I’m at the Ebola capital of Texas in Dallas, Presbyterian
Hospital. I’m with baby daughter Erin
and her husband Lyle awaiting the appearance of grandchild number 4, Lucy or
Luke, we don’t know which yet.
Lyle, Erin and I have an over-under on the estimated time of
arrival of this critter. Erin has 4
p.m., Lyle says earlier, I saw later, but not much, I suspect Luke/Lucy will be
here at the exact right time.
Birthing is a completely different experience compared to
when Matt and Erin were born way back before the turn of the century. It’s a bit odd that I’m sitting in the room
while waiting for the arrival of a new and fresh human and everyone from the
nurses to the doctor to the prospective mother is okay with my presence and the
presence of other audience members.
It’s new and pretty cool.
I like it….. I think.
I’m going to keep this record of the events of the day while
maintaining a certain level of decorum…this is my baby girl you know. I’ve said it before, my daughter is not pregnant,
she is with child. If I want to think
this conception was immaculate, let me.
We are in the labor and delivery room, water has broken,
contractions are contracting and we can hear the fetal heart beat beating and
everything is moving as it should be.
Erin is most excellent, Lyle is handling the anxiety well and Lily, Erin
and Lyle’s daughter, is at camp Kinard at Matt’s house. We are doing what we are supposed to be
doing.
I miss Marty being here, Erin misses Marty being here but
that’s our new normal and we carry her in our heart and I know we are
processing the whole event with her guidance.
She may not be here in person, she is at the lake with Nykkie, she is
never far from how we do things.
I will keep you posted.
It’s now 11:55 a.m. on Pi day.
12:33
Contractions are now coming about every two minutes and Erin is a champ. She is getting a little more insistent about the epidural.
A nurse from anesthesiology has made an appearance and left but will be back soon so I think we are making headway. I'm always impressed with birth moms and what they do to bring life, it's pretty amazing.
1:40 p.m.
Big news.....I had lunch. I gotta say....lunch in a hospital is never fun and just a bit strange regardless of the hospital or the food, it just feels strange to eat food among all of the germs. That's probably just me.
We had the epidural....we didn't....we are not doing anything, Erin had the epidural and is in good spirits and feeling good though I suspect she would like to get up and walk around. That's not happening until Lucy Lou/Luke makes their entrance. The nurses have been attentive and professional and the IV pump is really obnoxious, which is just part of being in the hospital.
I'm thinking this child should be named Pi in honor of the day.
4:11 p.m.
It's not going to happen before 4 p.m. so I won bragging rights on the over under....no money here. We are in waiting mode listening to the machines and the heartbeat of Pi/Lucy/Luke. Erin's blood pressure got a little low because of the epidural but a little bit saline and everything is hunky dorey. The thing about birthing babies is you wait on the baby, it's all on the baby's time. It's hard giving life, it's hard for the baby to grab hold of life, but it happens a lot. It's happening a lot up here, lot's of new humans coming out at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.
The only interesting thing is Nykkie who is caring for Marty at the lake lost Maggie our geriatric wiener dog. The dog did come back and Nykkie is breathing normally again. To quote her, "I'm not letting her out again, I'll clean up the poop." They miss me.
So here we sit, waiting for a new life.
6:19 p.m.
There is a rhythm to Pi/Lucy/Luke's heartbeat. The fetal heart monitor is constant and rhythmic and comforting. It is a metallic sound but it is the human heart sounds of new life, new beginnings, new opportunities. It is a comforting sound, much like the sound of Marty's humming, you become used to it, you listen for it, it is comfortable.
Erin is doing great, the baby is doing great but she is taking her own sweet time in coming. We are closer to birth but not ready to give it a time frame. Erin just said that the contractions seem to be more intense which may signal we are a bit closer. Pi in her own good time.
7:43 p.m.
Larry and Eileen, Lyle's parents, made a mad dash to Whole Foods in search of pie. Erin wants pie when she can eat again. Apparently pie is hard to get on Pi day because there was very little pie. But, the Pi/Lucy/Luke has decided to move to the light and Erin is doing the whole push thing even as we speak so I suspect Pi/Luke/Lucy will be making their grand entrance fairly soon. Erin was excited and a bit anxious, Lyle was fired up and a bit anxious, Marty's Husband is sitting in the waiting room a lot fired up and ready to go (to quote our President). Soon folks, soon.
8:03 p.m.
What I know to this point.....it's a girl......
8:26 p.m.
Lucy Jean Cmerek is her name. She came to us with dark hair weighing in at a svelte 7 pounds 14 ounces. She has long fingers, great color and is hungry already. Erin did great, more than great and Lyle stood tall and cut the umbilical cord.
When Matt, our son, was born Marty sent out announcements that said each child is a gift from God showing that God has not yet tired of human kind. Lucy Jean, born on Pi day, is a gift that warms all of us and reminds us how fragile yet resilient we all can be. How about that?
8:56 p.m.
About to go 30 on this all day post. Sarah brought Lily down to the hospital and she is in the room with Lyle, Erin and Lucy Jean. Yes, we have a Lily Jewel and a Lucy Jean, Jean being Marty's middle name and her mother's first name.
We have a new human aboard tonight, a new unique human who can do and be whatever she dreams. I love a miracle, make no mistake, it is a miracle when a new human being arrives.
12:33
Contractions are now coming about every two minutes and Erin is a champ. She is getting a little more insistent about the epidural.
A nurse from anesthesiology has made an appearance and left but will be back soon so I think we are making headway. I'm always impressed with birth moms and what they do to bring life, it's pretty amazing.
1:40 p.m.
Big news.....I had lunch. I gotta say....lunch in a hospital is never fun and just a bit strange regardless of the hospital or the food, it just feels strange to eat food among all of the germs. That's probably just me.
We had the epidural....we didn't....we are not doing anything, Erin had the epidural and is in good spirits and feeling good though I suspect she would like to get up and walk around. That's not happening until Lucy Lou/Luke makes their entrance. The nurses have been attentive and professional and the IV pump is really obnoxious, which is just part of being in the hospital.
I'm thinking this child should be named Pi in honor of the day.
4:11 p.m.
It's not going to happen before 4 p.m. so I won bragging rights on the over under....no money here. We are in waiting mode listening to the machines and the heartbeat of Pi/Lucy/Luke. Erin's blood pressure got a little low because of the epidural but a little bit saline and everything is hunky dorey. The thing about birthing babies is you wait on the baby, it's all on the baby's time. It's hard giving life, it's hard for the baby to grab hold of life, but it happens a lot. It's happening a lot up here, lot's of new humans coming out at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.
The only interesting thing is Nykkie who is caring for Marty at the lake lost Maggie our geriatric wiener dog. The dog did come back and Nykkie is breathing normally again. To quote her, "I'm not letting her out again, I'll clean up the poop." They miss me.
So here we sit, waiting for a new life.
6:19 p.m.
There is a rhythm to Pi/Lucy/Luke's heartbeat. The fetal heart monitor is constant and rhythmic and comforting. It is a metallic sound but it is the human heart sounds of new life, new beginnings, new opportunities. It is a comforting sound, much like the sound of Marty's humming, you become used to it, you listen for it, it is comfortable.
Erin is doing great, the baby is doing great but she is taking her own sweet time in coming. We are closer to birth but not ready to give it a time frame. Erin just said that the contractions seem to be more intense which may signal we are a bit closer. Pi in her own good time.
7:43 p.m.
Larry and Eileen, Lyle's parents, made a mad dash to Whole Foods in search of pie. Erin wants pie when she can eat again. Apparently pie is hard to get on Pi day because there was very little pie. But, the Pi/Lucy/Luke has decided to move to the light and Erin is doing the whole push thing even as we speak so I suspect Pi/Luke/Lucy will be making their grand entrance fairly soon. Erin was excited and a bit anxious, Lyle was fired up and a bit anxious, Marty's Husband is sitting in the waiting room a lot fired up and ready to go (to quote our President). Soon folks, soon.
8:03 p.m.
What I know to this point.....it's a girl......
8:26 p.m.
Lucy Jean Cmerek is her name. She came to us with dark hair weighing in at a svelte 7 pounds 14 ounces. She has long fingers, great color and is hungry already. Erin did great, more than great and Lyle stood tall and cut the umbilical cord.
When Matt, our son, was born Marty sent out announcements that said each child is a gift from God showing that God has not yet tired of human kind. Lucy Jean, born on Pi day, is a gift that warms all of us and reminds us how fragile yet resilient we all can be. How about that?
8:56 p.m.
About to go 30 on this all day post. Sarah brought Lily down to the hospital and she is in the room with Lyle, Erin and Lucy Jean. Yes, we have a Lily Jewel and a Lucy Jean, Jean being Marty's middle name and her mother's first name.
We have a new human aboard tonight, a new unique human who can do and be whatever she dreams. I love a miracle, make no mistake, it is a miracle when a new human being arrives.
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