Maya's First Jacuzzi

That's what I call it anyway. She wasn't buying it though. Maya's first bath was short and effective. She did really great. Proving, once again, to be the mellow baby I was hoping for.

"The kids in the pool go splash, splash, splash!"

Easter Eggs, Jelly Beans & Elmo Bunny

Finally, a real Easter to remember! Lila was super excited about the Easter Bunny this year. She knew he would be leaving her a basket full of prizes. She even hunted eggs in the front yard. Her new obsession is jelly beans, but not so much gummy bears. We had big plans for pictures of Lila and Maya in their matching Easter dresses, but Maya couldn't find the energy to stay awake. She slept through everything. But, I'm not complaining, people! Baby Maya is a dream.

Jupiter is Good

Maya's first real outing was to Jupiter in Berkeley. They have a great patio and good beer, so on a nice day you will often find the Hicks' here. Lila loves running around and stopping by each table to say hello. The hippy dippy's don't seem to mind and neither do the servers. That's all we need to come back again and again!

This cute pink hat is one of the first we bought for Lila when she was just a few weeks old. Maya is now using it. Of course, Lila is having a difficult time sharing with Baby Sissy right now. She wanted to make it clear whose hat this really belongs to... whether it fit or not is no matter.

Welcome to the Family, Baby Sissy!

Maya Rae Hicks
March 25, 2009 at Noon
7 lbs 10 oz & 20.5" tall

She's here! Maya Rae Hicks finally decided to take that leap over to the other side. It seemed to take forever, but her arrival felt quick!

On Tuesday, March 24, I started feeling what I thought were contractions. It crossed my mind that I was just tired as I had spent the entire day doing the "nesting" thing - that mad, frantic impulse to clean, purge, shop, cook, store, etc... Anyway, I carried on, business as usual. Finally went to bed around midnight but ultimately realized there was no way I was sleeping through these ones. At around 1:30 a.m. I woke Eric, called the hospital, got our neighbors up to watch Lila and headed to Kaiser.

We arrived at the hospital around 3 a.m. The doctors checked me out, decided I was definitely in active labor and admitted me. It's true what the say about having a second child. Everything seemed to happen much faster and more intense than I remember with Lila. I have to give a huge yelp to the medical team at Oakland Kaiser. They were so awesome and supportive. I don't know why anyone would hire a midwife or doula when these type of people are already there! Long story short - it was piece of cake. Our baby girl was born nearly nine hours later after only 15 minutes of pushing. At 12:00 p.m (exactly, very cool) on Wednesday, March 25.



She's perfect, healthy, gorgeous. Baby girl has big, dark eyes with a head full of black hair. She actually looks a lot like Lila, only not as fair or bald.


About the name: Eric and I spent my entire pregnancy naming and renaming this baby. We couldn't agree on anything. I changed my mind constantly. It was painful. We finally decided on two names we liked but thought to wait until we met her. Once she was born, of course, we didn't think either name suited her. We had exactly 24 hours to figure this out as they won't let you leave the hospital without a name. That night, Eric mentioned how he thought she looked like a little Mayan Indian princess with her dark hair and eyes. I don't think he's ever seen a Mayan Indian but that's what we went with - Maya it is. Her middle name is Rae, after Eric's larger-than-life, fantastic Grandmother who passed away nearly five years ago. I'll admit, I got home from the hospital and started to really question our name choice. I didn't even know I liked the name Maya! And it was never on my list! I stressed for several days about this before it finally sunk in. She's a Maya.



Lila is being a great big sister. She's adjusting the best she can. She lets us know when she's having Baby Sissy overload. I hear "put baby down now, mommy!" at least once or twice a day. But, she loves holding and kissing Maya. Everyday she seems a little more happy to be sharing us with Baby Sissy... just a little bit though.