A Lamb Is Born!

The log:

Ultrasound picture of Ryan/Amanda from 7/22/96 Here's Ryan/Amanda (we're not sure yet). This is an ultrasound from 7/22/96. The nurse said that the due-date on this one would be 2/25/97, even though mom wants it to be on the 15th.

Ultrasound picture of Ryan/Amanda from 9/18/96 Whatever you may think, this is not an alien. This is an ultrasound from 9/18/96. After measuring the baby's head, the nurse said the due-date would be 2/27/97. We complained, so she dropped it back to the 25th. We got to see the heart beating (144 bpm), but didn't get to find out any gender-related info... Maybe next time.

9/19/96 - 12/30/96. Mom just got bigger and bigger.. Well.. So did baby. We still don't know if we're having a boy or a girl. There havn't been any more ultrasounds, and we aren't expecting to have any more. Oh well. Tomorrow is yet another doctor's appointment; We'll get to hear the baby's heartbeat.

12/31/96. Okay.. So the kids (Danielle & Michael) got to terrorize the waiting room at Kaiser for about 40 minutes, while we waited 30 extra minutes for our scheduled appointment. Finally, we were let in, and mom got her temperature and blood pressure taken. Luckily, she got them back right away. Dad just sat and watched, while attempting to keep #1 and #2 within sight. They threw us into the examination room for about 10 more minutes (it felt like 60). We made balloons out of the rubber gloves to keep the kids and dad occupied. The doctor finally walked in, and put a microphone to mommy's tummy. We heard the heartbeat! Wow! We just can't wait! Anyway.. The doctor said "No more chocolate, or other fatty-sugary foods". Mom peacefully protested, but agreed. Doc said that everything looks good, and we are right on schedule at 32 weeks. Mom argued that we were in the 33rd week. The doc broke down and agreed that today is the first day of the 33rd week. Mom is quite the negotiator. This whole visit with the doctor took about 2 minutes. We have our next appointment on 1/28/97. On the way home, we discussed names. We both decided that we don't like "Ryan" or "Amanda" for our #3. We think we like "Amy Nichole", or "Christopher Todd". What do you think? Send us email, or sign the guestbook.

1/2/97: A nurse called from Kaiser, and gave us a "tentative" date for the c-section. Thursday, February 13, 1997. At least it's not a Friday. Danielle's best friend's mother down the street said that a c-section is a "civilized" way to have a baby: You get a good night's sleep, you go to the hospital in the morning, and you have the baby. No more of this 12-hour gut-wrenching, screaming-in-agony, labor stuff, that ends in a c-section anyway. Oh boy, we just can't wait!

2/5/97: The Pre-Op appointment. All the paperwork was signed for the c-section. Now, we can go up to Walnut Creek Kaiser at any time, and ask them to yank this thing out. It may happen early, since mommy is having some contractions, and is already dilating. We decided that the baby cannot possibly come out before Sunday the 9th, since Thursday, there is a new episode of Friends, and Saturday is beer-bottling day for dad and Uncle Shane (We are brewing a fabulous nut-brown ale, and a vanilla stout). Any day after that would be great! Over the past couple weeks, we've had baby-name melt-down. Mommy decided that she didn't like "Amy" as a name, since it is too short. The "Nombre Del Dia" (name of the day) is now Emily Nichole for a girl. Christopher Todd remains our favorite for a boy. Danielle disaproves our choice of names. She wants "Deborah" or "Thomas".

2/13/97: The big day.

Wow.. 3:30 in the morning is way too early to get up. For some unknown reason, Kaiser wanted us in Walnut Creek by 5:00 am. Grandma and Grandpa Lamb showed up at our front door at about 4:00 am to watch Michael and Danielle for the day. We can't thank them enough (if we don't, then they won't be back to watch the kids again tomorrow). We left for the hospital, and showed up at 4:50. Lynnette used to work with the nurse who checked us in (at a different hospital), so we were treated to the deluxe suite with the balcony, and view of the ocean. It was dark, so we couldn't verify that we actually had a view of the ocean, but we certainly didn't have a balcony. Besides that, the room is beatiful. This is to be her recovery room. There's only one bed, so she has the whole room to herself. We sat around, and watched a taped episode of Star-Trek while we waited for people to come in to ask stupid questions, and draw blood (That's right, we have a VCR in the room). 8:00 rolled around, and we were told that the c-section was imminent. The sun came up to reveal that our view was, in fact, the parking lot of the Hickory Pit. At 8:30, mom was plopped down on the operating table and dressed up. Dad had to wait outside while curtains were drawn, and the Doctor prepped. It only took about 10 minutes from the time dad got in there until the baby was delivered. Like the other two, dad got this on video. They pulled the baby out, and plopped him on a tray to be poked and prodded. It's a boy!! After tagging him, he got to see mom for a brief moment before going to the nursery. Christopher Todd Lamb's birth weight is 8 lbs 0.6 oz. He's 20.5 inches long, and very healthy (10 fingers, 10 toes). Here are some pictures:

Chris sleeping in his little hospital-crib. Here he is sleeping! So far, that's about all he's doing. He looks so much like his big sister, Danielle. He has pictures of his bigger brother and sister taped to the inside of his crib.

Mom and baby Christopher Here's mom w/Christopher. He's in mid-yawn. He has alot of black/brown hair on his head. Look for more photos on the web page soon. This is about 6:00 pm, so mom is feeling much better. She, and baby, aren't nearly as red as these photos look. Blame it on Poloroid.