A moment's respite (i.e. the calm before the storm part 2)

I'm still waiting for screaming at some point, none yet.

We got in to see the midwife this morning at about 10am and spent some time there on this crazy little contraption that measures the baby's heart rate and the contractions.  It was fun to see how the machine worked and try to get baby to move for us.  Speaking of which, we are now trying to finalize the name we are picking for him.  I'm in favor of Ephraim, but we want to wait to see him to decide finally.

We spent today running around and finalizing some stuff, getting a breast pump to use and try to get some oxytocin flowing to get the contractions to work for us before we would have to go to the hospital.  For awhile they were coming on, a little randomly but every few minutes and lasting for at least 45 seconds to a minute.  We took a few careful walks and mostly just tried to keep moving.  The goal is to get some real labor going by 3am (24 hours after her water broke) or they will have to use pitocin, which we are trying to avoid since they make the contractions a bit more painful than they normally would be.

We checked into the hospital at around 9, and they immediately got her into a room.  Her gown is pretty cute, but she wouldn't let me show any of those pictures to the public, alas.  Luckily they have wifi here so I can work on stuff while Stepheni is resting.

Truth be told I would rather be the one in bed with an IV and having contractions, Stepheni takes better care of me than I do of her and I don't like seeing her in pain like this.  I keep a smile on my face and keep positive, for Stepheni and for her mom who has been fretting back in Illinois.

Thanks for all the prayers and the love.

The calm before the storm

It's like, 4:30 in the morning right now.  Sometime around 3 Stepheni woke me up with a grab at my ankle.  She was kind of hunched over-like, "I think my water just broke".  Geez, all these announcements when a guy's trying to get some sleep.

She had in fact sprung a leak, and it just kept on coming.  She kept leaking as we started making some last minute preparations, texting the parents, calling the midwives, packing a few last things, checking Facebook.  You know, the important things.  Stepheni described the amniotic fluid as colorless and odorless, and while I would say so, I would say so mostly. I smelt the towel that she conveniently soaked through, and I got the urge to clean, eat fried foods, and cry all at the same time.  Potent stuff, do not ingest.

The midwife on call instructed us to wait until about 9am when the hospital desk opens and go in there, because as of right now Stepheni isn't having any contractions.  Not the greatest because the contractions are supposed to come first and then the water breaking, because apparently there is a greater risk of infection if the contractions don't follow soon thereafter.  So in a few hours we will go in and they may induce her to help things proceed, simply because of the chance of infection.  Not ideal, but I hear that babies make hash of your plans anyways, so we might as well start here.  I gave Stepheni a blessing and we pray that things continue naturally without the need of drugs or intervention.

So now, I'm chilling here, pretty excited, waiting until all the hoodlums go home so I can go out and put in the carseat and load up the pillows so we can go to the hospital at 9, probably making a stop somewhere they serve unhealthy food before we do, y'know, for Mom.  ;-)

Let it be known, that during all this, Stepheni has been completely rational.  I dunno what they are talking about on TV where the parents are freaking out and going crazy when someone's water breaks. Bah, Hollywood.

Oh yeah, I don't have to go to work today!

Packing

I've discovered it's one of my least favorite things
(Note the dead look in my eyes)

I mean it's great to clean and to see from a general level of chaos
come a certain amount of order.

Maybe it's just the moving all the boxes from Rexburg to San Antonio
and how much it will cost that is such a bother.  The bees are all the contractors
that want to take my hunny, I mean munny.  Our friends have come to help, Mike and Zak so far.  Thanks again, guys!

But this is all for a good cause, I remind myself.  

And, really, it is all because I got a job down in San Antonio.  

Thank you for all your prayers and support, and thanks to USAA for hiring me!  
Back to packing!

Graduation!

Yep, it's true:  I'm all gradumicated, even if auto-correct indicates that is not a word.  I have promptly stifled it's pleas with the "add to dictionary" button, forever and officially adding it to it's repertoire of useful, and more importantly fun, words.

But more important still, I am now a college graduate.

And yet more important than that, I have a job.  Yes, a real 9-5 job down in San Antonio!  Super excited. Because it means food, shelter, and better furniture!

But really, Stepheni and I are so grateful for the opportunity for work, especially in these economic times (cliche but true), and at such a wonderful company as USAA.  We will have the means to invite baby Etienne into our family with food, shelter and insurance!

Graduation was a little late in coming, but I am glad that I took the path that I did.  I managed to get a bunch of other random credits and fill out my education nicely.  Could I go back, I would take more computer science classes and less entry-level science classes.  But, as it is I am rather happy with my degree and the embellishments I accrued along the way.

I encourage everyone to get an education.

The parents and I in the gorgeous BYU-I Center!

There is my little head!

Smile!

Bumping elbows with the big guy (recent kidney transplant)
and Elder Ballard behind us.

Woot!  Mom in the background!

I put this up because Jolene and Mom were in this one.

And we got Julie out from behind the camera for this one ;-)

Family is awesome!