3M

 Once, I was really pregnant. So pregnant, it was two and a half weeks past the length of any of my past pregnancies.

For better or worse, this fact made me feel overdue, even though I really wasn't. It also made everyone familiar with my past history (including my doctor) expect that I would have a baby at any moment. Every day, several times a day, people wanted an update. Where was my baby?!

Well, on the day she was actually due to arrive, our dear daughter finally made her appearance. When I went to my 40 week appointment, I turned out to be leaking amniotic fluid. In other words, my water was broken, but not so broken that I was really in active labor. I headed to the hospital, James and my doctor followed a few hours later and we finally got our baby.

She was born at 3:33 pm on January 24, weighed 8lbs 4 oz. and was 20.5 inches. Here she is with her dad, already preferring Mom.

 It took us until the night before we left the hospital to settle on a name. Some of our favorite rejected options were Sharonette and Polly Esther. In the end, we have named her Molly Matilda McKay.

One of the highlights of this birth was that, given her later arrival, my mom got to visit us in the hospital. It was wonderful having Monga here to care for the older children while James and I were at the hospital. I've also always really wanted my mom to be able to come see me at the hospital, so this was particularly exciting for me, even if it meant a little less time with her help after we got home.

After two fairly restful days in the hospital, we packed her up and brought her home to (deep breath) life in a family of five. Molly is coping quite nicely. The rest of us are still adjusting.