A Couple More Pics

As promised. :-)

We hope you enjoy. Oh, and you can click them to see them bigger. I think that's true for all of them - just in case you didn't know.

Pure Magic

27 hours, 11 minutes ago, I saw my daughter rush, head first, into the world as we know it.
Within about 5 minutes of that, I was holding her, gazing into those beautiful dark blue eyes, and crying like a... well, like a baby.
I'd never actually seen a live birth before. Frankly, I might never have believed anyone who might have tried to tell me it's a beautiful thing. I am a believer now.
Beth's delivery was quick and free of complications. 2 pushes was all she took!

And so it begins...
I began this post about 11 hours ago, and am just now able to get back to it. Although, to be fair, it isn't really Clara's, or anyone's fault. Except the hospital's...
Beth decided she could be exhausted and in pain at home just as easily as at the hospital. That was about 10:30 this morning. We finally rolled out around 3:30 this afternoon.

Ok, so we're pretty much exhausted already. Beth has gotten less sleep than I have, and Miss Clara has slept more than I would have ever imagined. (She continues to do so even now.)
But one thing is certain: Clara is pure magic. Perfect. Beautiful. Nothing prepared me for that.
I knew she was gonna be beautiful - just look at her mama! But to say I'm smitten barely scratches the surface.

More to come, with a few more pics...
Hope you all are well.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls... Presenting Clara Hope!

Miss Clara Hope Simerly
Born 04/17/2011 6:16 AM
7lbs, 2 Oz, 20" long.
And beautiful!
Thank you, everybody for your kindness, support, love, and gifts. We love you all, and can't wait to introduce you all in person.
Keep watching the blog, as we intend to keep updating.

Break Water, Not Hearts!

Just about 5 minutes ago, Beth's water broke. It was clear.
She's in an enormous amount of pain. We'll keep everyone updated as this progresses...

Stay posted for huge, yet tiny, news!

Beth was admitted this morning "in labor." we came in yesterday morning around 10:30. That was kind of a funny and convoluted story which I am currently too tired to convey...

We were just informed that she now has to walk around for an hour. Yay. Poor kid. She's just this side of miserable right now.

Stay tuned.

38 Weeks and Counting...

Today we are at 38 weeks.
Our appointment went very well. Beth has gained 3 more pounds, which is most certainly all baby.
She is also dilated to 2 cm, and her uterus is at about 50% for thickness. So, it really could be any day now. 
She's been having "contractions" for about a week and a half now, and frankly, I think she's ready to be done with the whole "pregnancy thing."
And as long as we're being frank here, I kinda am too. I want to meet my baby girl!
Beth keeps teasing me with all the pseudo - contractions. To be fair, she doesn't have any way of knowing whether labor is starting or not. Better to be safe and prepared, I suppose. And of course, we'll keep you posted. :-)

Hope all is well with you and yours.

Sorry to disappoint you, Jay

April 12 has come and gone... still no Miss Clara. :-(
Oh, sure she's wiggled a lot, caused "contractions," and misled us about her intentions a few times, but she still hasn't come to meet us. So we'll continue to wait...

Quick update

Just a quick update on our status.
Beth was fairly certain Saturday night that we would be going to the hospital somewhere between Saturday and Sunday.
Sunday morning, she expressed some mildly disappointed awe at the fact that she no longer had such expectations. We watched a movie, took a walk, she took her nap, and went to work - all without any of the obvious discomfort she experienced Saturday.
So, we wait. On pins and needles. And we (realistically, i think) expect to be meeting Clara pretty much any minute, or day, now. Anyone wanna take any bets as to whether or not we make it to Thursday's 38 week appointment?


I hope all is well with you and yours. We'll keep you posted!

37 Weeks...

Thursday is Dr.'s appointment day. This past Thursday was no exception. All is well - thank the deity of your choice! Beth is doing really well throughout all of this. I would be a whining, whimpering, gelatinous blob of poorly strained previously frozen spinach - like material if I had to go through the whole pregnancy thing. She's such a trooper!
All this past week she's been making some noises about Clara coming virtually any minute. I probably don't have to tell any of you how... anxious that's making me. :-)
Today, less than 2 hours ago, in fact, she has informed me that she's having contractions. They're not regular yet, but she's fairly certain they're contractions. Talk about suspense! Carly Simon's got nothin' on me! I/we will keep you all posted...


Again I hope this finds you all in good health and spirits.

36 Week Appointment

Another week, another weekly appointment.
Again, everything is going swimmingly. We are so fortunate, in so many ways.
Beth is measuring at 37 still/again - likely due to the fact that Miss Clara has dropped so far in the last week.
Several of our friends were certain we would have an April Fool's baby. Are they trying to tell us something? Anyway, all those that had 4/1/2011 in the birthday pool... You lost! LOL
I still say April 14 or 15. Dr. says she'll never make it to 4/28, "as scheduled."
We are both doing quite well.
Today we are having what I affectionately refer to as "Smoked Meat Fest." The grill-cum- smoker has been hard at work for nearly 7 hours, and performing quite well. For those who know, low-and-slow is the way to go! Smoked brats, especially the pineapple brats from Hy-Vee, are just about my favorite. We also are serving a pork sirloin roast from the smoker; it's been on for about 5.5 hours. And for the vegetarian, we are serving a veggie burger from Trader Joe's. We should have plenty of left overs, which is kind of the plan. We don't want to have to cook too awful much when Miss Clara greets us. :-)
I hope this again finds everyone in good health and spirits.
I'll keep you posted!