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14 <h1 align="center">Danielle Rosemary DeFaria</h1>
15 <h3 align="center">April 15, 1992</h3>
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21 <p>This is Danielle's birth announcement that I wrote the night she
24 <p><img src="Images/JustHoursOld.jpg" width="204" height="300"
27 This is yet another short little letter that we have decided to
28 send out to you all once again to announce the birth of our new baby
29 girl, Danielle Rosemary DeFaria, 7 lbs 5 ounces 20 3/4 inches, born
30 12:36 AM April 15, 1992. There, all the specifics and suspense out
31 of the way. As many of you know Mary-Anne was pregnant and was due
32 on April 13 but we knew in our hearts that being as Mary-Anne had
33 toiled many a tax season at her old job at a CPA firm that April 15,
34 tax deadline date, would be an apropos delivery date and Mary-Anne
35 was anxious to comply.</p>
37 <p>I write this letter on April 15 at 3 AM as I am jazzed right now
38 and, while tired, I don't feel like going to bed right yet. This
39 letter may end up a long one as I have much to describe.</p>
41 <p>Mary-Anne is doing just fine and so is our new daughter,
42 Danielle. The labor was incredibly easy - only really 4 hours, in
43 true Flood tradition!</p>
45 <p>We were told that we were going to have a girl but we tried not
46 to get our hopes up too high for we have known many who were told
47 that they were having a girl only to find an extra umbilical chord
48 attached! Ends up that we did indeed hit the jackpot as between
49 Mary-Anne and I we have seven nephews and zero nieces.</p>
51 <p>Just last weekend Mary-Anne went into what we thought for sure
52 was true labor. She had had many contractions and we were timing
53 them thinking that this was it. But they subsided and with our
54 hopes and dreams of an early birth slightly diminished we had to
55 come to the realization that it was not meant to be at this
56 time. Mary-Anne was a little depressed, feeling that she was somehow
59 <p>Then others that we know who were also expecting started
60 delivering, and all of them girls. We felt for sure that we would
61 end up breaking the streak and have a boy but not so. Prepared, we
62 picked the name Danielle for a girl knowing that we could also use
63 the name Danny in case we were wrong.</p>
65 <p>Mary-Anne stayed home on her maternity leave and I continued at
66 my job, waiting for the news, with beeper in hand. And my life
67 started getting more and more busy. New assignment at work with
68 some traveling involved, school on Tuesdays and Thursdays with
69 midterms happening and my band getting gigs all around the April
70 time frame, John and Bobbie needing to go to Korea and Gary Flood
71 also traveling. It seemed like there was no good time for Mary-Anne
74 <p>But in between my ever increasing busy schedule and everybody
75 else's busy schedule, in the middle of spring break from my college
76 classes, between gigs and all Danielle decided that it's time to
79 <p>Now a little bit about the actual day of delivery, that fateful
82 <p>Well it was a Tuesday. No school for me, spring break, and not
83 that much going on with everybody else too. Mary-Anne had another
84 doctors appointment and she felt that she wanted to go alone this
85 time. I got a call from her shortly after she finished at the
86 doctors. She wanted to pick me up at work to go get something to
87 eat. I knew that she wanted to tell me something and that she didn't
88 want to tell me on the phone.</p>
90 <p>When we met she told me that the doctor said that she was
91 completely effaced (the uterus had thinned) and 1 centimeter
92 dilated! I could also see that her contractions were powerful. We
93 ate and I insisted that I drive her home and that I would take off
94 work for the afternoon.</p>
96 <p>When home we notified John and Bobbie and they came over to sit
97 through the timing of contractions and the waiting. We also
98 notified Donna Flood (the godmother) that the time was near. It was
99 at this time that Cindy, my sister, knocked on my door as she was in
100 San Francisco on business and she had decided to come down to San
101 Jose for an evening of country dancing at the Saddle Rack. I told
102 her "Just in time, Mary-Anne is about four minutes apart!" and she
103 almost died! It was good that she had made it down to San Jose.</p>
105 <p>Next, feeling like I was getting in the way and at Mary-Anne's
106 insistence I actually went to my bands rehearsal, equipped with my
107 trusty beeper which she promised she would beep if I was needed. In
108 the middle of rehearsal my beeper went off with the "911" code
109 meaning that Mary-Anne was going to the hospital. I called up and
110 verified that this was no drill and proceeded to go to the
111 hospital. It was approximately 8:30 PM April 14.</p>
113 <p>I arrived first and waited for them to show. We were led into a
114 small labor room and she was hooked up to the Hewlett Packard fetal
115 monitor. Luckily Dr Wheeler, our doctor, was on duty that
116 night. Mary-Anne's contractions were coming fast and
117 furious. "Breathe, breathe!" we shouted and she would respond "I
118 don't want to do this any more! I'm going home".</p>
120 <p>The nurse examined Mary-Anne and we were told that she was only 1
121 & 1/2 to 2 centimeters dilated! All this work and we haven't even
122 gotten that far yet! Mary-Anne rolled her eye in disbelief I'm sure
123 thinking "This is for the birds!". </p>
125 <p>We had a slight scare when the baby's heart rate dropped for some
126 unknown reason but the nurse there, quick as a whip, noticed what
127 was going on and summoned a team to assess the situation. Mary-Anne
128 was given oxygen and an IV was set up "just in case".</p>
130 <p>But things picked up rapidly. In about another hour, her water
131 broke and I summoned the nurse. Mary-Anne was now 5 centimeters
132 dilated! Great progress! Just like her Mom! But she did not want
133 to hear that. At about 11:30 she proceeded to be 6-7 centimeters
134 dilated! The nurses gave her some pain reliever and that helped but
135 it seemed clear that it would be any minute now!</p>
137 <p>By midnight we all knew that we would not make it till the
138 morning and we all laughed about the fact that the baby would be
139 born on the tax deadline date of April 15. Well maybe Mary-Anne
140 wasn't laughing. Anyway we proceeded with the coaching and
143 <p>In the next few minutes things started happening even quicker and
144 by 12:15 we were moved to the delivery room. The nurses told us
145 that the baby had had a bowel movement and that, while common, they
146 would need a pediatrician at the birth to make sure everything was
149 <p>Mary-Anne was dying to push and started doing so
150 flawlessly. Bobbie and I were with her in the delivery room coaching
151 her onward and by 12:36 AM Danielle Rosemary DeFaria announced that
152 she wanted to see the outside world!</p>
154 <p>Danni was then taken by the nurse and pediatrician and checked
155 out. Everything was fine and everybody there eventually got to see
156 the baby before going home. Danni then went to the nursery and
157 Mary-Anne to her room. The nurses informed me that I must go home
158 and I could return at 9 AM the next day.</p>
160 <p>One final note: the middle name of Rosemary was chosen to honor
161 both of our grandmothers, Rose Faria and Mary Shaw.</p>
163 <p>I don't really know what else to say and I'm being long winded
164 anyway but I felt that I just had to describe the events of today. I
165 hope you have enjoyed my little story.</p>
167 <p>P.S. At least all of the baby girl clothes we have received will
168 be put to good use!</p>
172 <p>Mary-Anne and Andrew DeFaria<br>
174 Danielle Rosemary DeFaria</p>
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