Be my Valentine

Rose mauls giraffe

The bonding of sisters

Maggie can't get enough of her new little sister. It was love at first sight for both of them. She says she's better than anyone at calming Rose down.

Grandmothers Galore!

Can you ever have too many grandmas to fuss over you and spoil you?

The Big Event

Rosey was due to arrive on February 14th as our special little Valentine, but when Maryann's water broke at 4 a.m on Monday the 7th, we knew she had other plans.

We arrived at the hospital that morning and were placed in the high risk unit. I mention this only because it sounds dramatic. The real reason was because babies were popping out all over and they didn't have a room for us. Maryann began her first round of petocin and we began the long waiting process.

Because Maryann's water had broken, the doctors feared that an infection would set in and she was put on her first round of antibiotics. By that afternoon, that fear came true and the infection caused a high fever of 104 and uncontrollable shaking. 

Finally near 5 p.m. on Tuesday, after several rounds of petocin, the contractions were beginning to increase. Around 7 p.m., fully dilated, Maryann began the pushing process which continued for 3 hours. 

By 10 p.m., we could see Rose's head beginning to crown, but despite extraordinary effort on the part of Maryann, she stopped progressing. We were told that a "C" section was needed and at 10:57 p.m., amidst a tremendous amount of pressure and stress, Rosemary Elizabeth Ryan was born.

And it was all worth it!