A good friend of ours always used to say, “It is better to be lucky than good,” and with our baby Evalynn, we think that may just be the case.

We first found out about Eva on St. Patrick's Day, the luckiest day of the year according to the Irish.  Mom of course was the first to know and prepared a welcoming surprise for Dad as he got home from a late night ER shift. We both were overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness for the gift coming our way. 

It was a particularly rainy day in April when we first saw our Eva on an early ultrasound.  The drive through the pounding rain was well worth it when tiny profile first appeared on the monitor and synced with the indescribable sound of her little heart bounding away.  

The next two months were filled with the typical first time expecting parent stories.  Sitting in a million rocking chairs to find the perfect one, trips to the hardware store to pick out a paint color, and registering items for the baby shower. Our favorite activity, however, was picking out a name.  We would spend nights awake scrolling through lists of names on our phone all while giggling about funny acronyms using the initials of her name.  Ultimately, by the end of May we had it narrowed down to the top three.  The final decision was made while we walked around a furniture store looking at cribs. We turned the corner to the electronics aisle and just as mom rounded the bend the unmistakable “Eva,” (one of the top three names) was spoken by a robotic Wall-E from the Disney-Pixar Film.  And with that, our name was decided. 

As the hot summer rolled in it seemed like the thunderstorm warnings began to occur almost nightly.  And wouldn’t you know it, just as on the day of our first ultrasound, we drove through the pounding rain to the  20 week screening ultrasound.  This time we were thrilled to have a detailed look at Eva’s little hands and kicking feet.  However, towards the end of the visit, the sonographer became quiet while looking with a furrowed brow at the umbilical cord.  It turned out that Eva’s cord had one less vessel than normal.   As any parent would attest, the weight of hearing the word "abnormal," when referring to their child is crushing.  We remember distinctly as the room began to spin and millions of questions flowed into our minds.  In only two short days we met with a specialist to discuss the findings.  After a close exam we learned that despite the abnormal cord anatomy, the blood flow was perfect and she was growing well.  As everything looked well the doctor recommended monthly ultrasounds to continue to watch her growth. We both left breathing a gigantic sigh of relief. 

In early August the day came for our second ultrasound with the specialist. We left the house extra early because flash flooding had caused accidents on the roads.  We were the first patients to the clinic that morning and seen right away. Again the sonographer took measurements of her bones, head, and body.  She wasn’t the tallest girl for her age, but with her mom’s genes you can’t expect much! We waited with baited breath as they examined the umbilical cord.  This time however, the flow was no longer smooth and easy.  The specialist was called quickly to the room.  She felt we had waited long enough and it was time to get the hospital.  At only 24 weeks and 6 days it seemed like Eva was outgrowing what the umbilical cord was able to provide.

 The shock of the news had only just begun to hit us as we started to call our family and inform them that Eva’s delivery seemed imminent.  We headed home to make sure the Dog had enough food and water to last her the next 12 hours and hurried to the hospital.   Once admitted Mom was connected to the familiar static-like pulse of the fetal heart tone monitors.  Luckily, despite the poor flow in the cord on ultrasound, Eva’s heart was not feeling the stress yet, and the doctors felt comfortable keeping us in the hospital for the next days to weeks to constantly monitor for changes. As the plan was laid out before us, we both hunkered down for a long stay in the hospital while letting our little girl grow as big as she could before we would meet her. 

 On Monday August 10th, at 3:30 AM the ring of the bedside phone awakened us.  We were both confused as the only previous times we had heard the phone ringing was from the cafeteria taking meal orders.  The voice on the other end was that of our doctor who had been watching Eva’s heart rhythm from home.  The words still burn in our ears as she clearly stated that Eva was getting close to being in trouble, and recommended we go back for delivery.   As we hung up the phone we shared a quiet moment of uncertainty, fear, and joy knowing we would finally meet our lucky charm.  The flood of emotions lasted only seconds when as if on cue, the darkness in the room was broken by the sudden flash of lighting and the billowing sound thunder from outside our window.

The following hour was a complete blur of nurses and doctors entering the room in order to prepare mom and Eva for delivery.  Before we knew what had happened it was 4:38 AM and Eva was born weighing a hefty 1 pound 4 ounces. She was quickly rushed to the skilled hands of her neonatologist who had her stabilized and resting comfortably within few short minutes.

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Despite Evalynn’s knack for making a thundering noise on rainiest of days, we know that every thunderstorm has a rainbow at the end.  These last 7 days we have lived what seems like an entire lifetime since our St. Patrick’s Day surprise.   We both have felt the support of family and friends from the calls, emails and texts as well.  Many have even asked for ways to help.  We would ask that you to please keep sending us your thoughts, prayers, and well wishes.  Though we would also graciously accept any “pot of gold,” you may be able to spare as it would help to cover the 3+ months of NICU medical expenses, transportation for Mom and Dad, and miscellaneous costs of living that we are building up.  We will continue to keep you all updated with Eva’s progress along our path through the storm to the reach the rainbow!

If you would like to reach us in the mail our address is 7915 North Lister Avenue Kansas City, MO 64119.

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