Kate's First Day

Okay, between text messages and phone calls many of you know that Shelly gave birth to our second daughter Tuesday. The baby was breached for some weeks, so on Tuesday we had gone to the hospital for a scheduled external cephalic version (where the doctor attempts to turn the baby by pushing on mom's stomach). Anyway, we got there at noon, but the doctor was busy with four unexpected C-sections. So, as we waited for hours (Shelly had the foresight to tell me to bring the laptop so I could do work), Shelly started to have contractions. At first they were relatively mild, but as they became more intense, the nurse "checked" Shelly out, and sure enough she was in labor. Thus, the version was canceled and a section was scheduled.

We still had to wait for the doctor to deliver four babies (all c sections) before it was our turn. Of course, I welcomed the few hours to finish a big paper due the next day, and Shelly used the time to mentally prepare herself, not so much for being cut open but because this was not the scheduled day to be introduced to her second child -Shelly is a planner. At 1830, they took Shelly into the labor and delivery room. I was allowed in just in time to watch them make a small incision in Shelly's stomach and tug the baby out. Honestly, as a team of doctors and nurses worked on delivering my child, I was amazed that the human race has survived without modern medicine. At 1919 a baby girl was born, weighing 7lbs 9.5 oz and 18.5 inches long, name to follow.

If you remember pictures of Madison at birth, this child is the exact opposite looking. To start, she has hair, dark hair. She has dark blue eyes, where Madison had real light blue eyes (now gray), and she has olive skin, similar to Shelly's skin tone. In short, the Evans gene pool won out on this child. Picking the name was hard. Unlike Madison, where we had the name picked out before I left on deployment, this time we only had it narrowed down to four or five names and decided to wait until we met her to name her. When she came, we were able to cross off some of the names that we felt didn't fit, Sophia, Ella, Ava, Kennedy, and paired it down to either Regan Evans Fortune or Kate Evans Fortune. As we deliberated between the two, it was apparent this was a harder decision then first expected. Honestly, there is a lot to naming a child. The name is what will identify her for the rest of her life and in many ways will determine her personality. To me Kate is a strong, quiet name, unique because it is not Katherine or Catlyn but is still a classic name. I will not mention that Regan is also one of the daughters in King Lear that betrays her father. So, this all said here are pictures
of Kate Evans' introduction into this world:








I want to mention that, if you are wondering why we had our camera for a routine appointment, Shelly had a feeling on Sunday the baby would come within 48 hours (she missed it by an 2 hours) and had packed an overnight bag, including camera and baby book, to take to the hospital.

To close, I need to give special thanks to all our friends who offered support and the Weedens who watched Madison throughout the whole process. And yes, I turned my paper in on time.