finding a new normal

the week before our family grew, i knew something was up. i had worked all week and just felt more exhausted than usual. and lots of pressure in my pelvis. although we were still a week from "due date", i used the week to get things done. my parents were out of town all week and i was holding my breath, praying that baby would wait until they were back. friday night, we went out for ice cream. my mom texted me around 8:30 and said, "just walked in the door. you can start labor now." an hour and a half later, my first contraction came as I attempted to go to bed. from that first one, I knew it was for real. I couldn't catch a break. things were fairly intense from the get go. after laboring all night at home and talking to my midwife twice on the phone, we decided to go in around 8:45 saturday morning. another five hours of labor and an hour and a half of pushing, 17 hours in all, and at last we came face to face with our baby. Berkeley Emma. she was breathtaking.

John read the book Husband Coached Childbirth and i read Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. he was an amazing partner through the entire thing. I cry looking at all of the l&d pictures at how he sweetly cared for me. he was exhausted at the end of it. by the time we got to sleep saturday night, we had both been up for 41 hours.

our peanut: 6 lbs 9 oz 19.75 inches long



her feet stayed curled up like that for a few days :)

she knew what to do as soon as CeCe put her on my chest.

love at first sight for both of them.

a big thank you to my sister for capturing the l&d moments with photos and video. we will cherish them forever!



having been convinced i was having a boy, not knowing the gender ended up being the surprise of my life. i have a daughter.

first time in the carseat. she cried. I cried. we're both still alive.

bright eyes

I have cried buckets already at the realization that this, nor any stage she's in, will last forever. I feel like I'm trying to hold on so tight and it's never enough no matter how hard I try. everyday as I nurse her, I ask God to help me spend each day I have with her wisely, to not take a single one for granted, that John and I together would turn her little heart towards Him, that we would be an example to her in our love for each other, for her and for others.