It has been almost five weeks since Ethan was born and my life seems like it has finally begun to settle. The first few days after Ethan arrived, the lack of sleep didn't really phase me. My body was on a "new baby energy high"; but then it hit me. I was was so exhausted and sleep deprived that my eyes felt like they were constantly burning. Taking care of a brand new baby, a toddler who wants constant attention, and a neglected husband and dog, all while getting three or four hours of interrupted sleep, was rough. Thanks to receiving a ton of help from family and friends, I made it through.
Now that Ethan is a month old, I feel like I can finally take a deep breath and carry on with my life. The piles of office work and post-it notes lying around the house with my name on them are slowly getting accomplished and the frequency at which my toddler declares "Mommy (or Daddy) you're cranky!" has diminished immensely. At last, I can sit down at the computer and reflect upon my thoughts in peace and quiet (for a few minutes at least). So for keepsake purposes, I figured I needed to due a proper post on Ethan's arrival. Here it goes:
The night of Saturday, February 2nd, Erik and I both had fun engagements to attend. He had a guys night with his friends that kept him out until three in the morning and I had a very rare girls night that ended up being a surprise baby shower. So exciting! I got home around midnight and thought the next day was going to be completely normal. However, about 5:15am, my water broke. I could not believe it. Ethan wasn't supposed to arrive for 12 more days. The coming week I was going to tie up all of my loose ends. Getting my hair done, finishing office work, putting together my hospital bag, a fun mommy-daughter play date, etc. were all scheduled on my 'to do' list. I planned all of it two weeks before his due date so that the week prior I was completely free. That didn't work out as planned.
Erik and I gathered all of our things and woke up Claire just before 7am. She normally wakes up around 9am so this was unusual for her. We told her we were going to the hospital and that later in the day she would get to meet her new brother. She was extremely tired (as were we), but I think she was a little excited. I, on the other hand, was terrified of going through labor again.
By the time I was settled in my hospital bed, it was around 8:30am and labor was starting to progress. Receiving the epidural was a piece of cake (with Claire it hurt really bad), but the labor pains never seemed to go away. At one point in time, they put me on oxygen because Ethan's heart rate was a little low, but they told us it was nothing to worry about. Around 12:30pm I started pushing. In the middle of labor, the on-call doctor (my doctor was still in Africa) left the room to attend to a phone call. It seemed like she was gone forever so I asked another nurse to go get her. There I was in active labor with a 'student' nurse trying to get me through the contractions while Erik was huddled in the corner covering his eyes and plugging his ears. I was so annoyed the doctor left me to basically fend for myself. 
The doctor (and nurse) eventually came back and after an hour and a half of pushing I was completely worn out. I asked the doctor to use the vacuum (which I used when delivering Claire as well) to help speed the process along. She wanted me to be aware that he would have a bruise to which I replied "I don't care about a bruise, it'll go away... just get him out of here!". At 2:04pm our little guy arrived. Of course, he was perfect! They put him on my chest for a moment and then took him off to do all of the routine checks. I was so glad it (pregnancy and labor) was finally over. Hallelujah! Our nameless baby was here.
Later that evening we had our first visitors. Erik's parents had taken Claire to church with them earlier that day and were now bringing her to the hospital to meet her little brother. She was very excited. I think she gave him about fifty kisses. It was so cute!
As the time passed, I thoroughly enjoyed being waited on at the hospital. However, every time I would push the button for my nurse, I had to wait forever. So annoying! Even though I was tired, the luxury of having Claire taken care of by someone other than me, was wonderful. I also enjoyed giving our little guy away to the nursery at night so I could get some much needed sleep. My sister said she has never had that indulgence (at any of the 5 different hospitals she's delivered in) so I felt even more blessed. One of my favorite things from my hospital stay was the yummy drink my nurse constantly made for me. A little cranberry juice and Sprite was all it was, but it was delicious. I've tried to replicate it at home, but it has never tasted the same.
Throughout my stay, many friends and family came to visit. My favorite, of course, were Erik and Claire. Claire really enjoyed seeing her baby brother. She gave him kisses, colored him pictures, put stickers on him, and smiled for tons of pictures. She was also excited to give him his new bear and to her surprise, he gave one to her as well. Another exciting moment was Skyping with my parents in Norway. I was so grateful to have my in-laws iPad so that I could talk to my parents and show them their new grandson.
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| (This picture is deceiving. Ethan's legs don't actually go to the end of his jammies.) |
Only moments before our departure did we eventually decide on a name for our little guy. We couldn't decide between Ethan and Owen. Ethan was always our number one choice, but the fact that it is so popular made us waiver. After all the other names failed to deliver in our minds, we settled on Ethan Victor. Victor is my father's name. There were no boys in my family so we wanted Ethan's name to honor my Johansen side in some fashion. Erik had the brilliant idea of giving him my Dad's name. It was so sweet of him to think of that and I know my Dad feels especially honored.
After two days in the hospital, it was time to leave. I was very anxious to get home and see my baby Khloe. Our new life of 4 1/2 had finally begun.
