Go Time! (A Running Diary)

Ziggy doesn't care about due dates; she wants to be born now! Starting at about 11:15 PM on Saturday 12/17 Shivs began having regular contractions. At this point, we are pretty sure we are headed to the hospital very soon.

To keep those of you who are out of town up-to-date, I will keep a running diary here with relevant updates and pics. So, check back here to see the latest news on the arrival of Ziggy!

11:15 PM - Contractions begin.

1:15 AM - Shivs finishes watching The Princess Bride for the first time as we time the contractions. They are a little over 10 min apart.

1:45 AM - We decide to get some sleep.

7:45 AM - Awake! Contractions still happening.

8:50 AM - Starting Labor Test #1: taking a 30 min walk.

9:20 AM - Return from walk with contractions still 6 min apart (and some coffee for me!).

9:45 AM - Start Labor Test #2: Shivs is in the bathtub.

10:15 AM - Out of the bath and contractions are a little erratic but settle again at a little over 5 min apart.

11:30 AM - Start Labor Test #3: drank a glass of water and lay on left side. FaceTime'd with soon-to-be Grandma Kraus and Great Grandpa Mow in Oakland.

12:00 PM - No change in contractions. Looks like we got some real labor.

12:15 PM - To combat the increasingly painful contractions, Shivs has booted up the Xbox 360 and is taking part in some Geometry Wars! Video games solve everything.

1:40 PM - Headed to hospital.

2:30 PM - Initial checkup reveals 5cm! Half way there!

3:48 PM - Checked into "birthing suite" for a while. Well into active labor. ETA on Ziggy is 8:30 PM tonight!

4:30 PM - 6cm. Still on schedule.

5:47 PM - Water broken. 7cm. OB on call says 3-6 hours left. I ate dinner.

6:20 PM - Shhhhh! Shivs has entered a Zen-like meditative state. She looks like she is sleeping (aside from the heavier breathing during contractions).

7:00 PM - Transition begins. Things are getting serious.

9:15 PM - Maya Mikayla Kraus is born! 5lbs 14oz. 18.5".