That being said, here are a few snapshots and memories from our special day:
right before we left for the hospital - the last pictures with my bump. I had been having painful contractions for 25 hours straight - blech! They were consistently 7 minutes apart. I was trying to forego the hospital until they got down to 5 minutes apart, but after a whole day I was so fed up I decided we should just go! Luckily they told me I was definitely in labor and more than halfway there to having my baby, so they kept me :)
playing the waiting game - post epidural, so I had stopped squeezing Sam's hand and shouting ridiculous things like "she will be an only child! I am not going through this again!" :)
The first pictures with our baby girl. All I want to say on this blog is that if you believe death is the end, come to a live birth sometime. My angel mom was there. She was there to hand off the care of my daughter to me, and make sure my baby got here safely. I have rarely felt so peaceful, or so close to my angel mother. (It was my mom's birthday, by the way. I love that my daughter and my mom share a birthday.)
Oh, and the post-birth recovery process involved the most delicious chocolate shake from JCW's that I have ever had. Ever. :) It also involved a lot of staring at our baby in total awe.
And then - visitors!