And then there were three...

After my last post on December 5, I continued waiting in good company for another 6 days for our little one to make an appearance. With each passing day I was getting more and more anxious, not because I was tired of being pregnant, but because my parents' departure date was getting closer with each day that went by. I was desperate for the baby to come so that we could have as much time as possible with the baby AND with my parents! But we waited as patiently as we could and finally in the earliest hours of December 11, my labor began. (I don't know if anyone has ever been as delighted as I was upon realizing my water had broken - I was overjoyed!)

We arrived by taxi at the hospital just before 2am, and it was just about 12 hours later that our daughter, Emeline Rae, entered the world. My mom and Tony were a wonderful duo supporting me through labor and though we were hoping to have my mom with us for the birth, she wasn't able to be with us because the delivery was a bit more complicated than expected and only Tony could accompany me to the "theatre" - the operating room where she was born. We were reunited with my mom a couple of hours later in the maternity ward and spent the rest of day falling absolutely head over heels in love with little Emeline.

The past 4 weeks have been the most memorable of our lives and though it is hard to believe four weeks have already gone by, in many ways it seems like she's been a part of our lives forever. We've learned so much about her and are always anxious for her to wake up from her naps so that we can cuddle her and just observe as she is taking in the world around her.

Having my parents here when she was born was wonderful, and knowing that Jon and Lindsey were coming with little Kate just a few days after my parents left was the only thing that made our goodbye bearable. We thoroughly enjoyed having Jon, Lin and Kate here with us over Christmas and we will treasure that time together for years to come. Edinburgh had a white Christmas this year, which is a real novelty as we rarely get even a dusting of snow, let alone enough to cover the city in a shimmery white blanket!

We've been flying solo since they had to leave on December 30 and though there are still so many things to learn as new parents, we do feel like we're getting into the swing of things slowly but surely. Tony returned to school last week and Emeline and I have been spending our days together here at home while the freezing temperatures and icy sidewalks have been lingering in the city.

We have so many things to be thankful for and each glance at our little girl serves as a tangible reminder of God's goodness and faithfulness in our lives. Emeline is an absolute sweetheart and we can't wait for the adventure that awaits us as she continues to grow up!

(We have an exorbitant number of photos of our little darling, so I'll do my best to pull a few favorites out for now!)