Monday, December 28, 2009
The long-awaited videos, part 1
We shot a good bit of footage of Eve when she was brand new, and it's taken us this long to process it and upload it. Here are the first two. They're not exactly action-packed, but they are pretty cute.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Of bottles and blow-outs
Eve is one month old this past week! Steve and I were marveling at how much we've learned (about parenting, but mostly about Eve) in that time. We were presented with a human about whom we knew almost nothing, and can now distinguish cries and predict with pretty good accuracy how she will react to something. Spending 24/7 with someone so dependent on you will do that! It's been an absolute pleasure.
The parade of guests (very very welcome) continues. This week, among others, we spent time with
Ledell Zellers and Simon Anderson (picture of Ledell with Eve below), Leslie and Maple (who showed us how to fold the bigger size diapers to avoid blow-outs, oh boy, was that appreciated!), Sarah and Frances, and Emily and Ike. People have been very generous about bringing us food these past few weeks, yum!
The elf became a reindeer this week (outfit courtesy Great Aunt Pam). Like a real reindeer pelt, it's warm and exactly what we needed to go visit my work in near zero temps! We had a very pleasant visit. Bonus: Eve slept for an hour or so in my office, giving me time to go through mail and e-mail, and making the prospect of taking her in with me to work one day a week not such a crazy idea. Here's Sprout in her reindeer outfit. She likes it fine, but was giving us her opinion of the Copenhagen climate change summit accord.
A surprise was waiting for us in my office - someone who had attended the estate planning class I teach through UW-Extension had sent this stroller. I called the shop that sent it, but the person had paid cash and they didn't get her name and could only tell me that it was a class participant. I have no idea who it is. It's a nice stroller (umbrella style, folds easily, turns on a dime, has sun/rain shield, all that jazz) and we didn't have one already.
We learned a lot this week. Eve generally sleeps well at night, but occasionally has spells of fussiness. I started keeping a food journal to try to figure out if it's anything I am eating. So far, it appears garlic is not a problem (whew). I'm thinking cabbage might be. We all got colds this week. Poor Eve doesn't seem to be bothered by it too much, but listening to her congested breathing at night was rough on Steve and me! It took some gumption, but we figured out how to use that nose bulb syringe thingy. On a more fun note, we also learned how to wear the baby in our sling! Studies show that babies who are worn regularly cry 50% less.
Most significantly, Eve and Steve learned how to bottle feed. Eve took it immediately (and it doesn't seem to have affected her nursing prowess), and Steve was thrilled to be able to feed her. For me, it's a sigh of relief, because even though I have to pump (so I'm not actually getting out of any work), it does enable me to get away for more than two hours at a time. We'll continue to mainly breast feed, and keep bottles for when I'm absent.
What a week! Merry Christmas to everyone (if that's your thing). We're off to Bemidji for a week to spend time with my parents and siblings. Wish us luck on what is usually an 8 hour drive!
The parade of guests (very very welcome) continues. This week, among others, we spent time with
Ledell Zellers and Simon Anderson (picture of Ledell with Eve below), Leslie and Maple (who showed us how to fold the bigger size diapers to avoid blow-outs, oh boy, was that appreciated!), Sarah and Frances, and Emily and Ike. People have been very generous about bringing us food these past few weeks, yum!
The elf became a reindeer this week (outfit courtesy Great Aunt Pam). Like a real reindeer pelt, it's warm and exactly what we needed to go visit my work in near zero temps! We had a very pleasant visit. Bonus: Eve slept for an hour or so in my office, giving me time to go through mail and e-mail, and making the prospect of taking her in with me to work one day a week not such a crazy idea. Here's Sprout in her reindeer outfit. She likes it fine, but was giving us her opinion of the Copenhagen climate change summit accord.
A surprise was waiting for us in my office - someone who had attended the estate planning class I teach through UW-Extension had sent this stroller. I called the shop that sent it, but the person had paid cash and they didn't get her name and could only tell me that it was a class participant. I have no idea who it is. It's a nice stroller (umbrella style, folds easily, turns on a dime, has sun/rain shield, all that jazz) and we didn't have one already.
We learned a lot this week. Eve generally sleeps well at night, but occasionally has spells of fussiness. I started keeping a food journal to try to figure out if it's anything I am eating. So far, it appears garlic is not a problem (whew). I'm thinking cabbage might be. We all got colds this week. Poor Eve doesn't seem to be bothered by it too much, but listening to her congested breathing at night was rough on Steve and me! It took some gumption, but we figured out how to use that nose bulb syringe thingy. On a more fun note, we also learned how to wear the baby in our sling! Studies show that babies who are worn regularly cry 50% less.
What a week! Merry Christmas to everyone (if that's your thing). We're off to Bemidji for a week to spend time with my parents and siblings. Wish us luck on what is usually an 8 hour drive!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Sprout is one month old!
How time flies when you're having fun (and mastering the fine arts of diapering, nursing, baby wearing, etc)!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Deep into December
It was another good week, full of firsts and memorable events. Steve went back to his other job at WCCN (in addition to two night shifts weekly at the hospital as interpreter), so I will be flying solo more from here out during those days and nights. I have another month until I go back three days a week.
Steve gets lots of time in with Eve alone, too, letting me run errands and go to the YMCA with Amy. It feels good to work out again (I'm still taking it easy, but do fit into my own pants - woot!). In preparation for going back to work, I will start pumping and we'll try bottle feeding as of next week . . . any advice from those who have gone before? Cross your fingers for us.
Enough about the parents, what about Eve? I hear you say. She has changed so much, it's constantly amazing to us. She's definitely gaining weight (we haven't been into the clinic in two weeks, so I can't tell you how much, but look at our earliest pictures), and seems to be storing it in her chin and belly.
Eve doesn't mug for the camera too much, in fact, she's very nonchalant about it. Flashes, noise, lots of people don't bother her, or wake her. She has discovered her thumbs, which will likely come in handy (ha!) later when she has to get herself to sleep. She doesn't have good control of her head yet, but is steadily improving in strength (the picture below doesn't demo that well, but is a pre-action shot). She has much longer periods of alertness, and loves to observe us at close range. She vocalizes constantly with chirps and hums, much to our amusement. Oh, and her biggest accomplishment of late - promotion to the next bigger size of diapers and wraps. The newbie ones were getting soaked through much too quickly. Fluid in, fluid out pretty much sums up our way of life now.
We got out and about as much as we could this week, despite getting 16" of snow on Tuesday night and having temps plunge below zero on Wednesday. That shut down Madison for two days and kept us indoors. The three of us did manage to go Christmas shopping on Saturday, and got a lot of attention. Why would a stranger shake a sleeping baby's feet to express admiration? She was the only idiot. Everyone else was properly adoring. Of course, dressed like this, who could resist? (Outfit courtesy of my mother):
We also made our first real social outing to Sarah and Heather's annual Chat and Chew holiday party. They had indicated in the invitation that kiddos would rule the house from 4-7, and for the first time in my life, that was very appealing. They have a nine month old daughter, Frances, and live just a few blocks away (they have also been a fabulous source of maternity clothes, baby clothes, a recipe for homemade wipes and baby gear advice). There were a ton of little ones to watch, parents and friends with whom to compare notes, and good strong eggnog.
Steve gets lots of time in with Eve alone, too, letting me run errands and go to the YMCA with Amy. It feels good to work out again (I'm still taking it easy, but do fit into my own pants - woot!). In preparation for going back to work, I will start pumping and we'll try bottle feeding as of next week . . . any advice from those who have gone before? Cross your fingers for us.
Enough about the parents, what about Eve? I hear you say. She has changed so much, it's constantly amazing to us. She's definitely gaining weight (we haven't been into the clinic in two weeks, so I can't tell you how much, but look at our earliest pictures), and seems to be storing it in her chin and belly.
As we mentioned before, she is very comfortable on her back now, and it doesn't phase her to have her arms loose. When we brought her home, she didn't like either. Boy, does that make sleeping easier (for everyone)!
Eve doesn't mug for the camera too much, in fact, she's very nonchalant about it. Flashes, noise, lots of people don't bother her, or wake her. She has discovered her thumbs, which will likely come in handy (ha!) later when she has to get herself to sleep. She doesn't have good control of her head yet, but is steadily improving in strength (the picture below doesn't demo that well, but is a pre-action shot). She has much longer periods of alertness, and loves to observe us at close range. She vocalizes constantly with chirps and hums, much to our amusement. Oh, and her biggest accomplishment of late - promotion to the next bigger size of diapers and wraps. The newbie ones were getting soaked through much too quickly. Fluid in, fluid out pretty much sums up our way of life now.
We got out and about as much as we could this week, despite getting 16" of snow on Tuesday night and having temps plunge below zero on Wednesday. That shut down Madison for two days and kept us indoors. The three of us did manage to go Christmas shopping on Saturday, and got a lot of attention. Why would a stranger shake a sleeping baby's feet to express admiration? She was the only idiot. Everyone else was properly adoring. Of course, dressed like this, who could resist? (Outfit courtesy of my mother):
We also made our first real social outing to Sarah and Heather's annual Chat and Chew holiday party. They had indicated in the invitation that kiddos would rule the house from 4-7, and for the first time in my life, that was very appealing. They have a nine month old daughter, Frances, and live just a few blocks away (they have also been a fabulous source of maternity clothes, baby clothes, a recipe for homemade wipes and baby gear advice). There were a ton of little ones to watch, parents and friends with whom to compare notes, and good strong eggnog.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
How to photograph a Christmas elf
We woke up this morning, rather suddenly, to some projectile spit up (which didn't seem to phase Eve one bit). This led to an emergency bath, and Steve and I thought, well shucks, since she's clean, let's take the Christmas card picture! This outfit was used for me for my first Christmas . . . and my parents have pictures to prove it.
Here is a link to the complete series of our attempt. Page through quickly for the full effect of a squirming infant.
How To Photograph A Christmas Elf series is here
We did manage to get a decent shot that we'll include in our holiday letter (next week's project):
As I write, baby's first snowstorm is revving up and Eve is sleeping on my chest. We're hunkering down for an expected 8" over the next 24 hours. Steve and I couldn't ask for a cozier home or a sweeter baby.
Here is a link to the complete series of our attempt. Page through quickly for the full effect of a squirming infant.
How To Photograph A Christmas Elf series is here
We did manage to get a decent shot that we'll include in our holiday letter (next week's project):
As I write, baby's first snowstorm is revving up and Eve is sleeping on my chest. We're hunkering down for an expected 8" over the next 24 hours. Steve and I couldn't ask for a cozier home or a sweeter baby.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Lots of firsts
Our baby is growing up so fast! It's been an eventful yet peaceful week. Eve is changing by the day - my mom, who had been with us since before her birth, left for Michigan for a few days to visit her mother, then stopped back in and was amazed at the changes. We can see them, too, mainly from photos, but also in her behavior. Eve is gaining new rolls at a rapid rate, and is now comfortable lying on her back (hallelujah). She stays alert for longer periods of time, and seems to be actually looking at us now. She's fascinated by light and music.
We stayed pretty close to home this week, but did take Eve to her first public event - the fair trade holiday fair put on annually at the local convention center. There were lots of adoring fans, and I'm told, merchandise for purchase, although I never got that far.
We received lots more guests this week; among them were:
Olivia.
Max (born Nov 6, happy one month!) and his parents, Eva and Mike.
We stayed pretty close to home this week, but did take Eve to her first public event - the fair trade holiday fair put on annually at the local convention center. There were lots of adoring fans, and I'm told, merchandise for purchase, although I never got that far.
We received lots more guests this week; among them were:
Olivia.
Max (born Nov 6, happy one month!) and his parents, Eva and Mike.
Max is a big boy! 10 lbs!
Eve got her first real bath, too, administered by the baby whisperer, Marme (my mom).
She won't fit in the bathroom sink much longer! Eve is very close to outgrowing her first little outfit, and, we suspect, newborn size diapers. Yesterday was a five outfit day . . . .
Lazy morning. Like mamma, like baby.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Eve Xochitl's birth story (the long version)
At last, it can be told!
I wanted to do a full write-up about Eve's birth the day she was born, but it didn't happen. There was a steady parade of nurses through our room, there were technology problems, there was the fact that we hadn't slept the night before and only eaten one meal all day, and then there was Eve herself, who was quite a distraction from doing much other than holding her or looking at her.
So, here's how it all happened, for posterity.
Juscha had been having mild contractions for days before her due date (Friday, Nov 13), but that came and went with no baby in sight. On Tuesday at 10 pm, we were lying in bed, watching the Colbert Report on the web, when she heard an audible "pop" and felt a twinge. That turned out to be her water breaking, although fluid didn't come out until she moved around. We first started timing contractions at 10:18, when they began to get stronger. We dozed in between them, waking up to note the time between. That didn't turn out to be a very effective way to keep track of things, but we did manage to tell they were 7-10 minutes apart. We called Hannah, the doula, who said to call back when Juscha had to walk through the contractions. We also called Juscha's OB, and Laurel, her acupuncturist, to give them the heads up that we might need them that night. Then we managed to sleep off and on until about 2 AM, with Juscha jumping up every 10 minutes or so to walk through contractions. We called Laurel again to let her know we'd need her soon. Then Juscha went downstairs to rest on the couch, still walking between contractions. I gathered up last-minute things to take to the hospital. Juscha's mom, Sandra, was awake, but didn't come out of her room until I told her what was happening. Then she came out to help, particularly when Juscha was throwing up. Laurel showed up around 4:00, and gave Juscha some ear points for nausea. By 5:00, contractions were close enough and taking enough work, we decided to head to the hospital, and to call Hannah and have her meet us there. Just as we were leaving the house, Hannah pulled up. She came in long enough to meet everyone, and then we all piled into cars and went to the hospital. Laurel went a little ahead, and picked up some things at her office. By the time we got to the hospital, she was there, waiting for us. As we walked in, Juscha threw up again, but she still refused the offer of a wheelchair to go the rest of the way to her room -- which was surprisingly far from the entrance to the hospital.
We were directed to our own triage room. The nurse had a lot of trouble with the computer, though, and it eventually crashed, shutting down completely. She gave up on it, and focused on Juscha. A resident came in to check on her, as well. He had talked with Dr. Vohmann, and seemed to be all caught up on Juscha's background information. That was the point where we gave them the birth plan. They put a monitor on Juscha to measure the baby's heartbeat and the contractions, both of which were good and strong. The resident offered to check Juscha, who looked to Hannah for advice. Hannah said she didn't have to hear the results. So, Juscha said she wanted to hear the results if she was dilated beyond four. When the resident gave us a roundabout answer, we knew we had a ways to go. Still, I knew from my work interpreting at births that things can change quickly.
After a reasonably short time, we were taken to our birth room. It was the same room we'd seen on the tour, a couple of months earlier. It was pleasant enough, as hospital rooms go, with a couch and other amenities. By that time, it was after six, and Juscha's contractions were getting stronger all the time. It was increasingly difficult for her to get comfortable in any position. She was on hands and knees on the bed for quite a while, alternating with standing and squatting. We tried walking at one point, but that didn't last long. She was also unable to answer questions beyond "yes" and "no," and at times, couldn't even say that much. She was hearing us, though, because she would move to different positions if we told her to.
We had several very nice nurses (including a student nurse there to observe), and Dr. Bull, who is the other OB we worked with, showed up in plenty of time. She reported that she had seen a rainbow on her way in, for the first time in four years, so it was a good day to have a baby. Also in the room was Juscha's mom, Laurel, Hannah, and me. That's a lot of people. More than once, I overheard the nurses commenting how well Juscha was handling the pain.
Laurel had placed points on Juscha's sacrum to intensify the contractions and help with dilation. As things progressed, Juscha's contractions continued to get stronger and stronger. Dr. Bull checked her, and couldn't tell whether she was fully dilated, or if her cervix was simply very high and not dilated at all. After a while, she determined that, in fact, she was entirely dilated, or very nearly so and was ready to push. Hannah suggested she lie on her side, because she'd been on her hands and knees so long her legs were falling asleep. She went through several strong contractions that way, and then we had her switch sides. As she described it later, at that point, she was really only responding to what I said, so I was repeating everything she needed to know. She was clearly having a lot of pain, but was still able to move, with help. She did the entire labor with no medications of any kind, which meant that there was actually a good amount of time between the really strong contractions -- considerably more time than between the moderately strong contractions. That allowed her to rest, and even sleep for a few minutes at a time. As a result, she was able to do a better job pushing, but it also left her spacey and disoriented.
As we got to the end, everyone (except Juscha) could see the baby's head beginning to crown. With each push, it would emerge a bit more, and then recede back in. Juscha was actually able to touch the baby's head at one point, and she was visibly startled by the experience. I told her on the next contraction that she could do it again, but she wanted to focus on pushing. There were several times we thought we were on the last contraction, and it didn't turn out to be. At one point, everyone gathered around was audibly excited about the baby arriving, and Juscha managed to say, "I'm glad you're all enjoying this" and got a good laugh from us. The second-to-last time, Eve's head came halfway out, stayed for several seconds, and then went back in. Finally, there was one last really strong contraction, and Juscha pushed super hard, and the baby came out at 9:54 a.m. She made her first little noises before she was all the way out. Dr. Bull laid her on the bed to do a quick visual check of her, and then put her on Juscha's chest. At several seconds old, Eve was able to start looking for Juscha's nipple, and even lift her head briefly to move in the right direction. The nurses were amazed. One commented she had heard about this instinct, but never actually witnessed it. Eve worked hard to get to the nipple, and eventually made it, but wasn't entirely sure what to do next. At that point, Juscha helped her out a bit. Meanwhile, she was also having more contractions, and the placenta came out. Dr. Bull made sure it was intact and that any bleeding was under control.
Juscha and I consulted about the name we had discussed. The baby was fussing slightly, so Juscha called to her by name and she quieted. We concluded that we would name her Eve Xochitl. We told Sandra soon after, and then called my parents back to tell them. We also called our respective siblings soon after, and I found my parents had already called my sister, Kate. Granddad (John) was in the clinic with a patient, but called back immediately to hear the news.
We let Eve stay skin to skin on Juscha's chest for quite a while -- probably close to 45 minutes. Nurses weighed and footprinted her, but left other tests and such for later, at our request. I held her for a long time, and people got several pictures of us. Then I let Sandra hold her. Not too much longer, since we had to move to our recovery room. Juscha sat in a wheelchair (on top of the Boppy pillow, because she had several stitches), and I pushed her. Everyone else carried all our stuff. Once we got to the room, we settled in, and the parade of nurses began. One came in to give Eve her bath. Another came in to do the heel prick, which checks for non-obvious conditions. Several more came in to orient us to the room, give us paperwork to fill out, explain the menu system, help Juscha to the bathroom, and so on.
Juscha's sister, Jean, saw one of the first pictures of Eve, and decided on the spot to drive the four hours to Madison. In the meantime, we passed her back and forth, and took lots of pictures. We ordered food for Juscha, and Sandra and I got subs from Subway, which is right in the hospital. Our friend Amy Mondloch was the first friend to show up to see Eve in person. Laurel came by the next morning, as did Leslie and Maple Schroeder. Both momma and baby were doing so well, we were all discharged the very next day and got home by 1 p.m.
I wanted to do a full write-up about Eve's birth the day she was born, but it didn't happen. There was a steady parade of nurses through our room, there were technology problems, there was the fact that we hadn't slept the night before and only eaten one meal all day, and then there was Eve herself, who was quite a distraction from doing much other than holding her or looking at her.
So, here's how it all happened, for posterity.
Juscha had been having mild contractions for days before her due date (Friday, Nov 13), but that came and went with no baby in sight. On Tuesday at 10 pm, we were lying in bed, watching the Colbert Report on the web, when she heard an audible "pop" and felt a twinge. That turned out to be her water breaking, although fluid didn't come out until she moved around. We first started timing contractions at 10:18, when they began to get stronger. We dozed in between them, waking up to note the time between. That didn't turn out to be a very effective way to keep track of things, but we did manage to tell they were 7-10 minutes apart. We called Hannah, the doula, who said to call back when Juscha had to walk through the contractions. We also called Juscha's OB, and Laurel, her acupuncturist, to give them the heads up that we might need them that night. Then we managed to sleep off and on until about 2 AM, with Juscha jumping up every 10 minutes or so to walk through contractions. We called Laurel again to let her know we'd need her soon. Then Juscha went downstairs to rest on the couch, still walking between contractions. I gathered up last-minute things to take to the hospital. Juscha's mom, Sandra, was awake, but didn't come out of her room until I told her what was happening. Then she came out to help, particularly when Juscha was throwing up. Laurel showed up around 4:00, and gave Juscha some ear points for nausea. By 5:00, contractions were close enough and taking enough work, we decided to head to the hospital, and to call Hannah and have her meet us there. Just as we were leaving the house, Hannah pulled up. She came in long enough to meet everyone, and then we all piled into cars and went to the hospital. Laurel went a little ahead, and picked up some things at her office. By the time we got to the hospital, she was there, waiting for us. As we walked in, Juscha threw up again, but she still refused the offer of a wheelchair to go the rest of the way to her room -- which was surprisingly far from the entrance to the hospital.
We were directed to our own triage room. The nurse had a lot of trouble with the computer, though, and it eventually crashed, shutting down completely. She gave up on it, and focused on Juscha. A resident came in to check on her, as well. He had talked with Dr. Vohmann, and seemed to be all caught up on Juscha's background information. That was the point where we gave them the birth plan. They put a monitor on Juscha to measure the baby's heartbeat and the contractions, both of which were good and strong. The resident offered to check Juscha, who looked to Hannah for advice. Hannah said she didn't have to hear the results. So, Juscha said she wanted to hear the results if she was dilated beyond four. When the resident gave us a roundabout answer, we knew we had a ways to go. Still, I knew from my work interpreting at births that things can change quickly.
After a reasonably short time, we were taken to our birth room. It was the same room we'd seen on the tour, a couple of months earlier. It was pleasant enough, as hospital rooms go, with a couch and other amenities. By that time, it was after six, and Juscha's contractions were getting stronger all the time. It was increasingly difficult for her to get comfortable in any position. She was on hands and knees on the bed for quite a while, alternating with standing and squatting. We tried walking at one point, but that didn't last long. She was also unable to answer questions beyond "yes" and "no," and at times, couldn't even say that much. She was hearing us, though, because she would move to different positions if we told her to.
We had several very nice nurses (including a student nurse there to observe), and Dr. Bull, who is the other OB we worked with, showed up in plenty of time. She reported that she had seen a rainbow on her way in, for the first time in four years, so it was a good day to have a baby. Also in the room was Juscha's mom, Laurel, Hannah, and me. That's a lot of people. More than once, I overheard the nurses commenting how well Juscha was handling the pain.
Laurel had placed points on Juscha's sacrum to intensify the contractions and help with dilation. As things progressed, Juscha's contractions continued to get stronger and stronger. Dr. Bull checked her, and couldn't tell whether she was fully dilated, or if her cervix was simply very high and not dilated at all. After a while, she determined that, in fact, she was entirely dilated, or very nearly so and was ready to push. Hannah suggested she lie on her side, because she'd been on her hands and knees so long her legs were falling asleep. She went through several strong contractions that way, and then we had her switch sides. As she described it later, at that point, she was really only responding to what I said, so I was repeating everything she needed to know. She was clearly having a lot of pain, but was still able to move, with help. She did the entire labor with no medications of any kind, which meant that there was actually a good amount of time between the really strong contractions -- considerably more time than between the moderately strong contractions. That allowed her to rest, and even sleep for a few minutes at a time. As a result, she was able to do a better job pushing, but it also left her spacey and disoriented.
As we got to the end, everyone (except Juscha) could see the baby's head beginning to crown. With each push, it would emerge a bit more, and then recede back in. Juscha was actually able to touch the baby's head at one point, and she was visibly startled by the experience. I told her on the next contraction that she could do it again, but she wanted to focus on pushing. There were several times we thought we were on the last contraction, and it didn't turn out to be. At one point, everyone gathered around was audibly excited about the baby arriving, and Juscha managed to say, "I'm glad you're all enjoying this" and got a good laugh from us. The second-to-last time, Eve's head came halfway out, stayed for several seconds, and then went back in. Finally, there was one last really strong contraction, and Juscha pushed super hard, and the baby came out at 9:54 a.m. She made her first little noises before she was all the way out. Dr. Bull laid her on the bed to do a quick visual check of her, and then put her on Juscha's chest. At several seconds old, Eve was able to start looking for Juscha's nipple, and even lift her head briefly to move in the right direction. The nurses were amazed. One commented she had heard about this instinct, but never actually witnessed it. Eve worked hard to get to the nipple, and eventually made it, but wasn't entirely sure what to do next. At that point, Juscha helped her out a bit. Meanwhile, she was also having more contractions, and the placenta came out. Dr. Bull made sure it was intact and that any bleeding was under control.
Juscha and I consulted about the name we had discussed. The baby was fussing slightly, so Juscha called to her by name and she quieted. We concluded that we would name her Eve Xochitl. We told Sandra soon after, and then called my parents back to tell them. We also called our respective siblings soon after, and I found my parents had already called my sister, Kate. Granddad (John) was in the clinic with a patient, but called back immediately to hear the news.
We let Eve stay skin to skin on Juscha's chest for quite a while -- probably close to 45 minutes. Nurses weighed and footprinted her, but left other tests and such for later, at our request. I held her for a long time, and people got several pictures of us. Then I let Sandra hold her. Not too much longer, since we had to move to our recovery room. Juscha sat in a wheelchair (on top of the Boppy pillow, because she had several stitches), and I pushed her. Everyone else carried all our stuff. Once we got to the room, we settled in, and the parade of nurses began. One came in to give Eve her bath. Another came in to do the heel prick, which checks for non-obvious conditions. Several more came in to orient us to the room, give us paperwork to fill out, explain the menu system, help Juscha to the bathroom, and so on.
Juscha's sister, Jean, saw one of the first pictures of Eve, and decided on the spot to drive the four hours to Madison. In the meantime, we passed her back and forth, and took lots of pictures. We ordered food for Juscha, and Sandra and I got subs from Subway, which is right in the hospital. Our friend Amy Mondloch was the first friend to show up to see Eve in person. Laurel came by the next morning, as did Leslie and Maple Schroeder. Both momma and baby were doing so well, we were all discharged the very next day and got home by 1 p.m.
Thanksgiving
Whew! Time flies when you have a newbie! There's a lot to share from Eve's little world. She met her Grandma and Grandpa Herrick, plus Aunt Kate and Uncle Adam for the first time. She also entertained a number of other friends. We had both Steve and my parents plus our three siblings in town for Thanksgiving, which was wonderful. Eve was passed around constantly for days, and rarely lost her cool. Eve lost her umbilical cord stump on the 25th, and has gained new rolls (kissing spots) at a rate of at least one a day. We figured she had gained some weight, but were surprised when she was weighed at the clinic today to find out that she is up to 7 lbs 14.6 oz! That's up 14.6 oz from 10 days ago!
We've been having fun going for walks in the neighborhood and otherwise settling in to our new lives. Steve started back at interpreting this week, but has another week of paid paternity leave from his part time job at WCCN.
Rather than post lots of pictures directly on the blog, follow this link to an online photo album - we think it'll be easier to digest.
http://picasaweb.google.com/juscha.robinson/EveSFirstThanksgiving?authkey=Gv1sRgCNLx84rTy4fElgE&feat=directlink
Happy December!
We've been having fun going for walks in the neighborhood and otherwise settling in to our new lives. Steve started back at interpreting this week, but has another week of paid paternity leave from his part time job at WCCN.
Rather than post lots of pictures directly on the blog, follow this link to an online photo album - we think it'll be easier to digest.
http://picasaweb.google.com/juscha.robinson/EveSFirstThanksgiving?authkey=Gv1sRgCNLx84rTy4fElgE&feat=directlink
Happy December!
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