Greetings,
My name is Maslynn Josephine (aka Masi Jo) and this is my minute. The name Maslynn is an extension of the name Lynn, which is a common name in of both my parent's families. It is also an American name that means "little blooming flower." Which is nice, because I really like flowers. I am also named after my great-great grandmother, Josephine Towb. I have the coolest name and I appreciate the thought that my parents put into choosing it. My mom sometimes calls me Mas, but that's because she's just plain lazy at times.
I was born on December 8, 2009 at 12:47 pm - read on for details.
It all began Sunday, December 6th at around 8:00 pm when I felt something squeezing around my entire body. The feeling was strange and a little painful and it took me a while to figure out what was happening. After several hours of this periodic squeezing around me, I realized what was going on. The dark, quiet, cozy home I had been living in was getting ready to eject me into the world. I was feeling what my mom would call "contractions," whatever that means. I don't know how she perceived the whole event, but this is my side of the story.
Those "contractions" lasted all night Sunday. As a matter of fact, they came so often, that I could not sleep at all. Good thing I rested all day Sunday while my mom deep cleaned the house. When she moved around is when I would sleep, so it was nice that I at least got a little shut eye earlier that day. Monday morning I was still feeling the same uncomfortable sensations, but didn't think much of it since my mom continued with her regular routine and went to that same place where she goes every Monday morning, I think she calls it "work," or something like that. I could tell it was difficult for my mom to concentrate that day because she was moving around a lot less than usual for a Monday morning. Those nasty "contractions" continued all day, and as a matter of fact, they became stronger and stronger throughout the afternoon and night. My mom called my Embee (stands for MB, or, Mom Bae, my grandmother) and told her that she thought she should come over. Embee came for what she thought would be just a few hours, but ended up staying the week. Thank God for Embees!
Finally late Monday night I heard my dad say that he and mom should "time" those "contraction" thingys. I have no idea what that means, but I heard my mom search for an app on her iphone (isn't technology amazing?!). After several hours of "timing," my mom, dad and Embee decided it was time to call Dr. Heckman and at around 2:30 am Tuesday, Dec. 8th, we all went to Baylor Hospital of Dallas. Do you know that I have a dog named Bayler? She spells her name differently, but I think it's cool that the hospital is named after my dog. Anyway, back to my birth story... sorry, sometimes I still lose focus. What can I say, my infant brain is still growing.
My mom and I were admitted to Baylor, the hospital (not the dog), at around 3:00 am and my Ro (grand-dad) met us there. My mom and I labored in the wee hours of the morning and were checked periodically to make sure my heart rate was good. I knew it was, but the nurse just had to make sure. Liability I guess.
At around 7:00 am when the nurse checked my progress, I was making my way, but very slowly. At some point I decided that this home I had known for 39 weeks was so warm and cozy, that I was not quite sure that I really wanted out. I mean, I was excited to meet my parents and all, but this laboring stuff was for the birds. My mom had been awake with no sleep and little food for nearly 48 hours at that point and she could no longer focus on those intense "contractions" which were coming so frequently. I heard her talk for a long time to my dad and the nurse about some medication that would help us both through this process. I knew my mom didn't really want those meds, but she was so exhausted her decision to get them was a good one at the time. At around 8:30 am my mom was able to relax and feel no more pain, and those contractions became even stronger and stronger to allow me to work my way out into this great world.
Finally at 12:47 pm, I met Dr. Heckman, who received me as I descended, and the first person in the world I laid eyes on, was my awesome DAD! Dr. Heckman held me up to my mom and said "You have a girl." I distinctly remember the first words out of my mom's mouth being "She's BIG!!" And at 8 lbs 4 oz and 21 in I was a big, healthy baby with big, healthy lungs. The people in the room were Dr. Heckman, Nurse Michelle (who by the way was awesome), my dad, my Embee, my mom, and a team of baby nurses who came to check on me just to make sure that I was indeed healthy. My dad video taped me just after birth so if you'd like to see the footage, check out my channel on youtube. Yep, I'm already a local celebrity. Again, I digress. Back to the story.
Just a few hours later my mom, dad, and me were transferred to the postpartum recovery unit where we met the rest of the family who came to meet me the day I was born. People present included, mema, aunt Melanie, grandma Rah Rah, Herbie, uncle Pete, Ro, and Embee. Just a few short hours later my grandma Lea (I haven't decided what nickname I will give her yet) arrived. She left from Tennessee very early as soon as she heard I was on the way and got there shortly after my debut.
And this is where my story begins... keep checking in for updates and new developments in the story of my life, which will from now on be referred to as masminute.
PS, that picture above, is just my newborn pic. As you will see, future pics of me look MUCH different. But I'm still just as cute. :)
