Naomi Rene

Naomi Rene De Jonge
June 12, 2008; 5:32 pm
8 lbs, 2 oz; 20 1/2 inches long

Most people who read this blog are also connected to facebook and/or to Samara's Care Page... so, I'm guessing Naomi Rene's birth last week Thursday at 5:32 pm won't be news to most... But I figured I'd better document here...

Ah... It's been four days since labor began. I'd had a great week with Samara... waking up with her each morning, running around doing errands, reading books. Tim and I even squeezed a date night in on Tuesday evening... got a babysitter, went to a nice restaurant in downtown Holland and then to Ben and Jerry's for ice cream afterwards (chocolate dipped waffle cone; one scoop of chocolate mint; one scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough).

Right before our date on 6/10/08

I was going to be induced on Friday morning at 7am, but our doctor called to see if we could switch our induction time to Thursday afternoon instead. And then at 11am on Thursday morning, the hospital called saying that I could come in at noon already if I was ready. So, Tim and I had a little bit of the adrenaline rush that comes with packing last minute things quickly and getting the babysitter arranged at the 11th hour.

I got hooked up to the monitors before 12:15 - was told that I was having contractions already! My doctor broke my water at 12:15. Pitocin started at 1:00. I got an epidural at 4:00.

By 4:45, I was dilated to 7 and almost completely effaced - ready to push within a half an hour - and one push and a little bit later, Naomi Rene was born.



Tim got it all on video and I've watched it a couple of times. Wow.

I'm on the post partum emotional roller coaster. Yesterday, I cried a few times wondering how in the world I was ever going to do this and today I feel on top of the world (i.e., Saturday night = bad night of sleep; last night = great night of sleep).

A few moments I don't want to forget...

Just before it was time to push, the nurse spread a receiving blanket over my pregnant belly. That full expectation that she was on her way and would be outside instead of inside in a matter of moments was an unexpected moment of joy for me.

Saying 'Naomi' out loud for the first time after she was born... choking up each time we said her name to someone on the telephone. There's something so new and fresh and hopeful and true about a baby's name.

The first time Samara met Naomi. We've got this on video as well. She scooted right past me when she got into our room... no interest in giving me a hug. "Baby? Baby?" She looked all over for Naomi - and from the moment she laid eyes on her until now, Samara has been a verbal gushing fountain... using every word she knows to describe Naomi. She says, "Eyes, ears, knees, ankle, elbow, coughin', yawnin', cryin', head, hair, pants, hands, diaper, Baby, Baby, Baby." And I hear love.



Hugging Tim straight on instead of sideways. :-)

Riding out of the hospital in a wheel chair with Samara on my lap, Naomi in the car seat in Daddy's arms. Breathing the air of a world that now holds Naomi - breathing the life of the God that holds Naomi.

Carrying Samara in all of her toddler-ness post Naomi's birth... She seems to have aged three months in this last week.

And now - because Samara is waking up from her nap, I'm going to close this post off... and thank you all for your prayers, excitement, and joy...

A grinning Naomi - pic taken 15 minutes ago: 6/16/08