I’ll write more later about labor and delivery, but for now I just need to show you the most beautiful baby girl I’ve ever seen.
7 lbs, 5 oz. 20.5 inches. Born 10:15 AM Saturday, May 8, 2010.
Raelyn Grace Norman
Shortly after birth. Keely was an astounding labor athlete. Seriously. Unbelievable.
One (small) happy family!
Keely is a natural! She’s really doing great. We’re still at home, but we’ll be headed to the clinic soon!
Pictures of the newest Norman soon!
We’re basically in it-could-be-any-moment mode now, hoping that the baby comes sooner rather than later. Keely’s parents fly in on Saturday, and we want them to have as much time with their new grandbaby as possible!
I’ll be sure to post some pics of the little one soon after the birth. For now, you get a few more pictures of my beautiful wife, now at 40 weeks!
That looks says, "When am I going to have to get this person out of me?"
We're both glad we waited to find out the gender -- it'll be such a fun surprise!
We’re still playing the waiting game. We’re hoping it’ll be this week, as Keely’s parents are coming to town on Saturday. Keely’s going to start doing jumping-jacks today…
I owe you all a picture of the 40-week pregnancy belly — I’ll try to get that today.
In the meantime, check out how ugly pigeons are when they hatch!
I think these guys are less than 3 days old at this point. It doesn't seem possible that they fit in the eggs!
They're starting to look more like birds now. Definitely still unattractive
There’s nothing to report yet, but I didn’t want anyone thinking that inactivity on the blog meant that the baby had arrived. We’re still waiting patiently, and certainly not in any hurry 🙂
As a side note, we’ve now got another family living with us, and they’re expecting, too! Two pigeons have taken up residence on our porch, around a corner of our “laundry nook.” It’s actually quite inconvenient to have them there, because they make all kinds of fuss when we have to do laundry. For a few weeks, I would stand guard with a broom while Keely loaded the washing machine because the pigeons would try to attack us. I just didn’t have the heart to get rid of the nest (well, Keely didn’t have the heart — I would have slept just fine afterward).
Here’s their home. I have no idea how long pigeons’ gestational period is, but I’m hoping the eggs hatch the same day Keely gives birth to our little one.
Not much of a nest, but I guess they don't need a lot since it's got tile flooring
Our friends here threw Keely a baby shower a few Saturdays ago. It was such a huge blessing and a bunch of fun for Keely! They gave her all sorts of good advice and loads of helpful baby items. There was even a surprise visitor via Skype — Keely’s mom got to “sit in” and offer some advice of her own. What a fun time! For those wondering what the dad-to-be did during the baby shower (no men allowed), I enjoyed a nice run and a beautiful Saturday morning.
Here are some pictures!
Keely talking with her mom via Skype. Technology is so great, don't you think?
That cake in the middle is made entirely of (unused) diapers. So creative! Lots of yummy treats, too!
Look at all the baby things! We're so blessed to have such wonderful friends. Now maybe we're ready to have a baby? Haha, yeah right...
There won’t be too many more of these photos, so enjoy them while they last! We’re within the 4 week mark of definitely having this baby — the doctor said he would induce on May 12th if it came to that. He also said he didn’t think the baby would wait until then, either. 🙂 A few nights ago we sat for an hour staring at how the baby’s movements could be seen from the outside now. It’s a whole new level of weird when you see a baby’s foot moving across your wife’s abdomen. So cool.
Here’s my ever-beautiful wife, who will make an equally beautiful mom.
There's an alien inside her! Either that or a very small human...
Another picture, just because I can 🙂
We visited the clinic (private hospital) yesterday and saw where we’ll have the baby. It looks nice, and the staff were all very nice. Keely’s still doing well and the baby is still growing and moving around as much as he/she can. It’s starting to get cramped inside that belly!
Keely will kill me for posting this picture, but I’m going to post it anyway. It probably won’t stay up forever, so here’s a reward to all our faithful readers out there!
Edit: Well, that didn’t last long — Keely was none too happy with me when she saw the picture (of her in a two-piece swimsuit at 34 weeks) out there for the world to see. I’ll try to take a new picture tonight to update you on the beautiful baby belly!
I promise some more activity on the blog this week. We’re gearing up to show Joseph tomorrow, so I’ll have some pictures of that!
For now, here’s an updated picture of Keely’s baby belly!
She's so pretty it's almost a crime...
We visited the doctor again last Friday and were told “all is well.” We even got to see our little guy/girl again — my, how they grow! I’m sure that will be a constant phrase on my lips for the next 20 or so years…
Here’s the momma — still stunningly beautiful, as expected.
2 months to go and I think there's still a lot of expansion to come!
And here’s the little one. There’s a face in this sonogram, and it’s not one of those magic eye puzzles.
The baby's looking up toward the top of the frame. I think s/he looks like me!
The Normans in North America! 