I cannot believe Lane Ryan is F-I-V-E!! It was 5 years ago today that I went in for my routine 37 week appointment. Mom took the morning off so Drue wouldn't have to go with me. This was going to be the first time my Midwife would check me to see if there was any progress, dilation, etc... Mom had just finished painting Lane's room two nights prior and the evening before my appointment, she came over to help move his furniture around. The room was finished on September 14...which happened to be not one day too soon!
While Kim Boote was checking me, she got a funny look on her face. "Well... um. You were at a 6 and while I was in there, I made you a 7! So, unless you want to have your husband take a crash course in 'How to Deliver a Baby in the Car,' I suggest you stay in town." What a surprise! Lane wasn't due until October 7th! Fortunately, I had bags packed and the house was ready for us! I decided to go shopping at Target until 1:00 when I was going to have my water broken. (Didn't really end up happening until 3:00)
Meanwhile, I was trying to get ahold of Ryan Dean. I knew he was with Shawn, ironically, preg-checking cows. I couldn't get him to answer the phone. I figured he'd like to be present for the birth of his son =) so I called up my dad and told him that I wasn't going to be coming home today and needed him to tell Ryan that after they were done, he should meet me at the hospital. He actually met me earlier than I expected and we sat in the parking lot of the hospital putting together Drue's "Big Sister" gift, a stroller for her own babies. Hmmm... That makes me think...how did we end up with only one car at the hospital if Ryan drove separately? I think Shawn must have driven Ry's truck home that night after visiting us in the hospital? I also remember Ryan pushing that little tiny stroller in to the hospital like it was a real one. He looked at me when we got on the elevator and said, "I bet people think this is a real stroller and my wife is a midget!"
There was a scary moment in the labor process, the Midwife didn't communicate with the nurses about the amount of pitocin (sp?) she was giving me and both the nurses and the Midwife upped my dosages without telling the other so I was getting way too much and Lane's oxygen and heart rates went either too high or too low, I don't remember. All I do remember is that all of a sudden a bunch of beepers went off, nurses, even doctors rushed in adjusted things and gave me and the baby oxygen, not exactly sure how they did that, by the way. This all happened while Ryan had left me to go grab a sandwich. He had no idea any of it happened.
Later in the evening the nurses told us that things were progressing slowly so around 7 pm we called Drue at Mom & Dad's and told them it would be late, probably early morning before Lane would be born and they might as well go to bed. Well, I don't remember exactly how the next few moments played out, but Dig was born at 7:23 weighing in at 7lbs and stretching 19 inches... three weeks early. So...Ryan called Mom back and said, "You have a grandson!" She didn't believe him since just moments ago we told her it would be a while before he entered the world. We are so thankful that God gave us a perfectly healthy little man that day. Our families all came to Covenant to meet Lane Ryan Luiken that night. DD was not impressed and all of a sudden, at 19 and a half months old...looked so grown up.
Lane Ryan has been a blessing to our family ever since. We love you Dig!
Someone woke up a little earlier than normal today! Wonder why? Dig got to open one of his gifts when he woke up, but has to wait for the others until Daddy gets home from work. Could be a long day!
Luckily, we will be kept busy doing one of his favorite things! Making frosted cookies! He takes snacks to Awana tonight. Here he is making the dough last night!
More birthday pictures to come!
