After the Splish Splash

We gave Marissa her first bath today. This is is a pic while she was drying out. I didn't get a chance to take a picture during the bath, but we just laid her out on the bench in the shower. We probably could have done it on the countertop in the bathroom, but I wanted her to see the new shower!
-- Justin

Oh Baby

Looking up



With Grandma Alice, just a few minutes after being born.

Pictures With Cousins

My crazy Uncle Lawrence










Breanna


Elijah and Alyssa

Marissa Makes Some Money

On Marissa’s birthday, I was also scheduled to share an important day in another set of lives. Christine and Patrick Tasto were getting married and I was their DJ. At the beginning of all my gigs, I say a few words with obligatory phrases like “good evening,” “how’s everyone doing” and “are you all ready for a great time.”

But on this special day, I wanted to change it up. Here’s what I said.

“Good evening everyone welcome to the Estancia Hotel in beautiful La Jolla. I want to especially welcome all of you that are joining us from out of town.

Today is July 22, 2006, a very special day indeed for Christine and Pat. But I want to mention what a special day this is for me. No less than eight hours ago, my wife gave birth to our very first child, a beautiful girl, Marissa. It’s pretty cool to be able to share in the beginning of two lives on the very same day. Indeed this is a day to celebrate.”

The party was amazing, definitely the best this year and perhaps the best I’ve had ever. Everyone had a great time, the floor was packed all night and Christine and Pat were very happy. I concluded the evening by saying:

“This has been one of the best days of my life personally and let’s once again congratulate Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Tasto.”

Christine’s father came up to me after the gig and offered me a generous tip by saying, “Since you had a daughter today and I gave mine away, please accept this. Buy her something nice or start a savings for her, but most off all, don’t blink your eyes. Before you know it, she’s going to be right over there.” And he pointed to his daughter, who looked like she was having the time of her life.
-- Justin

Making a Baby

I have eagerly anticipated Marissa’s arrival, because I was so curious to know what I would feel when I saw her for the first time. It’s hard to explain but it really was a spectacular feeling.

But what I really love right now … her eyes. After Sheila nurses her, and gives her to me, I burp and then re-wrap her in her blankets. I then pick her up and she just stares at me with her wide open eyes. I wonder what she thinks, or hears, sees.

I know there will be many moments to cherish and remember. But I will never forget these stares and I will try and capture as many of them as I can.
-- Justin

Choosing Marissa's Middle Name

夏美

We wanted Marissa's middle name to be a Japanese name. Justin's cousin, Leilani, visited me the day after Marissa's birth. She printed 25 pages of Japanese boy's and girl's names with their meanings. I really liked Takara (Treasured One) but it sounds like a boy's name. Justin's parents and relatives from Japan gave us some options to choose from:

Shi zu ka - Calm or quiet Summer
Hatsue - First girl
Natsumi - Summer Beauty
Narumi - first Kanji (Heisei era - the era that Japan is currently in) Second Kanji (Jitsuko)
Michiko - Beautiful wise child

Justin and I both agreed on Natsumi...for our "Summer Beauty" baby.
-- Sheila

Tale of the Tape

Name: Marissa Natsumi Kanoya
DOB: July 22, 2006
TOB: 11:14 a.m.
Weight: 6 lbs, 8 oz.
Length: 19 1/2 -inches

"It’s Marissa"

After 39 weeks, the thing we kept calling “the baby,” finally arrived and we can start referring to it as Marissa.

In terms of the pregnancy she was early. But in terms of the labor, she was late. After a minor scare at the office where Sheila and I work, we calmly drove to the hospital and checked Sheila into triage around 10 a.m., Friday, July 21. With blood mixed in with other fluids, the doctor thought it would be best to admit her and begin the birth process. We checked into our room an hour later and Sheila got settled in.

Between noon and 4 p.m. I was running errands and getting things in order. Marissa was not supposed to arrive for another week and a half. But we were prepared, mostly, for this and I was back at the hospital by 5 p.m. Sheila had been induced with the Pitocin, which speeds up the labor process. Her contractions were mild for several hours and she really didn’t feel much pain until midnight. It was around then that we knew we would be in for a long night.

The cervix was only dilated to around two centimeters. It needed to be around 10. Hours would go by, and I would finally end up taking short naps on the wood floor. Sheila’s contractions were getting more intense and frequent. Her discomfort was very high, and she finally had to order an epidural around 3 a.m. This seemed to calm her down and she complained much less about her labor pains. More hours went by with not much change. Soon we would see the sunrise, and things seemed to be looking better. The hospital staff had prepped our room for delivery and I thought a new arrival was imminent. But it just seemed to be more waiting. Around 8 a.m., Saturday, July 22, Sheila was examined and she was fully dilated to 10 cm. This seemed to be a good sign. Sheila tried a few pushes over the next couple of hours only to see very little result and the baby was not dropping at all.

At 10:30 a.m. the decision was made to move forward with the caesarean section. This was not what any of us wanted, especially Sheila. So with a tear in her eye, she obliged and within minutes we found ourselves in the operating room, prepping to say hello to baby Marissa.

I entered the operating room, all scrubbed up, with Sheila lying on the table. She looked like Jesus on the cross the way they had her arms spread out. I remember most the doctors and nurses just chatting about current events. They talked a lot about President Bush and Iraq. I’m guessing they encourage this because it felt more like we were around a water cooler at the office and not in an operating room. Sheila, while awake, was a bit groggy. I asked her what she wanted to talk about, and she said “anything.” So we chatted back and forth, our final moments as a twosome. I can’t remember really what we talked about, and before I knew it, I heard a loud cry. I peeked around the curtain and then came back to Sheila.

Now with a tear in my eye, I said “It’s Marissa.”
-- Justin

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

As we wheeled Sheila to the operating room, she laid in her bed while the nurses, her mom and I walked alongside. When we entered the room, I was able to continue on while the doors shut behind us, leaving her mom on the outside. I could see in her eyes the hint of worry and anticipation. I wish she could have been there too, but I knew that she knew her baby girl was in good hands.

As the staff prepped Sheila, I was asked to wait in a long hallway. For about 10 minutes, it was just me, an empty chair and a Martha Stewart Living magazine. It was an emotional time. It was nervous anticipation, and I felt like I was waiting in the wings for my next match at a big wrestling tournament. I’m sure many occasions there are several, soon-to-be fathers in that hallway. But on this day it was just me, by myself, waiting to never be alone again.
-- Justin

Our Little Slugger (click here)

Check out this video by clicking on title above. A local San Diego news channel did a story on our baseball-themed wedding and ended the story that we were expecting our our "Lil' Slugger" soon! A star before its born!

What's in a Name?

Not finding out what the gender of your baby can be challenging, especially when your baby is due in two weeks and you don't have names yet. The other night I dreamt that I was painting a name on a room wall, then I woke up to take one of my early morning pee breaks...the large letters painted on the wall were "MARIS" - which means "of the sea" in Latin. You see, our baby was conceived on our honeymoon cruise. My husband, Justin, made some seaward name suggestions, i.e. Oceana and Marina. So, if we have a baby girl, we'll name her ... Marissa. If we have a baby boy, we'll name him Maris after the New York Yankee or would that be after T.V.'s Frazier's ex-wife, Maris. Nah. We need a boy's name...soon!
-- Sheila