As I'm sure you have heard, Hayden James Steers joined the family on December 26th, evening up our little boy count at four, and completing our now not-so-little family. You may not have heard about all of the excitement surrounding his arrival, though, so here is his story.
Lawson had arrived about two and a half weeks early, so we knew that there was a possibility that the new little fellow could do the same, but we certainly didn't expect him anytime before the first week of January. We had a c-section delivery scheduled for January 11th, 2013, and because of all the bustle of the holidays we hadn't really begun to prepare for him yet.
Fortunately, Kirk was off work this year so on Christmas Day we got up early and enjoyed our gifts, then drove up to Cottonwood to spend a quiet evening with the Cobbs (my sister Grace's family), Drakes (My mom & stepfather), Kenn & Karen (my brother and his future wife), and my grandmother, Marjorie. We talked, laughed, and ate too many brownies and made plans to spend the next day touring the Drakes' new home and just generally relaxing together. Those plans changed drastically when I woke up at 7:00 A.M. on the 26th to find my water had broken and I was already having contractions. We promptly loaded the boys and the luggage back into the car (just over 12 hours after arriving), and headed back home to the Bay Area, pretty certain that we could make it our little medical center in Antioch with no problem.
A long car trip with three little boys can try a mother's patience under the best circumstances, but the boys did their best to be quiet and calm so I could concentrate on timing contractions and texting folks who needed to know about the exciting day we had ahead of us. Our good friends the McConnells met us at our house as soon as we pulled into town, and they took the boys so that Kirk & I could head up to the hospital. There must have been something strange going on in the atmosphere that day, because when we arrived there were three other women already there also in labor and needing c-section procedures. As there was only one available operating room and only one surgeon, I ended up waiting (still in labor, of course) from 11:30 A.M. until 3:30 P.M. for my surgery to begin. I was actually very excited when I saw the doctor who would be delivering the baby, however, as she was the same surgeon who had delivered Lawson.
The delivery, despite being a little risky because it was my 4th c-section, was very smooth and safe. Hayden was born at 4:02 P.M., and although his gestational age was only 36 weeks 4 days, he was obviously very strong and healthy. He was 18 and 3/4 inches long, and at 7 pounds and 1 ounce he was the tiniest baby we'd ever had.
As soon as I was out of recovery and back in the maternity ward Kirk went to pick up the big boys, so Hayden met his big brothers on his birthday. They seemed amazed at how tiny he was, and Koen was especially glad that I was fine. Grandpa Budd Steers and Grandma Marilyn also came to the hospital to meet him, and then they took the boys to our house for the night. Because we wanted Dillon, Koen & Lawson to be at home in their own beds (and because we didn't want to impose on kind grandparents indefinitely), Kirk left the hospital the next day and Hayden and I were on our own after that. We weren't alone, though, as we enjoyed visits from my friends Stacia McConnell, Michelle Bowen, and Stefanie Finnegan. Those visits made what would have been a very long, lonely, pain-filled day a speedy, happy, and quite bearable one.
The next day (Dec. 28th) I was thrilled to find out that because Hayden was doing so well we were going to be discharged that day--a day early! Ordinarily, I would have stayed in the hospital just for the extra peace, quiet, and help; but there were 7 other c-section moms & babies (plus several other "regular delivery" babies) all on the ward with us, meaning that there was very little peace, quiet, or extra help to be had. Although babies born at 36 weeks often have trouble regulating their own body temperature and blood sugar, Hayden had no trouble in those areas and he was eating well, so we were good candidates to go home, I guess. Unlike all of his big brothers, he also somehow avoided jaundice and didn't have to spend any time under the bilirubin lights, thank goodness.
So, after spending not even 48 hours in the hospital, Hayden and I were discharged. I might have been a bit more worried, except that MY Christmas present arrived on the 28th, and right in time: my sister Katie, who had come to stay and help for 10 days. She was such a blessing to all of us--playing with the boys, cooking, cleaning, forcing me to relax, and helping Kirk put the nursery together. My sister Grace also came to help for a couple of days, and we enjoyed a visit from my dear friend Nicole Hennings Smith. Once Katie left, my mom came for a few more days, and so the boys all made the transition to being part of a 4-child family with as much love and attention as is humanly possible.
Welcome to the ongoing tale of our adventures (and misadventures) as we attempt to raise four (relatively) well-adjusted kids and squeeze every bit of fun out of life. This page is sure to be full of travel tales, remodel drama, half-completed craft projects, and just general mischief.
