A Baby Story

Once upon a time there was a lady who wanted very badly to have a baby. She planned for her baby to come on a certain Wednesday, but it didn't come. She changed her plans so it would arrive on Saturday, but it didn't come. Maybe I'll try Wednesday again, but no, it didn't come. Surely it will arrive on the very day that the doctors said she would come, she thought. But alas, that day came and went without so much as a contraction. An induction was scheduled, and then postponed. Soon-to-be grandparents were left in limbo as they tried to plan their visit to the new child. Finally, early in the am hours of Thursday, the baby began to signal her imminent arrival with semi regular contractions. Around 9:30 or so, they started to become stronger and closer. Grandma Winn, in all of her experience with births, mentioned to Alixa that it probably wasn't worth it to go to the hospital yet, because nothing is worse than going in and then having to come home. A suggestion was made that she go with Jarom to a local park and go for a walk. But Lix decided that they were too strong and that she needed to head to the hospital.

They walked into the first exam room, where assorted heart monitors and stuffs were attached, and the first check found that Lix was dilated to 8 cm, which for those who don't speak pregnancy means she was really close to having a kid. Yeah for ignoring Nancy, or Jarom would be delivering Jenna on a soccer field at Delcastle Park. The nurses quickly whisked them to the Labor and Delivery room, where the contractions continued to intensify, leading Alixa to wisely elect for an epidural pain blocker, which allowed her to relax and get through the contractions with relative ease. There was a bit of a logjam in the baby making queue, so Lix waited about an hour and a half before the doctor came in and she began to push. After about 25 minutes of pushing, Jenna Marie made her appearance. She arrived healthy and quickly, only 10 hours after Alixa's first contractions. She weighs 6 pounds, 6 ounces, is 17 inches long, and has lots of dark hair. She has been a wonderful baby so far, sleeping most of the time, and looking around inquisitively when she is awake.

The Winns spent the rest of the day watching nurses do things and trying to replicate them, with mixed results. They are both pretty dumb when it comes to infant care, but they will learn. Jenna had her first visitors, as Grandma and Grandpa Winn came by and Jasonannie stopped in as well. The initial review is that she is cute (although the focus group is admittedly biased), although her head is a little squished. She apparently has a very cute nose. There will be pictures as soon as Jarom gets back from the hospital and is able to get them off of the camera. I apologize for the delay.

Friday will be spent recuperating from the ordeal. You would not believe the pain that Jarom went through as Lix was trying to tear all of the tendons in his hands to pieces. But he is a fast healer and should be able to make a full recovery. Hopefully both dad and mom will recover quickly and they can get out of the hospital, because the Hegewalds will be arriving Friday afternoon for a visit. We are very excited to see them and hope to have a wonderful weekend with two sets of grandparents doting over Jenna.