Precious New Arrival

It is my great joy to announce that our baby girl has finally arrived! Evangeline (Evie) Grace was born this past week. She weighed 7 lbs 6 oz and is 21 inches long. Since our house has been a bit chaotic lately, I only have a few cell phone pictures but at least you can see our little angel!

Here she is, at about 1 hour old.

I had been scheduled to go in for an induction on Thursday, but thankfully I went into labor naturally on Wednesday morning. It was about 11 hours from the first contraction until the time she was born! I think I will probably write up a birth story at some point (once I can think about it without bawling...). 

Here she is snugged into her carseat, getting ready for the journey home. She slept the whole way there! 

Our first family photo is on the camera, and I don't have a way to access it right now but I will be sure to update with more pictures soon!  

The first couple days home were really rough. Breastfeeding was a huge challenge at first, and it still continues to be a difficult learning process. It was so hard to see her struggle to get enough to eat. Thankfully, we turned a corner in the past day or so and it has been a lot better. There really is no way to completely mentally prepare for a first child! I had no idea how difficult (and traumatic) the birth experience could be, not to mention the rollercoaster of emotions that follow. Thankfully Josh has been the most amazing husband and father- he is tireless in caring for Evie and I and has so much patience. Watching him become a father just makes me fall even deeper in love. I'm just in awe of our beautiful baby and what a joy it is to have the privilege of taking care of such a sweet little person.

Mini Maternity Photo Shoot

Thanks to my sister's boyfriend, David, Josh and I were able to squeeze in a little maternity-photo shoot this weekend. It was actually completely unplanned, but when Josh and I realized on Sunday morning at church that we were wearing matching black and white outfits, the camera was in the car, and David (an awesome photographer) was there it just seemed to be the perfect thing to do!

It was the perfect weather- beautiful sun shining and yet not too hot (really important at this stage in pregnancy!). We took these at the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis. Hope you enjoy!

The Waiting Game

We are eagerly anticipating the arrival of our little girl... she could technically come any day now! Of course, I'm impatient and I am starting to feel like I will be pregnant forever. 

Everything is ready- the car seat is installed, the bassinet is waiting by our bed, and her closet is stocked with adorable, girly outfits.

Everyone is remarking that the baby has "dropped"- and she definitely has! Bathroom breaks come a lot more frequently now, but I can finally eat a real meal again! It's funny to see how her changing positions affect the way my body functions so much. Here's a lovely photo taken in our messy closet, I look super crabby because, well, I was super crabby. It's like 90 degrees here every day, and my feet have swelled up like flotation devices! Everyone loves a cranky pregnant lady, right?

I'm not working anymore, so my days are filled with house cleaning, hospital bag packing, and some Netflix thrown in for good measure. My mother-in-law came to visit last week and brought a wonderful surprise for the baby; she made this gorgeous baby blanket! She had seen my blog post here where I had put up a picture of a similar blanket (but really had no hope for ever owning, since I can't crochet!), and decided to make one using our colors instead. Isn't she amazing! I smile every time I see it.

I also had a sweet surprise from one of my former voice students and her family- they went up to Grand Marais (where Josh and I honeymooned 3 years ago) for a family vacation and brought back my favorite pie in the whole world, Bumbleberry Pie from Betty's Pies. It's like a 6 hour drive there, so needless to say I haven't had a slice for over 3 years. It was heavenly! 

So even though the waiting is hard, there are lots of things to be thankful for. Soon enough I will be able to hold this little one, and life will be plunged into beautiful chaos. So for now I will keep my feet up, and my spirits lifted in anticipation!