Our BIG Holiday Surprise!!!

written over the past few days....

On Tuesday morning, I was making the bed and texting back and forth with Ann about where were going to lunch when Liza called.  She normally facetimes at that time of the day, but this was a phone call.  She began with, "What are you doing right now?" She said, "I think I'm in labor."  Her due date is January 8th!  She began to share some of her symptoms, some of which were very alarming.  My heart skipped a beat. I asked where she was and where was Buddy.  She said, "We are on the way to the hospital now.  How soon can you get here?"

Within minutes, I was showered and throwing everything I could think of into my bag.  I was SOBBING, horrified!  I asked Buddy by text if she was hurting and he said that she was in a lot of pain.  I was dying.  I dropped to my knees and asked Heavenly Father to please protect and bless my two sweet girls.  I called Doug repeatedly.  He is not allowed phone calls at work, but I persistently continued to call, he'd stop the call, I'd call back until he finally took a break and called to see what was wrong.  Within minutes, he was home helping me load my luggage.

Doug and I kissed goodbye and I was on the road all within an hour of Liza's call. I filled the tank in Brigham City (25 miles from home) and never stopped again until I pulled into the hospital in St. George, 402 miles from my home.  I didn't get a coke, didn't take a potty pit stop, and coasted in on fumes.  The gas light came on about 20 miles away from the hospital.

Throughout the day, I texted back and forth with Buddy.  What had happened was that Liza's placenta had ruptured away from her uterus, which started her into labor four weeks early.  They admitted her immediately and when the nurse checked her, Liza said that she got a very worried look on her face.  Liza said, "I know that you aren't saying anything but I can tell by your expression on your face that something's wrong." The nurse said that she did have concerns and called the doctor immediately.  He arrived and said that he would not leave until the baby was here.  Four or five pushes, Liza said, later, and a beautiful little sandy haired five pound, one ounce baby girl was delivered.  Liza lost a lot of blood, twice what she should have, said the doctors.  But, by the time that I pulled in around 3:45, both the baby and Liza were doing great.  Here are the first pix...

Aylabelle's first time holding the baby.

 

She's so tiny!!!

They were all in their room at my arrival and then, Buddy went to pick up from Aylabelle from a friend, so that she could come and meet her sister.  Watching that little scene had to be the most tender thing I have ever seen in my lifetime. Aylabelle is such a sweet little spirit and to see this love for the baby...her baby, as she calls her!  WOW!  AND the funny thing was that the baby hadn't flinched in the hour I was there but when Aylabelle started talking to her, the baby woke right up!  

Seriously, the sweetest thing I've ever seen.

After her first bath!

She reacts to Aylabelle's voice every time!

Buddy reading "And Baby makes Five", her favorite Bearnstain bears.

The hospital put all the new babies in Christmas beanies instead of pink or blue.

She looks so much like a fairer haired Aylabelle.

This bond already makes me cry!

The nurse was pushing her to the nursery for her first bath. Aylabelle insisted, "I can help."

Everything was fine with Liza and the baby but because she is four weeks early, they had to keep her for 48 hours.  So, Liza and Buddy stayed at the hospital.  Aylabelle and I have been together non-stop.  We have shopped and eaten at McDonalds and had all sorts of three year old fun.  She even climbed into my TWIN-size bed last night and slept with me... Well, we both TRIED to sleep.  Very little sleep actually happened.  But, she's a doll.

The biggest question of the day has been, "WHAT IS THE BABY'S NAME?!?!?!?  And the answer is... Liza had said to me the night before she delivered, having no clue that she was 12 hours from delivery, "That biggest stress in my whole world right now is naming this baby.  We haven't found one name that we both feel is right."  Not for a lack of suggestions from Buddy's family and ours.  My chosen name for the baby is Emmalynne because it's sort of like Aylabelle.  No.  Buddy's mom drove down and spent the first night so that she could see the baby.  She had lots of names to suggest, as well.  I texted Liza a bazillion names last night when I was not sleeping.  I knew that she was reading them because one name, I texted, "Who names their child ____?!?!?!"  She responded, "I had a friend named ______!"  Seriously?

She's beautiful and she's healthy and Liza is well and everything is perfect.  Liza was discharged this morning and in the time it took for that to be official, Buddy went out to get the car and the lab results came back for one last test.  The baby will stay one more day, thanks to a bilirubin score that was not adaquate.  Ironically, Liza was born three and a half weeks early, weighed exactly the same, 5.1, and had to be under the lights for 13 days.  Because they were not able to bring her home and introduce us to her formally, Liza called and told me that they have a name just a few hours ago!

This is Aylabelle Joy's baby sister, EdieAnn Hope.  Long E...eeee-deeAnn.  They will call her Edie.  Best Christmas surprise ever!  Life is good!