Well, I've been thinking a lot about what to say to make your reading this worthwhile. Some of you may be interested in all the child-birthing details... some of you would run screaming if I wrote those. As I've thought about what is relevant (and appropriate) to share, I've concluded that the only thing that REALLY matters is where God was in all of this, and how HE worked through this experience. (and maybe a few entertaining details along the way)
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3: 5-6
God placed on our hearts a desire to stay in Belgrade to deliver Wilson from early in the pregnancy. Getting information about hospitals and procedures wasn't exactly easy, but somehow people kept coming into our lives who helped us one tiny step at a time. We became more and more confident in our decision as time went on, and many things confirmed that a local hospital would be the best choice for us... after all, if they deliver 7000 babies every year at ONE hospital, they must be doing something right! We chose the biggest of the hospitals and went for a visit. That was interesting, due to my limited language abilities, but we managed to get satisfactory answers to our questions and lay eyes on the place where this all would happen. The staff was wonderful, and we left feeling hopeful and optimistic.
Fast forward to the time to actually BIRTH the kid... the due date came and went, and my doctor had told me to go to the hospital when that happened, and the doctors there would tell me what to do next. (it's a private doctor/public hospital issue... complicated, but I had to have a different doctor to actually deliver the baby). So we did. One very long day of misunderstood language and unnecessary waiting, we finally met a doctor who was really great... but was leaving for his ski vacation the next day. He suggested I meet his colleague. Which I did the following day. He seemed very competent and as a bonus spoke great English... increasing my comfort level substantially. So we made a plan to "maybe induce" the delivery on the following Monday. (This was Friday). Sunday started early with contractions I knew were the real deal, so we waited. It took all day for the contractions to get close enough to warrant going to the hospital, and when we finally did, the nurse confirmed I was in labor and called the doctor, who came right away (on Sunday evening!!) Fast forward again an hour or so, and I was resting comfortably in the delivery room with Kyle by my side, enjoying the bliss of epidural anesthesia. When the doctor came in to check on things, we were ready to push, and two pushes later, Wilson was with us. Coated in betadine, he was ready to meet the world. :)
All of this said, I should point out that if I had gone into labor on or before his due date, I wouldn't have known this doctor that made us feel so comfortable. Additionally, there were 31 babies born on Friday, and on Sunday, when Wilson was born, 2, counting him. Everything was peaceful and quiet, and it felt like the whole world was waiting silently for this little guy to arrive. The doctor commented to the nurse that we were Christians when he witnessed us praising God and praying over Wilson when he arrived. I had reserved an "apartment" at the hospital for after the delivery, which I understood to mean private room, so I was disappointed to find out that I had a roommate. However, I was able to share with her about God's faithfulness in my life, and I understood better why things were the way they were. The evidence has been all around us, from the joy our neighbors and friends in Belgrade have been able to share with us, to the ease of navigating a confusing hospital system (confusing at least to foreigners)... God DID go before us and made our path straight. And I can't say how thankful I am that he did. Additionally, I never felt alone in this process. Our friends and family in the states, and around the world, were lifting us up in prayer. I felt like I was walking into the hospital with God having gone before me and my "network" of prayer warriors behind me. It was an amazing feeling to say the least. Wilson entered the world while our church family sat in classes in Rockwall, Texas, praying for us at 11:50 am Texas time. The Lord is good, all the time... and we can do nothing but praise him for his goodness and unfailing love.
It turns out there's not much entertaining in all of that. So here are a few of the differences between my previous birth experiences and this one. 1) Excessive (in my opinion) use of betadine... bottles of it everywhere, available for squirting all over someone at a moment's notice. 2) Expert swaddling practices... I really mean this... these nurses were PROS at wrapping up a baby to the point of immobility. 3) I had never eaten mustard with my breakfast wienies prior to this hospital stay. 4) The focus on umbilical cord disinfection and subsequent bundling in sterilized cotton was greater than I've seen in the past. There are a few more details that need not be mentioned here, but I'll close this section with one of my favorite things a nurse said to my baby in Serbian, probably one of the few things that I understood word for word, and I thought it was sweet, so I'll share it. She was changing his diaper and then began swaddling him (see referenced expert swaddling skills mentioned above) and as his tiny arms flailed about, she said sweetly, "You are a strong little man, but I am stronger," and in one fell swoop she had him swaddled and content. :)
So there's my blog. I hope it was worth the time you took reading it. Kyle's really a lot better at this than I am, but I hope you enjoyed hearing about our experience from both perspectives. Much love to you all, Jen
19 January 2011
12 January 2011
Wilson's Arrival, A Retro Diary
One of my favorite ESPN writers, Bill Simmons, often writes about games using the Retro Diary format. I thought this would be a great opportunity to bust that out while telling you all about Wilson's arrival. Now please keep in mind this is from my perspective, Jen swears she will write a guest blog so you can hear her experience. So here we go....
Sunday January 9th 2010
3:00 AM Contractions start, I was on the couch and had no idea what was going on.
5:00 AM Jen comes in and tells me her contractions are pretty regular and we are going to have a baby today. She decided to shower and get ready. I tell her to wake me up and give me 15 minutes to shower.
8:00 AM I wake up and ask Jen if she's ready to go, she says it's not time so I take my shower to resume the waiting we have been doing for about a week.
10:57 AM Contractions continue, waiting continues. During this time Jen had been using her phone to track the contractions. I really felt I should contribute to this labor so I told Jen she should look for a contraction app on her phone. Surely someone has created the contraction counter. And yes they had, so Jen adds that to her phone which enables her to have one touch contraction tracking. Glad I could help.
12:30 PM I had promised the girls to take them to a park that was flat and smooth so they could use their new scooter and roller blades from Christmas. So I took my phone (without a contraction app) and we headed to the park. It was a great time for me and the girls to hang out and play. K worked on stopping (key skill when rollerblading) and Miki was just Miki trying to run other kids over with her Scooter.
1:30 PM Return home fully expecting to take Jen to hospital but alas we waited some more.
3:00 PM Jens says its time so we hop in the van and head towards Narodni Front Hospital. Jen texted her doctor on the way, we were hoping he would come in on his day off.
3:38 Arrive at the hospital where a very nice security guard led us to the right place. They examine Jen and determine she is indeed in labor and wisk her off to the delivery department. Meanwhile I sit in the hall texting and emailing hoping they don't forget about me. (Jen will have to fill you in on her experience from this point, it definently has a few differences)
4:22 Very cool doctor walks in, Dr. Raša Amićić, and asks "Where is your wife?" I said she went that way and pointed - like I had any idea where she was? He said he would find her and come get me.
5:00 Dr. Amićić came back and said it will be time soon. He took me to a nurse who gave me scrubs, and a locker so I could be in the delivery. Most Serbian men don't go to the delivery so this American wanting to be there was a little odd. Jen and I were alone for about an hour and a half. It was nice and quiet and we really talked and laughed. The epidural made this more enjoyable for both of us.
6:30 Dr. returned and determined we were going to have a baby (still very surreal). He told Jen that we should take a practice push... and well out came Wilson's head. One more push and there he was in all his naked glory. From my end seemed pretty simple. The Dr. was impressed, kind of delivery he likes.
Wilson got his first bath, we got to hold him and pray for him. It was quiet and still, a wonderful moment. Eventually Jen was taken to her room, and met her first roommate (she eventually would get a different as the first one went home). I got her all set up and headed home around 10. All in all it I would say it was a top five day. We feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to have Wilson in Belgrade, where we live. It made the extra wait a little easier, we are all home together, and we can share our Serbian baby boy with our Serbian friends in Neighbors.
Sunday January 9th 2010
3:00 AM Contractions start, I was on the couch and had no idea what was going on.
5:00 AM Jen comes in and tells me her contractions are pretty regular and we are going to have a baby today. She decided to shower and get ready. I tell her to wake me up and give me 15 minutes to shower.
8:00 AM I wake up and ask Jen if she's ready to go, she says it's not time so I take my shower to resume the waiting we have been doing for about a week.
10:57 AM Contractions continue, waiting continues. During this time Jen had been using her phone to track the contractions. I really felt I should contribute to this labor so I told Jen she should look for a contraction app on her phone. Surely someone has created the contraction counter. And yes they had, so Jen adds that to her phone which enables her to have one touch contraction tracking. Glad I could help.
12:30 PM I had promised the girls to take them to a park that was flat and smooth so they could use their new scooter and roller blades from Christmas. So I took my phone (without a contraction app) and we headed to the park. It was a great time for me and the girls to hang out and play. K worked on stopping (key skill when rollerblading) and Miki was just Miki trying to run other kids over with her Scooter.
1:30 PM Return home fully expecting to take Jen to hospital but alas we waited some more.
3:00 PM Jens says its time so we hop in the van and head towards Narodni Front Hospital. Jen texted her doctor on the way, we were hoping he would come in on his day off.
3:38 Arrive at the hospital where a very nice security guard led us to the right place. They examine Jen and determine she is indeed in labor and wisk her off to the delivery department. Meanwhile I sit in the hall texting and emailing hoping they don't forget about me. (Jen will have to fill you in on her experience from this point, it definently has a few differences)
4:22 Very cool doctor walks in, Dr. Raša Amićić, and asks "Where is your wife?" I said she went that way and pointed - like I had any idea where she was? He said he would find her and come get me.
5:00 Dr. Amićić came back and said it will be time soon. He took me to a nurse who gave me scrubs, and a locker so I could be in the delivery. Most Serbian men don't go to the delivery so this American wanting to be there was a little odd. Jen and I were alone for about an hour and a half. It was nice and quiet and we really talked and laughed. The epidural made this more enjoyable for both of us.
6:30 Dr. returned and determined we were going to have a baby (still very surreal). He told Jen that we should take a practice push... and well out came Wilson's head. One more push and there he was in all his naked glory. From my end seemed pretty simple. The Dr. was impressed, kind of delivery he likes.
Wilson got his first bath, we got to hold him and pray for him. It was quiet and still, a wonderful moment. Eventually Jen was taken to her room, and met her first roommate (she eventually would get a different as the first one went home). I got her all set up and headed home around 10. All in all it I would say it was a top five day. We feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to have Wilson in Belgrade, where we live. It made the extra wait a little easier, we are all home together, and we can share our Serbian baby boy with our Serbian friends in Neighbors.
07 January 2011
Grandmother Arrives... Now if Wilson will do the same!
05 January 2011
Waiting on Wilson
Wilson was due Monday, but the temperature was about 20 degrees outside so we think he has decided to stay where it is nice and warm. If you know Jen and I being late is not something we do, so we are going to have to talk to this boy as soon as he does arrive. Lateness is not the habit he wants to start life with. In all seriousness, Wilson's stubbornness has been a blessing and part of God's plan. It has given us the opportunity to make two trips to the hospital and meet two doctors. One of whom we presume will deliver the boy. They both speak English and our exposure to the Hospital has helped calm the nerves a little. It has also really given me alot of time to reflect on raising a son. Raising daughters is great, I feel privileged by God to impact the lives of two young women on a daily basis. But being the model of the man my son will become, now that's overwhelming. I have been thinking about this for months, which of course leads me to thinking about my childhood and my role models. I am so thankful that God filled my life with wonderful men who could teach me how to be a man. Whether it was my Uncle John, a teacher, or a well placed coach my lessons on manhood came from so many places, God was always feeling the void. I pray that Wilson will learn from me and can grow into the man that God wants him to be. I pray I can be the man God expects me to be.
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