Exactly one week before her due date, Cara Ruth Fife decided it was time to get out and see the world. Ruth’s water broke at 3:00 am Sunday, June 8 while we were sleeping and we woke up Chloe Jane and made a mad dash for the hospital. I handed off a confused little girl over to my friend Cari who was gracious enough to meet us at the hospital and take care of Chloe Jane until my parents arrived from Hendersonville. Ruth and I then hunkered down in the labor and delivery room.
By the time things really started to happen, Ruth’s doctor still had not made an appearance to check on Ruth. The nurses had to get started without the doctor. Eventually, the nurse paged the hospital for “any OB.” Soon afterwards, a random OB showed up but before she could get started, Ruth’s doctor entered the room (with a Coke and a snack in her hand–thankfully she was good enough to toss the cigarette before coming to deliver the baby (uncomfirmed)).
Ruth delivered at 9:59 Sunday morning, June 8, 2008. The baby who did not have a name at that time because Ruth and I were still considering names when Ruth went into labor weighed 7 lbs 10 oz and was 20 inches long. By the following day, however, our little girl had a name. We named her Cara Ruth Fife. The name Cara means “beloved” and my name means “beloved.” It also has similarity to my mother’s name “Carol.” Ruth, of course, is the child’s mother’s name but it is also her great-grandmother’s name as Ruth was named after her grandmother. The name Ruth means “friend” so together Cara Ruth’s name means “beloved friend” and has connections to her father, her mother and her grandmother.
The best part about the two day stay in the hospital was watching Chloe Jane meet her sister for the first time. Be sure to check out the photos in my Smugmug gallery to see for yourself. The hospital stay was otherwise uneventful except for the fact that I got sick off of what most likely was one of the tainted tomatoes which I did not know about because who pays attention to the news when you’re having a baby.
For more photos of the birth and hospital stay including Chloe Jane meeting her little sister, check out my Smugmug gallery.
