The New Kid

This is Derek in my first post to the family blog. As most of you already know, we had a new addition to our family over the weekend. Penelope Jane George was born at 6:29 p.m. on Saturday night weighing in at 8 lbs 6 oz. She was born smack in the middle of a Red Sox/Yankees game at Fenway Park in which the Sox left the Yankees with a 10-1 drubbing. We're sure that this omen foretells a life of happiness and fortune for our little Penelope. We'll just forget that the Red Sox lost the other two games of the series.

Now for some pictures. Check this kid out!


Fresh outa-tha-womb. Ewww! Somebody towel that kid off!


That's much better. What a little sweetie. She was born with her sister's crooked little nose (which usually straightens out in a couple of weeks) and her sister's chubby cheeks, but we were surprised by the full head of dark hair.

Sandy would never boast or brag about how strong she was throughout the ordeal, so I'll do it for her. Sandy went through everything once again like the noble trooper that she is, though labor lasted a little longer than the first time (Ava's took about 3 1/2 hours, Penelope's about 6 1/2).

Sandy hardly flinched as she underwent contractions while sitting in traffic on Storrow Drive during a nearly 40 minute drive to the hospital! (Alright, that part was a bit frustrating, but Sandy really did handle it well.) Sandy practically sat and filed her nails while three nurses and an anesthesiologist pricked her with SEVEN needles before they could get an IV properly in! (Okay, maybe that part hurt a little bit. It really was seven needles, though. I thought I was going to throw up.) Sandy pretty much yawned as the labor pains grew greater in intensity and longer in duration! (Okay, I was there and they looked like they did hurt pretty badly.) And at the very end, Sandy more or less sneezed and the baby came out! (Okay, once again, an exaggeration, though it did only take about four pushes to get the baby out.)

All exaggerations aside, it looked like a pretty tough ordeal and Sandy was amazing.

Here's the whole family, the first night that Ava met Penelope. Ava looks pretty happy here, but trust me, she wasn't too excited to see her new sister cuddling with mom and dad at first. She's gotten more used to it now.



Big and little sis together, taken just this morning:


We'll post more later!