The Milk Zombie

I feel a little bad egging on the milk zombie, but it's too much to keep to ourselves. (And she got her fill of milk immediately after we filmed this, so don't feel too bad.)

Eye contact

Family portrait

In our usual state...

Dreaming of victory

Goal!

Sunday Genealogy

The Russian doll post got me thinking about Maesy's heritage. Obviously it's pretty typically Caucasian-American, but we thought it would be neat to see the various eastern and western European influences as well as a nice remembrance of generations past.

Great-great-grandparents are a good place to start on my, since we'll find some first-generation immigrants there (and because going any further back would require more research than a few phone calls). The genealogy on Lis' side goes much further back in American history and I believe my father's side does as well, but luckily Grandpa Roger Howard has been sleuthing their lineage for some time now and Aunt Mary Shea has the genealogy book for the Wright-Shea family. But for now here's just a real quick rundown.

Maesy's great-great grandparents on ...

... Jake's paternal side:

      Edward & Corinne (nee Wright) Shea:  Ireland (more detail to follow)
      Charles Earl & Nora (nee Mather) Harris:  England (more detail to follow)

... Jake's maternal side:

      Abe & Jean (nee Cohen) Glickman:  Estonia (immigrant) & Poland (1st generation)
      David & Fannie Halpern:  Minsk, Belarus (immigrant) & Romania (immigrant)

... Lis' paternal side:

      Charles and Alma (nee Houck) Howard:  England (1600s) & Holland (1700s)
      Charles Myron and Helen (nee France) Warner:  England (1700s) & France (1700s)

... Lis' maternal side:

      Paul and Laura (nee Moore) Smith:  ? (central PA back to 1850s) & ? (Irish connections)
      Peter Herman and Mattie (nee Howell) Marvel:  England (1700s) & England (1700s)

So Maesy is roughly one-quarter eastern European and three-quarters Anglo.

Russian Doll

She is 1/8 Ruske, after all.

A little jealous?

After seeing one baby getting all the attention from the Wyatts, our other baby insisted on getting some.

Hello World

The world must be a lot to take in all at once. Here are some clips of Maesy patiently soaking it in during her first week unwombed.


(backing track: Herstory Of Glory, by Do Make Say Think.)

Week 1 photo melange

First day out

Upper seventies with a muggy breeze made for some great patio lounging today with Grandpa Roger, Nennen, Uncle Andy, Aunt Debbie, and Cousin Libby.

I borrowed Lolly's super-camera. Now I need a new camera.

A short play...

Photoshoot on dad's baby quilt from 1976

This is the best.

There is nothing so good as your infant asleep on your chest.

One Day Old

All is well.

Chomp.

Monkey toes.

Zonked.

Pro shots

Thanks to Lolly for being an awesome and willing photographer. And thanks to Aunt Daf for the super soft blanket in these photos.

The Birth Story

Everyone has one, right? Well, as eventful as it was it's worth recounting here...

Lis went into early labor around 2 AM Sunday morning. Contractions picked up in intensity Sunday night, just as we were trying to get what sleep we could before heading to the hospital. We slept for about 30 minutes when the big hail storm hit, and that was that for any sleep.

We got to the hospital around 3 AM Monday morning, already well into active labor and some very painful contractions. It was 11 AM before pushing could begin. At 5 PM, after six hours of pushing with no pain medication and no sleep, the doctor could not give us a strong recommendation to continue. Because the baby appeared to be stuck at the pelvis and her orientation could not be determined, Lis faced additional hours of fatigue and misery only to likely end up in the same place. Cesarian section was the only reasonable option remaining. We were confident with that decision, but it was absolutely heartbreaking after seeing Lis battle through so much pain for so long.

When the doctor delivered the baby, we found out why she never would have been able to descend any further -- the umbilical cord was wrapped three times around her neck and was tightly wound around one shoulder. Amazingly the baby was never in any distress. Her heartbeat had been rock solid healthy all day long, and she came out at 6:01 PM, crying and alert. Lis got to meet the baby, but then started to fade as her blood pressure dropped when the supply of endorphins and adrenaline that fueled a day of complete exhaustion had finally run out.

Mother and baby were reunited a half-hour later, and both are healthy and happy, and finally well-rested.

She's Here!

Please welcome Maesen Elyse Shea, born at 6:01 pm on 4/4/11, 22", 8 lbs 5 oz. We'll call her Maesy (sounds like Mazie, not Macy), which was our original choice -- we went with Maesen as the official name so she has a more formal option down the road.

Here's a picture:

And here she is just minutes after birth, looking around for a meal. (The eye goop is just the erythromycin ointment to prevent eye infection.)



I'll keep posting more pictures and videos of course. Stay tuned!