Arrival!

She is here!

Just before 1:00 p.m. on February 16, Whitley and I packed the car and drove to the hospital. We calmly chatted during this last ten minutes of life together as parents of a family of three. After signing in, finding our room, unpacking a few things, and making ourselves comfortable, we were ready. We were ready and excited to meet Laine.

The labor process was . . . efficient. Labor was induced around 2:00, and four hours later, Laine was born. It wasn't quite that easy, Whitley would be quick to point out, but speaking in relation to other labor experiences, it was a walk in the park.

The first thing I noticed when I saw Laine, was that her little frowny, crying face looked like Smith's face when he was born. Her bottom lip curled down and the corners, while the middle of her lip protruded outward. It is the epitome of a "pout." The next thing I noticed was that she was not screaming like Smith did when he was born. Laine sounded like she was only slightly annoyed that we had taken her from the warm environs of her mom's tummy. Laine weighed seven pounds and five ounces, and measured at 19 inches long. She was (and is) truly beautiful. She had a light covering of short dark brown hair all over her head. Her eyes were puffy, and she only opened them briefly. Her nose was smaller and rounder than Smith's, and we are not sure from whom she inherited it (as neither Whitley or I have noses that share these qualities). Her hands and feet were very wrinkled from being in mom's tummy for so long.

The rest of the night, Smith, Poppie, Whitley and I sat and gawked at her. Here are some of my favorite pictures from that night.