 full pushes and 6 minutes later, Noel was out. She was healthy and adorable, as she is to this day (4 days later).

Unfortunately, because Lindsay went into labor well before expected, and it all happened so fast, Lindsay's sister and mom didn't make it in time for Noel's birth. However, they made it to the hospital not long after the birth. Family will continue to visit over these next weeks.

At birth, Noel weighed 7.4 pounds and was 18 1/4 inches long--over a pound less than Grace (8.6 lbs) and a bit shorter. She was, after all, 11 days early. She looks a lot like Grace did when Grace was a newbie, though Noel has her own distinctive features. They both share in common their inability to get any cuter. They are in the 100th percentile for cuteness and adorability.

Noel is eating well, and after a terrible first night at home it appears she may be falling into a regular schedule of eating every 3 hours and sleeping well in between feedings at night. Sleep, to parents of babies, especially newborns, is more precious than gold. Thankfully, Lindsay's mom Gini is here helping us, which allows us to get more sleep than we would otherwise.

Grace is too young to be jealous of her sister, though I think she is affected some by the fact that mom and dad's attention (especially mom's) isn't as fixed on her anymore. She's very interested in her little sister, and often points at Noel and says "baby," and she enjoys stroking Noel's head with her fingers. It's really cute.

I feel the weight of blessing, with the wife and two daughters I have and the extended family, both in blood and spirit. These last weeks and days have been complex and wide-ranging emotionally. We said a painful goodbye to Lola as the Lord called her home to be with him, and with joy we welcomed Noel into the world and into our home.

"The LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."-psalm 100:5