Welcome, Baby!

Blessings on the Collings household this week! (Photo courtesy of Roger Hoffman)

Justin got home a little later from work than usual Monday evening. He had intended to spend half an hour or so working on his university conference talk, but the spirit of inspiration was so strong, thirty minutes turned into ninety. "That probably means we're going to have the baby tomorrow," Lia told him, an assurance neither of them took seriously since she has never gone into labor on her own, she wasn't actually due for another two days, and the induction was scheduled for Friday. 

We learned never to say never; at 2 am the next morning Lia awoke with contractions too uncomfortable to sleep through, and at 5:30 Justin and Lia left for the hospital. Wonderful Elisabeth got the kids up, breakfasted and groomed (Katharine), and dropped off at school (Elisabeth). 

Despite an entire third trimester's listening to the empowering mantras and affirmations of Pregnancy and Postpartum TV's YouTube channel about being strong through a natural birth, after two nights of four hours of sleep, Lia opted to just get an epidural rather than take on the work of breathing through more contractions. This slowed labor down a bit, but given that baby was wrapped into all sorts of contortions in an extra long umbilical cord and that her head was turned in such a way that pushing was a bit of an ordeal, she thinks it was an inspired move. 

After clean up and sew up, but before dinner was quite made, Nin and Elisabeth brought the adoring siblings over in two cars. Abdiel was especially sweet to see holding his little sister. Katharine and Elisabeth stayed after the others left to do clean-up on Justin and Lia's hospital-provided celebratory dinner. We're not sure that the bottle of Martinelli's made it home to the others. 🤨

Hopefully the reader is not as bored of this post as Baby is. 🙏

Julia, of course, did not get to hold her new sister, but, Baby arriving on p-day Tuesday, she was able to be a part. She called and saw her and also sent two beautiful violin lullabies, "I Am a Child of God" and "My Heavenly Father Loves Me" that Lia listened to during labor and with Baby afterward. 

Julia had hoped to hear the name before anyone else, but we had to see and meet Baby before we committed. Turned out the name we came expecting to give her did not fit, but Miriam Estelle did. And so, our 7 lb 11 oz., 20.5" long, 93% head circumference Miriam came into our lives at 11:54 am. She is absolutely perfect, and became even more perfect with her bath and clothes donned the following day. 

She must have been embarrassed still to be wearing her vernix when Opa brought her brothers to see her. Gabriel brought a love letter with him. What a charmer!

In only slightly less exciting news, Gwyn and Elinor started school on Monday of this week, and Katharine and Abdiel will start on Thursday. They tried hard not to rub it in by hanging out in their pajamas a good long while after G and e had already left for school. 

Gabriel also assented to his first real dental check-up, along with every one else. We had some pretty busy shopping, lesson, appointment days this week trying to be prepared for both a new baby and beginning of school. 

But G and g managed to keep it real.