Kite & String: Baby Boy Is Here

Baby Kahea

Our little one arrived a week ago today. We named him Kāheaikalanipō Patrick Johnson. His Hawaiian name came to me a couple of weeks before his birth. His first name, Kāhea, means "to call out or warn." A friend of mine pointed out that his name meaning connotes a leadership role.

I went into labor around 2am last Monday morning, just after publishing my SMS Giveaway post. Ryan drove me to the hospital at 5am. After the delivery at 11am, I was wheeled into our corner recovery room with bay windows, the best room in the house, I was told. While I waited for Baby and Ryan to return from tests for his blood sugar level, I got to read all the comments on my giveaway post on my phone : ).

Bitty Booties finished

The best thing about our stay besides having our new little one was the food. The hospital recently upgraded their meal system to "room service" on demand. They give you a menu with entrees, sides, desserts, sandwiches and snacks and you can call and order as often as once an hour. I was in heaven. My favorite was the grilled salmon with mashed potatoes and fries,which I ordered twice. This is as close to a vacation as Ryan and I have gotten, so we were so excited. Given the yummy food and chance to veg and be alone with Baby, I could have stayed in the hospital one more night, but after the nurses coming into our room every 2 hours--sometimes more--we were outty before dinner on Tuesday night.

We realize that being home with Baby is a blessing. While at the hospital, there was a little one in the nursery who had to stay several nights due to liquid in his lungs. My husband helped the father of the baby give the baby a blessing to be healthy and to be able to take him home soon.

Having simple things finished in time for Baby's arrival was also nice.