Julia Charlotte

She finally came last week, 34 hours before my mom and sister had to go back to Idaho.

I went into labor at 5 p.m., and she was born at 11:33 p.m.  I decided not to get an epidural, so it was painful.  But, I had a really great nurse who got me heat packs and an exercise ball shaped like a peanut.  Those were helpful.

When things got really bad, she suggested a hot bath--that was fantastic (not epidural fantastic, of course.  Don't let your imagination go wild thinking hot baths are a natural cure to women's suffering.). Sorry, no picture.  I know you all must be dying to see a naked pregnant lady in a tub.  My friends in MA who do water-birthing are on to something.  The pain relief was incredible.  I should have ignored the nurse when she said I needed to get out when I started feeling pressure.  Things would have been more pleasant if Julia had been born in the bathtub.  The doctor would have gotten wet, but maybe he wouldn't have had to endure my sobbing and telling him to "just give me an episiotomy and take her out!"  But, we all survived, so it doesn't matter now.  Holding her has made me forget the misery all ready.  There's a scripture about that, but I'm too tired to look it up now.  Here she is: 7 lbs, 7.8 ounces, 19.88 inches long.

Damon, Claire, and Anne love her and love holding her.  They can't bear to hear her cry, so she may never learn to go to sleep on her own or how to sleep through the night.

Damon was very disappointed by her name.  He wanted her to be Nicki, and even though Jake and I told him repeatedly during the past month that would not be her name, he was not prepared for the final blow.  I was surprised and relieved Claire accepted her name so graciously--she wanted a name that started with B, like Barbara or Bobbie, and Claire doesn't usually let go of her ideas.  She's been content to give her an additional middle name: Julia Isabella Charlotte.  Just having a baby sister must have fulfilled all her expectations.  Lynsey says that before she and my mom brought the kids to the hospital, Claire dug a baby doll out of the toy box saying, "I must practice holding a baby."  And that's what she did. 

I've managed to mortify Damon and Anne by nursing Julia in public.  Claire has a Bug Science class in downtown Kalamazoo this week.  It's a 20 minute drive, and by the time we get there, it's always time to feed Julia.  I told Damon he was nursed on the Eiffel Tower in front of 100 people [I didn't count, but it was really crowded up there], and he and Anne needed to get over it, which they have.  Mostly.