Margaret May ("Maggie") Lucas a/k/a "Maggie Rotten"

I am so sorry. I am SO SO SO sorry!!! I haven't posted her arrival! Maggie came into this world healthy, happy and beautiful on Monday September 13 at 2:46 in the afternoon, weighing 7 pounds and 1 ounce. I am so head over heels in love with this little girl, which is one of the reasons I haven't blogged in so long! I can't put her down long enough to get it done! I wondered how I could possibly love the second child as much as the first, but you do. Believe me, you do! She is the sweetest baby. I go in "Maggie withdrawal" if left too long without holding onto her little chunkiness, indoubtedly causing major spoilage. (She didn't see the inside of a crib or her bedroom until yesterday - I know that is bad, but we're trying to do better). There's just something about Maggie Rotten that makes you want to sit and cuddle her.
Her due date was September 24. I had been slowly dilating since going on bedrest at 30 weeks with no real contractions. (Same story with Joseph, but no bedrest). On September 12, Sunday morning, I was having some mild tightening. The doctor told me that if I felt anything the least bit regular I was to go to the hospital because she thought this baby would come really fast. (Oh, and she did). So, Sunday morning the mild contractions were 6 minutes apart so we packed up and took Joseph to grandma's and checked into the hospital. They monitored the contractions for 2 hours and they stopped, so they sent me home and told me to walk. (Nevermind the fact that I was 5 cm dilated at that point). My regularly scheduled OB appointment was the next morning. I went in, still 5 cm dilated, and Dr. Pleasant (who is a REALLY good doctor, by the way, and he really is quite pleasant) was appalled that they sent me home in that condition. We went straight over to the hospital and was given an epidural. They broke my water and Maggie was here about an hour later after two or three minutes of pushing. Now, given that scenario, I am SO glad I didn't go into labor at home. She might have been born in the car, which was Dr. Pleasant's concern. So there you have it. Beautiful, perfect Maggie Rotten.
So here we are six weeks later. Things are going wonderfully. She eats well, sleeps sort-of well (so long as she is in spitting up distance of her mother), and just oozes sweetness. The first two weeks were a breeze. I thought I had given birth to the world's easiest baby. Then the tummy pain started. The past four weeks have posed a challenge with that, but we're getting through it. Joseph has amazed us with his adjustment. He calls her "my baby" and always wants to know where she is. He wants to hold her and kiss her and he is so proud of her. He has not demonstrated one act of jealousy. Joseph is famous for his one-liners and we've had quite a bit of hilarity with him verbalizing his observations. Unfortunately I've had a lot of work to do at home, which has posed somewhat of a challenge. I will peel myself away fom this precious child and return to work in mid-December. I've posted a few pictures of Maggie's first days. She does exist! Readers of our blog (if you exist): Please hold me accountable to post. Last night I had a pang of gut-wrenching guilt for not taking more pictures of Maggie and keeping the blog updated.

You can see the rest of her birthday pictures here:
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