Eve's First Smile on Film

 

Lydah Counting

ABC Video

All About Eve

Our second daughter, Eve, was born Wednesday, November 5th (my sister Whitney's birthday!) at 4:39 pm, weighing 5 lbs 13 oz and measuring 19 inches long. Despite being such a little peanut, Eve is healthy, content and quite the sleeper!

If you're interested, here are the birth details...
Since 32 weeks I'd been monitored closely by doctors for oligohydramnios, a fancy word for low amniotic fluid. So we arrived at the hospital on the second day of 38 weeks for a scheduled induction.
The pitocin IV was started at 8:45 am (by the way, I had the greatest nurse, which makes all the difference), and I began having contractions immediately. They were very manageable though -- I read, watched TV, and stared longingly at Greg's lunch -- until 2 pm, when my doctor came to break my water. Things got serious (painful) at that point, and intense contractions came every minute or so. I was released from pitocin at 2:30 pm, but I was only at 3 centimeters and figured I'd be having these till midnight (my labor with Lydah was a day-long event). I began pacing the room, showering, and having Greg rub my back -- anything to ward off these contractions that felt as bad as my hardest ones with Lydah. This went on until 4:30 pm, when I suddenly felt an urge to either expel something monstrous from my body, or get hooked onto the finest of the medical world's anesthetics. It was a total surprise when the nurse calmly announced, "OK, you're fully dilated." She also added, "But don't push." Yeah right, I thought, and began pushing immediately. At that point I didn't care if I had to catch the baby myself -- she was coming out. The nurse and Greg urged me to pant through the contractions and wait for the doctor, but the nurse finally decided to grab the nearest midwife to catch the baby. A few concentrated pushes later, and Eve was in my arms! (I have to mention that my dear husband, in an effort to get me to wait to push, glanced at the monitors, misread them, and told me that Eve's heart rate was low. Of course, this had the opposite effect.)

Now we're at home, we're adjusting well, and all four of us are surviving on precious naps and homebaked goodies from both grandmas.

Thanks for everyone's prayers!

Eve Maydella Coates is here!!!

5 lbs 13 oz
19 inches long
Born at 4:39 pm on November 5
Mommy, Baby, and Daddy all sane and healthy
Pictures below
Gotta go

Pictures and Parties

These last two months have been BUSY for the Coates' Family. It seems like we throw or attend a birthday party once a week! Lydah's 2nd birthday was especially eventful, with a party at home attended by friends from church and other friends we've made in Indy, as well as Grandma (Christy) Probst, Aunt Whitney (with Cousins Henry and Ben), and Great-Grandma and -Grandpa Sheridan (Christy's parents). In one of the pictures you'll see how Lydah and Henry bonded over Lydah's new dress-up clothes, and in another, the two cousins even share a post-party smooch!

The preschool here at the church threw Lydah a party as well, which made her first day at preschool a big hit. Later you'll see pics of the preschool field trip to a nearby pumpkin patch, where Lydah discovered a taste for hayrides, picking out pumpkins, and raw sweet corn!

Finally, there are some home photo shoot pics: Lydah saying 'hello' to the new baby (still in Mommy's belly, but not for long now!); Lydah in her new 'big girl bed', which is the bottom bunk of a bunk bed (babies sleep in cribs, she now says); and 'reading' to herself at home, one of her favorite introvert activities.