Presenting the Newest Member of the Thixton Clan...

Maple Anne has finally arrived!



I won't write about much of the labor stuff, partly because I have at least one or two male readers and partly because I'm not prepared to rehash the trauma just yet. Basically, Maple was "sunny-side-up" and therefore got "stuck" on her way down. This lead to a rather "unpleasant" pitocin-induced, pain med-free, 26-hour nightmare that ended with a little Korean nurse on top of me performing jujitsu moves on my abdomen.

But on the other side of said nightmare? A perfect, yet slightly bruised, little angel. Here's her debut video (including the first time the two sisters meet).




Chloe remains as excited today as she was in that first meeting. She readily reports all of Maple's actions directly to me. "Maple is in the swing, mommy. Shhhh! Don't wake her up!" etc. It's absolutely beautiful!

As for Maple herself, the bruising and swelling has gone down significantly in the last 36 hours, and I will be posting more recent pictures soon. She is already an expert at eating, and her demeanor has been quite pleasant - only crying for want of food or passing of gas (not too much unlike her daddy). Still, the crying doesn't last longer than a few seconds before she's back to her contented self.

I plan to write more about our experience at the Korean hospital. But for now I will say that the nurses, doctors, and staff were absolutely wonderful, and although there were some differences between this hospital and the ones back home, I feel very blessed to have been able to deliver here. Thank you, Dr.Kim and all the team at Kwangje!

And not another word can be typed until I tell you about my hero in real life, my awesome hubby, Brandon. He was such a comfort to me during the delivery (despite my often misdirected "frustration"), and he took numerous taxi rides back and forth from church to the hospital so that he could be with me and Maple between classes. I love you, honey, and you have been my strength during the last few days. Thank you!

My mom has been amazing too. She took care of Chloe and did a few taxi rides herself so that I could have some yummy food and company at the hospital. Turns out, she's also an amazing communicator with non-English-speaking nurses, pharmacists, and doctors. Love you, mom!

All in all, I'm a happy mommy and wife. It's 1:15am. I just put Maple down to sleep, and the whole house is snoozing away. I think I will join them...

Thank you, Lord, for our new blessing. Thank you for being with us through the delivery and for keeping us safe despite all the difficulties. You are our rock and our hiding place. I love you.