Zoo! Baby!

Yesterday, we took John to the zoo.

The Butterflies were very pretty.

The Carousel was warmly received.

The Mama got a nice cuddle.

So did the Daddy.

Overall, three opposable thumbs up.

During the trip, I kept checking up on S, who was in labor with the new baby. At noon, she was dilated to 5. The next time I called at 1:30, her mom quickly told me they were having a baby, and we hung up. I sat there for a minute, crying, and T told me to just go to the hospital. So I took his advice, and even though I was there 10 minutes after the last phone call, I fully expected to have missed the birth- S is an EXPERT baby-birther, you see. I didn't miss it, though. I knew S would have been okay with me being in the room, but the baby was face-up, and she was working really hard. I figured I'd be a distraction. I did stay near the doorway to listen and it was awesome. S sounded totally composed, focused and FIERCE during the last stages of the birth. When I heard the doctor say it was a girl, I burst into tears and shouted "It's Rowan!" Then I walked in to see her and fell in love, instantly.

Rowan Elizabeth A. was born at 1:52 pm, weighing 7 pounds 9 ounces. She is 20 inches long.

I can't wait to take her to the zoo.