Machaela Cavanaugh was Worth Waiting For

No longer do I have to feel guilty about spending too much for a little girl's dress. Our third daughter was born Jan. 17, 1979, at 9:58 a.m. and we are thrilled with her. Now, not only does Patrick have three sisters, but I have another cuter-than-cute-itself girl to dress in hair ribbons.
The newest Cavanaugh arrived less than 12 hours after I finished writing "a column of despair" over her tardy appearance, but she was worth waiting for. She has a full head of red hair, which all sticks up, and we waver on the color of her eyes. Sometimes we think they'll be blue and at other times brown.
After waiting forever (nine and a half months) for the birth, I hesitated going to the hospital at the onset of labor. I wanted to make sure it was the real thing. My reluctance made everyone, including the doctor, nervous. He was beginning to wonder if I decided to stay home and have John deliver the baby.
Obviously he doesn't know John too well. John possesses many fine qualities and talents but midwifeing is not one of them. The only delivering I would entrust to him was delivering me to the maternity floor.
Enroute to Georgetown Hospital, John struck up a subject of conversation I had broached numerous times in the past six months but got little interest. All of a sudden he became nervous because the birth was imminent and we had not chosen a name.
Well the tables were turned. I decided I had waited so long to decide on a name I could wait a few more hours to see what the baby looked like before making such a choice.
It was a sensible decision, because after her birth none of my favorites seemed to suit our precious bundle. After deliberating for a day and a half, we decided that the name Machaela was perfect, and for her middle name we chose her grandmother's maiden name of Munnelly.
We brought Machaela home last Saturday. She has been well received by her brother and sisters. So far she's a good sleeper. I think she gets exhausted on her awake times. They all want to hold her so we have to keep track of whose turn it is.
Already Maureen is a little helper. She disposes of the dirty diapers at changing times. Now if she'd only exchange her own diapers for big girls' pants. Wishful thinking, I'm afraid.
For the first time John accompanied me into the delivery room. I convinced him that it was one of life's greatest experiences, which he shouldn't miss. He was apprehensive, but agreed. He did very well and I was very happy to have him with me.
After it was all over I asked him how he felt about it. He responded that it was wonderful, he was glad that he decided to do it, but he wasn't sure he would want to do it again. My response to that was it was okay because I wasn't real sure I would want to do it again, either.
I believe that every new mother is entitled to a special first night out after having a baby and I guess President Carter agrees with me. Last night he staged a gala at the Kennedy Center in honor of China's Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping and Madame Zhuo Lin and
invited us to attend.
The preparations for this event began two weeks ago just about the time that Machaela was born. The White House probably scheduled Deng's visit for this week, allowing me time to recuperate and to regain my figure to fit into a suitable gala outfit to be ready to attend. Wasn't that thoughtful of them?
You probably think that the coinciding of the vice premier's visit and my liberation from pregnancy was purely accidental. Well, even if it was, it certainly was an exciting postpartum outing.
The evening began with "A Performance of American Arts." The entertainment ranged from Rudolf Serkin, one of the finest pianists of our time, to the Harlem Globetrotters, who performed basketball aerobatics on the Opera House stage. The performance was followed by a reception of champagne and crepes in the Atrium of the Kennedy Center.
Not only was the gala a most pleasant evening, but also a historic occasion.
February 8, 1979