We were cutting it a little close, but I made it back to the States in time for the birth this time around.As hard as it was to be separated from my family for six weeks, the reunion at the airport just about made up for it. You can imagine the scene, as I came down the escalator and passed security, when Carrie, Sydney, and Lauren all ran up to me yelling “Daddy, Daddy!” and giving me big hugs. It was so good to see them and Sarah again. It was also really fun to see the smiles on all the faces of the people who saw us reunite.
Sarah arranged for a nice apartment that we are staying at convenient to the hospital and within walking distance to many shops. We have taken several trips to various stores and restaurants that we have been missing.
Sarah was scheduled to be induced on Monday, August 7, which we really liked because the baby’s birthday would be so easy to remember (8/7/06). So we went to the hospital that morning, filled out paperwork and got situated. They began the induction at 9:15 am and the baby was born almost exactly two hours later. It happened very quickly and smoothly—the only problem was that it happened so quickly that it was all over before the epidural was really able to help with much of the pain that Sarah had to bear.
I know there are some people out there that think it’s strange that we opted to wait to find out the sex of this baby, but I’ve got to tell you that for me it was really fun to keep it a surprise. As much as we would like to have a boy someday, we are very happy to have another beautiful, healthy baby girl.
She was 18 inches long and 7 lbs. 6 oz, which is our largest so far. She has long eyelashes, like our others, but otherwise looks a little different. Her mouth is bigger, her face and chin are rounder, and she has less of a cone-head than the rest..
When I brought our other girls to the hospital so they could meet their new sister, they all took turns holding her carefully. They are all very excited for the new addition to our family.
We have decided to name her Rachel—a biblical name meaning Lamb of God. It’s my Grandmother’s name on my Father’s side and the name of one of Sarah’s sisters. Rachel has been Sarah’s number one choice for a while and I couldn’t help but agree that she looks like a Rachel.
