The Parents Arrive

By coming on August 30th, Kate ensured she would be the center of attention on what was supposed to be a weekend focused on her Mom & Dad (I guess we'd better get used to that). Since Jon was scheduled to pin-on Major on Aug 31st, all four parents were flying in on the 30th for that celebration as well as Jen's 30th b-day on Aug 30. Little did they know they'd get to meet little Kate instead. Landed at Dulles airport that afternoon, borrowed the Waider's car, and drove to the hospital. The Luminati grandparents cried, while the Minnery grandparents laughed at the Luminati grandparents (some things never change). After about two hours, one of the grandparents remebered to wish Jen a happy birthday, thus proving Jen's theory that she'd be taking a back seat on her b-day from now on.

Kathryn Grace is Born

Kathryn Grace Luminati was born at 12:40 am on the morning of August 30th. She came out healthy and crying, with her right hand next to her cheek. Dad cut the unbillical cord and then the staff cleaned her up. She weighed 5 lbs 14oz and was 19 in long. Much to the (initial) dismay of her mother, Kate and Jen share the same birthday. Seeing her born was an indescribable experience. If you've been through it, you know. If you haven't, you'll just have to take my word for it. After getting cleaned up, she was quiet and alert for an hour or two, and immediately interested in feeding. God had been very gracious to little Kate. Despite the low amniotic fluid, she was completely healthy, and even weighed more than the doctors thought. Jen and I spent some time recounting how God had answered prayer after prayer throughout the pregnancy and birth.

Suprise, Time for Induction!

Jen went in for fetal monitoring this afternoon while Jon was at work. Everyone figured it would just be another session without incident. But it turned out Jen was just beginning to have some light contractions. During each contraction, the baby's heart rate dipped a little, so the OB decided to induce. Jon rushed to Bethesda through DC traffic, while Jen started an IV and a Pitocin drip to induce labor. The first few hours when slowly, but once Jen hit 4cm, things really speeded up. The contractions became very frequent and painful. After a few hours, Jen got to meet her new best friend, the anesthesiologist, who gave her an epidural. A couple of minutes later, labor was a whole different experience. The photo shows Jen a few minutes after receiving the epidural (You can tell by the smile). From there, things went pretty fast. In just another couple of hours she was dialated to 10cm and pushing.