One Week

First Doctors Appointment

Relaxing before the 1st Doctor's appointment

Our first doctor's appointment went well. Mariah has already regained the weight she lost upon discharge from the hospital. She actually weighs more than her birth weight.

July 23rd - Birth weight - 6lbs 10.7oz

July 26th - Discharge weight - 6lbs .8oz

July 29th - 1st Doctors Appointment - 6lbs 12.5oz

All preliminary tests are good. Thank God for good results.

The Parents

Tawanna is doing well, just very tired. Over the last two days I have spent a lot of night time with the baby so that she can get some extra sleep. I am also very tired.

We are dealing with everything we expected sleep deprivation, changing diapers, feeding her, etc. These aspects should be no suprise to any parent.

Right now we are just getting adjusted to life with Mariah. This has been a long but blessed week. Thanks to all of you that have shown and continue to show your love and support.

God Bless,

~MarcQus

Day 3

Perspective

Mariah
Raising a child changes your perspective on the world. I drove down the street to the Post Office and everything seemed different. I guess I imagine helping my little girl navigate through this world. How big the world must be for my little girl.

Tawanna
Seeing my wife go through all she went through made me appreciate her more than I ever have before. I know that I stated this in an earlier blog but it cannot be overstated. Every father to be should witness this.

Wild Sleeper

This little girl is very active in her sleep. Her facial expressions and arm movements are classic.


Adventures in University Housing

I love serving college students. Sometimes working in University Housing gets in the way of a normal life. Point – at 4:30 AM this morning a fire alarm went off. There is nothing like rushing your five day old daughter out of a building because of an alarm that you are certain is malfunctioning. At 4:55 AM we were let back in the building because all of the alarms were shut off. Ten seconds after walking in the alarms went off again. During all of this time we are sitting in my car with the heat on so that my daughter is comfortable. We finally were let back in at 5:20 AM. I love my job.

Keep us in your prayers.

Welcome Home

Discharged

We were discharged from the hospital last night. Tawanna and I were both very nervous taking Mariah home. You see, we took advantages of the nurses by using the nursery a lot in the hospital. We knew that we would not get much sleep at home. Every time Mariah was fed, she went to sleep, and then she would be headed to the nursery. We debated this for about five seconds. The security systems that are in place in hospitals these days made us a lot more comfortable with this decision. It also helped my sanity. Staying up all night can make you delirious, as we would soon find out.

Daddy holding Mariah before going home.

Mommy and Mariah Leaving

Ride Home

I have never been more nervous putting a baby in a car seat. My hands were sweaty buckling in my daughter into the car seat. Is she comfortable, is she in it correctly, is she going to start crying soon. She did cry in the beginning but the ride relaxed her. We stopped at Walgreens to get a prescription for Tawanna; this put me on baby duty in the back seat. She cried a little more as Mommy got out of the car, but began to calm down again as she heard her Daddy’s voice. Eventually we made it home, Mariah sleep upon arrival. Tawanna went to open the door so that I could expeditiously get into our building. At home at last, now the fun begins.

At Home

Upon arriving in our apartment we noticed that our top of the line air conditioner was switched off, nothing like quality technology to end the day. Within a few minutes I had the air conditioner rolling. A couple of more trips to the car and everything would be in the apartment.

This night would be a test as to how things would go for the next few weeks. I can say that Tawanna and I are pretty good critical thinkers. We are thinking of the best way to take care of Mariah, while keeping Mommy and Daddy energized and alert. The greatest thing that we have going for us is that we have great teamwork. If one parent does all of the work it can be very taxing. I am doing most of the housework and changing diapers, while Tawanna feeds the baby and puts her to sleep. Some of you might say wow, all of the house work. Housework is easy when you compare it to 1am, 3am, and 5am baby feedings.


We made it through the first night ok. Tawanna had very minimal sleep, I got a few hours in. At one point I woke up and made her go to sleep. She needed it and appreciated it when she woke up.

Mariah in the swing at home.

Day 2 – At Home

We made it through the first night. Now it is time for the first full day. We are also going to give her a nice at home bath.

I love having my daughter at home. I find myself just staring at her sometimes, most of the time. I stare at my wife a lot more too. I have never seen someone learn so quickly. I never doubted that she would be a great Mom. She is proving what I already knew. It is not easy, but she is doing it.

Keep us in your prayers.

~MarcQus

Her Way

Unexpected

My wife Tawanna and I anticipated Mariah Denise Wright on or before her due date of July 14, 2008. As most of you know this was not in God’s plan. Tawanna endured additional days of pregnancy to ensure that God’s plan was carried out correctly. More time was needed to make our perfect little girl.

Tawanna began having random contractions on Friday, July 18. This was our first sign that we were headed towards labor. The contractions subsided, so we continued to play the waiting game.

After minimal progress towards labor we decided to induce labor. We checked into the hospital on Tuesday, July 22, 2008, in the wee hours of the morning, Tawanna’s body began to move us towards labor again. We arrived at the Doctors office at 6:30am, they same day we were scheduled to induce.

We went in and were sent back home after several hours. We had made cervical process which was a good sign. Later that day at 7:30pm we check into the hospital. After this process two would become three.

Prayer

Life’s processes never go as they seem. Nothing worth having is ever easy to achieve. This is why the most precious gift one can give is life. It is not an easy task bringing a child into this world.

Mariah was no exception. There were things being thrown at us. We did the only thing that we knew how to do, we prayed. Our family and friends prayed too. Through all things we trust in God regardless of the situation and regardless of the outcome.

Prayer led us and our doctor to make a decision on the method of receiving Mariah. Long story very short, we went to get our daughter. Had we delayed this decision or had we tried another method, God knows where we would be.

Thank GOD for the power of prayer.

July 23, 2008 at 1:03PM

I never knew that crying would be the best sound that I have ever heard. Seeing my daughter covered in everything, kicking and screaming was the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen. I have never been more thankful.

God Blessed us with the birth of Mariah Denise Wright on July 23, 2008 at 1:03PM.

Every tear that I had was shed during that moment.

The Bearer

My wife is amazing! Looking at my wife during the entire birthing process renewed, rekindled, awakened this love that I already have for her. How can I not do any and everything for this woman? My wife, the mother of my daughter became Super Woman on July 23rd. When our daughter was born, she was reborn. We will now take what we have to a higher level.

To every woman that bore a child; naturally, unnaturally, vaginally, or via c-section, you have my praise and respect.

Parenthood

From the advice of my father: We will be the best Christians that we can be. Making us the best people we can be, to be the best parents we can be.

Now the work begins.

Induction Ceremony

Tuesday @ 7:30pm we are scheduled to go into the hospital to begin the birthing process. We are excited to see Mariah. Please keep us in your prayers.


Tawanna would also like to share her thoughts. Please check the video below.

Walking

It seems like Tawanna and I have been walking a lot these past few days. Trying to do whatever we can to help the process along. What we have recognized is, that no matter what we do, she will come when she is ready.

The walking around gives me a good excuse to walk around Best Buy for hours. I can walk around that store forever.

We had some very good prayer today. We are just thanking God for this opportunity. We are very anxious to meet our baby girl.

I am staying by her side as we get closer to Mariah's arrival. Our number one frustration is being asked, "Is she here yet?". Those kinds of questions make the weeks feel very long. If she were here, the world would know.

Keep us in your prayers.

Progress

Early this morning we went to do a non stress test, also known as an NST test. This test was to ensure that Mariah and Tawanna were both doing ok with the pregnancy going past the due date. Needless to say both mother and baby are doing great. Mariah was very active during the test. About half way through the test she was sound asleep.


After coming home from the test Tawanna began to notice what she felt may be a contraction. Thank God for progress. She has had several contractions today. They are not coming regularly but we are sure that they are contractions.


Our bag is packed, the video camera is ready to roll, my snacks are packed, the car is gassed. My prayer is that we are on the verge of the birthing process.


Stay tuned,


~MarcQus


If you are new to the blog please check out all of the old posts on http://marcqus.blogspot.com/

Purpose

The purpose of this blog is to explain the purpose of my recent blogging. In order to reach as many people as possible I will be emailing and texting in mass quantities. It is going to be very difficult to make a bunch of phone calls to everyone giving updates on Tawanna and Mariah.

I will probably make two phone calls one to my family and one to her family. Everyone else will get text messages or emails as often as I can. I love you all, I just may not have the time. Plus, I need to focus on my breathing, so I can relax, in order to help Tawanna relax... LOL.

Shortly after the birth I will roll out the video camera. Recently I purchased a video camera and laptop. The laptop, in order to keep a good mobile connection; the video camera, to record my daughter. Periodically, I will blog and upload clips and pictures of Mariah. This will keep everyone close even if you cannot be here physically.

For those of you receiving this blog directly via email, I would ask that you click the link to go to the blog page. On this page you will see a little more than just the blog. You will hear music, see old posts, and any photos connected with the page. Please leave your comments on the page.

Jason and I have recently made some guesses on the birthdate, length, and weight of the baby.

Jason - July 19th, 21 inches, 8lbs. 7oz.

MarcQus - July 19th, 19 inches, 8lbs. 10oz.

Feel free to get in on the action by leaving your predictions in the comment section.

Mariah, Tawanna, and I appreciate your prayers.

God Bless,

~MarcQus

Due Date

The due date has come and will be gone in a few minutes. We went to the doctor today and all is well. As we knew, most women in their first pregnancy typically go past their due dates. Many by an average of five days.


The baby is doing fine and Tawanna is doing fine. Tawanna has created a nice comfortable womb and I am sure that Mariah is relaxing inside of their.


We know that God keeps us and guides us. We are ready at any moment to make a mad dash for the hospital.


We have another appointment on Friday and then another on Monday. If Mariah has not made her grand entrance by Monday we will plan to induce labor.

God Bless,

~MarcQus

Advice

As soon as everyone finds out that you and yours are expecting a child, they all want to give you advice. I am always willing to listen to useful advice. This gives me an opportunity to see the many different experiences and approaches that people have with their children.

In some cases I do not expect to encounter some of the things that I hear. I am planning for any and everything but again I don’t expect to encounter some of these things.

Here is one thing that I heard. Some kids scream in public. Someone told me that children will do that, so therefore I should expect it. First of all, I don’t doubt that some children scream in public. Here is the problem. Culturally, that is something that has not typically happened in my family. My daughter may whine or cry in public. One thing that I can guarantee is there will be no public or private temper tantrums. Wright kids are typically full of energy and smart. This is what I will look for in my daughter.

I expect to be sleep deprived for while. I expect to need more space. I expect to change a lot of diapers. You get my point. I am prepared as I can be. I am sure there will be things that I encounter that I won’t expect. When those times arrive, I will hand her over to my wife. :-)

Still waiting, the due date is tomorrow.

Preparations

Is it just me or do these last few weeks of pregnancy take forever? If it’s tough on me I cannot even imagine how my wife is feeling.

I keep working myself hard trying to keep the home in order so that she can just relax and stay off of her feet. Cooking and cleaning non-stop, I would rather be doing this than the former.

I have put together…

The crib…

The bassinet/changing table/play yard…



And the stroller/car seat…


The car seat, this is a new era when a certified car seat technician helps you to put in the car seat at the hospital. Can you imagine, getting paid to help people with car seats?

Thinking about the arrival of our baby makes me have flashbacks of childhood.


Those days make me think of this crazy crew.


Babies in our family always give us a beautiful new future to look forward. New dreams, new ideas, new aspirations, new hopes. I think that is one of the reasons why we love them so much. We think about the men and women they will become. We think about them becoming great. I think in reality we just want them to do better than we did.

God Bless,

MarcQus