For your entertainment...

I call this "The different sides of a newborn, as observed by said newborn's semi-delirious, sleep-deprived parents." Having a baby again (and being married to Collin) is fun. ;-)

(Turn up your sound. Sorry it's a bit dark - it was late.)

This one is for Aunt Suzann... we finally found some baby barrettes for that mass of hair!

Well, this is just to tide you over - a more traditional update and new pictures to come soon. Enjoy your weekend!

Our Littlest Girl

We finally got to meet our Meghan Clare just over 17 hours ago. She's a beautiful, BIG baby girl who has been absolutely wonderful so far. She's nursing like a champ, sleeping perfectly (for now, at least) and has a very sweet, serene disposition - although like most babies, she's happiest in Mommy and Daddy's arms. We were surprised by a full head of long, dark hair, and, while we were expecting a big baby, her almost nine and a half pounds were a bit of a shock. All said, we think she's a real stunner (although we may be biased), and we couldn't be happier right now. She's the perfect addition to our family of (now) five.

Meghan's first picture, right after birth.

In the care of the delivery nurses.

Mommy holding her baby girl for the first time.

And Daddy's turn.

The happy and healthy Mommy and baby.

And the exhausted but overjoyed parents.

Meghan meeting Grammy and Moira...

...the big sister.

Ian as a first-time big brother.

Meghan after a bath and a good night of sleep.

Her first (newborn) outfit--which won't fit for much longer!

We're praising God for a healthy, beautiful little baby girl, and we appreciate all of the prayers and love sent our way by our wonderful family and friends. Meghan and Mommy should be able to head home to join the rest of the family on Friday evening.

She's here!

Meghan Clare McCann was born at 5:19 this evening. She weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds, 6 ounces and 20.5 inches! Both Janelle and Meghan are doing very well, and both are healthy and happy. I (Daddy) am thrilled to finally meet my newest little girl! Moira and Ian are on the way to the hospital, along with Grammy and Papa Judisch, to have their first encounter with their little sister. Our little Meghan is a real beauty, and we'll get pictures posted as soon as we can!

At...

8.5

It's time...?

Dr. Callison has arrived, and Janelle is going to try pushing! Stand by!

NOTE: This post should have followed the post titled "At..." Unfortunately, it posted as earlier since I drafted it a few minutes before posting.

Now...

8 and 100%--it can't be much longer now!

Oh, and...

90% - 100% effaced.

She's at...

7.5 cm now, and moving along quickly!

Terminal Count Entered

Yes, that's my (Collin's) Space & Missile background coming through, but we're getting close to "liftoff." We're in the hospital, and Dr. Callison has been in to see Janelle and to break her water. Contractions are coming every minute or two now, and based on what I can tell, they are VERY strong. Fortunately, the nurses are working to give her some Nubain right now to take the edge off (Janelle's avoiding an epidural, as usual). Dr. Callison said she fully expects to deliver a baby within an hour or two. Janelle says she's not so sure, but I think she's just trying not to get her hopes up too much in case it takes longer. Stay tuned--we'll try to pass along information as it comes. Keep praying!

the home stretch

I figured I should probably take the time to post an update again, before the baby arrives, now that we're less than a week from this little girl's estimated due date!

I had my last (39 week) OB appointment Wednesday, and every thing's looking really good - no weight gain, fundal height was 43 cm (or weeks - still measuring big), and I've reached my goal of 4 cm dilated before labor! Woot! :) My parents arrive in town on Sunday night, so if we can just wait until then, hopefully we'll be ready to have this baby. So excited... and getting a bit nervous too. Ultimately, I can't wait to meet my littlest baby girl. Here's me at 37.5 weeks.

Since school let out, we've been a frenzy of activity, trying to get the kids out of the house doing fun stuff and having play dates with friends. We joined the local Botanical Gardens and met some church friends out there for a fun (and hot!) day of water activities and pretty scenery. Looks fun, huh?

We've also gotten together with some of Moira's little girlfriends from school - there was a birthday party at the movies to see "Up," a lunch date at Chick-Fil-A, playing at the park, and story time at the library today. It's so fun to watch Moira getting bigger and interacting with her friends. So far, she's got great taste in her choice of friends! They're so cute together.

As usual, I've also managed to keep myself busy with various projects of the creative variety. Here's a look at the purse I knit for my friend Janessa's birthday, and the crocheted flower headband I made for Moira. Quick projects that are cute, fun and uber-gratifying. I think they both liked their gifts! There are more of these in the works, so there might be more to come later...

Now we're getting the house ready for Grammy & Papa's visit, and doing what we can to prepare for baby. We're all so excited to meet our little June Bug! I also just found out that the hospital we're delivering at has Wifi, so we intend to take the laptop with us and give updates here when I go into labor. Next time you hear from me here, hopefully it'll be with good news!