Ezra's Beginning

Although he is now 6 weeks old (!), I feel like I need to reflect and write down the story of sweet Ezra's arrival into this world. Overall, his birth was "easy" - I say that with quotations because labor and delivery are never easy, but this was a great experience where things moved along very smoothly and without complication. Bear with me as I remember the special hours and events leading up to our dear son's birth.

Thursday, May 26, 2011:

My last day of work had been about a week before this, on Friday, May 20th. I had had a great week with my sweet Evie girl and being home with her. We had enjoyed our days playing at the park, coloring and painting, reading, and just being at home together. I am thankful for those days that she was the center of my attention and my only focus - I wanted to give her that before her world was drastically rocked!

On Thursday morning, I vividly remember sitting with Evie in her room, playing on the floor, and having to lean against her dresser many times as I rode through some minor, but obvious, contractions. I knew, in the back of my mind, that things were happening, but I wanted to treasure every valuable moment!

LeahBeth and her boys stopped over around 10:15 am and the kids played outside for awhile. Again, I remember having to sit in the lawn chair as I watched the kiddos play and LB gave me a hug saying "Maybe I'll see you in the hospital next time!"

Andrew got home around 11:30 and he knew that I was having more contractions that any time previous to this. He wanted to start documenting things but it was lunch time! Chris' dad was in town and insisted that we join them for lunch at The Pasadena Sandwich Company! This was a welcome distraction from the continuing contractions and I thoroughly enjoyed my last meal of a large, delicious egg salad sandwich!

When we got home around 2, we really started to keep track of how things were going. I really just laid on the couch for a few hours while Evie napped and Andrew quickly graded the last few papers that he needed to finish! The contractions were consistent - ranging from 7-10 minutes apart and they were definitely manageable. When Evie woke up, Andrew took her to the store to buy some "supplies" - i.e. celebration beer!

As we prepared for dinner, around 5:30 or so, I was outside with Evie, Kim, and her girls. We were sitting under the orange tree, chatting, still having contractions, when I noticed a small "pop". Nothing really changed immediatley - no gush of fluid like there had been with Evie, but I headed in to asses the situation. Later, it would be determined that this was my water breaking and that labor had clearly begun.

As I called to dr to let them know, my contractions became remarkably more painful and much closer together - 3-4 minutes - and we knew it was time to go! Evie was brought over to Kim's for dinner and was soon picked up by Joey and Katie - where she would spend the next few nights. Andrew jumped in the shower and I tidied up around the house - nothing worse than coming home to a mess, right?!

It was really difficult for me to leave Evie. As excited as I was about meeting my new baby, I knew that things would never be the same for her and that her small world was going to get very complicated. I cried most of the way to the hospital as I worried about her - or rather, worried about myself and the relationship I had with her. I knew she was fine and in great hands - our dear friends here all did a wonderful job of caring for and loving Evie. It was just the end of something and the start of a new adventure for our family! I have always struggled with change.

When we got to the hospital, we were welcomed by a familiar face...Nurse Rita! She had been apart of Evie's delivery and we loved her then! I was so happy that she would be caring for me and helping bring Ezra into the world, too! As I was checked in, we discovered that I was already at 4 cm and moving quickly - this was around 7pm. Contractions continued to intensify and Andrew was a great help - talking and encouraging me through each one. We really felt like we were in an out of body experience, being there again, and going through the birth process again. It was nice, knowing a little more what to expect and how to manage the pain, etc. I really appreciate my husband and his support - he was great!

Around 9:30 or 10, I decided to get the epidural. Everything was going so fast that I didn't really have a chance to adjust to one level of pain before the contractions got even more intense. The epidural was great - just the right amount. I could still feel when I was having a contraction but was able to get comfortable and almost enjoy the experience, knowing that I would soon meet my boy.

As the night continued, Andrew got hungry :) As we did with Evie, we called upon our close friends, David and LeahBeth, to deliver some dinner for Andrew. Since I was feeling so good, we invited them up to visit for a bit - this was around 10:45 pm. We chatted for awhile, Andrew ate his Subway, and I rode through some more intense contractions...

At 11:30ish, Rita came in to check on me, said "How are we feeling?" and I responded with "I think I need to push!" The urge was there and I knew it was time - I hadn't felt that with Evie but it was clear to me that this little guy was ready to come out!

David and LB quickly said good bye and headed home - later wishing that they would have waiting around - had they known how quickly Ezra would have arrived! Dr. Schori was called and we started to push! On a side note, Dr. Schori was not on call, but came in anyways to deliver our baby! I was very grateful that she took the time to come and see her work completed! I think that Ezra could very well have been born on May 26, but we had to wait for her to get there!

A few pushes later and he was here!

The little man came out screaming and let us know that he had arrived! I think his mouth, in these pictures, looks so much like his big sister's.

Even though it had been only 16 months and 3 days, I had forgotten how in love you can fall in a slit second when that tiny, slippery, baby is laid upon your chest. Nothing in the world compares to that feeling and I thank the Lord over and over that I have had the amazing opportunity to experience it twice.

Ezra Clark Reyn Wright was born a health 7.1 lbs and cuddled up to me right away. He latched on well right away and began to nurse very quickly. I also was feeling great! It had only been about 5 hours since we arrived at the hospital until the time that he was born. Because of this, I wasn't too tired, Ezra looked great because he hadn't had any trauma, and my epidural had been just right - all in all - helping me feel really well and able to enjoy and really remember those precious first moments.

His name:

It took us a long while to settle on Ezra's name. Even up until the time that we were driving to the hospital, we were debating over his name - especially his middle name(s).

Ezra means "helper." This can be in reference to the Old Testament prophet and how he was a helper to the Israelites, as well as how God is a helper to His people. We pray that our Ezra will embody this trait, as well, and care for/help those around him. We also pray that he will seek the Lord's help and recognize how God is a helper in his life. There is also a community settlement called Ezer, in Israel. Community and sharing life together is something that we consider essential and necessary for complete human flourishing. We have had the wonderful opportunity over the past several years to share community with such incredible people who have shaped our lives and supported us through some difficult times. Ezra is apart of that too, and without the support, encouragement, and laughter of our community, this all would have been even harder. We wanted his name to reflect the importance of community and how we so value our friends, family, neighbors, etc. as a part of our life and our children's.

Clark is Andrew's middle name, as well. We finally decided to go with this to give Ezra a connection to our family and to continue the family name. I often call Andrew by his middle name because I like how unique it is. I really like that Ezra shares part of his daddy's name!

Reyn is the odd one, to most people. Pronounced with a short e, the Reyn is a restaurant here in Pasadena. At first glance, one may wonder why in the world we named our son after this hole-in-the-wall establishment?! However, this place is much more than a breakfast joint. Hours upon hours have been spent here, in the wobbly booths, with dear friends. Deep conversations about all sorts of things have happened over countless cups of coffee, frustrations about life have been shared during bites of greasy banana bread, and so much laughter has been experienced behind the tacky curtains! The Reyn has been a place of joy, reflection, hope, and enjoyment for us over the past 5 years. "Every good day begins at the Reyn" and it only seemed fitting to connect these memories to Ezra. Through my pregnancy with him, we visited the Reyn many times, and we always came out much happier and ready to handle what life may through at us. The Reyn is a happy place for us and the relationships shared there are deeply rooted in Ezra's life...even if he doesn't know it.

And now, here we are, 6 weeks into this adventure.

I could go on and on about how we have been transitioning, how Evie has been doing, and how Ezra is changing by the day. But, I will end it here and close with this...

My heart overflows.