Welcome, Jack Peter!

We welcomed Jack Peter into the world on 6/4/2020!

I had my 38 week OB appointment on Wednesday, 6/3. She checked my cervix and I wasn’t dilated. That, plus ultrasounds showing baby measuring large, led us to schedule a C-section for 39 weeks.  

I had been up the previous night with Braxton Hicks contractions (at first I thought it was just baby stretching out – very often) and they continued through the day at work after the OB appointment. I picked up the girls from the Montessori school, we ate dinner as a family, and then called my parents to let them know about the C-section date. As we talked, my parents pointed out that I was pausing with a slight look of pain every so often. Funny that I don’t remember it being painful then, as these -whatever they were- had been happening all day. We hung up and Nate suggested we go for a family walk. I told him I would try but that I wasn’t feeling like I would be able to go very far. I went to the bathroom, then had Anna go before we went. As she was in the bathroom, I felt a rush of something in my underwear. What? Could this be my water breaking, I asked Nate?

My contractions started and Nate gave me a clock to start timing them. He came back after gathering a few more items into our hospital bags (we thought we had until next Wednesday!), and asked how far apart they were. 3 minutes, I told him. He was on the phone with his mom, a nurse, who had to confirm that they really just started and were really just 3 mins apart? Time to get to the hospital, she told us!

I labored for 4 hours but baby’s heart rate would drop after each contraction. After that much time and not having made much progress dilating, the doctor came in and suggested that we have a C-section. Baby had some reserves, she said, but not that much, and at the rate we were going it would be a very long time before he would arrive vaginally. I didn’t hesitate. I had already mentally prepared myself for a C-section earlier that day, so having the experience of my water breaking and actually being in labor was a bonus for me! That’s all I had been lamenting when thinking about a 3rd repeat C-section (as I didn’t even have a contraction with either G or A). 

What’s behind the name?

Good question. We struggled to come up with a boys name. On the way to the hospital we agreed on Calvin James. When I had met Nate, I told him that I didn’t really want children, but if I did have them, I would have a Greta and a Calvin. Greta was a name I had loved since middle school, and Calvin because I was in love with Calvin & Hobbes. So that name has stuck with us. Plus, we realized if we used a “C” name, our kids’ initials would be G.A.C. For those of you non MN folk, that is Gustavus Adolphus College :). 

If he was born with a lot of hair, then we would go with James Peter. (James is Nate’s dad’s name, Peter is my dad’s name) But, when we saw baby, both of us felt Calvin didn’t really fit. Then we hesitated. James? What were the other names on our list? We had considered Carl, which is Nathan’s middle name and his grandfather. Jack had no special meaning other than it was added to our list a while ago (honestly, I think it was when we watched The Incredibles 2 at the cabin!) and was the one “non special meaning” name we liked well enough to keep on the list. You should have seen the number of names that were put on our list briefly, then taken off! So many!

We had the nurse write three potential options on the white board so we could look at them.

Then at one point, I said, what about Jack Peter? Note that wasn’t on the board, but I thought it fit (plus, I *love* my dad and would be really happy to name his first grandson after him!). Nate thought about it: yeah, I like it!

I did have one brief moment where I questioned our choice. I picked up one of the pieces of paper where I had written out names. Greta-Anna-James/ Greta-Anna-Jack/ Greta-Anna-Carl… I looked at Nate with panic. We should name him Carl instead! He talked me off of my ledge — and Jack Peter he remained! Pretty unremarkable name story, eh?

I have no idea why – if it’s because he is likely our last baby, or if it’s because he is a boy, or what, but I have LOVED every minute of being this boy’s mom. I can’t snuggle him enough, love just staring at him, and have felt an immediate deep love for him!