May 4

We (finally) have a baby!

Daisy Kathleen

May 4, 2011

1:46 am

7 pounds, 8 ounces

19.5 inches long

Chris and I are both exhausted, so I'll spare you all of the birth details for now. That will be another post, with lots of pictures, thanks to my amazing friend Sara.

The quick story is that last night's castor oil and pumping worked, and worked well! Daisy was born 6 hours after I downed that yucky oil.

Labor and delivery went perfectly, and I was so thankful for my husband, my birth pool, and my FANTASTIC midwife. We're so grateful that everything went smoothly, and we are so happy we chose to have Daisy at home! It's been so nice to be here, instead of in a hospital. The only downside? I feel so great that it's hard for me to rest instead of running around, cleaning and taking care of everyone.

Chris and I hardly know what to do with a little girl! She's already captured our hearts.

For the most part, Caleb slept through everything. He woke up a few times, talked to himself for a little bit, then went back to sleep, which was perfect: Chris and I got to spend lots of quality time with our new little miracle.

When Caleb woke up in the morning, he didn't seem surprised by the news that he had a new baby sister.  

He was excited (he kept saying, "Baby sister!"), but skeptical.

After a few minutes of inspecting Daisy from afar, Caleb looked at me and said, "Hold you, baby sister!"

So we let him hold her. 

His first step? "Meep"-ing her nose.

Then he thoroughly explored the rest of her. It was so sweet - he was immediately smitten with his Daisy. He petted her hand, and said, "Soft hand". He gave her lots of gentle touches, and seemed to really like her ears and hair. He even gave her some little kisses! In all of my thinking about Caleb's reaction to his new sibling, I never expected it to be like this. It's pretty fantastic!

And now it's time for bed.

So. We're now a happy, healthy, family of four. I promise, I'll have lots more pictures tomorrow, and I'll try to get Daisy's birth story together soon.

In the meantime, it's been suggested that this blog needs a new name. My brain isn't working at full capacity right now, so I'd love your ideas!