eve’s first day

Evie is 9 weeks old, and I’m still catching up over here. In a way, though, it’s felt extra special to go through my photos now and be able to relive those sacred first moments we spent together (and also be surprised by some of the shots I’d forgotten I took).
The atmosphere of the hospital room changes drastically in just moments. Intensity, and sometimes chaos, right before the birth, and the greatest feeling of peace and calm in the moments following. I looked forward to and truly cherished the sweet serenity and rest that followed Eve’s delivery.Eve nursed almost immediately after she was born, for a whole hour. I was feeling really grateful that she was born in the morning, at a time when the hospital was still serving breakfast, since we were famished. We ate while she ate! Afterward, she was very sleepy and enjoyed some rest. Flexible little feet! It’s so crazy to think that these little heels were poking me in the ribs just hours before this.I was still feeling very excited from the birth, so it was hard for me to sleep, but I tried to let Michael nap as long as possible. He was such amazing support for me throughout the entire night, so he definitely deserved this. Baby snuggles after waking up. After we rested and washed up, Grandma Gina brought our three princesses to meet the fourth! They came in smiling, with balloons and cards as gifts for their new little sister.This was the moment they had waited for for what seemed like so long.
Kaelyn always talked about Eve arriving right after her 4th birthday, just like Nella had arrived right after Kaya’s 4th birthday. With Eve’s birth being the only one Kaelyn remembers, it was almost as if meeting Eve was a special belated gift for her.Nella was very unsure of everything that day. She was having some tummy troubles and wasn’t really interested in Eve at all. We’re so thankful for Grandma and everything she did for us while she stayed.Evie found her thumb right away! She always had her hands up by her face at our ultrasounds, so this was no surprise.I wanted a picture with all of my girls, but Nella just didn’t want to. Oh well.She did get some Daddy cuddles before they all headed home, though. Kaya cried when they left and truly didn’t want to go. Kaelyn just told me over and over how much she missed us.After they left, Eve was able to have her first bath (there’s a new rule at our birth center that prohibits bathing for the first 8 hours after birth). She was not a fan!She did like getting her hair washed, though. We all tried to get some sleep that night, although Eve was a little more interested in nursing every hour instead of sleeping. Finally, around 2 am, we asked Nurse Julie if Eve could go to the nursery for a little while so we could try to rest. I felt a little guilty at the time, because we’d never sent any of our babies to the nursery before. We ended up sleeping until about 6:15 am, though, which we very much needed, so it turned out to be good for everyone.We woke up to these beautiful, shining eyes, hoping we’d be able to go home that same day.I can’t get enough of these baby toes.Seriously.It was a busy morning while we saw the pediatrician, my OB, and the hearing test administrator. She passed all her blood tests and weight check, so we were cleared to leave when she was just 27 hours old.Daddy buckled her in!No one ever likes the car seat.It’s always so bittersweet to leave. Of course, we’re happy to go home, be with our kids, and rest in our own familiar space, but this is the place where we overcame the challenges of birth, felt some of the most intense physical pain, and also experienced our greatest joy. This little room is a special place for me.One of the nurses walked us out, and we loaded Evie into the car. She slept through her entire first ride.It was a Sunday morning, so we arrived home to an empty house.We couldn’t wait to surprise the girls when they got out of church! They ran to us as soon as they saw that we were home, and then, of course, there were some disputes as to who got to hold the baby.And so began life as a family of SIX!!!