Day 1

So the quick story of Maxine's birth: On Labor Day Amber woke up appropriately feeling like she was going into labor, just as I had hoped (9 days before her due date). Contractions were getting closer and closer and she was in alot of pain each time they were occuring. Her water broke and so we headed to the hospital. Once we got there (to a huge beautiful wood panneling hotel-like room) they soon gave her an epideral (spelling?) and some painkillers (two cocktails worth) of some kind. Very soon after Amber felt like she had to push but they said to wait until the doctor on call got there (thankfully not her regular doc, the creepy "Doctor Fflathf"). She soon got there (no one knows her name because it all happened so fast) and the transformer-like bed bumble-beed and octimus-primed until it was the birthing bed (quite amazing by the way). The Doc put her gloves on and said Amber could push and immediately a head appeared. Then the whole baby shot out.

I know the whole birthing process is surreal but happening this fast made it even more surreal if you can imagine. Then the Doctor left before saying, "Wow. I wish all births were like that." I seriously think it was the quickest birth of the decade. She was born on Monday 9-6-10 @ 12:06pm and is so freaking tiny at 6lbs 12 ounces. 20 inches in length. Beautiful big nose like Amber. No problems. Very healthy. And the tiniest cutest butt I have ever seen. The first thing I noticed was how much hair she had: Reddish brown and at 1.5 inches long it's basically the length of mine (she also came with a rat tail). When they gave her a bath she hated it but as soon as they finished and began brushing her hair she stopped crying. She seems to really love getting her hair brushed (or head rubbed) which I'm sure I don't have to tell you how incredibly cute that is. Speaking of which, her fingernails are long and already look like they were painted a pinkish purple (very fancy). She barely has eyebrows and their blonde so it looks like she has none. She has a supercute giant wrinkle between her nose and he forehead that I'm hoping will never go away. She sucks her thumb alot (as I did till I was probably 8) and when she does she puts the rest of her four fingers covering her nose. It's hard to explain but it's cute and I can show you in person. Oh and she makes awesome faces and noises.

Also, I'm really excited about learning how to wrap her up in a blanket like a burrito. I'm pretty good but getting better and better. Everytime the staff brought her back in the room she was "burrito baby" (which obviously is a baby wrapped tightly in a blanket (like a burrito) with the head sticking out) and I really studied their "form". I'm convinced that she prefers the tight womb-like burrito wrap and am doing my best to always give that to her. As you can imagine I still have an adrenalyne (spelling?) rush and tho tired can barely sleep. Even her crying is music to my ears at this point which I know will end soon. I've changed 4 diapers so far and I'm gettin' better at that too (which I'm a little rusty since it's been over a decade since I've done that). I learned that first day's poops look like tar, and boy do they (didn't read that in the handbook). Amber is doing great. She is taking stool softener (she doesn't want me to mention that) and oxycodone (spelling?) (unfortunately she is not allowed to share that with me).

I knew Maxine would be the cutest baby in the world but she is even cuter than that.