Saturday, June 27, 2009

Posting from Evart

While there isn't much news from our house, there's lots of news with our extended family. Two new nieces this week, Dad's last Sunday in Evart, Mom and Dad preparing to move. We have little stories of our own to tell - a trip to visit Grandma Steward involving lots of spilled coffee, a sick child, and buying fresh clothes, Mia's spilled milk and subsequent fall in it, the wipes Mia decided didn't belong in the container, etc. But for this post I'll focus more on the happenings with our family, since they're more noteworthy.

We're in Evart to visit Mom and Dad for the last time. Sunday will be Dad's last day here, since July 5th was planned as vacation, and they're moving to GR on the 7th and 8th. At the moment, the Gallecks haven't arrived, Leslie is at work, Mom is in the shower, and Dad and Steve took a load to the new house. So I'm here with the girls, trying to keep them occupied with whatever toys I could scrounge and keep them out of boxes. Tomorrow the church is throwing a big party honoring Mom and Dad and I've been asked to say something. I'm a little unsure what to say, since my memories are just of Dad, not necessarily Dad as the pastor in Evart. I jotted down some thoughts yesterday, since I've learned writing out a speech works much better for me than winging it. I'll have Steve, Tracy, and Leslie read over it later and help me with it. Short and poignant.

Last week I said Father's Day is a good day for Tracy to have her baby and Becky can have her baby later in the week. I said this because Tracy was due first and it's only fair for her to give birth first, right? Plus Tracy's due date was this coming Monday, the day after the big party here in Evart, and she was determined to come, pregnant or not. Obviously it would work better for her to have the baby before the party. Turns out I called it. Tracy's water broke around 2:30 Sunday afternoon. They met Mom and Leslie at a hotel near the hospital (Leslie stayed there with Chloe while Tracy gave birth) and then arrived at the hospital around 6:30. Since she wasn't contracting regularly at that point, they gave her pitocin. Things picked up, she dilated to 6, and they stopped the pitocin. I think that was 10:30ish. Between contractions she changed into clothes to wear in the shower and was in there for a few minutes before she felt like she needed to push. This was around 11:00. She pushed for 16 minutes and Haylie May was born at 11:20 pm, 7 lbs 4 oz, 18 inches long. Tracy was very relieved things went quickly and more smoothly than they did with Chloe (30 hours of labor, 4+ hours of pushing). Chloe adores her sister already. Tracy told me she likes to sit on the couch and watch tv with Haylie in her lap, kissing her head every so often. I can't wait to meet her.

Becky was induced on Thursday and I don't know as many details for her delivery. She was induced sometime in the morning. Around 1:30 pm she asked for her mom and an epidural (so I think she was around 5 cm). Linda didn't stay long because Becky was feeling fine after the epidural. Around 5 pm, she reached 8 cm (it may have been a little earlier, the details were fuzzy). She must have reached 10 shortly after that, because she pushed for two hours and Abigail Grace was born at 7:11 pm, after an episiotomy and suction. She was 7 lbs and 20 inches long. We did get to see Abigail yesterday and she is so content. She slept the whole time we were there and didn't mind Ella rubbing her head and poking her nose (saying "boink") or Amelia poking her cheek. The girls weren't sure of her when we first got there and Zech was holding her. Once she sneezed and then especially once I held her, they were interested in Abigail. It should be fun to watch them with her in the future.

For now I need to go. The girls have been playing with plants and trying to eat dice...

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