Part 1: It's Time

As promised, we wanted to share more about Ellis's life and the opportunity we had to meet him. We will share the story in parts.

Last Sunday began in a very typical fashion. We had no reason to suspect that anything was different and, in fact, we were quite at ease considering the journey we'd already been on for almost 12 weeks. Soon after waking Rebecca noticed something of concern and decided to call the doctor. He suggested coming in to see him at Labor and Delivery. So, we grabbed our hospital bag and went to the hospital, nervous, but not really thinking this would turn into anything. Rebecca remembers praying that God would prompt others to pray for us at that moment. The uncertainty of the last few months was only multiplied in our hearts as we drove to the hospital.

The doctor monitored Rebecca for a couple of hours, noticed she was having irregular contractions, but decided to send us home with directions to return if the contractions increased in pain and frequency. We left feeling relieved, but aware that something had changed. We had a sense that we'd be meeting Ellis soon, but thought we might still have a little bit more time to prepare. Hungry after a long morning at the hospital, we enjoyed brunch together and then spent the afternoon resting at home.

Rebecca felt contractions on and off throughout the afternoon, but nothing was consistent, although she could feel them with greater intensity. Around 4:40, a series of contractions began that were not only consistent, but continued to grow in strength. Before an hour had passed, Rebecca had 6 contractions and we called the doctor back. He asked us to come in so he could monitor further, but indicated we might be able to go back home either late that night or the next morning. We left for the hospital worried that this might be the real thing. With so many stable appointments in the past month, we had fully expected this moment to be coming in a number of weeks, not hours. It was daunting, but God gave us grace in those moments. This included the willingness of Rebecca's sister, Sarah, to come back to the hospital with us that night. We were so glad to not be going in alone.

After the first examination, the doctor decided to keep us overnight, but things still seemed a bit precautionary. We had contacted our families, letting them know we were going to the hospital, but still thought this could be a false alarm. Rebecca's parents and sister, Hannah, decided to do what they could to catch the last flight out of San Diego that night. It was a moment where they had to make a decision without much information to guide them, but they felt the nudge to go and so they did. They got the last 3 seats on the plane and began their flight to Chicago. We were relieved they were on their way, but didn't know if we would be welcoming them only to say, "Well, he's not coming yet."

By 9pm, the contractions had again grown in strength and regularity. The doctor's examination found that labor was progressing. We began to realize that Ellis was on his way and that by sometime the next day we would be meeting our son.