And Then There Were Two

Every baby is a miracle. 

When it’s your own baby, that statement is magnified by a thousand.

Taya Kimiko Manning was born on May 31^st at 10:52 a.m.
She is gorgeous and wonderful and everything that makes this world right.  We are crazy about her.

I tried and tried to go into labor on my own.  I walked and walked and ran stairs and bounced on a yoga ball and snuck onto our neighbor’s trampoline in the middle of the night.  I felt SO ready to have her here, but other than exhausting  myself, nothing happened. 

So finally my Dr. agreed to induce me.  I drove myself to the hospital early on Thursday morning.  It was the weirdest feeling; knowing that my baby would go from a wonderful idea, to a screaming reality in such a short time.  I got checked in and set up a little after 8.  Chris took Milo to my sister’s house, and then met me at the hospital.  By the time he got to our room, I had been hooked up for about fifteen minutes.  He bounced around the room and started to unpack his suitcase.  Then he decided to change clothes. He was so relaxed and excited.  I didn’t want to sound like a baby, but as he was doing all of these things, I was in some real pain.

 When I checked in, I told them that I would like to try to have this baby naturally, but there I was, twenty minutes into it, and I wanted an epidural…BAD! I wonder how many women come in saying that they are going to go natural… I bet the nurses laugh in their heads every time that they hear that. I gave in, pushed the call button, and told her that I would like the good drugs stat.  She had to have thought I was such a spaz.  Then she checked me and looked surprised.  “You’re an 8+.  You need to decide right now what you want to do.  If you get the epidural, it will slow things down and give us some time.  If not, then I need to call the doctor right now or else I am going to be catching this baby.”  I had about ten seconds to decide.  I just kept saying, “That was so fast.  Wasn’t that fast?” I had ten months to sit and stew over this delivery and then after twenty minutes they were telling me it was go time.  Yes it was fast, but you would have thought that I would have been completely prepared. I wasn’t.  Finally I said, “Call the doctor, and tell him that he better hurry.” 

By the time that the doctor got there, I was VERY ready to push.  I made Chris fan me (but not during severe pain moments).  Give me ice chips (but not too big or too small of ones).  Give positive encouragement (but not say anything stupid or get in my space bubble).  I was super nice to the nurses, but Chris and the Dr. definitely heard exactly what was on my mind.  I like full out yelled at the Dr. (several times).  I told him I had to pee, but he didn’t take me seriously… so I peed on him, while yelling at him… The nurses enjoyed it. 

Having a baby naturally is like running a marathon.  Except instead of going home with a T-shirt, you go home with a baby.  It is the biggest natural high you can find.  Yes, it hurts like crazy, but somehow in the end it is all worth it.

When I had Milo, the room was packed.  There were two, ten person teams.  One set for me, and one set for Milo.  When I had Taya, it was one nurse for me, one for Taya, Chris, and the Dr.  Everything was so normal and calm.  It was nice, to say the least. 

Taya was beautiful from the first moment that I saw her.  I didn’t know that a newborn could look like she just got off of a ten day cruise, but she did.  Her skin is beautifully smooth and tan.  Her hair is super dark and really long on the sides and back.  Even her head is nicely shaped for a newborn. 

Every man knows that he is going to be crazy about his boys, but I think that Chris was very nervous about having a girl.  He just kept making comments about how he wouldn’t do “those leg things” (tights).  But when Chris first saw Taya, I knew that he was in love all over again.  It was written all over his face, and I could see him fill with pride as they handed her to him.

Within twenty minutes, everything was cleaned up and Chris, Taya, and I were alone in our quiet room in the hospital.  It was crazy.  I kept thinking that someone needed to come and check blood pressure, or temperatures, or something, but I guess when mom and baby are healthy, it really is that easy.

We were so blessed to have our family so close.  So many people came to visit in the short 24 hrs. that we were in the hospital. It was fun to share this wonderful new blessing with them.

Note me eating in the background.  .  . I didn’t even miss a meal J.

When I found out that I was pregnant with Taya, we were very nervous.  The doctor’s told me that I had a 33% chance of getting the same thing that I had with Milo, and the death rate with that disorder in the level that I had it is 20%.  It also comes with a 10% death rate for the baby.  Those are crazy scary odds.  Odds that I never could have accepted risking.  Luckily it wasn’t up to me, and Heavenly Father blessed us with Taya.  Everything about the pregnancy and delivery was textbook and normal.  We know that we were protected and blessed during this time.  Taya was meant to be with us and we are so grateful for her.

Our family is one bigger now, and I’m sure that it will come with its’ challenges, but for now we feel like we won the lottery.