Introducing...

Drake Thomas John

January 12, 2013

8 lb. 10 oz.

19 inches

The night before Drake's due date, Jeff and I went on a date of our own. I was trying to resign myself to the fact that this baby was going to go past his due date. While we were out, poor Alex started not to feel good and finally threw up while the kids were watching a movie. When we got home we told Emma that she is officially a veteran babysitter as she had to clean up the mess.

Sebastian had thrown up two days before, but he had seemed totally fine before and after, so I had thought it was a fluke or something he ate. If only...

We headed to bed at 11pm, only to be awakened by uncomfortable contractions at 12:45 a.m. A minute later I heard Alex out of bed for throw up, round 2. Jeff went to help him. A few minutes later I realized the contractions were only 2-3 minutes apart and that this was the real deal. I started gathering the last minute things for our hospital bag. Then I went and told Jeff it was time. Needless to say we were both a bit overwhelmed with the timing of all of this!

We finished cleaning up and got Alex back to bed. Then I called my girlfriend, Kassie. She lives nearby and is a true night owl. She hadn't even headed to bed yet and she came right over. We got to the hospital at 2 a.m. The nurse checked me and told me I was dialated to "almost a 6." While they were getting me situated, Jeff had to head to the bathroom to throw up as well! When Dr. Ahmad arrived at 3 a.m. my contractions were very painful and when he checked me during a contraction he said I was at an 8, so he went ahead and broke my water, saying that if he guessed right I would have this baby out in half an hour. Well, I am happy to say that we beat his guess by 9 minutes, pushing through only 6 contractions. Drake came into this world at 3:21 a.m. on his exact due date.

He weighed in at 8 lb. 10 oz., 19 inches long. His hair is a bit lighter than our other babies have been, light brown with some blonde, and his eyes are a dark blue. I can't even begin to document the feelings I felt when they laid his little body on top of me and I saw him for the first time. Somehow, even though you know there is a baby inside of you and you feel him experiencing hiccups and moving around, it still isn't real until that miraculous moment when you see his precious little face.

Later that morning when I called home to share the news, they had news of their own. It turns out that poor Kassie had Isabelle, Emma and Tristan each in turn throw up as well. Luckily they all made it to the bathroom so there wasn't a massive cleanup. Around 2 p.m. I joined the party. In fact Maya was the only one in the family to avoid this onslaught. At 4 Jeff headed home to relieve Kassie. How can I ever repay this good friend? She is such a saint!

Because of all the flu, they had Drake and I stay at the hospital till Monday morning. This was horrible because they do not let you sleep at the hospital. After 2 1/2 nights of almost no sleep, I was a mess, falling asleep everywhere. Coming home Monday felt incredible! My own bed! Good food from friends! And the best part: Jeff to help with the baby and allow me uninterrupted blocks of sleep between feedings!

The kids, of course, were not allowed to come see the baby at the hospital, so it was wonderful to watch them react to him after school on Monday. Nothing like a newborn to bring out all their tender feelings! Sebastian has been downright possessive about Drake. When someone else holds him, he says, "Mine!" and wants to hold him as well. He is fascinated with the little guy.

Welcome little Drake! You already hold all of our hearts!