And Then There Were Three...

Lisa and I are proud to annouce that Jocelyn Kathleen Orrell was born at 10:18am at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center in Gilbert, Arizona. She arrived a very healthy 7lb 8oz, 20.5 inch long little girl. Her 1 and 5 minute APGARS were both 9. She had a mild amount of respiratory distress that required going to the nursery for a few minutes to clear some meconium from her lungs. She was a bit of a grunter, trying to expel the fluid on her own, but after 15 minutes in the nursery with her daddy, she let out the most beautiful, and powerful, cry and let us know that she was perfectly healthy and ready to tackle this life with her mother and and me at her side. We are so excited for this next chapter in our lives. I am at home now to take care of the dogs and get some sleep. But I already can't wait to get back to the hospital in the morning to hold my little girl and kiss my sweet wife.

I am so appreciative to Lisa for her sacrifice. I can't even express how much awe I felt throughout the delivery process. Jocelyn is a miracle - from a couple of dividing cells we now have a tiny, healthy baby with a sweet spirit, sent from our Heavenly Father. I am in love.

We Are 'Go' for Liftoff

The anesthesiologist just left the hospital room. The epidural is in and Lisa didn't even wince. My wife has the courage and pain tolerance of a comic book super hero.

Lisa and I have been here since about 1:15am. Little Jocelyn didn't like being told what to do, so she has decided to come on her own, without help of induction. We have a defiant, strong-minded little girl.

At around 10pm, contractions started to get pretty intense and regular enough that we began timing them. At 12:30am, we left for the hospital. So, here I lay on the small couch in the delivery room, trying to get some sleep. At this point, Lisa is dialated to 6cm and 70% effaced. We could be holding our little girl within the next 8 hours. I am going to sign off for now and try to get some shuteye so that I can be the best coach and husband that my brave wife needs. Next stop: Parenthood.

Giving Nature a Push...

Little Jocelyn doesn't quite seem to want to come out of her nice, warm home. I can't say that I blame her - the world can be cold and unforgiving. Lisa has told her time and again that we are very fun, and that she definitely wants to be born. However, she is reluctant to actually listen to her mother - we already have a defiant child.

Lisa had a doctor appointment today, and for the third consecutive week, the doctor stripped Lisa's membranes in hopes of getting labor underway. Granted, today IS Jocelyn's due date, but at this point, we just want to meet our little girl. So, the doctor scheduled induction for tomorrow morning (03/09/2010) at 05:00am. Lisa was a little freaked out about it, and the emotions got to her. This is it, I am going to be a father; lisa is going to be a mother; we are going to be parents.

Wish us luck!

My Wife has Mad Skills!

Seriously - mad skills. She has been making so many items for Jocelyn. She is rapidly becoming a master seamstress. She is making the bedding for the crib, as well as a changing pad cover, and a whole bunch of burp-cloths and other fun things. She is even taking some old t-shirts and making them into little sleepers.

I think it is really fun for her, she gets to have a nursery that fits her unique tastes and it saves money. Our little girl is the luckiest girl in the world to have such a wonderful mommy. And, if she takes after her very excited parents, she will quite the problem solver. Any time Lisa is trying to learn some new way to sew something, she heads for the internet and does the research. It's almost like receiving an upload of information from The Matrix, but without those pesky plugs in the back of the head.

I can't wait for our little girl to feast her eyes on the goods her very creative mom has concocted for her!

I Have Dreamed a Dream...

...and in it, I slept through the birth. Yep, I guess everything went okay, because I slept right through it. In this dream, I awakened with my head on Lisa's belly, Jocelyn supported by my head - nursing - being adorable.

The odd thing about this is that the very concept of sleeping through the birth is completely converse to my personality. Perhaps the dream means that the labor and delivery will be smooth and easy for Lisa? I don't know, but as long as there is a Dr. Pepper within reach, I will be ready to go!

Baby Showers and Baby Furniture

Well, Lisa is still partying it up at her baby shower. I am sure that it is a pretty fun time for her and her family. I, on the other hand, have been busy putting together furniture for the nursery.

Lisa is a Jedi when it comes to finding amazing deals. She found a person on Craigslist that was selling a voucher for a new crib, issued because the seller's crib had been recalled by the manufacturer. So, we spent $225 for a voucher that is good for a new crib up to $369. But it gets better - Lisa found a crib at Babys 'R' Us that comes with a free $200 changing table! The matching crib is $399, so we got $600 worth of new baby furniture for $255!

I picked up the crib and changing table this morning. I had to take it out of the boxes to fit it in the back of the T-Rex Funhead. But, I got it home in good order and had it assembled in about an hour. Last weekend we painted the nursery, so things are coming together nicely.

I can't wait for Lisa to get home and see all of the fun stuff that people got for our little girl. How fun this little adventure is! Here is a look at the furnitute - neat, huh?

The Progression of Feeling

I think I might have mentioned in a previous post that when we first learned that Lisa was pregnant, I really didn't feel anything for this new life coming into the world.

I am not sure if any man really does - after all, your wife tells you that she's pregnant, but she doesn't look any different. For me, a man who believes in science, there is nothing tangible other than the digital display of the pee-stick which reads 'pregnant'. However, throughout this pregnancy, there has definitely been a shift in the feelings that have grown within me.

Like I said, when the pregnancy was first revealed, I was happy, but I didn't feel any love for this child. I felt an overwhelming love for my wife and gratitude for this answer to our prayers, but this child was still non-existent.

A few weeks later when we finally were able to see a little olive-sized mass of cells and hear the heartbeat, I felt relief. This little life was indeed real and I felt protective of my wife, to insure her safety throughout the pregnancy.

Still a few weeks later, when we found out that we were having a little girl, a little Jocelyn, I became attached to this little girl.

As the weeks passed, and I could feel her kicking inside of the womb, that attachment grew. But in December, when we were able to see our little Jocelyn in a 4D ultrasound, I fell in love with my little daughter. As strong as I feel towards her right now, I can't imagine how that feeling can possible be any deeper or greater, but I am excited to meet her and hold her.

What a wonderful blessing, to feel such love for a life you haven't yet met.