Pictures from Maya's second week

We've discovered that Maya's "witching hours" are from 5 - 7 pm.

So we try all sorts of ways to distract her... her baby flashcards (a gift from Rachel, Alex, and Sam) usually work for 10 minutes or so.
Bath time also help stop the tears. She likes to hold Katie's hand during bath time. Abe likes to help "clean" Maya off.





Getting wrapped up in the towel after bath time is definitely one of Maya's favorite times.

And after taking a bath, Maya is normally too worn out to fuss anymore!

My turn

In a sleep-deprived moment of weakness, I offered to do the next blog update. So here I am staring at a blank computer screen and realizing that writing a blog entry really is as difficult as Larkin said. There is so much to say as our lives have completely changed in the last 13 days, yet trying to put that change into words is an impossible task. The bottom line is I am completely in love with both my daughter and my husband (and pretty darn proud of how well Abe has adjusted to Maya’s arrival). Everything has just become more perfect since Maya Drake joined us. For example, this morning all 4 of us were laying in our bed (don’t worry – Abe and Maya don’t sleep in our bed), Larkin and I were reading the Sunday New York Times and drinking coffee – I couldn’t imagine a more ideal Sunday morning.


Maya and I have slowly established a routine of feedings and sleep with the occasional walk with Abe thrown in. She is a champion sleeper and eater. We also dance several times a day, which seems to be the surest way to quiet any cries – she is her mother’s daughter as she seems to have a particular affection for Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, and Broadway show tunes. Of course, a substantial part of my day is spent with Maya Drake in my arms and me just staring at her, marveling at the fact that she is my daughter and that this amazing little person is the Bean.

I was very fortunate to grow up in a household where I never doubted my father’s love for me or his love for my mother. Watching how my dad treated my mom really shaped what I looked for in a husband. Maya will never doubt that her father loves her or me, and I am grateful that Maya’s first impressions of how men should treat women will be based on watching Larkin. He has been an amazing partner in this adventure… Larkin was so wonderful and supportive during labor and delivery. He is currently working part-time; it is so comforting knowing that he’ll be home by 1:00 each day which allows me to take a nap or run errands and gives him the opportunity to bond with our daughter (as well as watch the European soccer tournament – we are rooting for Turkey, which if you have watched any of the games you would know why.) Larkin has also taken charge of cleaning the house, grocery shopping, etc. But it is more than just the ice chips, the breathing directions, the mopping, and the diaper changing… the pure joy he takes in Maya makes me fall more in love with him daily. I am very lucky.

Larkin taking a much-deserved nap.
One of my favorite pictures...


We are also very fortunate that friends here in Austin are scheduled to bring us dinner every other night for Maya’s first 3 weeks – it has been a great way to introduce Maya to our circle of friends as well as takes a major to-do off of our lists. Thank you to everyone!



Danny and Susan Nold came to visit... and practice their baby-holding skills. Maya is looking forward to meeting Virginia Nold!

Her first attempt at tummy time left something to be desired... but it did make us laugh!

So did her first playdate with neighbor Anna Kreager (born on June 10th)!

Week 2

Maya continues to eat and sleep well (please knock on wood, wherever you are). Thanks to my awesome boss, I am back at work for half-days only. Katie's body is healing slowly but surely. Life is good.



Her eyes are open. Quick, get the camera.



A good swaddle is key.



Do these look flat like Katie's?



Maya's favorite sleeping position.



Treating diaper rash. Tip and Trick #2:
If you are feeling brave, let your baby 'air dry.'



Grandma-great is pretty proud of Maya.



A little slice of heaven in Austin, TX.

Maya is Home

Whoa. After nine hours of labor, two days in the hospital, and many more dirty diapers than hours of sleep, Katie, Maya, and I are back at home. It truly has been a whirlwind experience and very difficult to find words to describe.

Despite being induced and using an epidural, labor was a big challenge for a couple hours on Monday afternoon. Because Maya was in the occipital-posterior (OP) position with her head facing forward, Katie pushed for more than three hours without making much progress. Our OB, Dr. Youngkin recommended using a vacuum extractor to move the process along. He placed a little plastic cup with a suction device on Maya’s head, and in a matter of minutes, out she came. In a matter of seconds, I was head-over-heals in love.

We decided on the name Maya very early on in the pregnancy and I’m surprised I was able to keep it a secret. Our general criteria for a girl’s name was something strong, feminine, Jewish, and from our family. We envisioned a girl named Maya becoming president or running a Fortune 500 company, while also being nurturing and compassionate.

In Hebrew, Maya means “from God.” A Jewish tradition is to name a child after a deceased relative, often by using only the first letter of the family member’s name. Maya is named after my maternal grandmother, Mickey Wayne, known for her dynamic personality, eclectic house parties, and for being a super-achiever. Maya Drake is also named after Katie’s maternal grandmother, Ruth Gladys Drake, known for her wonderful sense of humor, attention to grammar, and love for the Cincinnati Reds and sports in general. Our daughter stands on the shoulders of these two strong women.

In addition to being Jewish, the name Maya is claimed by many other cultures. Our friends Vamsi and Puja reminded us that Maya is derived from Sanskrit and has a role in Hinduism. Our friend John, who will also name his daughter Maya, says it is derived from Mexico, likely from the highly-advanced Maya civilization. Maya is also the Greco-Roman goddess of the earth AND the name of Buddha’s mother. Any child with one of the most popular names in Israel, that also means “princess” in Arabic, gives me great hope for the future.

The staff at St. David’s must have known the significance of Maya’s name because they treated her and Katie like royalty. I can’t say enough good things about the nursing staff at the hospital. Maya and Katie had their own nurses 24-7, and the time at St. David’s allowed Katie to begin recovering from childbirth. I stayed the night at St. David’s on Maya’s birthday. On the second night in the hospital, Maya spent a good amount of time in the hospital’s nursery so Katie could also catch up on sleep.

I could write an entire entry on my sleep patterns for the last couple of days. Last night, I was awake with Maya from 10-11, 12-2, and 3-5. While I was asleep, Katie nursed. Most of the time with Maya, I practiced holding, swaddling, and rocking her, trying to find the best technique to make both of us comfortable. Not until the third round at about 4:15 this morning did I find the best position to help Maya get to sleep. It’s amazing what you’ll do with a newborn. At about 3:30, in honor of our great state and in an attempt to stay awake, Maya and I did the Texas two-step.

The love I feel for my new daughter is matched only by my adoration for Katie, who continues to amaze me as she masters her new role as a mother. Childbirth was not easy on her body, especially due to her second-degree episiotomy, yet she complains little and radiates confidence. Nursing is going well (knock on wood) and Katie leaves me with little doubt that we can do this parenting thing. We beat the record-setting Texas heat this morning and walked several blocks with Maya and our dog, Abe. I couldn’t help but be in awe of my amazing family.

On a final note, I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to grandparents. Katie’s parents, Bob and Nancy, have been phenomenal during the last few days. While I type this blog, Katie is taking a well-deserved nap. Bob is at Central Market buying another round of groceries, while Nancy is changing and holding Maya. Saying that we are lucky to have two amazing sets of grandparents is an understatement. I honestly do not know how we would have done it without them.

Enjoy these most recent pics of Maya and her family. I hope to work on more video tomorrow. It’s great to be home.


Thanks to Kristin in Florida for making this awesome sign.



This picture was not taken at 3 a.m.



Abe, meet Maya. Maya, this is Abe.



The vacuum sucks, but Maya is hard-headed like her mom.

Hiccups and More

A few more pics and a video from Maya's first day:


Sleeping beauty




Brown-eyed girl (although they look bluer this morning)






Two sleeping beauties



Wink



Napping with daddy


A now, the video:

(I'm still experimenting with our new camera so check the site for more clips soon.)

First Maya pics

Maya Drake Tackett

8 lbs 3 oz. 20 inches long.

She's an overachiever

Nurse Jan just came in and Katie is 9 cm dilated! The Bean is coming soon...

4 cm

Katie just had a great visit from the anesthesiologist, Dr. Cox. He was the
textbook definition of an obsessive compulsive, which is sort of what you
want in an anesthesiologist. 4 cm now and 100% effaced.

Waters are broken

Dr. Youngkin just left the room after breaking Katie's water. He identified some meconium in the amniotic fluid, which according to Dr. Y, is a sign that the "baby is cooked." Katie is 2-3 cm dilated and feeling great. Here's a pic of the doctor and our nurse, Jan.

Pitocin and a picture

Jan (our primary nurse) just left the hospital room after performing the first cervical exam and starting a small dosage of petocin to induce labor. The Today Show is in the background and we joked that Matt Lauer watched the pelvic exam. :)

Katie is still between one and two centimeters dilated. There is a fetal monitor on Katie’s belly so we can hear the baby’s heartbeat. It’s the loudest and sweetest sound in the room.

Our previous nurse (shifts changed at 7) told us that on average, a first-time mom’s cervix will dilate about one centimeter per hour with petocin. Apparently, our OB, Dr. Youngkin, may stop by early this morning to possibly break the amniotic sac. Our mood is great. Check out the pic!

Checked in

It's 6 a.m. and we're checked in to the hospital. There were no other patients when we arrived and had a pick of the best labor and delivery rooms. Apparently, several sets of twins were born here last night. We chose L&D 2, the biggest room with a huge window. The sun is beginning to rise...

A birthday note

Dear Bean,

It’s about 3:45 a.m. on the day of your birth and I’m so excited that I can’t sleep anymore. There are literally hundreds of people all around the world who are anxiously awaiting your arrival sometime today—your Grandma and Grandpa Tackett in Bakersfield, CA; your Uncle Benji and Aunt Amy in Seaside, CA; your aunts and uncles in Atlanta; your friends up and down the east and west coast, and here in Texas; and even your cousin Ann in Africa are waiting with bated breath. To be perfectly honest, we all really hope you are born TODAY. The fact that you are a week late is a sign that you’ve already inherited your mom’s stubbornness. Bets are that you will make your grand entrance (or should I say exit) sometime this afternoon.

In a couple hours, your mom and I will load up our purple Prius and drive a few miles south in Austin to St. David’s Hospital, where we will welcome you into this world. As I mentioned, there are so many people who are excited to meet you. Your Grandma and Grandpa Klingler drove in from Florida two weeks ago and have been circling around Austin, ready for you to be born. Yesterday, your Aunt Cory, Uncle Scott, and Cousins Jackson and Ali drove in from Dallas to be here in Austin on your birthday. Last night, all of us, plus your Great Aunt Claudia (Uncle Scott’s mom) went out for Italian food to celebrate this big day. Unfortunately, the Lakers lost game two of the finals last night, but Uncle Marshall and I are sure that you will be the lucky charm tomorrow to ignite the team when they return to Los Angeles for game three. The point is, Bean, you will be born into a wonderful family, who love you very much.

As I think about welcoming you into this world, it’s important that you know how much we’ve been planning for your arrival. We’ve created an entire room for you in our little house. Your friends and family have bought you a ton of new clothes and toys, and your mom and I have been studying hard to be the best parents in the world. Your mom, especially, has done an amazing job taking care of you. We’ve read an entire library of parenting books and asked our friends and family good questions about how to raise a child. Katie and I have studied our own parents, and other parents, and thought long and hard about how to be great parents for you. All that being said, I know we will not be perfect. We will make mistakes. You will not arrive today with an instruction manual and you don’t get to pick your parents. I can only promise you that I’ll work hard, always try to be better, and give you as much love as humanly possible.

I wouldn’t be your father if I didn’t take a moment to write a quick note about the world into which you will be born. In short, it’s wonderful, exciting, and complicated. Today’s technology allows me to write this note and post it on the Internet for your fans around the world to read. Your friend Tatman will probably read this between writing briefs in her law office in Washington, D.C. Your uncle Benji will read it at his apartment in California. Your cousin Ann is probably reading this as she winds down her job doing AIDS outreach in Africa. Your uncle Scott will read it on his Blackberry here in Austin. Although this technology will be obsolete by the time you appreciate this note, it has allowed us to do so many amazing things in the world.

Unfortunately, lots of people in this world still suffer. Bean, you will be born into a world that still has war and disease, and where millions are hungry and don’t have a safe place to live today. As you are born, the headlines in our newspapers show that our country is struggling with high gas prices and a faltering economy, which hurt the most vulnerable. Not every child will have the opportunities that you will have. I can’t protect your from these challenges or make them go away immediately. What I will try to do is give you some tools to fix them. Not necessarily during your first few years of life. Initially, your mom and I will work on feeding you and helping you walk. Eventually, you will have to heal our world.

Bean, I have big dreams for you. High expectations.

It’s about time for your mom to wake up. She has a lot of work to do today, and I need to be strong and ready to support her.

I love you very much, Bean, and I’ll see you soon.

Dad

Induction

We visited the doc today and learned that Katie is still only 1 cm dilated. The lack of progress means that Katie is now scheduled to be induced on Monday, June 9. We'll report to the hospital at 6 a.m. on Monday morning. It is bittersweet news. While we're somewhat disappointed that we'll likely not experience the spontaneity of water breaking, timing contractions, and rushing to the hospital, we're relieved to finally have something on the schedule.

Because only 5% of babies are actually born on their due date, I continue to wonder why women are not given "due weeks." From what I've read and heard, babies typically arrive plus or minus one week from the actual date. Establishing a range of time seems more realistic.

And so we wait five more days and nights for the Bean to arrive... or maybe he/she will come before Monday. If nothing else, this is great practice for what will be another 18 so years of unpredictability, excitement, and surprises.

More soon...