Thursday, March 27, 2008

A note on Motherhood

Yes, that's right, this is Dana writing; the Mother of Rebekah Marie. 

The first few days at home have been amazing! What a blessing Rebekah is! I love being at home with her, more than I ever thought I would. Although our small apartment is, shall we say 'cozy', especially when you are cooped up all day and night, the many visitors and helping hands and this new little life in the house have kept me from climbing the walls. The weather should be shaping up as I recover fully and there will be plenty to do outside this summer. 

My Mom has been over for the past few days helping us clean up and get organized so Mitch can focus on his studies as the end of the semester approaches. The next month will be busy for him as he adjusts to Fatherhood and heads into final assignments and exams. So far, he has been doing a fantastic job balancing everything. 

We are very thankful for all the many offers to make us a meal or to drop bye to visit and help out in some way. It will help make my recovery that much faster. 

Included in this entry are some photos of Rebekah's first days around the house. She likes her sleep; 'beauty sleep' as Great Grandpa called it, but she is also starting to become more awake to explore the small world around her. 

We hope to have some first outings this weekend, which I'm sure Mitch will document well. He is definitely the proud Father of this little girl. 

More Pics


DADDY'S LITTLE STRAWBERRY

BABY'S FIRST BATH
 
EXPLORING THE WORLD

POW!

Monday, March 24, 2008

Little angel
The Marie's, having a moment
New parents
Post-feeding nap time
Mom and daughter
Watching over the newborn
Our little strawberry
Great Nanny and Rebekah
Little family, big room.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Homecoming

Good morning, afternoon or evening folks.
The following is a little update and anecdote.
Mother and daughter are now out of the hospital, relishing the comforts of our little home.
As an aside; though the primary mode of an hospital is not the aesthetic, they would do well to make the rooms feel a little more cozy and appealing. It's true that hospitals ,with their outdated and medical scented decor, are no match for the personality and warmth of your own home.

Dana Marie and Rebekah Marie are now home from the hospital, just two days after a cesarean. 
"Already?!" you ask. "Yes, isn't that great," I reply. 
Dr. Chan said that she was recovering fabulously, and since the nurses weren't necessarily doing all that much, he gave us the green light to leave. So, at approximately 5:13 p.m., we bid the hospital as fond a farewell as you can give a hospital, and took our daughter for her maiden voyage in the Venture (fitting name for a minivan in this regard).
So, it hasn't even been two full days since the monumental event and our little family of three seems to be getting along just swell already. Undoubtedly, we will be taking the baby for a visit to the doctor's in the very near future and to the hospital, to have a heart to heart with the lactation consultant, shortly after. 

Other than the seam in Dana's abdomen, it has been quite the seamless series of events, for which we remain very thankful. (I'm also thankful that she passed the hearing exam with flying colors because now I know she will be successfully indocrinated into the wonderful world of music). 
Anyway, the photos above are a collection of photographs taken on Easter Sunday.
What a great birthday: Easter weekend and the first day of spring!




Friday, March 21, 2008

TO LIFE

Alas, this blog entry must be short, for it is past 1:00 in the a.m.

Both mother and daughter are doing very well (as far as I know right now).

Status on both will be coming periodically; so don't fret.

Info:
Rebekah Marie Sikkema was born on March 21 2008 A.D.
She tipped the scales at 7 pounds 7 ounces, while stretching to just a quarter inch shy of 21"

We are both very happy and incredibly thankful for this new gift of life.
...
What else to say? For those of you who have undergone this experience before I hope you can take joy in the beautiful magnitude of the gift given, and for those who haven't had the privilege as of yet, trust me when I say it is a gift like no other. A truly and singularly awesome event, in the traditional sense of the word (giving real inflection to the 'awe' in 'awesome').

Much more to come ladies and gentlemen, but for now this will be all. 
Another busy day tomorrow.
Rebekah trying to suck her thumb already perhaps? 
What a doll...
Our little daughter's little feet.
A little sad at the moment due to a whole new world experience.
The most beautiful little girl in the world.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Tension building and scheduling

As we impatiently wait for the baby to come the tension builds at home. 
I look across the table at my wife during another delicious meal and wonder if you really could cut tension with a knife...
Ok, it would have to be an incredibly sharp knife and the person doing the cutting would have to be a master swordsman. But, it could be done.
Really though, we are doing fine and surprisingly not freaking out too much at all.
Dana had a doctor's check-up today for which we had high hopes. In the realm of mankind and medicine though, we must learn to keep hope out of the picture.
What I'm trying to say is that the doctor's appointment today didn't come back with the results we were hoping for. "That child is literally about to burst out of you at any second!" the doctor screamed. 
Nothing like that.
"Everything is fine and on schedule," says he. "And what, pray tell, does that exactly mean," says I.
Who's schedule are we talking about here?
I would like to know this schedule of yours for you seem to know, or claim to know, precisely when this child will be born. Is this some kind of medical industry standard, to keep a first-time couple in the dark here?
I know the answer to this but seriously, let's be a little more encouraging in our practice sir.


Anyway, Lord willing, the baby will come some time in the next two weeks.
All is well and going swimmingly. 
Stay tuned folks.

Monday, March 17, 2008

The Eleventh Hour

In the child's book of the same title a rather large party is surprised by a rather large group of mischievous mice. As all the guests enter the dining hall they encounter the horrible truth: all the food is gone and the party seems to be ruined by those little villains. 
You may ask, "What does this have to do with having a baby?" 
Well, not much really. The story however illustrates a universal experience in regards to the anticipation and surprises of pregnancy and birth.
There is a great deal of work and time leading up to the hour and when it comes, Wham! You don't know what will happen.