She’s Here!

Better late than never. Two months too late. Both would probably be a more appropriate title for this post. Ten weeks later and I am finally announcing the arrival of our precious little girl. Perhaps it was having a newborn, adjusting to six kids, giving birth the week before school got out or it being baseball season that all contributed to my much delayed announcement. The laundry is piled up and too many suitcases staring at me to be unpacked, but if I don’t type this out the she might be two and not just two months before I get around to it. Yes, she!

Although, we didn’t know the gender before birth we were all kind of thinking boy. So Aaron had to do a double take and pause a second before handing her to me and announcing the gender. After that we spent the next 24 hours deciding on a name, completely against my Type A personality. Since we thought boy, we were set on a boy name and not completely set on a girl name, not that we didn’t have nine months to figure it out.

Our sweet, sweet Lucia Marie-Clare. Born completely healthy at 7 pounds 4 ounces, even though we had a scare that she might have a growth restriction towards the end of the pregnancy.

While a sibling or two were a little disappointed to find out they were getting another little sister, they absolutely adore her. There is something so beautiful about the instant bond and outpouring of love a new baby brings to the family. No doubt there is adjusting to the change of having a newborn in the house, but if you want to hold her you need to take a number and get in line. If I set her down, she is almost immediately scooped up by an older sibling who I am sure she will miss when they are back in school, that makes two of us.

I usually always stay the minimum requirement in the hospital after having a baby, because I am anxious to be home. This go around I was just completely exhausted from an overnight labor, morning delivery and a newborn who wouldn’t sleep for more than 20 minutes at a time without crying. As I stepped in the door to our house everyone was so excited to meet Lucia and hold her for the first time. A few of the kids even decorated the house with a birthday sign for her, streamers and balloons (so incredibly sweet)! Soon it was time for dinner and trying to get everyone ready for bed. I began to question why I didn’t stay at the hospital longer.

One by one each of the kids made their way into our bedroom where I was rocking Lucia. They began to find a place in our bed and on the floor with pillows and blankets in tow, just to be close to the baby. In my complete exhaustion my heart was so full, in the feeling of being overwhelmed I was filled with so much joy. As I sat there wondering how I would figure this mom to six thing out and manage all of the chaos, tremendous grace shone through. A moment I will forever treasure.