Naomi, you are greater than we ever expected and an unpredictable gift! Statistics convinced us that you were going to be a boy, but we were jaw-dropped astonished when we opened up our 2015 Christmas gift to see the blood test read "XX chromosome (female)" on the results. We thought you would come (4 days early), but you decided to make your debut fashionably 3 days past the due date. We predicted your delivery to be a quick & speedy 2 hours, but the anticipation lasted 7 hours. We also thought you would be just over 7 pounds, but to our amazement you came out surpassing us all at 8 pounds 12 ounces! Unpredictable and beyond expectations.
On the Tuesday morning of June 27, 2016 our church friend Erin Perkins came over to watch your brothers while mom & dad went out to breakfast to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary. We drove to the restaurant, parked the van and decided we weren't going to make it through the meal. So we detoured through the McDonald's drive-thru for pancakes on the way to the hospital instead. Arriving at the hospital around 9:30am, I declined the wheelchair and went directly to triage where I was admitted at 3cm dilated with contractions every 5-6 minutes. In company with Amy Kirk, we moved to our delivery room, started fluids, got an epidural around 11:00am, and received antibiotics for Group B Strep (which requires 4 hrs prior to delivery).
Then we waited. Waiting for antibiotics to settle in, waiting for my water to break, waiting to be fully dilated, waiting for you to descend. While waiting daddy got coffee and a sandwich, Amy was checking emails and getting her classes covered by other trainers, and I was able to order broth soup and have clear liquids while watching tv (nothing good worth noting). The nurse talks about the terrible Hillary/Trump politics and noted that I've been contracting every 3 minutes, one contraction that even lasted 3 minutes long.
4:00pm now and Dr. Bridges determines that its time to manually break my water and check how progressive we could be with one big push. Successful, its 'go time'! Gowns on, everyone in position....1 big push (counting to 10)...you were born at 4:28pm! Brought directly to my chest all goopy with adorable chubby cheeks (before taking your vitals under the warmer), I'm proud of you and right away love being your mother, holding you close to me, and hearing your first breaths/cries.
Naomi Joy Hopwood born Tuesday, June 27th, 2016 at 4:28pm. Weighing 8lbs 12oz and 21.5 inches long, surpassing your brothers in both categories!
NAOMI: meaning "pleasant or beautiful". Eemo Joanne was the original suggester of the name and your father and I put it at the top of the potential names list quickly. Once we saw you, Naomi was very fitting. The biblical Naomi from Ruth 1 lost much was heartbroken and became bitter, but God saw her as a blessing and encouraging mother-in-law to Ruth. He never viewed her the way she poorly viewed herself.
