January 2004

Surprise Arrival

At 10:19 PM Thursday, January 29th, I entered the world!

My due date was February 17th, and I was originally scheduled to arrive by C-section on February 10th. On the afternoon of January 29th, Mom went to a weekly non-stress test, which showed that she was doing okay, but my amniotic fluid was less than previously measured, her blood pressure was still high, and her platelet count was down, which is a possible sign of toxemia. So although she was still healthy and I was doing fine, signs were indicating that Mom was starting to get sick. So the head doctor at Evergreen Hospital Maternal Fetal Medicine suggested, since I was beyond 37 weeks and they already knew they'd do a C-section, that they just go ahead and get me out THAT NIGHT! Mom's OB concurred. Mom and Dad were in a bit of shock! They figured I might arrive early, but not THIS early! They had all of 1/2 hour to run back home and collect their half-packed bags and return to the hospital.

Ironically—and this is the mysterious part—when Mom finally checked into the hospital and got hooked up to the usual monitors, they discovered that she was having contractions! In fact, by the time she went in to surgery at 10:00, her contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and beginning to hurt! So three weeks early or not, I was ready to appear!

I was born 6 lbs, 12 oz, and 20 inches long, with very long legs and fingers—a tall, thin baby. I have lots of brown hair and my dad's darker complexion. I was just two days over 37 weeks old, which is called "near-term," not premature. Despite my early arrival, my APGAR score was excellent, and except for a little worry over jaundice (now gone), I hear that I'm perfectly healthy.

I like being a "baby burrito," wrapped up tight [left].

I had a few visitors in the hospital, including big brother Cameron, who stayed with me most of Friday and Saturday; Grandma Joanie [right]; Mark Hallenbeck, Mom's boss from TRAC; and family friends Rob, Jolie, and Alana Scheibe. I mostly slept through all the fuss.

We returned home from the hospital Sunday morning, and then other visitors came, including Grandpa Paul and Bonnie, Gena Mason-Frank, and Pam Nelson and Shirley Beieler.

I like my name, but I'm going to have to grow into it. Mom and Dad chose Sofia because it's spelled and pronounced the same in both the U.S. and Holland. It first came to their attention when they read "The DaVinci Code" while on their holiday to Hawaii. Grace is Mom's choice for a middle name; Marianne (pronounced the European way, Mah-ree-ah-na) is Dad's.

Mom's recovering really well for having had major abdominal surgery. She was up and walking very quickly. She and Dad seem to be adjusting to my schedule. (I like being the boss.)

Dad is ecstatic and already a terrific parent, gentle, patient and loving. He's changed every diaper so far, and because Mom can't maneuver the staircase very often, he's been up and down A LOT, waiting on her hand and foot. He's made dinners presented on trays, and he's even done the laundry.

Cameron is also a very sweet brother. He loves to visit my bassinette and gaze at me, and he excitedly Instant-Messaged all his friends the news.

I think I'm pretty lucky to have such a nice family.

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