June 6, 2012 found our daughter Alicia up at dawn to make her appointment to be induced for baby number two. The appointment for 5 am was postponed to noon, then cancelled, then rescheduled for 6 pm. We are now here at 8 pm, and so is the pitocin! In the military D-Day is the traditional term for the go date, and for Alicia and her very large tummy, this was truly a D-Day!!!!
Ok, this is the grandchild countdown. Hai Lien and Kyle have 2, Kasandra (20) and Teresa (19), and 2 boys Jacob (5) and Jayden (1). Hoa and Thuy have 4, Lyann (16), Vivian (14), Dillan (10) and Mia (5). Tiet and Ty have 3, Diana (15), Taylor (10) and Tyler (8). Cuong and Linh have 2, Kayla (14) and Regan (6). Nic and Hailey have 4, Kennedy (11), Sierra (7), Ava and Bree (twins 6). Chuong and Liyan have 3, Eva (10), Victor (8) and Felix (5). Chi (not one who lived with us, but sister of Cuong, Choung and Chinh) and Diep have 2, Sarah (12) and Alvin (5) whom we are now happily counting among our grandchildren as well. Michelle and Brig have 3, Anders (7), Madeline (5) and Edmund (3). Thuan and Hien have 2 son's, Carl (9), and Ken (1). Chinh and Tammy have 2 boys, Ethan (8) and Galvin (5). Chris and Kenni have 2, Zuri (2) and Dot (1), and the primary subject of this post Alicia and Tucker have Weston (2) and NOW...(born on June 7)......... Tulia Paula, 7 lbs 15 oz. and 21 inches and CUTE!!!!!!!!!! Bringing the grand total to 33!
Six pm and it is the dreaded IV!
7 pm and everything seems perfect!
8 pm and the hook up. Pitocin is a drug that induces and increases contractions.
And increase contractions it did!
So for the next few hours we had the roller coaster of contractions sprinkled with relaxation.
She had a great cheering section, and as Nine and Ten PM came and went, progress came slowly.
Finally about Ten-thirty, the troops were getting a bit tired, and began to thin out.
By about 11:30 Alicia was beginning to feel it, but just not enough progress was being made. She made the very good decision to have an epidural about midnight, and it made all the difference.
By two am, everyone, including Alicia was getting some rest, and anticipating the big event.
At a little after three am, the very cool Dr. Baptiste came in with her amazing smile and announced that it was showtime!
By shortly before 4, all of the prep had been done, and Alicia was excited, and between contractions observing how much she was looking forward to meeting her child. Remember that no one knew the sex of this baby until birth.
At 3:54, the first big push occurred.
And by 3:56 am, we all got to meet her. Took Tucker about 3 tries to figure out the plumbing, and the nurse still asked about a minute later if we were working with blue or pink!
These moments with Mom, Dad and baby are not to be missed. I sure appreciate Tucker and Alicia being willing to share them with us.
Tulia is a name gifted to Tucker and Alicia from her friends at Sowers of Hope in Bukavu, DRC. This is the school for orphans of the violence which bled over from Rwanda a decade ago and still results in many who would have nowhere if not for schools like this. The name means peace and serenity. I am not too sure about that name, as she seems a lot like Alicia, but I really think it is cool that they were given this gift. This one is clearly strong, confident and aware. I can't wait to get to know her.
Tucker is a great Dad, and it was again fun to see him doing the first bath.
She really does seem to be perfect in every way.
Aunt Shadra
Paula
And I
Were all really blessed to have had the opportunity to share this special event.
