I used to see people who had waited a long time for a baby, and then they fell off the face of the planet. I couldn't figure out what happened to them and why they weren't shouting from the rooftops about their new baby and sharing all kinds of news.
Well. Now I get it.
I am tired. Very tired.
Where should I begin?
The thing I am having the most difficulty with on this blog is how much to share about Wyatt's biological family and what to keep private. I have decided, since it is his personal story, to not share much about his biological family at all.
It is his decision what to share about them with whom.
Of course, I may change my mind about that. I am allowed to.
I guess I should start at the beginning-- a very good place to start (when we read we begin with ABC, when we sing we begin with do, re, mi) {Name that movie!}
Anyway.
For new years eve we went to our friends' house to celebrate the beginning of 2012. I didn't take any pictures. I am really boring like that.
The next day we decided to go out to lunch with the same friends, but after we got our home study updated since we moved into a different house last August.
A woman came to do the update visit January 2nd in the morning. Right after she left we went to lunch with our friends.
We went to Buff.alo Wi.ld Wi.ngs. We placed our order. I got a beer just to be funny. I like to take advantage of all the "adoption perks" so I could say I drank a beer while expecting a baby (without causing the baby any harm).
After taking about three drinks of my beer my phone rang. I almost ignored it since we were out with friends.
I picked it up and it was our birth-mom's (henceforth known as J) boyfriend. We have never spoken to him, but he wanted to meet us before the birth of the baby so he could get to know us, too. I was excited it was him and thought he just wanted to talk to arrange a time and place to meet.
Instead he was telling me that J was in labor and they were on their way to the hospital.
Uh. OK!
I went back to the table and told Sparky J was in labor with our baby.
Sparky looked like a deer in headlights. He said "OK" and stared at the table, like he was willing his food to appear.
I took Sparky's hand and said, "This means we need to leave right now and drive straight to the hospital from here."
Sparky just stares at me.
Fortunately our friend jumped to action, flagged down the waiter and canceled our food order. The friends graciously paid for our drinks and I got Sparky out the door.
Sparky said, "But she has a doctor's appointment tomorrow. She can't have the baby today. We have everything all worked out."
Poor Sparky. He doesn't understand stuff like this. He thinks you can plan for a baby. Ha!
I explained this to him and we somehow made it to the hospital.
By the time we got there (90 minutes or so later) a nurse rushed us to our own room, I took off my jacket to realize I was wearing a horrible Mickey Mouse sweatshirt like a 12 year old. Under my sweatshirt I had on a tank top from this morning's home study. It went very nicely with the blazer I wore in the morning, but didn't look so hot on its own.
Sparky sacrificed the shirt off his back so at least I wouldn't have Mickey Mouse in all our pictures.
The nurse then rushed me back to J's room. They said Sparky could come too, but he passes out when he sees needles, so I figured a birth would send him over the edge. Also, J and I had talked previously on the phone and she asked if I wanted to be in there and she had never mentioned Sparky there too. I didn't want it to be awkward so I left Sparky in our room.
When I got to J's room she was in a lot of pain but very relieved to see me. The nurses were driving her crazy and she was glad to have someone with her.
The doctor came in and said he was going to pop her bag of water then she would push with the next contraction. They had me hold one of J's legs. I did a horrible job because I basically was letting her do what she wanted. She was giving me a baby after all. If she wanted to move her leg, my thought was "go ahead!" So a nurse took over.
This ended up being better because when J pushed and they said the head was out (after one push!) I realized I was suddenly losing my sense of hearing. I thought that wasn't too good.
Then the vision started getting a little tunnel-like. I felt a little nauseous.
I took a seat for a minute to regain my composure.
I think that it just got to me what exactly was happening. J did not have any pain medicine at all, she was giving birth naturally and she had just delivered the head. Whew.
One more push to go and the baby was out.
It's a boy! Just like J was guessing the whole time.
6lbs 7oz 18 3/4 inches long
I got to cut the cord (it felt like cutting through a squid... or at least what I imagine cutting through a squid would be like).
I stayed with J until she told me it was okay for me to go to the baby she was okay. I went with the baby to the corner of the room where they basically just wiped him off and watched him cry. I took some pictures.
Meanwhile J was finishing up whatever you have to do when having a baby. I looked over at her and she had passed out. Apparently she lost a LOT of blood. The doctor started shaking her and she quickly roused saying, "I'm awake!"
J said she didn't have the strength to hold the baby yet but I could go ahead and hold him, that I am his mommy.
I held him until it was time for the nurses to take him to the nursery to do all his new-baby stuff.
I went and told Sparky we have a boy and pointed him out in the nursery. (It didn't take much pointing out. He was the only baby in there.) Then I went back to sit with J.
She didn't have anyone there for her and she just gave birth to a baby. With no pain medicine. And she wasn't even going to go home with the baby.
We sat and talked for what felt like hours.
I don't know how long it really was. I finally went to see what was taking the nurse so long with the baby.
His body temperature was low so they had to keep him under the warming lights until he could maintain his own body temperature.
J wanted to go for a walk and get out of her hospital room for a while, so we took a lap around the hospital. When we got back she had some friends waiting for her in the room. So I went back to hang out with Sparky.
Our attorney and his employee showed up (aka, my sister and her boss). They had papers for J to sign away her parental rights.
She wanted to wait for the baby's biological father to show up to sign at the same time as he did. So we waited. And waited. And waited.
Meanwhile J was moved to a different floor (her request) so she could start the healing process. My parents came to the hospital to meet their new grandson.
We continued to wait.
Eventually everyone else went home except me (obviously) and my sister so she could witness both biological parents signing the papers.
At 11:00pm the baby's biological dad called to say he was on his way. My sister had class in the morning so she left to get some sleep before coming back the following day to get signatures.
January 3 my sister came back and got both biological parent's signatures. They came down to our floor to say goodbye. I finally got to meet my baby's biological dad, but he couldn't come in the room to see the baby. It was all too much for him.
J came in and took pictures and held him one more time. Then they left.
It really happened.
January 4th we finally got to go home.
1 comment:
Congratulations on your family of three!
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