He's here and he has a name!

Jace Bradley Stoddard

April 23, 2008

7:21 am

8 lbs, 9 oz

21 inches

Tuesday around 5 pm, I started timing the contractions because I could tell they were pretty consistent and getting stronger. Brad and I walked around the block a few times and timed the contractions until midnight when we finally went to the hospital. Grandma Stoddard came over to stay with Cohen at our house. Brad was so skeptical, even though the contractions were about 4 minutes apart and increasing in intensity. He was sure they were going to send us home but I knew otherwise. They admitted us about 1 am and gave me the epidural by 2:30 am. The nurses thought it was funny how much the baby moved in my tummy. They couldn’t keep the heart rate monitor on him. Dr. Beck finally came around 6:45 am and broke my water. Jace was born in less than 5 minutes, after only 6 pushes.

Before he was fully born, the doctor commented on how much hair he had. It initially looked really strawberry blonde but looked more golden after his bath. There are some similarities to Cohen but he definitely has his own look. He is 9 oz heavier and 2” longer than Cohen at birth. We are surprised how big his hands are! Not just long fingers but really big "Wolfington" hands for such a tiny body! He was so calm right from the beginning, which was surprising considering how active he had been in my belly. He didn’t cry much at all even when the nurses messed with him.

As we were leaving the hospital, they told us that Jace failed the hearing test twice. They told us not to worry about it because he had just been circumcised an hour before and so he was really groggy. It’s also possible that he has lots of fluid in his ears, which is believable considering the ear issues we've had with Cohen. We're trying not to worry but it is a lingering thought in our minds. We have talked about the possibility of raising a child who cant hear and we have decided that there are much worse things. We talked about how limitations like that can really bring a family together, making siblings look out for each other and be more accepting of disabilities in general. We feel peaceful about it and are so grateful for how perfect and wonderful both of our boys are. Jace's hearing will be re-tested within the week.