Here's a picture with Emi and her first friends. As you can see, she's really relaxed around them. Clockwise from the top, is Lamby, Crabby, Mi Amigo the Bear, Miffy, Ensign Bear-Bear of Star Fleet Command, and sitting on Emi's lap, is Raichu, who is related somehow to Pikachu.
After a long wait, here is the wonderful Baby Emily Michika! She was born on February 26 at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford after a 3 hour labor that someone described as "awesome." I don't know whether it was awesome or not, but I do know it was quite painful and caught everybody, including the doctors, by surprise. We were expecting for me to be waiting and in labor for at least half a day because I had to be induced. Well, I didn't make it that far. Emi-chan decided she wanted out NOW.
Once my water broke and the contractions started, all I remember is that there was a lot of action. Nurses running in and out of the room, my OB, Dr. S, rushing in ordering people around, the anesthesiologist informing me about the dangers of epidural (spinal cord damage, etc.). To make things even more interesting, after an hour or so of pushing and nothing happening, the doctor decided to use the vacuum to get her out. Guess what? It didn't work. She was still stuck. So, he had to use the dreaded forceps and she popped out.
Emi-chan came out screaming, and screaming, and screaming at the top of her lungs and wouldn't stop. Once the nurses handed her to me, 3 thoughts hit me immediately. First thought: how much I loved a person that I just met. She was the perfect gift from God and a part of me and Rick. The second thought: she had a BIG head. No wonder Dr. S had to use forceps. Third thought: she's hairy. Just like mama and papa. But, she's so beautiful.
After almost 2 weeks, I'm still healing from the birth, and Rick and I are still learning how to care for Emi-chan. We're delirious from the lack of sleep and we can't keep dates straight, but we wouldn't give up being parent's to little Emily.
...No! It's Bruddah IZ!
When I first learned that I was pregnant, I decided to listen to classical music as much as possible because I had heard that it was very good for the development of the baby's brain. I thought, no problem. I like classical music. I'll enjoy it just as much as baby. So from the time I was 2 1/2 months pregnant, I listened almost exclusively to the classic composers: Mozart, Beethoven, Dvorak, Ravel, etc. The radio in my car was set on the classical station, much to Rick's annoyance. I reveled in the "1812 Overture" and "the William Tell Overture". "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" calmed me down during traffic jams. Baby seemed to react whenever Mozart's "Jupiter" was played.
Then, about a month ago, I just had it. No more classics! I'm tired of Bach! Out of my way Debussy! I'm sick of Mendelssohn! I want something different! So, I've gone off my classical kick and I'm listening to whatever I want. James Blount. U2. Old school rap like Run DMC. Israel Kamakawiwo'ole is constantly playing in my car. I'm enjoying myself right now, although I wonder what baby is thinking when Rick and I break out in "Who's house? Run's House!" while driving to church. Will she be scarred for life for listening to Prince's "Kiss?" What about "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" by U2? Will she have a skewed view of love from "Every Breath You Take" by the Police? I guess it's too early to worry. I'll just kick back, relax, and dream to IZ's "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."
I'm due in 9 more days!
