Priya Renee cuddling

Here is Priya Renee cuddling with Mom. She is adorable and doing great. She weighs 7 lbs 2 oz and I think she looks a little like Dad. Hopefully, for her sake, I am wrong.

Priya Renee Wallace

Priya Renee Wallace was born at 7:08 pm. Ami did an amazing job. Priya is beautiful and just made it back into mommy's arms.

Getting closer...

This spectacular rainbow appeared outside of our labor and delivery window. In the background you can see The Pearl district of Portland and the Fremont bridge over the Willamette river.

Ami is dilated to 8 cm and is doing great. She has been able to get some rest since the epidural was placed. As I type, they are bringing in all the gear for delivery. Hopefully, it will happen soon.

Making progress and Making Ami happy

Ami just got her epidural and she is so thankful. The baby is posterior and it was just wreaking havoc on Ami's back. Her pain with contractions went from 10 to 0 after the epidural was placed. She is currently 4 cm dilated. They say 1 cm an hour from here on out, so maybe we will have a baby by late afternoon!

Are you gellin?

We just finished visiting with the OB. Even though Ami's cervix is still closed (damn stubborn cervix), we are still going to go ahead with the first step of induction - prostaglandin gel - as the amniotic fluid is getting low. After a quick monitoring of the baby, we will apply the gel onto the cervix and hopefully it will quickstart things. The plan is to apply the gel around 6 pm and then again at midnight if necessary. If still nothing by morning, we will move on to pitocin. We are at the birthing center now, will update as things progress.

Free Cone Day!!!

If you happen to not be delivery a baby tomorrow, I remind you that it is free cone day on Tuesday at Ben & Jerry's!! So make sure and stop by your local creamery for some free ice cream. I recommend Phish Food and Ami prefers Chocolate Fudge Brownie. The baby would obviously choose a slow churned flavor! What's your favorite?

Knit/Purl

My mom made this amazing sweater for the baby! (Notice how I keep withholding the name? Those that know it - keep it a secret!) She does some incredible knitwork. We also have the coolest blanket that she made for us with alpaca wool. The only problem is it is so nice that we hesitate to bring it out, especially with the cats around. But, this sweater will get plenty of use. She also made a cute little blanket and booties. She spent her time here teaching Ami and Ami's mom how to knit. I chose not to learn because I didn't want to show everyone up (such a gentleman).

I hate to keep bringing up the weather this weekend. But, after 8 months of rain and cold I don't care what you think. This weekend's weather was superb - highs in the upper 60's and low 70's (our second day this year in the 70's!). Not as good as 2 weeks ago but great nonetheless. The rain even held off today and we managed to meet our friend Aaron out in the Pearl for happy hour. My only gripe is that Portland has incredible scenery but does not seem to take advantage of it as far as restaurants are concerned. No restaurants along the waterfront. No restaurants with park settings. No restaurants in the hills with views of Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, or Mt. Adams. We can see all three mountains from right near our house; they should be able to find a lot with a view for a laidback spot for a drink.

Almost "Go Time" last night!

It was a nice warm day yesterday in Portland. So, we spent all day outside. After spending the morning and early afternoon on the back porch, we headed south to visit the Tulip fields in Woodburn. We return to Portland to have the best Tex-Mex in town at Esparza's.

I don't know if it was the spicy Tex-Mex or running around all day, but Ami woke me up at 4 am. She had good contractions every five minutes for over an hour. I got excited. I called the Family Birthing Center and gave them the scoop. They advised that she eat and walk around to see if they would subside or increase. Unfortunately, after doing so they waned. But it WAS progress. The contractions have continued today but not as frequent or intense. I guess we better head out for a nice long walk and some tamales!!

Unfortunately, my mom had to head back to Seattle on the train this morning. She leaves on Tuesday, so unless this baby comes tonight or early tomorrow, she will miss the birth. But, she will come back ASAP.

Nonstress Test #2

Ami had her second nonstress test today. The whole crew went - me, Ami, and both grandmothers. We all worked on crosswords or read the paper while Ami rested quietly. Everything is fine. The baby has a great heartrate and is moving plenty. Ami had a couple of good contractions during the test. We have a gorgeous afternoon with sunny blue skies and a temperature in the low 60s. We are enjoying some time outside on the back porch. Hopefully the weekend will be more of the same, but I wouldn't mind being in the hospital all weekend either!!

Two Bored Grandmothers

Grandmas Patel and Wallace pose in front of the empty crib! Ami's mom has been here for almost two weeks and is already threatening to leave early. My mom took the train in from Seattle yesterday and has to head back on Sunday or Monday. Hopefully, baby girl will make it before my mom has to head back.

What did we do today instead of going into labor? My mom and I took a long walk in Forest Park with Sona. Then we all headed downtown for lunch, a dessert crepe, and a quick trip to the fabric store. Exciting times.