Presenting Izaak Calvin Evans
(seen here at a whopping 12 hours old!!!)
Alex and I are so excited to present to you our newest family member, Izaak (German spelling and means laughter) Calvin (after Calvin & Hobbes cartoon) Evans ('cause we couldn't come up with anything more original than using our own last name).
He was born at 8:04 pm on Saturday June 16th. He was ALMost a true Father's Day gift for Alex, although the proud papa says he absolutely considers his son THE BEST Father's Day gift he could ever get! (which worked out well for me in that I hadn't yet gotten a suitable gift figured out for the "Father to be" - and now he considers himself gifted :D)
Izaak was 8lbs exactly (well, Alex says "not exactly", he was 8.008 lbs, but close enough I say LOL) and 21 inches long when they measured him 24hrs after his arrival (he had quite the little cone-head when he came out, so I think he must have been even longer than that at the outset! LOL; but we think he's perfect just as he was/is/will be). He joined us after a veeerry long process (from 11am Thursday to 2:30pm Monday) which didn't go quite exactly as we had been "planning" for months, but the stellar conclusion of the whole experience is that Izaak is healthy, happy, home and part of our family now, which was the only really important agenda item in "the plan".
I know they sound like "setbacks" or gruesome horror stories, (inductions/ exhaustion/ epidurals/ marathon pushing/ etc.), but God was so with us all the time and we just feel so blessed by the whole experience. We feel like we made good decisions from the choices which were available to us, we didn't rush into anything, but we were careful to take care of both Izaak and my health. Besides which Izaak and I had a crackerjack birthing team to help us out! Words just can't express how much support Alex was during the whole process, both physically (helping ease my discomforts), but also emotionally, he was my advocate and my hero; remembering his support at such a strenuous time still brings tears to my eyes, from moment one I just really knew that he was our protector and champion; Izaak and I are truly blessed! Besides God and my husband there was also an invaluable trio of ladies helping on all sides to make things easier for all of us. Valerie was our doula and she was just wonderful (she's been working with Karen Wells and I would highly recommend her!). Also, my best friend Cathy had flown in from Ohio (hoping against hope that her visit might encompass the birth, which it turns out it did). In addition, the fact that we were in the hospital so long (God is GOOD) also made it possible for my mother to drive in from Idaho and be there in time for the birth. The Midwives and nurses who were attending us (before/during and after the birth) were just great (and we got to know a bunch of them pretty well given how long we were there!)
The Babushka (we're trying to get used to calling her this as it is what my mom wants to known as) has also been here this week helping us out in so many innumerable ways (making meals, running errands, doing laundry, watching Izaak so Alex and I can catch some mid-day shuteye, etc.) all of which has been SUCH a blessing allowing Alex and I time to really try to get our head wrapped around this new life we have with a baby! We were very sorry to see her leave this morning, but she needed to get back home to take care of some work issues.
We're on our own now! Who's bright idea was that???? LOL
Izaak and I are working very hard on figuring out this whole new process of eating, which neither one of us really knows anything about but we seem to be getting the hang of slowly. It was an interesting realization to understand that while we big people eat when we are hungry, that baby didn't have any actual association between the feeling of a need in his belly and then that nursing is the "cure" for that discomfort. But as I say, we are getting it slowly but surely. He does sleep a lot (during the day of course), so I am still watching the clock like a neurotic person to make sure he is getting waked up and fed every 2-3 hours. We have already had one consult with the lactation consultant, and are going for another one this afternoon (please pray that he is getting enough in him during his many snacking sessions, gaining weight and satisfying their concerns; we are certainly working very hard at it!). Nursing is just not as easy as intuition would make it seem. I guess it is a learning process and we're figuring it out, God willing...
Alex is staying home from work this week on paid paternity leave (a very gracious and generous surprise from his boss) and we are so enjoying this time of family bonding. I'm not sure how much good he would be at work anyway given the lack of sleep we have been "enjoying"... Man I just send an extra prayer of blessing to any single parents out there, I simply can't imagine doing this on my own. We're only able to get any sleep at all because we tag-team naps. The nursing by itself feels like a full time job and Alex is soooo supportive and helpful... he will get me something to drink or help with pillow adjustments, even holds his little hands out of the way so we can get "latched" properly and helps me in what feels like the continual efforts to trick Izaak out of sleeping through his meals! And those huge things are so minimal when compared to just having the continual comfort and support of someone who loves you and loves your baby unconditionally.
I know it is silly, but I really did think that the whole "sleepless nights" rumor about newborns was just a euphemism for "not as much sleep as we'd like"... but no... the keyword is "sleepless"... Izaak is just a bit confused about the difference between daytime and nighttime and wants to sleep all day and party all night (Alex thinks he's just going to be a night-owl like his dad, but our Natureopath says that it is completely normal since for the last 9 months he's been rocked to sleep all day by my movements and left to his own devices all night while I slept). Last night was the "best" one yet, I actually got 3 separate 45-60 minute naps in and I think Alex got just a little bit more than that... It may take a while yet, but it does feel encouraging that we are moving in the right direction sleep-wise, and we are being much more successful in discerning his needs/desires so are able to comfort him better when he just doesn't know what to do with himself (he seems to want to sleep, but then wakes up immediately and is hopping mad about it)
I wanted to send this email out right away, but having a newborn around is pretty "all consuming"! I also wanted to get some pictures posted (he really is just the most beautiful baby EVER!) but needed to wait until we got downloads from the various sources. Anyway, sorry it has taken so long, but we did want to give him a big introduction and have posted some of the many (200+ edited for size and content) pictures taken of baby Izaak in his first few moments and days of life on the free Google picture hosting site Picasa (very happy with their service so far):
http://picasaweb.google.com/ajaxtreehouse/BabyIzaak?authkey=KjkOUXEYA6A
Anyway, this has turned into a bit of a book and if I don't send it off soon it will become a tome!
Thank you all so much for your many and continued prayers and well wishes.
Alex, Jacqué & Izaak Evans
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