The First Week

Mary dressed to go home

Lots to report in the week since Mary has joined the Yandek Family. Mary has already had official pictures taken and she successfully completed her one week check-up. Measurements after one week--9 lbs., 5 oz., 20 1/2 in. So, in her first week, Mary gained 4 oz., which is good news, as she is not having any of the same digestive issues that Libby had during her first few weeks. Mary has tolerated every type of formula she has been given and seems to be a very healthy eater.

Libby showing Mary a little love

Mary pretty much sleeps all day and is up for the better part of the night. However, she is a very laid back young lady. Even when she's up in the middle of the night, she utters nary a peep unless she is absolutely starving. The benefit of being a newborn? Mary gets to sleep in Mom and Dad's room, which is the only air conditioned room in the house. Take that, Libby!

Is that Libby or former All-Star Catcher and World Series MVP Darrell Porter?

Libby has done her very best to adjust to all the craziness at her house. There have been some tough moments for her, but overall, she has done very well. Libby is acknowledging the existence of her sister, and she even kisses her goodnight when she goes to bed. Libby is very gentle with her sister when she points out Mary's eyes, ears, nose, hair and when she tickles Mary's feet. Likewise, Libby has shown an interest in helping change her sister's diaper. This is very cute, except when Mom or Dad catches Libby taking off Mary's diaper for no reason. Oh well, there could be worse things...like spending a night in the Emergency Room, which Libby did early Monday morning when she had a severe case of bronchitis. Poor Libby. It's not bad enough that someone moved in on her turf, but she had to get shots and IVs as well.

These aren't the droids you're looking for.

Overall, the first week was an adventure for everyone involved. Mom and Dad did their best to maintain their sanity and regular sleeping hours, Libby tried her hardest to be nice to her sister and to accept that she wasn't going away, and Mary tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to stay awake for more than fifteen consecutive minutes.

And Then Along Came Mary & The First Meeting

The Summer of Libby abruptly came to an end in the wee hours of Monday, August 23, 2010. Sometime around 1 a.m., Libby's little sister made her first move toward achieving freedom from her nearly ten-month uterine prison sentence. From there, the process moved slowly, so Mom and Dad were able to pack and prepare and give Libby a regular Monday morning with breakfast and a drop off at daycare. Little did Libby know what would be going on while she was playing with her friends!
Mom and Dad arrived at the hospital around 8 a.m., beginning what would prove to be a long, boring day. It wasn't until thirteen and a half hours later, at 9:27 p.m., that Libby's "little" sister, Mary Frances Yandek, was born. Mary weighed in at 9 lbs., 1 oz. and was 20 1/2 in. long; compared to Libby who was 8 lbs., 7 oz., 20 in. More than 24 hours later, Mom and Dad are still pretty much in shock that Baby No. 2 turned out to be a young lady. For, based on the fact that this pregnancy was completely different in every way from Libby's, Mom and Dad were certain that Mary was actually going to be Patrick. Not that anyone is complaining, mind you.
Much like her sister before her, Mary is absolutely beautiful. She appears to be a little more laid back. She was extremely alert in the hours immediately after her birth. So much so, in fact, that Grammie and Papa Hanna, Grammie and Papa Yandek, Uncle Jerry and Aunt Holly all got to see her in the birthing room. On Tuesday, Mary met Aunt Reen for the first time. And, more importantly, we had the first meeting between Libby and Mary. This actually went very well. Since Libby hadn't seen Mom since 7:30 on Monday morning, she was pretty excited to see her. Imagine Libby's surprise, however, when there in Mom's lap was another little lady!
Libby was quite taken with her, however. There were no direct threats of violence, and Libby even posed for a few pictures with her new sister. It's pretty clear that Libby really has no clue what's going on at this point (neither does Mary), but so far, it's been so good. The best news in all of this, of course, is that everyone came through healthy and happy--Mom is recovering; Mary is adjusting; Libby is carrying on and Dad is greatly outnumbered. And he couldn't be happier!

Mary Frances Yandek

Ears

Libby's summer of fun hit a slight speed bump on Thursday, as Libby had to have tubes put in her ears. In 18 months, Libby was working on double-digit ear infections, which certainly was a cause for action. It was a tough day for Libby, as she was not allowed to eat or drink anything after midnight. So, there was no regular morning glass of milk, no cereal, no blueberries. You get the idea. There's only so much Dora a girl can take before she realizes that she's being denied her breakfast. After arriving at the hospital at 6 a.m. per doctor's orders, it was Mom and Dad's job to keep Libby occupied until her procedure at 7:30. Yeah. That was awesome. And impossible. Let's just say that this image captured with Dad's phone was one of the few moments of tranquility. Once all was said and done, however, Libby came through fine. She had a rough time coming off the anesthetic, but by the afternoon, no one would have ever guessed Libby had been in the hospital that morning. In all, Libby had a long weekend at home with Mom and Dad, and she even got to go the pool with her friends Will and Henry for a little while before the storms rolled in on Saturday (it's okay, the doctor said it was fine!). Oh yeah, and the Browns won, so Libby got to sport her new Browns hat that Dad bought her!

SLIDER!

The 2010 "Summer of Libby" continued last night as Libby went to her first Tribe game! It was a really great experience that Libby would remember for the rest of her life, if she could remember it...! Mom, Dad and Libby got to the game early so Libby could have some dinner and watch batting practice. Of course, she was more interested in running around the concourse, but who wouldn't be?

Libby's all-time favorite character/stuffed animal/person-thing is Slider (sorry Dora!), and of course, he's everywhere! Lucky for us the entrance to the suite (Libby doesn't do general admission!) was right by the kids shop and Slider's Play Land. So, Libby went shopping (got another stuffed Slider doll), played at Slider's Play Land (where there's a giant Slider statue), and even got an official certificate from the Indians commemorating her first game and visit to Progressive Field!

Once Libby finally made it to the suite, she was joined by lots of family--Grammie and Papa Yandek, Aunt Holly, and some of Dad's aunts, uncles and cousins. There was far too much going on for Libby to show any interest whatsoever in the game. Pretty sure she didn't even realize there was a game going on. It was already a great night, and THEN........

Slider burst through the door just as Libby was walking toward it--PERFECT TIMING! The look on her face was priceless; it's one that Dad will never forget. Libby hugged, kissed and high-fived the big guy. She also lifted up his jersey to show "Slider's Belly", just like she does at home with her stuffed Slider dolls. Special thanks to Dad's cousin Laura and her husband Pete for setting up the outing and inviting the family. It was a great night...easily one of the best Libby has ever had!

Dora the Explorer is Far More Exciting Than Mom or Dad or Anything Else!

Keeping Cool on a Hot August Night