Keana and Maia’s first, first cousin was born last Thursday, September 17 at 9:38 a.m. and we were in town for the big show. Her name is Olivia and she was 6 lbs. 14 oz. and 20 inches long. The girls were SO excited when they heard the good news. Sarah was already at the hospital and we were on our way, driving on the I-5 north towards Glendale Adventist Medical Center. Keana and Maia were in the backseat, holding hands as they did throughout our trip to Long Beach, and I got The Call. Just minutes before, Keana, Maia, and I had taken bets on whether we thought it would be a girl or a boy. We all decided it would be a girl, and I got to be the good messenger that told them, “It’s a girl, Girls!” Maia squealed and Keana yelled, “Yaaaay!” and they proceeded to jump and wiggle in their car seats the rest of the way to the hospital in anxious anticipation of meeting the new baby.

Earlier that week I had traveled to Berkeley for some meetings, but had rented a car just in case this very thing happened. Tuesday morning, at 7:24 a.m. Iana called me and said, “My water broke around 12:30 last night and I think I want you guys to come down.” I immediately got on the phone with Sarah and worked out the plan; I’d drive from Tiburon (where the meeting was at), and She, Keana, Maia, and Jennie would drive from Fresno so they’d get there faster. I arrived at Iana and Ryan’s house around 4 p.m. and I could already see Iana had been doing some work. The contractions were still relatively mellow, but she had that pre-baby look. For the next couple of days, Keana, Maia and I hung out around Long Beach and in the hotel, waiting for the good news. Sarah stayed with Iana and Ryan most of the time to support them, and visited us every now again to check in and remind the girls she was still close. It definitely wasn’t easy being in a different town taking care of Keana and Maia myself. Keana’s pretty easy, but Maia is still really attached to her mama. The good thing was that it gave Maia and I a chance to bond, so I think it really brought the two of us closer. We definitely had fun at the beach and had a couple late-night “Papa Movie Nights”, staying up later than usual before the three of us retired to the king-size.

The tough part for me was not knowing exactly what was going on. Sarah gave me good updates, but it was such a roller coaster. Iana and Ryan really wanted to have a home birth, but since Iana’s water broke, there was a bit of deadline to get that baby out, and the contractions- and ultimately the baby’s position- weren’t necessarily aligned with the original plan. As with every birth, there were a lot of things you just can’t predict so you have to roll with it, which is never easy, especially over several days.

In the end I was really thankful that we were all able to be down there for the exciting moment and we’re looking forward to getting to know little Olivia much better. It’s fun to see Iana and Ryan become parents and embark on their new, greatest adventure, and it reminds me of all the tough, but magical moments Sarah and I have been through up until now.