And Along Came Coleman

When Alex was about a year old, we decided it was time to add another child to the family.  And again, as soon as we made that decision, I was pregnant again. 

This pregnancy was the easiest of them all - I only gained about 28 pounds (like less than half of the rest) - of course, I had no sugar or junk food for that entire time.  None.  I was scared of my midwife - so I ate just like she said I should.  After the baby - different story.  In fact, I remember going for a post-partum visit and she asked if I was still making good food choices.  I said yes, because I was.  Because choosing to have the Frosty instead of fries at Wendy's is an EXCELLENT food choice.

Anyway, I digress....onto the arrival of Coleman.

This time labour started with a few contractions - like one an hour - during chruch one Sunday.  We went home and continued our day.  That evening, around 7, James held a short stake missionary meeting at our house.  (He was ward mission leader).  All during that meeting - wait, maybe it was just a visit by a couple that he worked with since I distincly remember sitting in our living room with them - anyway, all that time I was having contractions about every 10 mintues.

After that time, James wanted to get ready for the birth - since I was really in labour.  I, however, wanted him to keep on finishing his homework (why had he left it until Sunday night???).   Sometime around 9pm, I think I let him stop and we got a few things ready for the birth.

At this time, my contractions were still only 5-10 min apart, and not that bad.  My midwife always loved to say "If you can walk and talk between contractions - you aren't there yet".  And I was just fine between contractions.

Around 9:30 or 10 pm I consented to let my friend come over and pick up Alex for the rest of the night, but I was convinced that I'd be lucky to have a baby by Tuesday at the earliest.  At this time in my labour with Alex I still had about 48 hours more to go!!

Well, I guess everyone else was right and I was wrong.  (The ONLY time this has ever happened - EVER!!).   I just didn't want to get my hopes up and then have days to go before it was over...

But by 10:15, I knew things were moving along quicker than with Alex - so I phoned the midwife.  And then, by 10:20, I had a contraction that turned into a push - so I phoned her back and told her to come over. 

[But - little did we know there was an accident on the freeway and her 10 min commute turned into a 45 min commute!]

Back at home, James and I were together - in the bathroom again - just the two of us.  For a few more mintues, and a few more pushes, and then...TADA!!!  Coleman!  Just like that there were 3 of us.  We called the midwife on her carphone (such a NEW invention back then) - it went like this:

PAT:  Hi Janine, how's it going?  How are the contractions?
ME:  It's a boy!
PAT:  Congratulations!  I'll be there soon!

So we sat and held that new baby boy and wrapped him up in warm towels and marvelled at the ease of that labour and the sheer joy and surprise of doing it ourselves.

The details:  Coleman Andrew named for James' maternal grandfather (Bryce Coleman Stringam) and James' father (Andrew Robert).  Sept 8, 10:30 pm, 6lbs 8oz. 

I'd post a picture, but I packed up all of our scrapbooks, and of course, this was before digital cameras were around.  Click here for another post with his baby picture.