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.