how he came to be...

There once was a boy named Mack, and here is the story of how he came to be: His mommy waited expectantly for him to arrive through much heart burn and uncomfiness. But alas his due date came and went with no baby to speak of. After some hefty begging on the part of mommy, the doctor agreed to induce her to help little Mack arrive in a more timely manner. So, the date and time were set for Sunday night anywhere between 9pm and midnight (Mack's parents appreciated the specific request of their doctor). Grandpatty (Mack's mommy's mom) arrived on Friday night to take care of everything (truly--EV.ERY.THING.) at the house, and prepared a yummy Sunday dinner before the trip to the hospital. While sitting at dinner at 7pm, the phone rang telling Mack's parents it was time to go (once again, thanks was expressed for the specific requests from mommy's doctors). So, Mack's mommy, daddy and grandpatty gathered up everything and headed down to the hospital. Mom had overpacked as usual, and they took a full duffel bag, and a full suitcase to the hospital, but nothing was forgotten.


Paperwork was filled out, needles were poked, hearts were fluttering with anticipation, and finally the medicine was administered to start the labor at 10pm. Between 10pm and midnight, mom only progressed 1 cm (from 2-3), but the contractions were strong enough to warrant an epidural.
Mr. Anesthesiologist was under direct orders to keep the needle out of mom's sight, and daddy was under direct orders not to let go of mommy's hand. Turns out the epidural wasn't so bad--more like heaven-sent, because it allowed daddy to sleep and mommy to drift in and out of sleep in between bi-hourly checks of blood pressure and heart rate. By 4am, progression had moved one more cm, and the doctor promised the progression would be faster from then on out. Mack's mom, being a first-timer, had forgotten that epidurals have the tendency to wear off during labor and began to feel more pain than she was prepared for around 8 cm. Once again, daddy was under direct orders not to let go of her hand, and mommy was reminded she could up the dose of the epidural, which she promptly did, and was relieved to find that epidurals work.

Around 11am, the doctor (Ms. Candace Moore) decided it was time to start pushing. In the beginning, everyone seemed confident that the baby would arrive in no time, and that mommy had little to worry about. However, after an hour and a half of pushing and mom losing anything that was left in her stomach at the time, it became clear that was not the case. It seems Mack had decided he wanted to meet the world facing up and to the side, and he wasn't about to change his mind. The mention of there still being a possibility of the baby not having to be delivered by c-section along with the fact that mommy is sure the epidural had completely worn off by this point had Mack's mom a little worried. When two hours hit, Mack's mom asked the doctor to consider other alternatives to help Mack meet his parents and the doctor acquiesced. 13 minutes, an episiotomy, and a vacuum later, Mack was introduced to the world. He was handed directly to his mommy, and she was filled with wonder, amazement and relief. He was a perfect little boy entrusted directly to she and daddy. Daddy's thoughts were somewhat different in that he was surprised at the sideways cone shape of his little boy's head, and he hoped it would return to normal to save his son from humiliation on the playground in years to come. However, once he was able to hold the little one, those thoughts melted away and he too was amazed at the creation of a little life. At 8 lb 7 oz, Mack was a healthy boy, and Mommy is hoping subsequent children will perhaps be a little less robust, but just as healthy.


In the ten days since Mack's birth, everyone around him has been amazed at what a good baby he is.


He sleeps in four hour blocks at night, and he cries very little during the days.

His mom, dad, uncle stevie, grandpatty, and grandma leelee (mommy's name for DJ's mom. She hasn't quite decided what she wants to be called yet) are completely charmed by him.

Mom loves to watch dad with little Mack. He makes such a cute daddy.


Mommy is humbled by the opportunity take care of such a sweet baby and is excited for what the future will bring.
And enough thanks cannot be said to the sweet grandmas for coming out to take care of us, the baby, and every little thing around the house, and to their families back home for lending them out.

And, we'll always remember the story of how little Mack came to be...