Greatness

I have got to acknowledge all of the visitors who traveled to Massachusetts this summer to meet Miss Julia. Not only was it a huge help to have some extra hands, but it was a refreshing piece of home with each new visit. This is titled GREATNESS not only because we are thankful for all of these people in our lives, but also because she got to meet her Great Grandmother and Great Great Grandmother who was so excited to see her and put her to sleep each night with Polish lullibies.

Becca, Ben, and Hannah arrived to celebrate the fourth of July with us, which was quite a trip considering they had a new house to move in to and they left their vacation at the beach to make it in time for the East Longmeadow parade. I would say that their rush to get here was because Becca is obsessed with babies, or she really missed me, but the added joy of the whole trip was when Becca let me know that she too was pregnant (I don't know why I say "too" - I'm not pregnant anymore, but somehow it's difficult to disconnect with the pregnancy stage). It was amazing to hear the news from them - Becca and Ben are going to be such great parents and baby Neufeld has one heck of a big sister!

Kris and Jill had a whirlwind 24-hour visit, but we had a great time and they got their fill of Julia. We were able to see them again a month later, which made the quick trip bearable. We went for a long walk in the park and Kris paid special attention to sister Scout so she wouldn't feel so left out.


Aunt Kirstan FINALLY arrived when Julia was about 7 weeks old. The timing of her trip was perfect because Charles had to go out of town for a week. This was the first time that I truly felt confident getting out on little trips during the day...I am starting to get to know Julia and what she (and I) are capable of doing in a day. Key word is STARTING...she is still a bit unpredictable! We had so much fun together and the greatest part of the whole week was watching Kirstan with her neice. They had an immediate connection that was beyond words. I had so many moments with tears in my eyes as I watched the love between the two of them. We also asked Kirstan to be Julia's God-mother while she was here. Of course, she is honored! Julia is a lucky girl to have Kirstan for an aunt. I have a feeling in a few years I will be hearing "But Aunt Kirstan is so much cooler than you mom!"

And then Kate and J. came. Kate and J. were married in May and indirectly, Julia got to be in their wedding (in utero). She tells me she had a good time :)

J. is from New England so they got to visit some family while they were up here and we had a random assortment of fun as we introduced them to our neighbors at our Neighborhood Party and of course they loved spending some time with Julia. Julia was especially enamoured by J. (I think it was the red beard) :)

And I should put Chrissy first on this list - she was on stand-by when Julia was born to drive from Boston to Springfield. She saw Julia on the day she was born (yep, drove all they way out for a 45 minute visit and then drove all the way back to Boston). She got to spend a little bit more quality time with her a few weeks later on a random Thursday when she has off work. She came at a good time b/c Julia got stung by a bee and I needed her nurse practioner skills to make Julia all better. She is so good at that!

And you know what is funny about these visitors? This is ALMOST all of my wedding party (aside from my grandparents and the boys of course). The only one missing is Allison Huett - she lives in California and I know that if she were closer, she would be here in a heartbeat. These are my life long friends and it is precious to share Julia with each of them. They are going to be such an important part of her life. I am sure there are many visits to come - these were just the highlights...what a summer it's been!

3 weeks later...

These are photos I took with my mom's camera before she left. I am forever greatful for my mom's presence in that first week home. It has been a time of pure joy, but it also has had it's fair share of challenges. I am sure that will continue, but I am so thankful for the encouragement and help. I say that I don't know what I'm going to do without her, which isn't really true. I know that Charles and I are going to embrace parenting and work this out together...it's just that there is nothing greater then having the support of your mother through a time like this. She is truly an amazing woman! I hope that I can model love to Julia in the selfless and pure way my mom loves my sister and I.

My dad joined us during the second week as he waited out his arrival due to a case of the flu. It's difficult to picture how much I've changed in the last few weeks as I have become a mother, but it's so interesting to watch my parents jump into the role of grandparenting from the second they saw her. My father is so great with her - he is so gentle and concerned.

I think she will probably get a pony soon... or at least a pair of cowgirl boots. :)

Week 1

Julia has received so many visitors this past week of her little life with so many more people to meet! There has been so much excitement as I look back on the 7 days - her timing has been pretty amazing. She was present for her daddy's 31st birthday and will be celebrating her first Father's Day tomorrow. I'd say that I'm safe not buying Charles any gifts this year, I think he's pretty happy.
Pastor John arrived for a visit on Wednesday. I must say, Pastor John is an amazing man. He embodies a gentle man who loves God and loves his community. We absolutely love him at our Trinity home. We had a conversation that was quite thought provoking - he asked each Charles and I to sum up our experience with Julia so far in one word.
My word: Contentment - despite some frustrating and scream-filled moments (on Julia's part, not mine) our house is just so peaceful. Charles and I just sit and look at her in amazement. I remember feeling as she entered the world that life could not possibly get better than this. She is so pure.
Charles choose the words Love and Sacrifice - He has embraced fatherhood from the beginning and is so hands on. It is amazing how much love pours out of you - love that you never knew you were capable of. I know he would do anything for this child.
So as Pastor John was leaving we closed in prayer. His prayers are so thoughtful and God centered and I just felt such a peace in the room as he spoke. He ended with a prayer capturing the meaning of her name saying, "Julia, may you always have a youthful spirit and may your path always be bright and clear".
That is my prayer for her too.

Julia is here!

Julia - "Youthful"

Claire - "Bright/Clear"

We'd had a rough week of touch and go appointments that indicated that Julia was probably going to come early. I went in for my Friday visit and my blood pressure earned me an immediate admission for an induction. I was somewhat relieved that it was sprung upon me rather than sitting it out, though there were some tense hours in the midst of it all. I was induced on Friday, June 12th and Julia arrived quite vibrantly into the world at 12:11pm on Saturday June 13th, 2009 at 20 in long weighing 6lbs 7oz. The whole process was truly amazing and we are in absolute awe of her.

We are thrilled to be home and attempting to figure out how life works now with this whole new person in our home. She fits in quite well.

Room in Progress

I started collecting ideas for the nursery from the beginning, which has been so much fun! I love putting each piece to her room knowing that she is going to create her own identity within these walls. The alligator burp cloth from her Aunt Kirstan in Florida matches her eclectic Amish quilt bedding perfectly and her organic fabrics, provided by Laura, assure her daily safety. :)

Everything has been added with so much love.

We live in a house that has a lot of personality and much room to work with in regard to adding our style. Needless to say, Charles and I are not so handy, but we put a lot of work in throughout the winter. I have had my moments of anxiety, but I love that we can look at even the imperfections and know that this is OUR work. I'm not sure whether baby Gray will get in to Harvard after all of these paint fumes, but she put her time in too. :)
I added my finishing touches to the bedroom


While Charles worked on the nursery in his typical clean and concise fashion...
(I love these pictures - they are the complete opposite of our personalities.)

Since this baby is arriving a bit ahead of schedule and with the added bonus of bedrest on top of that, the room has not been completed. I had been all set to paint a tree mural on the wall, which not going to happen any time soon.
I don't think she'll notice.

My mom will be here tonight to help with some finishing touches before baby Gray comes this weekend.

Anxiously awaiting...

"For a long time there were only your footprints & laughter in our
dreams & even from such small things, we knew we could not wait to love you forever."
- Brian Andreas, Story People

I am in awe as I look back on 38 weeks of pregnancy. I had no idea how much I would embrace this life as she grew from day to day. It has been an amazing journey and now we are faced with a bit more of a planned arrival than expected.

It looks like baby Gray is coming this week due to Pregnancy Induced Hypertension. With all the preparation that has gone into this process, I am at a loss with what to do in these last few moments before she arrives. I recognize that no matter what people tell you, it will never truly make sense until she is here.

So the best thing I can do is reflect.