Owen

Melinda and I have such a hard time with boys names. For some reason Isaac came easy. And for some reason we can agree quickly on girls names. But boys names just aren't the same. Melinda likes Henry and Linus while I like Jethro and Leroy. Can you see the potential for challenge? We eventually came down to a list of about 10 names and then down to 3, which included Max. Max was a wild card that I came up with in the nursery at the hospital during baby's first morning. The kids liked it and we almost went for it, but Owen won out Sunday morning before church so that I'd have something to tell folks. Isaac still likes Max better. Oh, and Fa'amaoni includes meanings such as true, faithful, loyal, honest and integritous (why is there no adjective for integrity?).

We've just brought our third child into the world and to tell you the truth, the experience doesn't get any easier or predictable. Here are some stats for you:

• Ella - 6 days overdue, 23 hour labor, pitocin @ hour 18, 8lbs 7oz
• Isaac - 14 days overdue, induced 15 hour labor, pitocin at hour 5, epidural at hour 10, 8lbs 13oz
• Owen - 2 days overdue, 5.5 hour labor, 9lbs 7oz

The only thing we could really predict was that most of labor would happen at home. We were honestly nervous to deliver at the LBJ Tropical Medical Center as they have a high cesarean rate and figured if we just surprised them when Melinda was ready to push they wouldn't have a chance to intervene. So with some amazing advice and comforting words from Katie and Ken, Melinda's sister and brother in law, she labored at home. The advice to me was to watch for when Melinda would get serious between contractions, and then go to the hospital. I remembered that stage and so thought I could recognize it. But it never really came. It wasn't until she threw up a few times that I knew she was in transition and we should hele on to LBJ. Our wonderful neighbors came over to help. They also brought our camera to the hospital when we forgot to grab it. And they watched Ella and Isaac for us that night and during the next few days. What angels!

Some nurses got us a wheelchair when we arrived, but Melinda gave it up for another woman who was having a harder time. I felt honored to be with such a strong and generous woman. When we got to a room, the nurse checked Melinda and declared her "complete". "Completely what?", I asked. "Completely effaced, or completely dilated?" "Completely dilated but at -1 stage." Wow. Melinda said she wouldn't believe it because after only 4 hours of labor she should only have been 4-5 cm dilated. It was too good to be true. But it was! You wouldn't have known it for how casually she was laboring.

And after they broke her water it only took one contraction to push the baby out. Four pushes. Two minutes. It was completely amazing and an answer to prayer and fasting. So on Wednesday March 25 at 10 pm our perfect little boy was born. He looks a lot like Melinda did as a baby and is our first with light hair at birth.

Ella and Isaac got to meet Owen the following afternoon after we realized the rule to keep children under 12 out of the recovery rooms was unenforced. Isaac was sad and at one point walked out of the room and down the hallway, moping and sobbing. It was pretty cute, and after I chased him down he and I talked about how he felt about the new baby and his role as older brother. He felt better and by today he's feeling pretty good about Owen.

Owen and Melinda came home Friday morning.


Ken asked me how I felt early on in labor and I hadn't really thought about it. I told him I was excited but not nervous. I thought more about it after we spoke and realized there was more to it. I sure felt excited, but I also felt proud of Melinda and wished I could take some of the pain away or carry some of it. I felt a little more prepared to help with labor, but still not quite as useful as I would like. Melinda is a hero. And she sure makes cute babies. Welcome to our family, Owen.