 |
| Opening presents from Grandma Lisa and Grandpa and Grandma P. |
On a cloudy Friday night in January 2009, with snow on the way, my nine-months pregnant wife and I decided to go out to the movies. We watched a true tear-jerker, Marley and Me. The movie was nice, but we were out late and I was looking forward to sleeping in the next morning.
It was not to be.
Jordan woke me up with an aggressive shake around 6:00 AM the next morning. "I think I'm having contractions," she said. I asked what I needed to do, and we agreed that this was just the beginning of a long process, so some more rest would be a good idea. A short hour later and I was being shaken again. Time to get up.
I rolled downstairs to find that the snow had arrived, about six inches worth, and still falling. I dug us out and we loaded the car for Des Moines. The roads weren't the best, but we made the slow trip in about two hours.
 |
| It took plenty of shoveling to get out that morning |
The contractions were still mild (if there is such a thing) and far apart, so we spent a quiet afternoon at a co-workers house. We finally went to Methodist Hospital later in the evening. Jordan labored throughout the night, and around 3:00 AM January 11th, our baby girl was born. Frances Belle Pedersen, a whopping 9 pounds and 3 ounces, took her time coming out but has been in a hurry ever since.
 |
| Taking a well-deserved nap |
As first-time parents, neither Jordan nor I slept well in the hospital that night. When we did wake up we realized that the temperature had bottomed out after the snow. With a temperature around -10 degrees, we decided an extra day in the hospital would be nice. I spent that first night with a swaddled baby girl in my lap, watching Louisville vs Notre Dame (Louisville won in OT), and telling her everything I knew about basketball. It was the first of many lessons that she didn't appear to be listening to, but that hopefully sank in somehow.
 |
| Proud Parents |
