The Blower's Daughter

This is the story of my daughter's arrival, as I remember it.


Oct. 2nd, a Saturday

@ 8:00a, Lea wakes up to a contraction

This is exciting.  It's our very first sign that Violet is ready to meet the world.  But we are cautiously excited since many mothers can have false labor signs that seem real.  We counted down the weeks and the days.  We counted 'til autumn, 'til Libra was in the sky, and 'til October.  I can still vividly remember Lea calling me into the bathroom to read the pregnancy test and the tears in our eyes when I did.  Could it finally be time?

@ 5:18p, regular contractions start

On and off, all day we'd been timing and recording contractions.  This was the first of the series we'd counted towards the 5-1-1 rule.  They are not ultra-regular, coming between 5~8 minutes apart, and not lasting the full 60 seconds.  But what DOES go by the book?

@ 6:32p, called Dr. Green

One hour of somewhat regular contractions has passed.  Dr. Green is on the phone.  Lea mentions she's not sure it's real because the contractions don't hurt as much as she expected. He said to head to the hospital, take your time and grab a bite to eat, no super rush.  We are running around the house, cleaning ourselves up, making sure we got everything (*spoiler* we remembered to bring it all), taking care of the dogs.  Before we leave, we take some final pictures of us as 'two', before we will become 'three'.

@ 7:00p, on way to hospital

I'm downing two travel mugs of coffee, somewhat speeding.  There is no immediate rush and there is no traffic.  The scenario I had in my head, speeding down the shoulder in grid-lock traffic with a police escort, is not played out.  Lea is feeling a bit stronger contractions.

@ 8:00p, in triage 1 with RN Lisa; admitted

We meet Lisa P, the RN who will be by Lea's side throughout the entire labor and delivery.  She has soft voice and a gentle calmness.  She is excellent at calming and guiding Lea.  She reminds us of a friend.  After being monitored for 30 minutes or so, Lea is sure we are headed back home but to her surprise is admitted.  We are on our way to the birthing suites, knowing that by the time we leave we will be parents.

@ 9:30p, Dr. Green arrives; breaks bag; 5cm

Dr. Green enters the room, calling out from the hallway as he soaps up his hands. A light-hearted air follows him.  We talk a bit about the evening, his remodeling project and Lea's contractions.  After an exam he informs Lea that she is well underway at 5cm.  He will now break her bag of water to speed the labor along.  Before proceeding Dr. Green cautions that he may pinch his finger in the process.  He then marches forward with the procedure without regard for the momentary discomfort of his fingers.  During this process I see the "eyeballs" utilized.  These "eyeballs" are two ceiling-mounted domes which each contain a spotlight mounted on a pan-and-tilt mechanism.  They automatically track an IR wand to focus their light exactly where it's needed.  The Dr. breaks Lea's bag.  Both Lea and the Dr.'s fingers are fine.

In the meantime Lea's contractions have been coming hard and fast.  Lea is trying to breathe through them and bide her time 'til the blood work clears for an epidural.  She is doing an amazing job.  The only comfort I can give her is interpreting the machine measuring her contractions.  During a contraction I'd imagine the pain would seem to have no end.  I could at least ground her thoughts and give a countdown until it's over.  Through all the pain she is still excited to take pictures.  We have an iPod hooked up to the TV.  It is playing a special playlist that Lea prepared on repeat.

@ 11:45p, epidural with Dr. Mike K

Dr. Mike shows up to take some of the pain away, but not without inflicting his own pain first.  He mutes our iPod.  I'm still not sure if he needed silence or he just hates The Cranberries.  I stay in the room to hold Lea's hand.  Dr. Mike inserts the catheter.  Lea cannot flinch or make a sound though she feels everything worming around her spine.  Dr. Mike takes a mulligan and begins his second attempt at placing a catheter.  This one takes and Lea finally gets some relief.  She questions perhaps she received too much relief as much of her right side goes numb.

Now Lea can relax and save her energy reserves for the greatest test that lies ahead.  For the time being she can "labor down," only vaguely aware of her uterus.  Time to enjoy some ice chips and some Built to Spill.


Oct 3rd, a Sunday

@ 1:10a, Lisa does exam; 8cm

Lea is progressing along, getting closer.  Violet is almost here.  It is almost time to push and bring this party to a close.  The pain medication is wearing off.

@ 2:30a, cervix gone; Lea pushes for 1 hr

After another exam, Lisa tells Lea that she is fully dilated and ready to push once the urge strikes.  Lea does her best to push, but only Lisa can see her progress.  I am so proud of her.  She is witnessing her anxieties of labor vanish with each experience.

@ 3:30a, Dr. Mike returns with more meds

Here comes some relief after an hour of intense pain.

@ 3:50a, Dr. Dave visits with even more meds to bring blood pressure up

Lea's blood pressure drops slightly.  Honestly that blood pressure cuff had been bothering her the entire night.  Dr. Dave, another anesthesiologist, injects more meds to control her blood pressure.  The cuff is now mocking her, but she gets the upper hand.

@ 4:40a, Lea starts pushing

This is it, the final leg.  39+ weeks of preparation coming to a close.  Lisa holds one leg while I support the other.  Lea pushes with every contraction, rarely taking a break.  She is doing such a great job but not giving herself credit.  At the time, Lisa is the only one who knows how Lea and Violet are progressing.

@ 5:45a, Mike sees Violet's head

I can see the top of Violet's head.  It's so amazing but all I can do is raise an expression to Lisa.  Lea is freaked out to hear which body parts are where and is content in just pushing until the pushing is done.  Each push brings Violet's head further and further down and I can't help but feel amazed watching the entire process.

@ 6:25a, Dr. Green arrives

Dr. Green strolls in, awake and refreshed, and begins to suit up.  We have seen Violet's head come so close.  The Dr. decides that using a vacuum is the best way to help Lea push Violet across the threshold.  He informs us of the risks and prepares his equipment.

Once setup, Dr. Green pulled and guided Violet's head with the vacuum while Lea pushed.  She pushed for one contraction, and then a second, and then...

@ 6:35a, Violet arrives; "I can't take my eyes off of you" is playing; 7 lbs, 15.5 oz, 20.5 in

Time stands still.  "The Blower's Daughter" by Damien Rice is playing.  It couldn't be a more perfect song.  The first thing I see is the back of her head.  As the Dr. slowly turns her around I see her face.  It is the most amazing and unique experience.  All the preconceived notions about what she would look like are gone in an instant and I immediately recognize her face as my darling daughter, Violet.  I am still speechless.  Dr. Green may be talking, but Lea and I are just staring at our new daughter.  They place Violet on Lea's chest to hold and I take the first pictures of my new family.  I see my beautiful wife as a mother for the first time.  She whispers into Violet's ear, "hi beautiful, I love you."  As the nurses take Violet away to be cleaned, Lea tells Dr. Green "we only need to do this three more times."  He laughed and suggested we take our time and don't attempt a three-for-one.

<4

The Q is silent!

So, Mike has been reading to the baby. I know, I know. The baby is not born yet, but not only have we read that this is good for the little one, but my doctor actually recommended it.
Last night, we had already turned the lights out, but I still wanted her to hear a story, so Mike said he would make one up. I honestly almost fell off the bed, laughing hysterically at what he came up with. I made him get up and write it down, and yes, I am going to share it right now.

This story takes place on an orange peel. There were five orange ponies,grazing in the citrus fields.
One was a scientist, one was a police officer and the other three prepared tax documents. Everyone was having fun eating. They planted one orange seed for every orange they ate. They threw a huge food party at the Slice Castle.
Tony Bologna showed up and ate almost everything! What he didn't eat, he brought home to his mother, who was also named Toniq, but spelled with an I and a Q. (*Mike pronounced the mother's name as "Tony" NOT Tonic...?!!) Tony didn't plant any seeds, so no food would grow.
The ponies got busy doing what they do best. The police officer arrested Tony. The scientist built a robot to plant seeds all day and all night long. The other three ponies used their knowledge of finances to discover that Tony had taken a cash loan from his mother, Toniq, when he was buying his house and lied about it to the bank.
As punishment, Tony had to travel to other orange peels without scientists or robots to plant seeds every night.
The End


I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! :P
I would try to blog some more here, but lately I have been so exhausted, that I don't think I have enough energy to muster up one creative thing to say. I am so lucky to have a husband with such an offbeat sense of humor. Keeps things interesting and hey, at least I'm never bored and always surprised!

*Lea*

Distance is only relative and temporary

I found a mix CD Lea made for me that I want to share.  This is not the first CD, but it is just as special.  Set your DeLoreans to 2001.  We had just gotten together over a month ago but we'd spent the whole summer together.  We stood on the highest mezzanine and watched the HarperCollins peons attempt to fit 10 lbs worth of Harry Potter books into a 5 lb box.  We hunted down Assateague ponies before they had a chance to become magical Assateague unicorns.  Now summer was over and I had to return to my studies in Philadelphia.  Lea made this CD and note for me, assuring me that everything would work out and that distance is only relative and temporary.  Now back to the future, you know she was right!    <4

4 Mike [September 2001]


1. Chantal Kreviazuk -> leaving on a jet plane
2. Oasis -> don't go away
3. Incubus -> miss you
4. The Beatles -> things we said today
5. Dashboard Confessional -> age six racer
6. The Get Up Kids -> Michelle with one 'L'
7. The June Spirit -> subject to change
8. Incubus -> I wish you were here
9. Reggie & the Full Effect -> thanks for staying
10. Poe -> fly away
11. DMB -> crush
12. Incubus ->stellar
13. Mazzy Star -> fade into you
14. DMB -> crash into me
15. Lifehouse -> hanging by a moment
16. The Get Up Kids -> I'll catch you
17. Sunny Day Real Estate -> ocean
18. DMB -> lover lay down

A work in progress!

Hello! This is a tale of two October 1981-born humans in love!
We got together in the summer of 2001. We married in October of 2005 and have been living in wedded bliss since. We are finally about to experience the experience of all experiences - parenthood! This is something we have always talked and dreamed about - it's almost unbelievable, but soon, we will have our very own bundle of awesome to call our own; to teach, to love, to learn from...

If you don't know us, here's some stuff about us, by us:

Lea on Michael...

Mike's quite the character. He may seem shy, quiet and reserved but he's anything but. He is the smartest person I know and most certainly the funniest. Always there to lend a hand, he is very loyal to his friends and his family. He is extremely honest and I have never even heard heard him utter a fib or a lie. He has never raised his voice to me, he’s patient and sweet. Quirky, creative, kind, caring - all perfect words to describe my amazing husband. I just know that he is going to be such a wonderful father; there's no question about it in my mind! It's so difficult to describe how great Mike is, especially in a blog - it seems kind of cheesy to me, but I guess all you need to know is that he's a good egg. We love each other and that's pretty much all there is to it and that's what matters most.

<3

Michael on Lea...
That's how this whole mess started. Hah! But seriously...
Lea is very outgoing, a social butterfly, making friends everywhere. She's always using her super powers to make someone's day special. Surprise cupcakes and thoughtful, creative gifts, she's constantly painting smiles on everyone she can. Lea loves birthdays, not just hers, but everyone's. The very first thing I can remember loving about Lea was her taste in music. She displayed her supreme mix CD skillz on a mix for me "From the Coolest Gal Ever" soon after we met. Beyond music there is so much in life I would never experience, had Lea not been there to push me. She is the most caring, creative, adventurous, nurturing person I know. I haven't had a chance to be a dad yet, but Lea's already mom of the year (while our little bundle tries to kick her way out). <4

I Do Too!

I Do!