At about 1:00AM this morning contractions started, and at 2:30 Lisa and I were headed out for the 45+ minute trip to Gothenburg, NE to deliver a baby. Our new baby had picked the single stormiest day of the winter to be born (though, also the last day to qualify for 2010 taxes 
), but my many years of ditch-touring experience during the winters of North Dakota had prepared me for a rather uneventful drive.
When Lisa had gotten settled in for the long haul they asked her what she thought about epidurals. Her response: “How soon can I get one?” 45 minutes later her IV and all were prepped for the procedure, but the doctor needed around an hour to get between her impenetrable vertebrae. After profuse apologies from him in regards to the duration and pain of it all, Lisa was glad to forgive him as the pain melted away.
Just about as soon as it wore off it was time to push. The Dr. gave her a quick tutorial about how to push, and then for some reason thought it was a good idea to trust me to coach and count. When he made it back a little over a half hour later he said it was time to change into his jammies and catch. At 11:00AM Ingrid Anita decided to make her grand entrance, and we had our long-awaited daughter!
…alien! At least, that’s what one grandpa said upon looking at the ultrasound pictures. I, on the other hand, had a different reaction. I thought our dear Eustace Clarence looked an awful lot like Emperor Palpatine (from Star Wars). Is that a bad thing? Click on the thumbnail below to see what I mean:
OK then, enough fun with look-alikes. You probably want to see the other ultrasound pictures, and find out if Eustace Clarence is a boy or a girl. Just click here to see!
