Just the...three of us? (9/27/06 thru 9/30/06)

We brought Hannah home on September 27, after I started a mutiny at the hospital. Before the baby is born, the care is great. There's always a nurse available, they answer questions, and don't appear in a rush. Literally, the moment the baby arrives, they are gone, only to show up for the basics: tests, bath, etc.

I suppose this is OK in a world where hospitals are overcrowded and understaffed. But shortly after Hannah was born, I was ready to go home. I was done sleeping on the window sill, and I wanted to get on with the process of welcoming Hannah into our home.

Maria's OB, who didn't even deliver Hannah because she was at some tennis tournament, gave us the OK to leave on the 27th, and we were out of there, into the brave new world of parenthood.

We had plenty of help those first few weeks, but they were rough. Breast feeding was very challenging, so we had to give Hannah a bottle the first day we were home. Doing that so early makes....breastfeeding even more challenging. They don't tell you any of this going in, so it was trial by fire for us.

The first few weeks were OK. We loved Hannah the moment we laid our eyes on her, but the beginning of her life was challenging. Sleep, breastfeed, pump, bottle feed, burp, change. And again. And again. All day. All night. Interspersed with trips to Target to try out different nipples for the bottle, buy formula, get bottle and wipe warmers, etc, etc, etc.

In retrospect, I have no complaints, despite the fact that the transition into parenthood wasn't easy. Welcoming Hannah into our lives and home changed us forever. It made most things that we spend our time on seem trivial, and the joy of holding, cuddling, caring for, kissing, and loving our little one could not, and cannot, be matched.

Birth Day (9/25/06)

We got to the hospital around 11am on September 24. The Dr's checked Maria in and found she wasn't dilated at all. Since her water had broken, they put her on Patossin, the drug that causes contractions. Throughout the day, Maria had regular contractions, but they weren't painful and she didn't dilate any further. We watched Football most of the day and did our best to pass the time.

Around dinner time, they stopped the drug and told Maria she could eat, so I went to Pasta Pomodoro to pick us up some dinner. I came back, we ate, watched Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and then went to sleep.

Sleeping on the window sill was pretty uncomfortable, and I tossed and turned all night. Maria slept well though, and we were both excited about Hannah coming into our lives the next day (we hoped).

The next morning at 6am, they started Maria on Patossin, and we continued the waiting game. We watched Jay and Silent Bob again :)

Throughout the day, Maria started to dilate a little, but the contractions still didn't hurt. Until about 3pm, when the screaming started. The Nurse came in to measure Maria's cervix, and she was only 4cm...not even close to being fully dilated. Because the contractions were painful, Maria asked for an Epidural, so they called the anesthesiologist.

The Dr. came in, administered the Epidural, but before he could leave, Maria was fully dilated and a squadron of nurses were preparing the room for delivery. Hannah was on her way!

Less than an hour later, Hannah Berry Rofman entered our world, screaming and beautiful. We filled up with tears, called our parents, and started our on the job training. Hannah was 6lbs 12oz, 18.5" long and her head was 34.5cm when she was born.

In the Belly (1/15/06 thru 9/24/06)

Hannah was conceived in January 2006, and grew from two cells into a beautiful little baby girl. We enjoyed being pregnant. Maria ate lots of nutritious food, and we played lots of music and talked to Hannah constantly. Maria ate a ton of Indian food while she was pregnant, and Hannah has loved those flavors ever since you were born.

For the most part, the pregnancy went smoothly. Maria didn't get too sick, and things progressed normally. Around the 20th week, in May 2006, we found out that we were having a girl. We thought all along that we were, but the ultrasound made it official. Once we found out, we started shopping for baby girl things, painted the room pink, and started addressing Hannah by name.

On September 24, I was supposed to go to the Eagles-49ers game. We went out to breakfast, and I was going to drop Maria off and then head to the game to sit in John Briggs' 2nd row seats. Little did I know that from that day on, I was no longer the boss. Maria's water broke at breakfast, so we went home, packed up some stuff, and headed to the hospital (where we got to watch the Eagles route the Niners).