Maylee & Daddy in Camo

Maylee was a good alarm clock for her daddy when he needed to get up and go hunting.  Three mornings in a row she woke us up at 5:25am and his alarm was set for 5:30.

Maylee & Mommy at camp

Maylee wore her Vandal dress with bloomers every Saturday up at camp while we listened to the Vandals play.  We decided that the cute bloomers were bad luck because they lost when she wore them.  Yet, the Vandals came from behind and won a few games when we took them off of her.

Hunting Camp Oct 2009

We went to hunting camp four weekends in a row.  Both Maylee and Cinder loved camp.  Maylee liked being in her "bear" suit outside breathing in the fresh air and being held by family and friends.  Cinder liked all the people at camp who she could beg to play Chuck-It with or get food from.  We would put the Chuck-It stick up on the camper awnings when we were tired of playing and Cinder would sit and stare at it for 20+ minutes!  Every Monday and Tuesday after a hunting camp weekend, Cinder would do nothing but sleep.

Farmer Maylee

Sleeping Farmer...

Mad Farmer (must be raining on her crops)...

Farmer Maylee is 1 month old in these pictures.

Meeting Uncle Kevin & Aunt Shelly

Maylee met her Uncle Kevin and Aunt Shelly for the first time when she was 10 days old.  Maylee was very excited to see Aunt Shelly's engagement ring!  It is so beautiful!  They got engaged on 9-9-09 on the top of Mt. St. Helens (the day before Maylee was born).

The Day of Bud's Funeral

Maylee is 9 days old in this picture.  This was taken the day of Grandpa Bud's funeral.  To avoid germs, Maylee was watched by my mom while we attended the funeral events.  Our pediatrician recommended changing clothes after hugging people at the funeral and before we held her because clothing can carry germs.  This day was bittersweet for many family members.  God's plan must have been to have Maylee's birthday after Bud's passing to help the family heal and look forward to the future.

A Favorite 1st Week Pic

Maylee is only 5 days old in this picture! This is one of my most favorite pictures of her.

Maylee's First Bath

Maylee's first bath was actually a warm washcloth wipe down when she was 4 days old.  She hated being cold but loved being wrapped up in her towel.

First Night Home with Maylee

After not getting much sleep at the hospital due to having to share a recovery room with an immature high school couple, all three of us crashed our first night at home.  We were thankful to have the help of my mom in the middle of the night so Kev and I could get some better sleep.

Maylee's Labor

I did not feel well during Open House on Wednesday evening (9-9-09).  That night I slept only 15-20 minutes at a time due to discomfort.  By 4:00 am I had already decided I was not going to teach that day.  At 6:00 am I asked Kev to stay home with me so he could drive me to the doctor's office because I was too uncomfortable to drive.  I had not felt the baby move on Wednesday and wanted to make sure everything was okay. 

We got in for an appointment at 11:30 and by noon I was put on a stress test.  The test showed normal heart rate and no contractions.  We returned home where I tried everything to get comfortable and Kev worked around the house.  I laid down and took a mini nap around 6pm and shortly after went to the bathroom only to have my water break!  I still didn't believe I was really in labor so I laid back down until Kev came upstairs.  Then we decided to go to the hospital.  It wasn't until we were going over the pass and I started watching the clock in the car that I realized my waves of discomfort were coming regularly every five minutes.

We got to the hospital at 7:45pm and the nurse said that "You will be pleased to know that you are already dilated to a 5.5!"  After one round of antibiotics, the IV was capped and I labored in a warm bath from 9:30-11:00pm.  During contractions, Kev would apply pressure to the pressure points in my hands, our doula applied pressure on my legs, and I focused on my breathing and vocalization.  After every contraction, Kev offered water and our doula massaged me.  At 11:00 I was fully dilated and moved to the bed for pushing. 

Maylee was born at 11:30pm on the dot!  I remember looking at the clock when pushing, thinking the baby's birthday can not be 9/11.  She was placed on my chest and Kev got to announce if our baby was a boy or girl!  He thought she was a girl all along, but I had no intuition of what the baby would be.  Maylee was 8lbs and 20.75" long.  I can not believe I delivered an 8lb baby with no drugs or screaming, however I did tear.  She was born with beautiful skin and latched on right away.

Before going to a Pampered Chef party with all our extended family members, my mom called at 6pm that night when I was napping at home to see how we were doing.  She was a little surprised to receive a call from Kev at 8pm that we were at the hospital and dilated to a 5.5!  Wendy's parents made it up to the hospital an hour before Maylee was born.  Kev's parents came up the next morning.

Maylee Annika is the first grandchild on both sides so I'm sure she will be very spoiled!