Maya Isabel 
Analia meeting her new sister.
Maya doing some tummy time.
Analia and Maya playing on the floor.
Well, Maya Isabel made it here safe and sound! She was born on January 24, at 7:36 am, weighing in at 8 lbs. 1 oz. and being 20 in. long. We were surprised to see that she had lots of dark brown hair--not like Analia at all. The entire process went beautifully--I woke up at 3 in the morning with painful contractions that were only about 3 minutes apart, and I told Mike that I thought I was in labor and that we should go to the hospital. Seeing that I was 2 days overdue, I had all the bags packed and ready to go. My mom was here with us, so she stayed with Analia--so very nice not to have to wake her up and disturb her more. When we got to the hospital, I could barely walk because the contractions were so close and painful, so Mike he had to wheel me into to Labor & Delivery. I was already dialated to a 6 and going fast, so the Dr. called up the Anesthesiologist and he got the epidural going right away--I was at an 8 when it kicked in and I thought I was going to cry because of the pain. I wasn't even thinking I might have to do this thing naturally, so I was very far away from being mentally prepared to do it--a lesson for next time: be prepared for anything! Anyway, the drugs worked and I got a few minutes of relief. Then came the pushing and about 30 minutes later, Maya was born. She was just beautiful and perfect and had the most precious little cry. The nurses began to clean her up and she was just bawling, so Mike went over and spoke to her, and right away she calmed down and looked in his direction. It was so cool to see her, only 10 minutes old, recognizing and calming down to her Dad's voice. Already a Daddy's girl.
I stayed at the hospital for two days then came home. My mom was here for a few more days and then Mike's parents came down. They have stayed for 2 weeks and have been so helpful to us--cooking and cleaning, helping me and Analia transition to a new baby in the house, and just being happy here with us. They leave tomorrow and that's when I feel like the real test will begin. Analia has been so great with Maya, giving her lots of love, hugs, and kisses. She even says "don't cry baby" to little Maya when she cries. And Maya is such a good baby: she eats well, sleeps well, and hardly fusses at all. It's been awesome to have two little angels in the house.
