Well, the much anticipated event has occurred and we are now a family of four!
Tristan William Ruplinger
7 lbs, 6 oz. 20.5 inches
Because there are only limited medical facilities in Avalon, the majority of children are born in Long Beach rather than on the island. After a single false alarm, many trips “overtown” for checkups, and several weeks of waiting, the doc said we had best prepare for an induction as the baby was getting to be somewhat overdue and the risks associated with going back to the island to wait were too high. We checked in to the hospital guest house on the afternoon of the 22nd, took a swim in the pool, and ate some dinner. Jared’s sister Danielle was fortunately able to come up from San Diego to watch Jacob while we were at the hospital. So they went to sleep around 9:30 while Jared & Sue began to get ready to go in and “have a baby.”
It appears that Tristan, like his big brother, is not about to be forced to do anything, so at around 10:15 he decided to get things moving on his own and Sue began to have mild contractions. By around 12:00 midnight when we were walking over to the hospital for our “appointment” to begin inducing, the contractions had gotten much more intense and it was obvious that no induction would be needed! In the 20 minutes it took us to walk the hundred yards from the guest house to the hospital doors, the contractions had increased to only 5 minutes apart and becoming more powerful. We hurried as best we could up to the maternity ward and by 1:00 or so were checked in to a very nice and cozy delivery room. Contractions increased rapidly and were beyond powerful. I was amazed when Jacob was born, and I was even more amazed this time at the strength and endurance that Suzanne possesses and the unbelievable pain that she had to go through to deliver these boys. Although Tristan’s labor was shorter than Jacob’s, I have little doubt that the combined intensity of all 30 hours of Jacob’s labor were packed into the two hours that Sue was laboring for Tristan. Whenever I think about it (many times each day right now!) I am in total and absolute awe. But then, before you could scream the word “epidural” twice, Sue was pushing, Tristan was crowning, and then there he was! (About 5 minutes later, our Doctor made it to the hospital!) We had an absolutely incredible nurse, Evelyn, who was there with us for the whole time and helped with the delivery along with two other nurses who rushed into the room just as Tristan was emerging. It all happened so quickly that even the attending physician did not have time to get to the room. Suzanne and Tristan are both healthy and doing great, and we all made it back home to our island together.
