Laine is 10 months, 10 days today. Exactly how old Blaise was the day Laine was born. I figured this is a great time to reminisce about her and Blaise’s arrivals so I don’t forget before they are 10 years, 10 days.
Blaise Robert
September 9, 2010, 2:45pm (I think it was more like 2:43pm but they rounded up). Our 8 pound, 9 ounce and 20.5 inches long guy opted to show up fashionably late. He was due Thursday, September 2 and nothing. I wasn’t dilated or effaced or whatever else you’re supposed to be when you’re about to have a baby. We think it’s because he was a huge fan of Chipotle; he knew it’d be milk-only once he came so he stayed in longer. The way my doctor works is after one week past your due date you have the option to be induced. I opted to. I went to the doctor Wednesday, September 8 in the morning and he said as soon as there was an open room on the labor and delivery floor, they’d call me. We went home and waited … not for long. My doctor called at 3pm and asked if we were ready to have a baby (we were) and told us to head over to the hospital and check in.
We arrived at the hospital close to 6pm. It was like checking into a hotel. We walked into the reception area, they introduced us to our nurse, and she walked us to our birthing suite to get settled in. We got situated and around 7pm they started the induction process. I was given cervical softener at first, then the plan was to start Pitocin after a few hours. In their words, my “cervix was favorable” because the softener worked and I went into labor around 3am without needing Pitocin. I was 2cm and having regular contractions so I ordered the epidural. The anesthesiologist did an awesome job, I felt nothing. Once the epidural kicked in, I took sleeping pills so I could rest and sleep through labor. Next thing I know it was early afternoon and they woke me up to tell me I was 10cm. My doctor came in at 2:15pm and said they were ready to have me push Blaise Man out. They prepped the room and at 2:30pm they got me situated and after a few pushes, Blaise was here. He was so quiet; he didn’t make a peep for a few minutes. I gather they were concerned at first because there were a ton of extra people in the room just in case. But he was perfect. They cleaned him up and laid him down while they finished with me. Brian was able to see him first and capture a video of the little guy as he laid there trying to figure out what the heck just happened to him. Then, in Blaise fashion, he chugged down 4ozs and went right to sleep in my arms. We were in love with the little man. I was up and moving within the hour and they moved us to a post-partum recovery room. We camped out in there until the next morning when we packed up and headed home. Brian was on paternity leave for a month and I had left the working world a month before so we had zero commitments and focused fully on Blaise and figuring out the how to take care of a baby thing.
Laine Rae
July 19, 2011, 9:20pm. She was an 8 pound, 2 ounce and 19.25 inches long lobster (what the nurses called her since she came out bright red). Her official due date was July 24 but at my first doctor appointment I chose to have an elective induction with her. We knew Tuesday was our day as long as they had a room available in labor and delivery. The hospital called mid-morning so we hopped in the car and headed back to Swedish to have another baby. It still felt like a hotel; we walked into the reception area, they introduced us to our nurse, and she walked us to our birthing suite to get settled in. I *loved* our nurse. She was awesome. The nurses when I had Blaise were great too but this one and I were on the same page with how the having a baby process was going to go. Let’s face it; the nurses do all the work and the doctors just pop in to catch the baby. Not that the doctors aren’t awesome too but the nurses don’t get enough credit. This one was gold star material. After we got settled in, we ordered a late lunch and they suggested we go for a walk to see if labor would start on its own (I think we all knew it wouldn’t). It was a beautiful summer day so we walked around a bit, then went to Starbucks so Brian could get his fuel for the impending baby having.
We got back to the room around 4pm and after getting settled back in, they started me on Pitocin at 5pm. I got the epidural at the same time. I was a little worried since the anesthesiologist came with an intern. They asked if it was okay if he gave it to me and I said sure. He had an excellent mentor because I felt nothing and we were even joking around as he poked me. My doctor came in to check on me around 7pm and said he was leaving for the day since I was only 2cm he didn’t expect me to have Laine until the next day. (He was wrong.) Around 8:30pm an intern came in to check on me as part of her nightly schedule and I was at 10cm. They quickly called my doctor and as they were prepping the room for Laine’s arrival they said he was racing across the West Seattle Bridge to get to the hospital before I pushed. In a scene from what felt like a 1980’s movie, my doctor dramatically opened the door in a hurry wearing a super cool jean jacket, ripped it off, tossed it to the hook, and had another nurse hand him gloves in time to catch Laine after two pushes. They cleaned her off and handed her over to us. We fell in love again. Lobster red and all. I was up and moving within the half hour so they moved us over to a post-partum recovery room to spend the night with Lainey Bug. Unlike her brother who came an eater and sleeper, she ate an ounce or two and only slept for a few hours at a time. It was a long first night but we were anxious to get home to Blaise (whom we had never left more than an hour in his life). We checked out at 10am and headed home for the family to all be together for the first time. My mom was in town for the first week and Brian was off for another month of paternity leave so we were able to get into the two-kid groove before Brian went back to work.
Just a random note: When you have two kiddos 10 months, 10 days apart, the entire hospital staff wants to talk to you and make obvious comments about them being so close in age. All nice and meant well but yeah, we know they’re close.
Jumping Raccoons 