Isabelle Mae Tebo is Born!

Happy Birthday!

Mommy and Isabelle's First Meeting...

Look at that healthy baby girl!

Self-Portrait of mama and baby Bella

Self-Portrait

Isabelle and Mommy's First Night Together

Isabelle Mae Tebo

Mama's Girls

Big Sister, Gabriella

She's LOVIN' her sister!

First Tebo Family Picture

Mommy Heaven!

Gabby and Bellas's First Meeting

Daddy's Girls...

Awww... Trav's two baby girls...

Daddy is a lucky guy!

Leaving the Hospital

In the car... we're ready to go home!

Welcome Home Isabelle!

Travis and I are over the moon to have another healthy baby girl! As many people know already, I was not-so-secretly hoping it would be a little girl. Gabriella was so insistent that she was going to have a sister and I wanted her to have that. Plus, I always wanted a little sister myself and now I can watch them have this special and unique relationship... I get a little teary-eyed just thinking about it...

Born: January 21, 2011 (Travis is October 21st so this should be easy to remember)
Time: 6:00 pm
Weight: 7 pounds 6 ounces
Length: 20 inches
Chinese Name: Li Ming (Bright/Beautiful). Our ayi, or nanny, gave her this name.
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
Chinese Year: Tiger (Just like dad) and since she's the, "Tail of the Tiger," or towards the end of the year that means that she will be strong, according to the Chinese.

Nickname: Gabby and I like, Bella. Travis likes Izzy. We'll see how this pans out... I don't care about the "Twilight" reference that Bella has... I love it anyway. It was a name I thought about when we had Gabriella, which was about four years ago. An actress named her daughter, Sophia Bella, and I always thought that was such a lovely name. Right now, we seem to just be sticking to Isabelle…

Story about Name: Travis and I like strong, feminine names. In particular, we like long names that can be shortened so there's a variety of options for when they get older. I've liked this name for awhile and it's one of the few that hasn't been tainted by a student. Plus, all three of us really liked it. I'm also a sucker for the second or third syllable of the first name being the same as the last name... I just think it sounds nice and it flows well with her big sister's name, Gabriella. Even better, it's the Spanish version of Elizabeth, which happens to be my best friend's name. The middle name, Mae, is a family name. It's my middle name, my cousin Marie's, my second cousin Madalynne, and both of my grandmother's had this for a middle name. It made sense to carry on the name.

Labor Story: I was 41 weeks and 4 day pregnant when they induced me on the 21st. We could have waited until Monday, January 24th which was when I would have been officially 42 weeks, but let's face it... the weekend is much more convenient. They put a prostaglandin in around 9:30AM to ripen my cervix and I started feeling "something" around 11 am. Around noon they were little annoying contractions and progressively intensified. We were originally placed in the ICU because there weren't any birthing suites open. Around 2 pm, we could move rooms and when we got there I remember looking at Travis... this is it... holy crap... contractions were getting worse but do-able. Of course I'm excited but freaked-out. I've done this before but I know it's going to get worse. Dr. Afnan came by and said hello and that he'd be around tomorrow. Around 5 pm (about 5 minutes after the doctor left) was when some serious action started and the contractions were getting crazy. The midwife said I was 4cm dilated so in my head I was thinking that this was going to take awhile and the strength of the contractions made me feel like I was in hell. During the worst part, my mind went into some other world, I breathed through the contractions, and envisioned holding a baby... Shortly afterwards, I literally felt a pop in my belly and the baby drop. I told Travis to get the nurse, then a gush of water came out, which was my water breaking. Then I felt this uncontrollable impulse to push...I was clearly no longer in control of my body. I always read about the pushing impulse but didn't experience it with Gabby. At one point I screamed to cut the baby out. No amount of training can prepare you for the completely raw and primal experience of the final stage of labor. A couple of pushes later, out she came. "It's a girl!" I forgot to mention that the TV show "Modern Family" was playing in the background. An awesome show and a great distraction. Travis didn't realize I was having the baby and missed it because it happened so fast... they put her on my chest and it was instant love. Travis and I were crying like little babies because the whole thing is such an emotional journey... very surreal because I’ve been imaging this for a long time… people who know our story, know how much we wanted this... and she's here! Travis was an amazing coach, and as we like to say we "team tebo-ed" it.

After labor, I took a shower and ate some dinner. Travis stayed with me in the hospital on Friday and Saturday night, running home in the morning to pick Gabby up and bring her in to hang out with her little sister. We made it home on Sunday just in time for dinner. Everything about this pregnancy and labor has been a trillion times easier. I’m hoping this continues in the days and weeks to come.

Thanks to all the friends, family, and colleagues that have wished us well. We appreciate your support on this phase of our journey through life.