Welcome Micah Wesley!

Our due date was not until January 24th, so it was a surprise to welcome our new little one two and a half weeks early, on January 6th! I had been assuming he would be late, like his sister, and we'd have time to finish up all the last minute setting up and getting ready.

At 37 weeks I was diagnosed with a condition called cholestasis of pregnancy, which means that rarely for some women their liver and gall bladder don't work as well while pregnant, and it can lead to some complications for the baby. It goes away after delivery, but they like to deliver babies earlier to avoid the possible complications. So, basically it meant they wanted to induce the next day! After a good conversation with my doctor, we decided to go in that evening (the 5th) to check things out, see where I was and the baby was, and then induce in the morning.

I knew that our kiddo was healthy and okay, but I was anxious not knowing if I was ready. And what would it mean to be induced, given my goal of having a natural birth? I was also anxious to not have as long of a labor as before.

Thankfully, when I went to the hospital, I was already dialated to 3 cm - which means we were partly there already. At 9:30 Wednesday morning my doctor broke my water - and that is all it took. Mark was so supportive and encouraging, and an active participant the whole time. We walked, I got a nap, and my contractions slowly increased and got more intense through the day. At 3, we talked with my doctor about whether we needed to hurry things along, or if it was going the way it needed to. She decided to check back in with us at 5 - but we didn't that far! Things got more intense, and 45 minutes later and less than 5 minutes of pushing, I almost gave birth to Micah sitting on my yoga ball!

Naomi has welcomed Micah, and while I can see she wants more time with us, she really loves her brother.

Most everyone knows that Micah did not have a name when we went to the hospital - in fact, that was one of our concerns having to deliver early - this boy didn't have a name! Mark and I had some quiet time together in the hospital to discuss it, and consider him. We came to Micah after batting around a few options, and Mark reread the old testament book of Micah a couple of times, and remembering the themes there -- 'What does the Lord require of you? But to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.' We chose Wesley after Mark's dad and granddad.