July 19

At 6:10 this morning, this happened:

Yep. At 6:10 am, Miss Lily Clare decided to enter the world, without any prompting on our behalf.

Labor was longer and more challenging than I had anticipated, but our absolutely perfect 8 pound, 4 ounce baby girl was well worth it.

I won't post all of the birth details or pictures here; I'll get to that later. Today, I'll share pictures of everything but Lily's birth.

Caleb and Daisy usually wake up right at 6 am, but - miracle of miracles - Caleb chose today to sleep until 6:30. Though he was right next door, somehow he slept through all of the noises that accompany the pushing stage of an unmedicated birth. Praise be to God.

When the kids did wake up, Grandma and Jenny were there to catch them and keep them out of our room while we did all of the post-birth stuff. Months ago, I had prepared special "Welcome Baby" backpacks for them, so Caleb and Daisy were entertained for a while.

Sara, my beloved friend and photographer, got the kids the darling big brother and big sister shirts they're wearing. She also took all of these pictures. Thanks, friend.

The kids didn't even fuss about not seeing Mommy or Daddy right away.

While they played, we got to look at this:

8 pounds, 4 ounces isn't really that big, but compared to our previous two (Caleb was 7 exactly, Daisy was 7 and a half), Lily is a chunk! We have no idea who she looks like right now; the only thing everyone seems to agree upon is that she has her Grandad's chin.

Chris was in love with his girl from the start. 

I might be a bit smitten, too.

After everything was cleaned up and put away (about two hours later, for those who are curious), Caleb and Daisy came in to meet their new sister.

They were both instantly in love.

This was when I told Caleb, "This is your new sister, Lily Clare!"

And then he flopped himself down on the bed and cried, "But my baby's name is Rainbow! I like the name Rainbow!"

Luckily, a brief conversation about how everyone else would call her Lily, but Rainbow could be his special name for her was all it took.

Daisy was so curious!

But Caleb handled things like an old pro.

He informed me (again) that he knows lots about babies. He also insisted that he is a great babysitter.

*sigh*

*double sigh*

I know. Doesn't it melt your heart?

A bit chaotic, but a lot of love.

Daisy was fascinated by her baby's toes.

Look at that grin! She loves Lily.

After Daisy and Caleb got to meet their sister, Jenny and my mom (who had both been waiting patiently since the wee hours of the morning) finally got to meet Lily.

Grandma was there the whole time, but spent all of my labor in the living room, praying and napping. I've got a good mom.

Of course, I was rewarded with lots of hugs and kisses too.

Seriously. Daisy is in love.

She's already such a good big sister.

And this boy takes his job very seriously.

This?

This is why home birth is the best. I highly recommend it.

And of course, all of these beautiful pictures are courtesy of Sara, who stayed up all night with us, stayed at the house editing and uploading pictures until noon, and then went home to pack her family up and hop in the van for vacation. I am blessed to have such a devoted and loving friend.

My mom even ran out to grab balloons for the mailbox. Most of the neighbors knew we were having a baby at home, so they were all excited to see our announcement!

And then... everybody left. 

Quiet family time was just what we needed.

My dad had worked all morning and was due to head out of town in the afternoon, but he stopped by to meet his newest granddaughter first. He was out of town for both Caleb and Daisy's births, so it was exciting that he got to meet Lily right away.

In the evening, Chris' parents came over to meet their newest granddaughter. 

Superman proudly supervised the introductions.

And then, bedtime. It was a long, beautiful day.

We are so, so blessed.