Friday, March 7, 2008

Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!

Hi Cindy,

Okay, I stole that title from a Fannie Flagg novel but I figured it was good for talking about a new baby. The little recipient of all my knitting over the last 6 months made her appearance on March 5. After nearly two weeks worth of on-again-off-again labor Lytifa finally had her baby Wednesday night about 9 pm. I got the picture text on my phone just after 10. Her name is Jahmia Nyoko and she was 7 pounds-13 ounces.
Here she is with her mom and dad. Older sister Juraiya was at the hospital for much of the day on Wednesday while mom was in labor but she had to go home for a breathing treatment (she had asthma really badly and needs regular treatments). She hadn't been back to the hospital since to meet her new sister when I visited at lunch yesterday.
It is pretty amazing how light her skin is right now. While I was holding her and playing with her fingers I noticed that they were pretty much the same color as mine. I'd never known it before but Lytifa explained it to me a few years ago. The dark melanin isn't at the surface of a new-born. It takes a few days or weeks for the full color to develop. As you can see from her parents she will be fairly dark-skinned eventually but not right now.I took a long lunch yesterday to go out and visit-a verrrrry long lunch. It is about 30 miles from the office out to the hospital but it would have been even farther from home. I originally planned on staying less than an hour but ended up visiting for almost an hour and a half. I ended up holding Jahmia for most of that time too. It is amazing how holding a baby can give you a rush of endorphins. I'd been feeling pretty low that morning after hearing from my mom what was up with my dad but for at least an hour after holding Jahmia, and maybe even longer, I felt peaceful and happy.
I had better finish this off. I'll let you know when I get firm dates of flying back there. It will probably be late April. My folks want to spend some of the recovery time up at the cottage so we'll probably be there a few days after Dad gets out of the hospital. More soon, A

2 comments:

Cindy said...

I've had a similar experience years ago with a friend's baby. Amazing. And this new little girl is so beautiful!

Alene said...

She is a doll and I would have gladly taken her home. I got a picture mail on my phone yesterday of her at home in her swing. Waiting to hear how older sis is "helping".