let’s roll, dad!
You can’t hear it in the video, but Maisy was laughing almost the whole time we were riding. She loved it, and I can’t wait to go on a longer ride – next time as a family. :)
“Hello There!”
We have had a major break through this week. Maisy slept through the night for the very first time. She didn’t do it the next night or the next, but we are working on it! We are doing what is called “sleep training”. We are no longer reinforcing night time waking with picking her up or with milk and the theory is that she will realize there is no need to get mom and dad up in the middle of the night because they can’t do anything for me anyway- and then she will just fall back to sleep and sleep like a little baby. Right?
Nap times have gotten a little bit more difficult now that Maisy can stand. She thinks it’s much more fun to have a standing party than to nap. She has also discovered the blinds that we had custom made for her room. She thinks they are perfect for sharpening her two tiny teeth on!
We had a very lovely first family Valentine’s Day together. Maisy made Todd a card. It was her first art piece.
Baby Painter
Maisy and Todd started the day with a nice book on the couch.
Reading time!
As Todd got laid off at the beginning of January, he is now working a temporary job in the city through the end of February. We hope that a full time position will come along soon! Maisy and I ventured into the city today to meet him for lunch. Meeting for lunch was such a treat. Todd doesn’t always get home before Maisy is in bed for the night, so it was good to give them a bit more time together. It helped that it was a beautiful day in the city and a fun day for a walk.
Later in the day Maisy and I met with Angie and Rowan at Lake Merritt for some play time in the park. It was the first time Maisy had been involved with duck and geese feeding. She thought it was okay, but then that one goose got a little too close and she started to get nervous.
hmm birds eating bread… interesting.
Tell that silly goose to back the duck up!
Maisy is a swing fiend- which is so adorable.
This is Maisy’s happy place
Maisy continues to become more steady when she pulls up on EVERYTHING. She is doing very well eating larger chunks of food and is feeding herself like a champ even though she only has her bottom two teeth. She’s gotten very quick too! It’s difficult to expect her to stay in one place these days. The good thing is that she understands when we tell her not to touch something and she so far respects that. We’ll see how that progresses.
She goes for her 9 month appointment the second week of March, so we’ll have more height and weight updates then.
Much love-
Todd, Becky and Maisy
Maisy taking her first ride in a wagon
M aisy had her 6 month doctor appointment at the beginning of December. She got all her 6 months shots including her first dose of her flu shot. We are trying to stay as healthy as we can! She now weighs 15 pounds 6 ounces and she is 2 feet and 1.75 inches tall.
Maisy has lots of new tricks! She can roll over both ways, grab toys and move them from one hand to the other, she can grab anything and everything within reach and shove them with confidence into her mouth. She is eating like a pro now and the variety of foods she is eating just keeps growing. So far there is nothing that she refuses to eat. Pears are definitely her favorite.
Maisy is close to sitting, she just has to get that whole balance thing down. There is no stopping her though when Maisy is on the ground! She scoots all over, forward and backward. She gets up on her knees and rocks back and forth. It’s just a matter of time before she’s off and crawling. Maisy has a bunch of sounds she likes to practice vocalizing. La-la-la-la seems to be her favorite sound at the moment.
On Dec. 11 we flew down to LA for the first part of the Christmas celebration. We all had a great time seeing many family and friends and staying at Mom and Charlie’s.
Auntie and Maisy
Kim, Rigo and Elijah were able to spend a couple of days and a night with us there too for a fun sleep over. Elijah is a constant source of hilarious entertainment!
Cousin Elijah and Maisy playing in the “extra-saucer”
We were so thankful and lucky to get to visit with Perla and James at Perla’s for lunch, it was delicious! We had a great time on Sunday with the whole family at a large family photo shoot and our family Christmas celebration. It took months to plan to get everyone the day off and to try to figure out what to wear, but the pictures came back and they look wonderful and it was all worth it.
Maisy opening her first Christmas presents
On Monday we had the chance to go visit with Auntie Pam, Uncle Bob and Cousin Sarah. It was so good to catch up and have a visit. Then on Tuesday we got to go out to lunch with Aunt Diane and Jim. It’s always a pleasure to see them! Maisy was a trooper through all of our outings. Unfortunately upon our return home, we all came down with colds and we think Maisy is cutting her 2 bottom teeth, so she has been especially touchy. Poor baby!
Next Tuesday we head back east for the Christmas holiday to Todd’s hometown. We can’t wait to see everyone and have a white Christmas! We have 3 connecting flights out there- we are just hoping the weather cooperates and we don’t get stuck anywhere in airports along the way! We also are hoping that we are all nice and healthy by then.
Much love to all- we hope your holiday season is off to a great start!
Todd, Becky and Maisy
Maisy’s maiden voyage on a merry go round
T ilden Park in Berkeley has a merry go round that they do all up for Christmas. We took Maisy there on Saturday for a spin. She seemed a bit concerned about all of the lights. There was so much going on and she spent most of her time just trying to take it all in.
The wild wild west tree
All in all, we had a wonderful first Merry Christmas Go Round and hope to make it a family tradition!
Lights!
Much love to all- we hope your holiday season is off to a great start!
Todd, Becky and Maisy
Lasers in the eyes kinda hurt
F or those of you who haven’t heard, Todd took the plunge and got himself some bionic laser eyes. He is recovering well and can see almost perfectly. His vision should continue to improve. Right now his newest hobby is putting eye drops in his eyes and being amazed at all the stuff he can see unaided. He is especially thrilled about peripheral vision.
Maisy helped Daddy recover on Thursday when he got home from the eye zapper, uh I mean, doctor.
Daddy and Maisy hanging out
She seems to have noticed there is something just a bit off.
Where’s all that face jewelry?!!
Much love to all and more later!
Todd, Becky and Maisy
Get in Shape Girl
M aisy decided to start early on her new years resolution to get out and take better care of herself! The day after Thanksgiving- she put on a track suit, pulled back her hair and put her sneakers on. She grabbed Nana and headed to the front yard for some walking exercises.
Maisy was so happy to have Nana help her out in the yard! (notice Lilly in the background again- it’s hilarious. She’s like a little picture crasher!)
Happy Maisy and Nana
She became quite confident and later in the evening was showing off her sitting abilities, when all of a sudden she took a head dive right into the alphabet work bench. OUCH! Maisy got her very first bump on the head. She recovered quickly and I think Todd and I were more shaken up than she was. By the next morning the bump was gone and she now only has the tiniest bruise.
I’m a tough girl!
Much love to all and more later!
Todd, Becky and Maisy
mmmm milk….
T odd snapped this photo while feeding Maisy before an outing on Sunday.
It was just too precious not to share.
Enjoy,
Becky, Todd and Maisy
I went out to run an errand while Todd was at home and Maisy was taking a nap. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to cross some tasks off my list and usually I come home to a still sleeping Maisy. Today, Maisy must have not been all that tired, because I walk in the door and find- SUPER MAISY!
Todd had tucked Maisy’s purple blankie in the back of her pajamas and was flying her around. I was greeted at the door with giggles from Todd and big smiles from Maisy. It was too cute and I had to grab the camera.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Super Maisy!!
On another note, Maisy has broadened her horizons in the food department. She has now had butternut squash, pear, sweet potato and apple. So far I’ve been making all of her food and freezing the food in cubes to be defrosted before meal time. Just today we started her on three meals a day. She’s getting the hang of eating, but still seems as if she could take it or leave it. She’s definitely not one of those kids that screams for more and more, faster and faster.
While Maisy was taking her next “nap” (I use the term nap loosely because she actually did not sleep at all, but ended up playing with daddy), I was lucky enough to get to visit Alison, Maynard and new beautiful baby Mila in the hospital. Alison is doing amazingly well and Mila is a precious adorable little girl!
Sleeping baby Mila
Maisy is so excited to meet baby Mila. It’s so amazing to think that Maisy was this small just 6 months ago!!
She’s so tiny and sweet
It’s so fun to see all of our friends get married, have children and watch all the kids grow up together. It’s great to get to share the experience of parenthood with so many wonderful people.
Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy
Hooray for OBAMA!!
I took Maisy with me on this historic voting day down to our polling location at the elementary school down on the corner. She was very good while I was voting. She was so nice to even hold my voting receipt.
Todd and I are so happy to have Maisy be there to witness a real movement toward change in our country. We are so proud and hopeful for her future- that anything can happen- anything is now possible! We are a bit saddened though- it looks like Prop 8 (ban on gay marriage) is going to pass in California. It’s heartbreaking that there are people out there who believe that it is okay to deny anyone the right to get married- deny anyone the right to love who they want. We are beside ourselves wondering how you can put discrimination into law like that. Yesterday’s elections have shown how far we have come and still how far we still have to go.
On a different note, Maisy still does not like rice cereal, even if the deal is sweetened with bananas.
This shh is bananas B-A-N-A-N-A-S!
Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy
Maisy had seemed to be slightly interested in what Todd and I drink and eat lately- so we decided it may be time to start some rice cereal. We were hoping this would have the added benefit of helping her sleep all night as well.
As you will see from the video below, Maisy does not concur.
We tried for a second time tonight- this time in her bumbo chair thinking it was really the high chair that she had a dislike for, but she didn’t seem to love it anymore. We think we’ll keep trying for another couple of days and if she doesn’t take to it, we’ll give it a couple of weeks and try it again.
Have a great week,
Becky, Todd and Maisy
T oday was an amazing really warm day here in Berkeley. We took the opportunity to take a couple of trips outdoors. I took Maisy to the park in the middle of the day where she sat on my lap while we went swinging and sliding down the slide. She seemed to have a good time, but was good and tuckered out when we got home. Maisy went down for a nap.
When Maisy woke up we decided to take an evening stroll and did some geocaching. This is where people hide things in public places and post their coordinates online by GPS. So it’s like a big treasure hunt that anyone can partake in. We found two! It was really fun. Here we are after our second find of the day.
As we were walking back home Maisy found a lovely orange flower that she had to investigate.
After we got home, Maisy was just about ready for bed and Todd fired up the grill. We had yummy grilled chicken and fresh steamed veggies for dinner. A perfect end to a warm and fabulous day.
Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy
A s Halloween is approaching, we decided to take Maisy to the pumpkin patch today. Uncle Steven joined us on our adventure! Here are some pictures from our day.
We went to a little cute pumpkin patch in Oakland/Piedmont just down the street from the old and beautiful Mountain View Cemetary- which we took a tour of before the pumpkin patch, just to get in the mood!
Maisy really seemed to enjoy pumpkin hunting and picked a very cute little pumpkin all for herself.
We were so inspired that when we got home we got to work on our very own graveyard and body guard “Jake” to sit on our porch.
Maisy is going to be a bunny this year for Halloween. We are going to go trick or treating with friends Rowan and Evan (both monkeys). We’ll be sure to post pictures of the big night!
Have a happy Halloween season!
Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy
M aisy continues to grow and become more and more aware of her surroundings. Last week she discovered her voice and now squeals and yells – often! It’s kinda funny and kinda weird to have your 4 month old child yelling at you. The pictures here were taken today in our front yard. For some reason whenever we are outside in the front taking pictures, Lilly our nutty cat, decides to slip into the back groud.
We had quite a night last night. Maisy had woken from a 5 hour sleep stretch from 12am to 5am (good)! I went in to get her and realized she had pooed through her clothes, even though I had changed her at 12am (bad). So I changed her diaper, put some nice clean jammies on her and fixed up her crib. I began feeding her (good). She was almost done with a long 15 minute feeding when she started to cough like something had “gone down the wrong pipe”. I sat her up and gently rubbed her back waiting for her to clear her throat. Well she cleared it alright- all the way down from her toes- everything came up in a nice warm projectile fashion IN THE DARK (bad!) So after I got over the moment of shock (what the heck just happened!?) I decided I needed Todd for this. I went and got him up and he was in charge of changing her jammies AGAIN- and I went down to make a bottle for her- as my milk was all over me, her, the glider and the floor. The good news is, that I came back upstairs with the bottle, fed her and put her right back down without a hitch and she slept until 9am with no further incident (good).
That’s all for now.
Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy
Maisy’s name in concrete corner of Ellis and Woolsey
I n our neighborhood they are putting in roundabouts in our “intersections”. Yesterday the men were working hard at creating this roundabout and they were pouring concrete. I wondered if they would let Maisy leave her mark. So she and I walked down there, looking ever so cute and asked very nicely. At first they were reluctant and then they agreed saying, “It’s like Hollywood!”. So Maisy left her mark for ever and ever and ever. We think it’s so cool that years from now we can come back and see Maisy’s little handprint from when she had just turned 4 months old.
Yesterday was also a big day for all of us… we got to hear the first hint of a laugh. The video below is Maisy’s first chuckle. We hope to keep practicing to get a full belly laugh going soon.
Everyday is such a new adventure and she is getting so much more interactive and responsive. I LOVE to see her staring back at me, just smiling as if I’m the only person in the universe…. just melts my heart.
Much love-
Todd, Becky and Maisy
M aisy is now 4 months old. She continues to amaze us everyday with her new tricks and her ability to connect with us. She is smiling a lot these days, but we have yet to hear the sweet sound of baby giggles. Maisy is getting to be a pro at grabbing at toys and has even rolled over a couple of times (both front to back and back to front) but I think they are just “accidents”.
Maisy took her first very big trip last week. We unexpectedly decided to head out to Lake George, where Todd grew up, to visit the grandparents and very importantly Todd’s amazing 98 year old grandmother, Alice. Maisy took to Grandma wonderfully. It was such a happy moment to see them together. On the trip Maisy also had her first boat ride down Lake George. The sound of the motor, water and the rocking of the boat put her right to sleep.
Being 4 months old also means more shots. Maisy had her 4 month old appointment today and she got a clean bill of health. She weighs 12 lbs and 14.8 oz and her length is 23.75 inches. She did not like her shots at all and she screamed and cried (and broke my heart). These round of shots seemed to hurt more than her last. However, by bedtime, she was smiling and kicking her cute little legs again.
More later!
Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy
M aisy is now 3 months old and as everyone said- it is getting easier and she is getting less fussy. I think this is probably due to a couple different factors. #1 She’s sort of just getting used to life #2 I’ve actually read some books on how to give an infant what they need.
If there were only two books on babies to get you through the first few months I would have to highly recommend, “The Happiest Baby on the Block” by Harvey Karp which got us through all of the colicky moments and “Secrets of the Baby Whisperer” by Tracy Hogg. This second book we have been loosely following for a week and it has taught us how to spot Maisy’s sleepy cues and to get her to a nap ASAP. Further, it taught us how to get her to settle down in her crib to actually sleep. It’s really amazing- I put Maisy down in her crib sleepy, but awake and sometimes she just goes to sleep silently and other times she’ll cry for a few minutes while we soothe her saying “Shhhh….shhhhh…shhh” and brushing her hair. This soothing never takes longer than 4 minutes. So Maisy is now napping regularly in her crib and is actually happy when she is awake. It has made all the difference. Maisy isn’t yet sleeping through the night, but she is easy at night. I get up feed her and put her back in her crib and she just goes back to sleep. I’m hoping these sleep habits form now and will stick with her through childhood. (We’ll see!) I hear kids can throw you curve balls just when you think you have it down!
Maisy is now liking to look at the world from an upright position. So Angie was kind enough to let us borrow Rowan’s Bumbo chair. This is Maisy’s first ride in the chair and she seemed pretty happy with it! I’m excited to have somewhere other than the swing to put Maisy down for a bit.
We also took pictures of Maisy to commemorate her 3 months. They can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/gp/33005083@N00/a896n2
Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy
Our first trip on an airplane as a family
W e went up to Portland to attend a wedding and visit some family. The above picture is of Maisy as we de-planed in Oakland after we had returned from our trip. We think she knew we were on our way home.
We had a lovely time, rented a house and stayed together with Grandma and Grandpa (Still working on a name?) Matthews and Uncle Steve-O.
We were up in the Portland area to celebrate the wedding of Todd’s cousin Jason to Laura- Congratulations! While we were up there we had the chance to re-connect with my cousin Sean and his wonderful family (Debbie, Austin and Dylan). There we met with Grandpa Steve who was very happy to see Maisy for the first time.
During our first night in Portland, we visited with our friend Lisa in the Hawthorne neighborhood where she lives. Though I saw her a few months ago, it’s been nearly a year since Todd saw her last. It was great to catch up!
Maisy did great on the plane. She loved the sound and the movement. She did not do so well with driving around and meeting lots of new people. Poor Maisy is having a bout of colic! We hope it resolves soon. Maisy is pretty happy until about 6 or 7pm and then it’s a 3 hour soothe fest until we can get her settled for bed time.
All in all we had a great trip!
Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy
The family at Kehoe Beach
W e drove for more than two hours to a beach just north of Point Reyes named Kehoe Beach.
We had to hike in, which is just what we were looking for- a good walk and a bit of time to relax.
What kind of kid doesn’t love the beach- sand, sun and waves? Well the kind of kid like Maisy- that’s who! (Okay, granted she’s only an infant- but come on!) We walked 25 minutes to reach the beach from where we’d parked. We scouted out the perfect spot after 10 more minutes of walking and set ourselves up. Within seconds Maisy was protesting. We tried feeding her, distracting her, making her warmer and bouncing her. The only thing that worked was for me to stand half bouncing half dancing on the beach. Thank goodness I was holding a baby otherwise I would have looked like some strung out love child on the beach with horrible rhythm. We quickly realized this was going to be relaxing for no one. After about 10 minutes we decided we should pack up. So we packed up our goods we hiked in and set out for another 25 minutes back to the car and another 2 hours home.
Our outing didn’t go quite as planned- but we think it’s important to keep trying!
She’s been a bit grumpy since we’ve gotten home and the only two things that sooth her are me holding her in my arms while dancing to inappropriate hip-hop in the living room, or todd sitting in the glider rocking Maisy to the wonderful tune of purchased vacuum cleaner noise (thank you itunes!!).
So I type from Maisy’s room in the dark with vacuum sounds blasting in my left ear.
At least Maisy is happy!
Maisy in her Rain Forest
W e have had a couple more weeks with many new adventures and firsts!
Since I’ve had a couple of questions about the pronunciation of Maisy- it’s said Mazey. Now that that’s out of the way- here is our update and some pictures.
Grandma and Grandpa J came to visit from New York when Maisy was 2 weeks old and that was a very exciting adventure. It was the first time Maisy had ever been to a restaurant. Jupiter in Berkeley was her very first dining experience. She did pretty darn well if you ask me!
The following week we drove down to LA to attend a baby shower. It was hot as heck in LA. The car ride both on the way there and on the way back went super smoothly. Luckily she just slept the whole way. While we were there Maisy was able to meet lots of new people. She had her first trip to Santa Monica 3rd street promenade and the boardwalk. She liked it. She also really enjoyed meeting Elijah, her big boy cousin, Uncle Rigo and Papa. She also loved to see Nana and Auntie again.
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top left: Maisy and big boy cousin Elijah, top right: Todd attempting to take Maisy swimming on July 12th, bottom left: On the boardwalk in Santa Monica, bottom right: Out to lunch on July 11th
Becky and Maisy at the pool- it’s her first bathing suit!
Last week we just got more into our “routine” if we can call it that. We have started to try to ensure she is awake for at least a half hour after each feeding during the day and Todd gives Maisy a bottle of milk every evening around 8 which is the beginning of her bedtime routine. She’s been sleeping for a good four hour stretch after we first put her down- then she wakes to feed again. It’s sometimes hard to get her back to sleep after that, so she often ends up in bed with us. Usually she’ll be asleep for another three to four hours- and wake up at about six or seven. If it’s a fantastic day, we can get her back to sleep- if not, it’s time to get up and make the coffee! She is definitely getting more fun. She is smiling and enjoying looking at toys and being played with by us. We sing and dance a lot with her. Those are Maisy’s hobbies for now. We went to the doctor last week about her belly button- it wasn’t drying up- and she is now up to 9 pounds (and her belly button is all good now too).
She had her very first bath on July 12th. She wasn’t super sure about it.
So we all just keep learning and growing together! It’s getting more and more fun everyday. We will have our first airplane adventure later this month when we go up to Oregon for a wedding and to meet some family and friends.
Much love-
Todd, Becky and Maisy
Maisy being a little cradled sleeper in Mommy’s arms
T he first two nights were crazy, and filled with a crying baby and two exhausted parents who had no idea what to do. I am happy to report that Maisy has since gotten better with her sleep cycles. (Phew!) She now sleeps for two to four hours at a time during the night, so that way I only have to get up once or twice to feed. She’s been good at eating quickly and going back to sleep right after feeding.
We began going on short family outings/errands every day. The car and the stroller make Maisy nice and calm and getting out of the house makes me nice and calm. We never go out for long because I’m still terrified of trying to feed her in public. I think she and I both still need a little bit of practice in that first! We are still trying to learn all the tricks to make Maisy feel content and thus not cry. She LOVES shower sounds, static and vacuum sounds, so Todd has made her a nice little iPod mix of her favorites and that seems to calm her down most times. We also started letting her have her pacie (pacifier) for a few hours during the day when she is super fussy. We are pretty firm, though, on no pacie at night, which she doesn’t seem to mind. We don’t want to be getting up every 20 minutes to place it in her mouth again if it falls out!
Maisy seems to be growing every day. She is getting a bit more interactive and is now starting to focus on objects and practicing using her smile muscles. She also lost her umbilical stump! She has her first doctor’s appointment with her pediatrician on Friday.
The announcement out-takes
Todd was lucky enough to have his very first Father’s Day last week. Since I wasn’t able to get out and about to do much for him, a nice book and a home-made card was his gift. Todd seemed to enjoy it- he wanted to bbq chicken for dinner, and we had our first family grilling experience.
Maisy is so lucky to be able to have Todd’s mom and dad come for a visit this week. Both Maisy and the grandparents are super excited to meet each other!
The following week Todd, Maisy and I will take our first road trip to LA to visit my family and to attend a baby shower (someone else’s for a change!). Todd and I are very excited to have Maisy meet Elijah (big boy cousin), Papa and Uncle Rigo and to see Nana and Auntie again! While we are down there, we’ll be sure to go to RSM and meet Maisy’s little friend- Marly, born to our good friends Sarah and Drew just a few weeks before Maisy.
We would like to again thank everyone for their well wishes, meals and support in these first couple of weeks. All of you are very special to us. Having a wonderful support system really helps get through the first bumps in the road.
Much love -
Becky, Todd and Maisy
Maisy Adelyn on her birthday
Maisy finally made her appearance in record time on 5 June 2008! Todd and I both over joyed and completely in LOVE.
I had been having regular contractions (tightening of the stomach nothing painful) the evening of 3 June. At about 10 minutes apart, they continued through the morning of 5 June. Luckily, they never hurt; they were just noticeable. Todd and I spent June 3rd and 4th walking, walking, walking. We looped through our neighborhood, walked to the market and looped through the neighborhood some more. At about 6am on June 5th the contractions grew closer together, and began hurting more. I still didn’t believe this was labor. By 10:30am, the contractions were about 2-3 minutes apart, lasting for over two hours, and really started to hurt. we picked up the phone.
We called into the Labor and Delivery Line, and they said to come in. We thought THIS IS IT! Todd called my mom and sister who were on their way from LA. We arrived at the hospital around 11:30 and I went into Triage to see if I would be admitted. I hung out there for a while in a bit of pain and the hospital staff determined I was only 3cm dilated (although I was very close to a 4). They will not keep you in the hospital unless you are a good 4, nearing 5, or your water has broken.
Todd and I had planned on having a medication free birth, but the doctor offered me a shot of morphine which would help me relax, nap and let the contractions progress. After discussing with Todd, we agreed to take the shot after initially declining. After my shot, they sent us home, and said it could be much later in the day and possibly three days before “active labor” began. We called my mom and sister, who turned around and headed back to LA.
After returning home, I headed to bed for a nap and Todd went out to run errands. It was about 12:30 at this time. I was able to doze off very contently in between contractions. Morphine was very kind to me. After about only a half hour of dozing, my water broke and I rolled out of bed to save our mattress. :) I called Todd, told him the news and back to Labor and Delivery we went. Todd called my mom and my sister and they turned around once again, to head back to the Bay.
I went into into triage (again!) and by around 2:30 we were in our birthing room. I was now dilated to 5cm. There, the contractions were getting stronger and stronger and coming almost back to back. Unfortunately the morphine had run out. The hospital staff explained that I could get a shot of fentanyl that would take the edge off, similar to the morphine. I said, “yes, please” and about that epidural? “Sign me up!” They said I couldn’t get an epidural until I had finished an IV bag of fluid, and I told them to turn that puppy up! That bag took forever to drain! Around 4:45pm the epidural was still no where in sight and the contractions were so fierce that they were pushing for me. The staff was very surprised to see me in this state and decided to check me. They were shocked to see that I was already dilated 10 cm! 5cm in two hours without major drugs or any inducing agents!
At this point they said I would not be able to get the epidural as I was already set to push. The hospital staff kicked it into high gear and got set up for a delivery that they thought was hours away. At 5pm I started to push and 19 minutes later, she was born. Todd held her slimy little hand and cut the cord. I was relieved to have a happy, healthy daughter and to be DONE!
Maisy was born at 5:19 pm, weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces, was 20 and a half inches long, with an APGAR of 7 at birth and 9 five minutes later. All good signs.
7 pounds 7 ounces
Unfortunately my mom and my sister missed the birth and arrived at the hospital just 10 minutes before visiting ended, so we got to see them just shortly. Todd’s brother was also able to sneak in under the wire, so they all got to see Maisy for the first time that day.
The following day we were ready to go home and able to leave the hospital around 2pm. We were barely there for 24 hrs!
Our first family photo
W e left the hospital with out having a name for her. We, in fact, just decided on her name this morning. (It was our deadline for the birth certificate!) At home we tried out all our favorites and Maisy was the only one we could actually say. She is one little spunk bucket I tell you! She knows what she wants and when she wants it.
We’ve been taking shifts at night caring for her. I’m breast feeding, so there is only so much Todd can do, but he’s been very helpful with diaper changes and trying to get her settled down again -not to mention, just hanging out with her for a few hours, so I can get some uninterrupted sleep! Mmmmmm sleep. As a family, we’ve left the house for short outings which is a lot of fun. the key here is short outings. I’m still healing, and being on the move still isn’t very comfortable.
Rest, time, the love of friends and family all help.
Much love -
Becky, Todd and Maisy