Monaloca

Nothing can compare with the birth of my daughter on June 1, 2007. But another great thing also happened that day: I received an email (read several days later, of course) from The East Bay Monthly editors that they would be delighted to publish my essay, “Bubble Fairies,” in the upcoming July issue. Yippee!

I haven’t yet had a chance to pick up a hard copy (or 10…) of the magazine, but did get a chance to see it online. Give it a read and enjoy!

(Image courtesy of themonthly.com)

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Melina turned one month old today, and already I can see why everyone says “enjoy this time – it goes by quickly!” Despite the long nights and endless routine of feed-diaper-sleep-repeat, it has gone by quickly indeed.

At one month she is already sleeping up to five hours at night (unfortunately not every night), smiles at us numerous times each day, and enjoys looking at the stuffed monkey and giraffe on her play gym. We now get to add “play” to her routine!

Yesterday we celebrated summer with a picnic and train ride (Melina’s first, probably Kai’s fifty-first) in Tilden Park, along with friend Melissa. Melina might have slept through most the outing (what else is new?) but we like to think she had just as much fun as the rest of us.

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It seems like more than three weeks ago that Melina joined us in this world. She’s such an integral part of our lives now! She’s also growing like crazy: at her two-week doctor appointment she was already almost nine pounds, and 75th percentile for weight, 90th percentile for length (not sure where she gets the height – Joey and I are both on the small side of average!) Last night she took her first bottle of breast milk and was even able to hold onto it herself. Crazy. She also likes being held in her kangaroo pouch sling. In fact she’s in it right now, sleeping as I type.

I’ve been wanting for a while to write about Melina’s birth in a bit more detail. Here goes…

Birth Story

My water broke at 7:30am on May 31. The on-call doctor wanted me to come in immediately because of risk of infection, but my contractions hadn’t started yet and I didn’t want to be induced, so we held out at home until late afternoon. By the time we were admitted I was finally having irregular contractions, but they didn’t want to check my dilation – again, because of risk of infection.

We proceeded with our planned hypnobirth through the night, or for the first 18 hours or so of my labor. No drugs, low lighting, lots of visualizations and working to breath through the contractions and relax (even sleep) between them. At some point in the wee hours of the morn, the contractions became much more intense (I suddenly had this incredible urge to PUSH), though still 7-8 minutes apart. My own doc came on call the next morning (yay!) and said that with such a long contraction interval she wouldn’t be surprised if I was only 2 cm dilated (sigh). When she checked, the good but surprising news was that I was 8 cm! Even so, she warned that with the long interval I would likely be in labor another 20 hours without the aid of Pitocin to move the contractions along.

At this point I was exhausted yet incredibly excited about finally meeting my baby. With great clarity, I decided that the best thing for me, the little one, and Joey would be to start the Pitocin drip (to speed up delivery) and also to get an epidural (to allow me the rest I would need in order to be more fully present for delivery and for bonding after birth).

WOW. Within 15 minutes of receiving the epidural I was pain-free, chatting up a storm, and eventually able to nap. I flew through the remaining labor, and by the time they partially cut the epidural for delivery I was so excited to reach the finish line that three hours of pushing barely phased me.

Melina’s arrival wasn’t exactly the birth we had planned (is it ever?) but it was one of the most amazing and beautiful experiences I’ve ever had. In the end I was glad I had both the natural and “epiduralized” versions. Even immediately following 27-plus hours of labor, I was in awe of how perfect it all had been. How could it not be? It resulted in our beautiful baby girl, born at 4:55pm on June 1.

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Melina and the rest of us continue to do well. We’ve enjoyed all the visits and the tasty treats folks have brought us! Melina especially enjoyed meeting her twin cousins, Lucas and Noah, who are now 16 months. Look how big they are compared to her.

On Saturday we took Melina on her first non-doctor outing, to Andronico’s supermarket. She slept through the entire adventure.

Today the three of us strolled along College Ave in Rockridge, and mommy and daddy even got to enjoy a latte and a bit of reading at an outdoor cafe. Pure heaven with her sleeping in her stroller next to us!

Finally, here’s a shot of her in her favorite post-feeding position: sleeping with her chin propped on her little fist.

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One week(ish) update

Melina turns one week old tomorrow, yet somehow it feels like she’s been a part of our lives for much longer. Like all newborns, she likes to eat, sleep, poop, and be held. She’s definitely more of a sleeper and cuddler/nuzzler than an eater, though. She falls asleep at my breast as soon as she’s the tiniest bit satisfied, and we need to poke her gently and tickle her to remind her to keep sucking. She also hated sleeping on her back the first few nights, likes to be swaddled but with her arms free, and has HUGE flat feet (those are from Joey!). Seriously, her newborn socks are about half the size of her feet. No wonder she was constantly kicking my ribs in utero!

Enjoy the new pics. I’m also posting Melina’s birth announcement email below. Thank you everyone for your heartfelt congrats (I’ve posted them in the Comment below!) – we’ll get back to you individually soon.

I’ll also write more about my birth experience as soon as I have some time (haha). Btw, mommy and daddy are doing fine if a bit sleep deprived 🙂 We’re up for short visits, just call or email first.

Melina’s birth announcement email

Hi everyone,

My name is Melina Azul Rapoza. Mommy and daddy decided to name me this because my initials spell out MAR which means ocean or sea in Spanish, just like my big brother’s name means ocean or sea in Hawaiian.

I was born at 4:55 PM on June 1st, 2007. I was a hefty 8 pounds, 5 ounces and 21 inches long!

I gave mommy a tough time because she was in labor for about 27 hours. Daddy says she’s doing fine though.

Mommy’s water broke at 7:30 AM on May 31st and the three of us just hung out at home until about 3:30 PM. Mommy had some cramping but no major pains.

Mommy and daddy arrived at the hospital at around 4 PM on May 31st, but I decided to wait a full day to actually come out. I was real comfy in mommy and she always ate yummy food.

Now that I’m here, the outside world doesn’t seem all that bad. I sleep a lot and make little squeaky noises every now and then.

Grandma and Grandpa Weiss were also there in the labor room when I came out so they got quite a treat. I saw big brother Kai within an hour of being born. He likes to hold me and I like to be held.

Daddy is typing this for me (my fingers are still too small and all the letters look the same) so I apologize if he forgets to tell you something or forgets to include someone important on the email list.

I’m sending a few pictures so you know how to recognize me when you come and visit. Mommy and daddy will post more pictures on mommy’s blog when they get home from the hospital which will probably be during the afternoon on Sunday the 3rd.

I look forward to meeting you and being held by you.

Love,

Melina Azul Rapoza
Age: 1 day

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Birthday: June 1st, 2007
Weight: 8 lbs, 5 ounces
Length: 21 inches
Age: about 3 minutes young

More Later…

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For those keeping tabs on Baby Rapoza’s arrival, my water broke this morning around 7:30. Baby’s on her way! Well, kinda. Alas, still no contractions. We’re hoping I go into labor on my own sometime today so the doctors don’t insist on inducing. And we’re still at home for now.

We may have a May baby after all!

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When visiting my parents over the weekend my mom pulled out her and my dad’s baby books. I hadn’t even known they existed, and had a great time looking at all the photos and notes from my two grandmothers. The gem, though, was a Baby Record booklet for my mom, who was born in January, 1941 at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco.

Any mom or soon-to-be-mom knows how hard it is to sift through various child-rearing advice and keep up with the latest rainbow of recommendations, professional and otherwise.

But my, how things have changed since 1941!

The booklet devotes half a page to “how to give baby his sun baths,” which entails exposing the infant to increasing amounts of sun on a daily basis. Apparently my grandmother also followed the booklet’s (and doctor’s) instructions to feed her baby (my mom) orange juice starting at six weeks, and raw egg yolk mixed into her cereal at five months. Yup, all the exact opposite of what we’re told to do today, yet somehow most of these babies turned out just fine.

I’ve included scans of a few pages from the booklet. Definitely read the Sun Bath entry (second image), it’s hilarious given what we know today. Another great line not shown in the scans: “Your baby is not a toy to be showed off to family and friends.” Really?

Back in Berkeley, we’re still waiting to meet our own baby. She’s either very stubborn or very patient, and in any case is now taking her sweet time. We celebrated her day-after-due-date (yesterday) with a trip to SF, complete with yummy brunch on Clement Street, a visit to Green Apple Books, and a walk along the coast near Sea Cliff. Good fun, but we’re soooo ready to welcome our little one!

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And really trying to appreciate the peace and quiet of these last few weeks(?) days(?) before Baby arrives. Relaxing is difficult for a planner like me who is usually always on the go. Carrying around a seven-pound-plus baby (yes, the doc estimates she’s already that big!) definitely leads to easy fatigue and forced down-time.

I wish I could take some short hikes up in Tilden Park but know I wouldn’t make it more than 15 minutes without needing a break. Instead I fill my days with shorter walks, errands, reading (ah, the luxury…), and hanging out at cafes either alone or with friends. Even though my mind and energy are half-shot, it’s not a bad life!

The house is also as ready as it will be for the arrival of our little one. We painted the kids’ room two colors (light blue and yellow for the sky, moon, and sun – and cuz we like them – not for boy and girl as my mom likes to think), installed Kai’s “big brother” bed (ie, we downgraded him from a full to a twin, and he loves it!), and have the room stocked with both diapers and blankets and a huge, closed toy box full of Kai’s toys – his favorite of which are still little pieces of plastic and wooden food. Hopefully his little sister will like to cook as much as he does!

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Those who know me well know my passion for travel, and especially for Latin America.

Nearly five years ago I embarked on what ended up to be a year-long journey (I’d intended to be gone for just six months) through Central and South America. Volunteer work, mingling with locals, trekking volcanoes, swimming in the Pacific, and improving my Spanish all filled my days – plus so much more.

With a little one on the way (any week now!), I don’t know when I’ll have such a vision-altering experience again. Ok who am I kidding, I know a baby will alter my outlook quite a lot, just in a different way…

I hope one day to instill in my child a similar sense of wonder, adventure, and awe, and an active interest in the world’s diversity. It has so much to teach and inspire in us.

I had been wanting for a while to post my collection of favorite Latin American photos online. The baby-wait has given me that opportunity (read: time), and I’m happy to say they’re now live!

Take a look and enjoy the journey.

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