So This is Love

This was me at about 7 a.m. on Thursday, March 12.

This was Sabian, at about 9:30 a.m., waiting to head into the OR to meet our daughter.


And here we are, the three of us meeting for the first time.

I looked at the clock in the OR while I was waiting for it all to start. It was 10 a.m. At 10:21 I heard the first cries of my sweet girl and watched as they cleaned her up and wrapped her tightly so that Sabian could bring her over to me. I wanted so much to reach out and hold her, but there was still some business on my end that had to be taken care of. After a few moments of kissing and talking to Addie, Sabian left with her for the nursery and by 11 a.m. I was in recovery. They brought her to me for a few minutes while I was in the recovery room, then she and Sabian went away again and would meet back up with me in my hospital room. The whole time of dozing on and off I impatiently wondered how long it would be before I could see her again.

All in all, I couldn't have asked for things to run more smoothly. The staff at the hospital was great, Susie, our midwife, was right there to walk me through every step of the way, and Dr. Wolf was very reassuring the whole time. I feel pretty good and we just stayed two nights in the hospital before we were able to come home the Saturday after Addie was born. The pediatrician had good things to say about her and at Addie's doctor's appointment on Tuesday she had even gained some weight since leaving the hospital.

Most of all, we have our girl here at last.


Some things I love:
Sleep smiles
The way she stretches when we're changing her or when she wakes up for a nap
Sighing when she sleeps
The way it seems she recognizes our voices
Her long toes (just like her dad's)
Soft cheeks

Some things that tug at my heart:
Hiccups. The books say they don't bother babies, but they bother me
When she sticks her bottom lip out and pouts while sleeping (bad dream?!)
When she seems a little agitated

Yes, I check on her while she is sleeping to make sure she is still breathing. Yes, the sounds she makes while sleeping wake me up. I get in her face to make sure she can see me and hear me and I make up silly songs that she'll never remember. Every now and then I can't help but shed a tear and marvel at this incredible gift that God has given us. And yes, I feel completely vulnerable as a parent - and it is still a little strange to think of myself as a "parent!"

It's pretty obvious what I am thankful for these days. Our healthy Addie - we are so happy to have her here.

Her stats at birth: 7 lbs., 1.3 oz,. 20 inches long. Check out more photos here.

I'll leave you with Pirate Addie - "Arrr!"