in sum

He was born September 7, 2006, at 6:39 am, in Oak Park, Illinois.
6 lbs 8 oz, 19 1/2 inches
Blue eyes, some short dark hair.

And he is doing GREAT.

Jeffrey is a name from Sarah's family; Walter is from Brandon's. Elliot is his own name.

Here is a brief synopsis of his hasty entrance into the world:

11:00 pm, Sept. 6: Brandon and Sarah go to bed, both pretty tuckered out. (Sarah had written "exhausted" here, but Brandon objects, wanting to save that word for special occasions. Like, oh, I don't know, TODAY.) They lie in bed re-reading all their "The Stages of Labor" materials from childbirth class. They agree they are both much too tired to go into labor, a long, long process akin to a marathon, something you want to go into refreshed. Brandon is coming down with a cold, and puts in a formal request: "I'm getting sick. Please don't give birth to my child tonight." Sarah says this seems like a reasonable request. But aha: Brandon has forgotten to check with the person in charge.

12:13 am: Sarah wakes up having contractions; not too bad. Flops around and winces for a while. Moves to couch so as to not wake up Brandon.

4:00 am: Sarah wakes up Brandon, who gets her into a warm bath. Judging from the noises produced there, he figures out two things: it's probably not false labor, and it's probably time to seek professional help. He calls Gail, the midwife, who says sure, let's all go to the hospital. He gathers the baggage.

5:00: Everybody except Ada leaves for hospital. Ada complains.

5:10: We stop at McDonald's because Sarah wants a vanilla milkshake. The milkshake machine, tragically, is broken, which gives Sarah a contraction. She has a large Sprite instead.

5:45 Arrive at hospital.

5:55: Sarah, on gurney, says "I can feel the head!" Now it's the nurses who are making the noises.

6:39 am: Elliot is born! Sarah catches him herself and flops him up on her chest. He is perfect.

To hear more about our adventures (ie: having a contraction in the alley in front of some strange man, Brandon's awesome hospital packing skills, the full moon that lit the way to the hospital, Sarah kicking the labor nurse, and the exciting details of the pushing itself) you should call us, or just come over (call first). It's a good time for a party; there are lots of grandparents around. Barb says that a ratio of 6 adults to one infant is about right.

Love from:
Brandon, Sarah, Elliot, Ada (with reservations), and all the rest of the family,
773-764-6671