Amelia then (December, 2005)
A year ago today, I was home in Colorado and my sister’s stomach was huge. I had a four day window surrounding the expected birth of her first ever child. I prayed every night for months beforehand…hoping that something would happen while I was home. We researched all the natural ways to get the baby going…long hikes (while my poor sister was carrying 30 lbs on her tiny little hips), cups and cups of raspberry leaf tea, pineapple, spicy Indian food. Thank goodness we didn’t go the castor oil route!! However, I think the yoga the morning of December 4, 2005 (the due date) was what did the trick. I remember walking around Pearl Street during that yoga time…it was a cold but sunny day and I had just purchased a funny little porcelain baby doll ornament with a broken foot.
Never would I imagine how that day would change so dramatically.
At around 3:30pm my sister was sitting on the couch and said she felt something. She wasn’t sure if it was a contraction because it was so low on her enormous beach ball of a stomach…but it was different than a gas pain or baby kick. She looked at all of us with such an odd but excited expression. Me being the naive and excitable person I am…I watched her like a hawk for the next few hours and I would not leave her side. As time progressed the odd lower belly pain started to kick in on a more regular basis. She was actually starting to have contractions. Around 6:00pm she and Cyril were timing each contraction which naturally became increasingly more and more painful. I will never forget watching them time a contraction while a horrible cartoon with angry Santas played in the background. The Santas chanted “Ho, ho ho. Ho ho ho. Ho ho ho” in such a vicious and repetitively faster manner…it almost made me nauseous. I didn’t want to say anything to Steph and Cyril…I thought I would let them do what they needed to get through the contractions.
Because the medical costs in having a baby are so high, the soon to be new parents wanted to wait as long as they could before heading to the hospital. When my sista could no longer handle the pain…my mom, brother in law, and I (along with the woman in pain) headed off to the hospital. I couldn’t imagine sitting at home just to wait in anticipation, so I had to go with the troops. When we arrived at the hospital my sister was already 7 or 8 cm dilated so they whisked her off to receive an epidural (just in the nick of time!). My sister was so funny when she lost control over her little white legs. The poor woman pushed and pushed and the delivery nurse (who reminded me of Karen from Will and Grace) used so many interesting tactics to try and get my sister to pop the child out….but nothing happened. My parents and I were all in the delivery room for every moment. I don’t think I have ever had as much adrenaline running through my body as I did that night. I can’t say the same for my dad…at one point he was literally sprawled out on the couch in the delivery room…snoring (all while my sister was quietly screaming in pain). If nothing less, it was a comical moment. At around 5am the doctor decided that perhaps a C-section would make the most sense. My mom and dad went home to rest for a few hours and I slept on the cold cold couch…shaking in nervousness (and from the cold)…wondering if my sister was ok.
At 5:32am, Steph and Cyril had a baby and Amelia Mary Vidergar was born. She was 6 pounds 10 ounces and 21 and 1/4 inches long. I went to the baby station and Cyril was standing next to a new little Vidergar human…I mouthed “Is it a boy?” Cyril mouthed, “No, a girl!”
A year later we have a beautiful little Steph/Cyril clone who is the funniest mini-person I have ever met. I hope my first dog/child is just like Amelia. Maybe I will name her Namelia Nary Nidergar or Bamilia Bary Bidergar.
Happy Birthday little baby.
