Category Archives: June

Wake-a-thon 2011

I had forgotten. I’d forgotten how small newborns are. I’d forgotten that they make strange little squeaks and snorts. I’d forgotten that they don’t have a very loud cry, and that their single purpose is to eat. (Yes, they sleep too, but they sleep only if their single need — to eat — has been met, and they sleep only to gather the strength to empatically request their next meal.) 

June Ellen's main interest in her new sister was in tickling her feet. (There was insufficient response for Ellen's taste.) Ellen's main interest in her new sister was in tickling her feet. (There was insufficient response for Ellen's taste.)

I’d also forgotten that a newborn has no respect for night and day, and that despite the fact that their cry is not loud, it is impossible to ignore. There is no restful sleep in the house of the hungry infant.

Ellen tries tickling her new sister's feet Aunt Hanne with June June

June was, even in the womb, alarmingly active at night. Read More →

June

On Tuesday, December 6th, our second daughter was born. We’ve named her June Vestergaard Trujillo.

First nap outside of the wombThis time around we opted to take the option of having the birth at home. We did this not because we had a bad experience at the hospital when Ellen came (quite the opposite), and not because we’re dedicated to doing everything the old fashioned way (our tribute to the old-fashioned is pretty much limited to not asking the sex of the child during the scans.)

June Vestergaard TrujilloWe did it mostly for practical reasons: we don’t have a car, and we live in a big modern city, so if anything went wrong, we’re a short ambulance ride from three hospitals. By having the child at home, transportation was not our concern. When the midwife leaves, we’re already in our cozy and warm new house, in December, with our new child.

June Vestergaard TrujilloIt was a great experience, but there were moments when I wondered if I’d regret it. That’s because, even though we knew that delivery usually goes faster for the second child, we were caught off-guard by the pace at which things unfolded. As it turned out, the midwife showed up only eleven minutes before the baby was born.