Parenthood

On June 10, 2008, my water broke. It wasn't supposed to break until June 30th; so I was in a bit of denial about the whole thing. The whole process of being pregnant and getting to know our daughter as she grew in my womb was such a beautiful time. Sure, it had its aches and pains and sleepless nights (and dozens of bottles of Tums)... but feeling her move and grow inside me was so amazing. Still, we were excited to meet her face to face - but just not so soon! She entered this world at 8 lbs, 15 oz and 20 inches long. I guess it is a good thing she did not go to her due date or I may have birthed someone the size of a toddler. It was 4:30 on Tuesday afternoon when my water broke. After a long night and a long morning, our sweet daughter, Belén, was finally born at 12:52 PM on Wednesday, June 11th. She is healthy and more beautiful than we even imagined.

It is such a miracle. I mean, all throughout pregnancy, Eric and I were aware of the miracle of it all... but the moment the midwife guided Belén out and laid her on my belly, Eric and I were captivated and enamored by her sweet, swolen little face (make no mistake, she's definitely got her mama's chubby cheeks, but 20 hours of trying to find her way out into the world sort of exagerated their prominence).

Parenthood is like most everything else - it is never really like what you think it is going to be. In some ways, it is so much better than you ever dreamed. And in other ways, it is so much harder than you even imagined. The beautiful burden of love that comes with the enormous responsibility of nurturing another human's body and soul is overwhelming and humbling. We are so grateful for the ways that God has answered so many of our prayers and allowed us to participate in the privilege of Parenthood.

And we are so grateful for all of our family and many friends who have lavished love and support and gifts and prayers over us and our new little one. Thank you for your sincere concern, unparalleled generosity and your many expressions of love to all three of us. We love you each one and our joy is truly made complete as we get to share this blessing and this new season in our life with all of you.

This is a place you can come and check in for pictures and updates... but please do feel free to email us! We'd love to connect with you! Forgive us if we're a little slow to return calls and emails - we're working on settling into our "new normal" routine of life.