Ellen Cecilia

It's a girl!

Our daughter Nell arrived on Tuesday, May 15, at 8:17 pm.  She weighed 8 pounds even, and measured 19.5 inches long.

She was born perfectly pink and with a full head of dark hair.  

Her Mom cried with relief and joy.  Her Dad cut her umbilical cord.

We named her Ellen, which means "light," and Cecilia, after the patron saint of musicians and church music.

We thanked God for her.

And we went home the next afternoon as a family of three.

My dear friend Story was with us, too, from Sunday afternoon through Thursday afternoon.  She was invaluable in her support and encouragement as a friend, her experience and knowledge as a nurse midwife, and the way she took care of us so well in the days after Nell's birth.

{Story's six-month-old daughter Mercy was there for all of it, too!}

We now spend all our time baby-gazing around here, certain that no baby has ever been more beautiful.

No other baby in the world has ever yawned so hugely, or sneezed so cutely, or hiccuped so charmingly, or rested her chin on her hand in that particularly adorable manner.

We're so glad to have our daughter Nell, and already we can't imagine our lives without her.