The Arrival of Our Rainbow 🌈 Baby 👶🏻 Tautailousāmailoaloufa’asinomaga 😍

After 6 years of ttc, with one miscarriage on October 4, 2015, our rainbow baby finally arrived April 25, 2018, and he is now a healthy, very active, bossy little 8 month old!

Ttc for years was already stressful enough, and after a miscarriage back in Oct 2015, we were devastated and decided to just not stress over ttc again but just let things happen when it happens.... I saw my doctor a few months after my miscarriage, and she told me to go on vacation and not get so stressed out because it was becoming a chore to try to time everything and make sure the deed is done at the right time. So we decided that we’re going to stop tracking and worrying and if it happens it happens. On April 1st 2017, we took a trip to Australia and came back on June 4th 2017. And on August 5th of the same year we took another vacation to Samoa to visit my grandma and other family. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed our time with my family. And when August 24th came around and AF didn’t show up, I secretly became hopeful because I knew when it normally comes, so I waited 2 days before testing, and on August 26, 2017, I took a pregnancy test and got my BFP! I was happy, and emotional at the same time. I tested again the next day to confirm and it was positive again. We ended our trip early and flew back home the following week to be safe to see my doctor right away and schedule an ultrasound. My first ultrasound at 8 weeks showed our little bundle of joy with a heart rate of 180bpm. My due date according to my OB based on my last menstrual cycle was May 2, 2018. But I just knew I was going to have my baby on the last week of April.

Fast forward to April 2018. At 11am on April 24, 2018, I was in bed asleep when all of a sudden I felt like I was peeing in bed... 😬 I got up as fast asI could and “ran” to the bathroom to find out that my water broke, and mucus plug came out along with some little bit of blood and clear slime. It’s my first time so I was a bit weirded out because it was nothing like we see in movies... like water just comes out... it’s not like that... it’s thick slimy clear fluid with some blood. Anyway, I woke up my baby’s dad who had just laid down to go to sleep after staying up all night playing his PS4, and I told him it’s time! I took a shower, we got things ready and packed, and finally left our house around 2pm. We arrived at the hospital, they confirmed that my water broke and mucus plug is out. They started my IV and told me if I’m hungry now is the time to order food! I ordered food, ate, and took a nap. My baby’s dad was on the couch asleep and getting a nap so he can be awake and coach me during labor. A few hours later around 6pm the nurse checked me and I was at 5cm dilated. My contractions started getting intense but I was still able to manage. Another check a couple hours later, I was only 6cm but this time I went ahead and asked for the epidural. I got my epidural shot, and also pitocin and at 10pm, my OB finally arrived and checked me and this time I was 9cm dilated and had been practicing pushing with my nurse and my SO by my side. My OB came back after an hour and said it’s time to do it! It was around 11pm when I started pushing harder and trying to get my baby out! And finally at 2:22am on April 25th 2018, my precious baby boy made his entrance, no crying, and he was immediately put on my chest and right away he started nursing like a boss! He knew how to latch and was laying on me for the longest! He weighed 7lbs 12.5oz, 20 3/4 in. long, with a head full of hair!

His dad cutting the cord!

My baby holding on to me 😍

He latched on right away! Lol 😂 he was starving 🤣🤣🤣

The next day (April 26, 2018) getting ready to go home!

1 month old

Already having an attitude! My BossBaby 😍

3 months old

4 months old (not even bothered by his feet touching the grass!)

6 months old

7 and a half months old

Photoshoot! Mr. Photogenic 😍

Now 8 and a half months old with two toofins showing on the bottom! Lol 😂 He popped his toofins like a boss, no crying, no fever... they just one day, he woke up n there they were! 😍

Our precious little baby boy is a very good baby! No complications during labor, our baby is healthy, and he is very active! We had no issues with colic... he’s independent and only cries a bit when he’s hungry or want to go to bed. We were featured on the front page of the Tribune and Olympia newspapers. We made the local news because of his name. Our son’s name is Tautailousāmailoaloufa’asinomaga Jonathon Phelps. We call him Tautai for short. His dad is White and I’m Samoan. In my culture, the first born is the father’s choice to name. His admiration, respect, and love for our culture he wanted to name him a unique Samoan name specific to our culture, background, family, and fitting for our boy. If you have seen Moana, maybe it would give you and idea of what my culture is like and how important it is to be born into a family with high Chief titles... it’s like being born into royalty and with that comes responsibility, and one must learn and live to protect his/her people and no matter where we are in life, we know where we belong, where we come from, our culture, and identity. The name means choose your path, or navigate your life and always know/remember where you come from, culture, and identity as a part Samoan.

Tautai is a word for a navigator, a way-finder, a voyager.... lou is “your” and sā is a formal word for ship (metaphorically, can mean life, path, etc.). And the last part of his name “...mailoaloufa’asinomaga” means and know your identity or know where you come from. Our son’s name is specific to him and he can be the only one with his name because it’s like... it’s his destiny... he is meant to have that name. Being biracial, we want him to grow up and choose his own path and no matter what he chooses or where he may be, he will always know his identity as a Samoan... a very important person in his family. I am a daughter of a high Chief, kind of like a Princess, so my son of course can be a the high Chief some day if he so chooses to.

A child's faasinomaga establishes his/her cultural identity through kinship connections by blood, marriage and/or adoption and where they belong in terms of his/her family.

The song from Moana “...and when it’s time to find home, we know the way!” “We’re voyagers!” Lol 😂😂😂😂

I apologize for the long post! But I hope it wasn’t too boring to read... I tend to get carried away some times. Thank you all for reading 😊❤️