Our Growing Strawberry Patch

June 19, 20, 21--Daddy's Perspective

          After weeks and weeks (years it seemed, considering the 34 weeks of nausea and, in the last two months, chronic heartburn and insomnia!) of waiting, preparing, waiting, packing, waiting, readying, waiting, cleaning, and oh, don't forget waiting, Eliza Hope finally decided to grace us with her arrival.  Despite our "waiting" she was actually on time--her due date.  After several days of contractions that were sporadic and misleading, Sunday night the 19th (Father's Day) became the official start of what became 23 hours of labor.  Susannah had gone to bed and we were going to watch a movie as a welcome distraction (especially for Mama).  The pulsing of uterine muscles became very consistent and close together (3 mins apart) around midnight so we decided to drive in the raining---no, pouring---night to the hospital.  We thought we were close to having our sweet girl, but Eliza had other plans.  Either she's laid-back or she's a procrastinator - time will tell - but after several delays, she slipped into our arms (ok, the doctor's then ours, but who's being literal?).  She arrived at 7:18 pm on June 20 and was beautiful at 8 lbs and 11 oz. and 20 inches long.  The birthing process amazed us once again - seeing new life emerge.


          Susannah, now a big sister, came the next day to see the new addition to the family.  Little sister was not much fun - sleeping the whole time - so Susannah was more interested in the Nemo characters that were on the glass wall of the nursery.  Grammy and Grandpa Hansen came by to visit with their 4th granddaughter!  After a family day of oohs and ahhs and talking about baby clothes, how to be a sister, and Florida baseball (sorry they didn't win, Hansens), Grandpa went home.  Grammy stayed for a few more days and caring for Susannah while we worked on welcoming Eliza to our home.  Much gratitude goes out to Grammy for all of her help, and also to Grandpa for letting us borrow (or steal?) her for a few days.


          Now without further ado, here are some pictures of our precious miracle.  Thanks to God for another incredible blessing to our family in addition to Susannah. We now have TWO when, five years ago, we were supposed to have none.

Mama's Perspective

          Upon reading Harry's perspective above, I decided it was far too factual and not nearly as gushy as it should be for welcoming a new baby! ;)  Sooooo...now that you've gotten the events, let's hear the "warm fuzzy" parts!  Pregnancies are exceedingly difficult for me, mainly because of the nausea that lasts almost the entire time.  Kinda makes a mama weary and unable to do much more than survive.  By the last couple of months, I was beyond ready to meet our baby girl!  Firmly believed she would come early like her sister did, but this was not to be.  She made it to her due date, which in our case is exactly calculated since we have IVF pregnancies and therefore the exact date of conception is known.  Pretty amazing!  I was ironically quite thrilled when the contractions came regularly, as the pain was the means to the end of my hard pregnancy!

          Labor was, as with Susannah, torturous!  I've deemed myself "cervically challenged," because both times I've gotten "stuck" at 5 cm and have had to receive the largest dose of Pitocin possible...and even then I stalled for many hours!  Praise the Lord for epidurals, as they stand between me and complete hysteria, especially after 12 hours of unmedicated labor!  By the time the anesthesiologist left I felt as if the lower half of my body was in a spa on an Hawaiian island.  Pretty much ROCKED!  Of course, when it faded many hours later and had to be boosted twice, well, I was hating life and ready to quit.  That is not an option, of course, but in the moment a suffering mama will think of anything to escape!  By the time I arrived at 10 cm and it was time to push, I had to rely solely on the grace of God to get through my hunger and exhaustion.  Jell-O hardly keeps a laboring body going after almost 23 hours and scarcely any rest!  

          But the moment our precious angel emerged from my body after just 15 minutes of pushing, everything I had endured to get her here was INDESCRIBABLY WORTH IT!  Oh, she is so beautiful!  Fair skin, blue eyes, a dimple in her chin, and strawberry fuzz all over her perfectly round little head (which we affectionately call her "lucky head" while encouraging people to rub it!)...simply breath-taking!  I experienced a prolonged moment of feeling as though I had the privilege of, once again, bearing the most gorgeous of God's creation.  What a humbling experience it is to be a mother not just once, but twice!  Such an awesome, incomparable gift.  Praise be to God, the Giver of Life!  He is also a God of Redemption:  Eliza arrived almost exactly a year to the day after we found out that our baby conceived in May of last year no longer had a heartbeat at not quite 8 weeks into the pregnancy.

          Despite my physical exhaustion, my spirit was soaring as Harry and I spent hours holding, kissing, and breathing in our Eliza Hope.  Was so wonderful to be able to cuddle and nurse a newborn baby again, especially when our infertility journey became so bleak with last summer's miscarriage. She is truly our last hope for a second child. Susannah's arrival to the hospital the next morning was such a thrill to my soul, as well!  She was in the excellent care of our friends Martha and Kitty Tillen, but I missed her like crazy and couldn't wait to see what her response to her new baby sister would be.  She told Daddy on their way to the hospital that she felt nervous about meeting our baby, and she was very reserved upon entering our room.  Once she saw me and the baby, though, her apprehensions faded and she was her normal observant, questioning, commenting self.  She watched the baby for a few minutes and then was quite eager to hold her, which thrilled both Harry and me.  Her interest in her sleepy sister waned quickly, though, and turned to Clifford on the TV, a special treat since we don't have TV channels in our home! 

          My parents arrived mid-morning to meet their newest grandbaby, who joins my sister Jenna's Sophie (she was 3 on February 22) and Lucy (she was born on February 25) and our Susannah (who was 3 on June 4).  So grateful Grammy and Grandpa were for her safe arrival, and so delighted they were to hold her!  When she opened her eyes after they returned from taking Susannah and Harry to lunch their hearts all but melted.  We had several dear friends visit throughout the afternoon and evening, brightening our stay with their joyful celebration of our baby girl's arrival!

          Eliza Hope arrived at her new home to take her place in our family on Wednesday afternoon, and was greeted by an anxiously waiting Grammy and big sister.  She wore a baby tutu given by "Aunt Roommate" (Jaime Roop) and her girls, which thrilled her big ballerina sister to no end!  Susannah was ALL SMILES when her baby came in, and posed for a zillion pictures in both her "I am a big sister" shirt AND, of course, her own tutu!  That evening, after a celebratory trip to Kline's for ice cream, Susannah told me, "Tomorrow, I will take Eliza Hope into my wading pool and I will help her on the slide!  But first we will dance like ballerinas together!"  Bless her heart...so anxious for a playmate, yet all she got was a sleepy "lump"!  Nonetheless, she showed such love for her sister in those early weeks, checking on her in the bassinet first thing in the morning, playing music for her, and inviting her to watch her be a ballerina.  Susannah has savored bathing, reading to, and singing "Jesus Loves the Little Children" to her new baby sister.  She picks out her clothes, brushes her hair (what little there is of it!), and wants to involve her in our family pillow fights on Mommy and Daddy's bed! :)  

          One night when Eliza was about a week old, Susannah wanted to show her love as she slept in her bassinet.  She turned on the bassinet's music, covered her with several blankets and burp cloths, attempted to shove her paci into her unwanting mouth, and then gave her a "lovey"--a feathery little chicky decoration with the sharpest chicky feet you could imagine...which she set right next to Eliza's tender little face!  How proud she was of herself for meeting Eliza's needs! ;)  And what a dear moment for a mama to observe...even if this big sister's good intentions were not necessarily carried out in the best way!

          Oh, thank You God for these gorgeous girls You have so graciously shared with us!