As we were waiting for our third child to arrive, my wife and I took a trip down memory lane. The vehicle was this blog. As we were finishing, I heard something I never thought I'd hear: "Honey, I'm so glad you started this blog."
The culture shock never ends.
It's with that in mind that I continue to blog despite more craziness in our house than ever before. This post will take a look at the birth of one third of that craziness.
Fortunately Petra didn't have 59 hours of contractions like she did with Enoh, nor were the last few hours of labor as difficult as they were with Ian. The speed with which our third arrived is a remarkable thing indeed. Here are the details of the last half hour before our beautiful daughter was born. Petra's contractions began around 8 pm on the 20th, then got closer and closer until the morning of the 21st:
6:07 am: Petra opens the front door to begin our short trip. Despite being in the middle of a contraction, she feels it important to write a quick text message to her close friends: "on our way to the hospital" it says.
6:15: We arrive at hospital. Had we been 15 minutes earlier, there's a good chance we would have found parking in the regular parking lot. In the middle of another contraction, I feel justified parking in a handicapped spot. Would we get a ticket?
6:16: Petra still attempting to get out of the car. I'm helping...and thinking about whether I should quickly go around the car to get my camera. Better sense kicks in. Random lady asks if we need any help. Unsure of how to respond, I eventually get a "ne hvala" (no thanks) out.
6:18: Finally inside. Nurse at the reception desk is slouched like an 8th grade biology student at the end of a school day. The pregnant woman doesn't cause the nurse's expression to change. Slowly she gets up and tells us where to go.
6:19: While my wife explains to the nurse that this is her third baby, her water breaks. Nurse changes expressions faster than you can say "social healthcare". "Idi po kolica!" she tells me. What I understood was "Go get a wheelchair!" so I'm off. There's no wheelchair to be found, but there is an old bed with wheels. This'll have to suffice I say to myself. "Is this what you meant?" I attempt in Croatian as I crash through the doors with the movable bed. "Yes!" she responds and indicates that I'm moving too slowly.
6:20: We ascend a couple floors in the elevator, Petra asking if she's allowed to push. She's not.
6:22: I part ways with my wife. "Men aren't allowed in here", the nurse explains. She must not have been here the last two times I joined my wife in the delivery room. In her defense, many Croatian men don't care to be present for the birth of their children.
6:25: The confusion has been resolved. I come in just in time to see the baby born. Petra has given birth to a beautiful girl we have named Emily Vjera. Random lady in parking lot turns out to be the doctor that delivers the baby. "Emily could've been born in the parking lot" she says. I'm thankful she wasn't.
___________________________
The culture shock never ends.
It's with that in mind that I continue to blog despite more craziness in our house than ever before. This post will take a look at the birth of one third of that craziness.
Fortunately Petra didn't have 59 hours of contractions like she did with Enoh, nor were the last few hours of labor as difficult as they were with Ian. The speed with which our third arrived is a remarkable thing indeed. Here are the details of the last half hour before our beautiful daughter was born. Petra's contractions began around 8 pm on the 20th, then got closer and closer until the morning of the 21st:
6:07 am: Petra opens the front door to begin our short trip. Despite being in the middle of a contraction, she feels it important to write a quick text message to her close friends: "on our way to the hospital" it says.
6:15: We arrive at hospital. Had we been 15 minutes earlier, there's a good chance we would have found parking in the regular parking lot. In the middle of another contraction, I feel justified parking in a handicapped spot. Would we get a ticket?
6:16: Petra still attempting to get out of the car. I'm helping...and thinking about whether I should quickly go around the car to get my camera. Better sense kicks in. Random lady asks if we need any help. Unsure of how to respond, I eventually get a "ne hvala" (no thanks) out.
6:18: Finally inside. Nurse at the reception desk is slouched like an 8th grade biology student at the end of a school day. The pregnant woman doesn't cause the nurse's expression to change. Slowly she gets up and tells us where to go.
6:19: While my wife explains to the nurse that this is her third baby, her water breaks. Nurse changes expressions faster than you can say "social healthcare". "Idi po kolica!" she tells me. What I understood was "Go get a wheelchair!" so I'm off. There's no wheelchair to be found, but there is an old bed with wheels. This'll have to suffice I say to myself. "Is this what you meant?" I attempt in Croatian as I crash through the doors with the movable bed. "Yes!" she responds and indicates that I'm moving too slowly.
6:20: We ascend a couple floors in the elevator, Petra asking if she's allowed to push. She's not.
6:22: I part ways with my wife. "Men aren't allowed in here", the nurse explains. She must not have been here the last two times I joined my wife in the delivery room. In her defense, many Croatian men don't care to be present for the birth of their children.
___________________________
Emily means “to persevere”. Vjera means "faith" (in Croatian). Of course Petra and I like the sound of the names together but we also like the combination of the two meanings.
In college, as our friendship was growing, we decided to memorize a passage of Scripture together – Hebrews 12. In that section the author of Hebrews is calling us to faith and endurance.
In Hebrews 11, a quite extensive list has been made of many heroes who have lived by faith. Then, with these characters in mind, we are called to "run with perseverance, the race marked out before us". Faith and endurance are so closely connected throughout Hebrews. Our prayer for our daughter among other things, is that she would persevere in faith.
My mother was the first to point out the fact that with E, I, E...we may be running old McDonald's farm here. With certainly no predictions about filling in the rest of the vowels in Mr. McDonald's song, sometimes having 3 children under 3 does feel like a farm.
But I wouldn't have it any other way.
My mother was the first to point out the fact that with E, I, E...we may be running old McDonald's farm here. With certainly no predictions about filling in the rest of the vowels in Mr. McDonald's song, sometimes having 3 children under 3 does feel like a farm.
But I wouldn't have it any other way.
5 comments:
oh my goodness!!! What a speed!!!
6.07 is SOOOOO PETRA!!!
The the "Random lady" is just awesome.
:)
LOVE YOU GUYS! Can't wait to see little Emily Vjera!!!
laci
Cestitam! Congrats on the beautiful family :)
Congrats! You have a beautiful family =)
It was wonderful to read your blog about the birth of Emily. The meaning of her name is beautiful.
Happy for you both!
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