Our beautiful baby has arrived! Orian (Or-ee-yan) Yonatan Granot was born on November 24, 2009. Weighing in at 3.2 Kilos, 6.9 ish Lbs, and healthy as a...healthy person. He was and is a beautiful baby and from day one was lifting his head and looking around.

We are VERY lucky to have been in the hands of such a wonderful and experienced medical team as everything that could go wrong with the birth process, did. I spent Two weeks in progressing contractions...as he became two weeks overdue, but I wasnt dilating above half a centimenter. Finally at 42 weeks, we checked into the hospital, where they gave me my first induction. Nada. The next day I received a second induction and spent the day in some pretty painful contractions (though I am sure it doesn't come close to what most women go through). Still no dilation above half a cent. Then, they found a problem in his monitor and sent us down to the birthing room for constant observation. Turns out his heat rate was becoming semi-erratic, going from normal (120-160) down to 50-80, then right back up again. Though it happened a few times throughout the night, they sent me back up to the waiting rooms at 3:30 AM.

The next day, they put me on Oxy toxin (I think that is what its called) to really jump start the labour, which was progressing to...nowhere. I was confined to the bed and IV for about five hours and beginning to get frustrated with the whole thing. I was in pain and again checked for dilation and YES, Progress! I almost hit one centimeter, as any mother can imagine, I began to tear up, why wasn't I dilating??!!

Finally, at 5 PM, I really, really had to pee, so I broke down, swallowed my pride, kicked Idan out of the room, and used the bedpan. Just as I finished, the Dr. rushed into the room, took one look at his heart rate and said, that's it, your going for emergency surgery. I tried to explain to her that I had just peed, and it must have been the reason that the monitor jumped, but she said she didn't care, and had the nurses prep me immediately. Idan who had just left the room got a call from me telling him that he really needed to get back in here as Im going into surgery, managed to make it back just in time for getting in the elevator to go down to the surgery floor.

I, throughout this process, continued to calmy insist that I had just peed, that was it, and there was no need for the panic that the Medical staff was experiencing. I also explained to them that they need to be calm so that I could stay calm. It was oddly surreal. In order for me to stay calm, I just made sure to take slow deep breaths.

We got down to surgery and Idan had to wait outside, poor guy was scared and clueless, with no explanation of what was happening. The second Dr. (who we know and lives on our Kibbutz) rushed past Idan with a simple, I'll update you.

I, on the other hand, while being prepped for surgery, was still insiting that I just had to pee and still calm, watched everybody rushing and stressing to get me under. Then I was told Laila Tov, Good night, and I went under.

Waking up was the most painful experience I and ever gone through and was crying immediately until they morphined me, I was then in la-la land for the next 2 hours or so, constantly being reminded to breathe, by the machine that beeps when my heart rate goes down too low...All I wanted to do was see the baby, but they said I had to wait a few hours. That was the only thing that kept me from asking for another dose of pain relief, I had to see our baby! So I spent two hours high and literally watching the minutes tick by on the two clocks the wall.

My mother in Law, bless her, heard about the surgery and took the next ride she could get to the hospital, where she came in to me and held my hand and spoke to me for a few precious minutes while I waited to see baby. I also got to see Idan for a minute and he seemed so calm.

Finally, they let me go up to my room, and to meet our baby!When I got up there, Idan brought the baby in, and nothing could have prepared me for the surge of emotion that came with watching the baby being brought to me...I burst into tears , having experienced true love at first sight. Orian was absolutely gorgeous! Holding him was the most natural experience in the world, and so well worth the wait, and the 2 and a half week labour!

Idan told me that the Dr.s had informed him that if they had waited five more minutes, Orian would not have survived. He had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, which I guess was what caused the lowered heart rates. As for me, it seems that I can only give birth vis C-section, so at least we know now, and will be better prepared for the next child. AND we can have it born on time :) He also said that I was the calm one in the operating room :)

Idan was above and beyond everything I could have ever expected throughout the entire period.He took care of me every step of the way, and was always running to work, home, the hospital day in and day out for the entire week we were there! He brought me overpriced Chai Lattes everyday, because he knew how muh I craved them; He took the punches from wherever they came so that I wouldnt have to deal with petty issues, he kept everything going smoothly for me, and he did it with a smile on his face (even though it was clear that he was more exhausted than I). I am the luckiest woman alive to have a man like him!

From day one, Idan was picking Orian up (though maybe not by choice in the beginning- I couldnt pick him up because of the Cesarean), and he has been such an amazing father from the beginning. Just the other night, he gave Orian his first bath, and didnt even tell me, he just figured it out on his own and went with it! What a wonderful man! And boy, can he make the child smile!

So now, Orian is eight weeks old and gaining approximately half a pound a week. I have finally found pure happiness and contentment. I have never been content in my life, always working towards greater goals and pushing to make things better in the world, but now...wow.

At five weeks he had a really goofy smile...at eight weeks, he's just goofy! (He's still trying to figure out the notion of "Say cheeze!)

Grandma and Grandpa came to Israel to meet Orian for the first time-- So much fun to have them here!