Ok, finally a baby joins the blogosphere

We've had a wonderful whirlwind of the past few days. Thanks for all those we've already heard from that have shared congratulations and well-wishes. Looking forward to introductions as soon as we're rested up and Lisa has been given some much-needed recovery time.

Monday night Lisa was bored of hanging at home and taking naps, so we decided to go to a budget movie. Turns out that "Forgetting Sara Marshall" is a perfect dumb comedy for anyone with a wife in the early stages of labor. Several times during the feature, Lisa had to sit at the edge of her seat, though not because of spine-tingling suspense, but rather so that I could counter some uncomfortable back labor with some firm pressure to her lower back. After the show we went home and to bed. I recall her getting up at 10pm for some cereal.

At 4:00am she moaned, "Owwwwwww! Gretchen!" referring to her very dear friend Gretchen Considine, who we hoped could join us during delivery. These were sharp and persistent labor pains that came closely together. My first instinct was to call Lisa's mom, Sue, who works in OB and she suggested that even though labor didn't exactly match the pattern prescribed in our labor and delivery classes, these were serious enough that we should go in to Meriter. We also phoned the triage nurse, who recommended that we wait a bit. In response, Lisa also thought we should wait a little to make sure they would continue, and by about ten to five, it was clear that they weren't stopping and were likely getting more intense.

Since I have a very organized wife, her bag was packed a couple of weeks ago. I grabbed my daddy bag and a change of clothes and we scooted out the door. I did my best to remain calm on the outside and drove close to posted speeds, since our instructors assured us that first babies are rarely in a hurry to come out. We pulled into the ER less than 10 minutes later and between the car and the ER admissions desk, Lisa had two intense contractions.

Lisa got a little break by the time we got to the desk, so she made chit chat with the young man at the desk, who she recognized from a class or something. Another young man wheeled Lisa to OB triage, where, since she was by far the loudest and furthest along mom-to-be, she was quickly shown to a birthing suite. Of course, being the kind Lisa we all know and love, she was worried that she had scarred the other moms.

Fortunately, the baby picked a really good time for us to arrive, since there was a room available immediately and because the anesthesiologist was available and both a good guy and really good at what he did. Twenty to thirty minutes later, Lisa was much more comfortable, and she could have her contractions and baby's heart beat monitored, and could be examined in relative comfort so that she'd know when to begin pushing.

Next time: Delivery! In the meantime, enjoy a photo of Anna Elisabeth!