Hello, World.

It's been a whirlwind of a week.  We've had three separate snowstorms of varying strengths, the worst coming on Tuesday leaving enough snow and ice that my husband was sent home from work so that if he got snowed in, it would be with me.

Jan 21: Baby It's Cold Outside


Jan 22: Got a Cold, Not a Baby...


After that first storm and before the next, our precious daughter started making her move.  We had a first trip in late Thursday night, but it wasn't until 4 am on Friday that those pesky contractions were actually strong enough to merit a hospital stay.

Jan 23: Almost Forgot...


And then, on Friday morning, the fun began.  After 34 hours of labor and 2.5 hours of pushing, the Otter was born a lively 8 lbs 5 oz.  She was over 21 inches long and practically aced the Apgar test with a 9 both times.

She was also quite vocal about her dislike of having ink on her feet.  This bodes well for chores, I think.

Jan 24:  Hello, World.


And then we stayed in the hospital for two more days.  And got about two more hours of sleep...

Jan 25: Welcome Home


While not a super fantastic photo, this last one captures one of my favorite moments during our stay.  Man readily incorporated her into his normal lifestyle (sitting at a computer) by managing to keep a rhythm going with the crib while sending out email updates about her birth.  I think that qualifies as "ready to be a parent," don't you think?

Jan 25 (alt): Multitasking


And... No, Man didn't break into the computer system.  He works for the health system, so he has a legit log in.  (Sorry dear, no hacker cred for you today...)