celebrating a new baby

Oh man, this baby boy was so sweet. Rory's cousin Kerah just had her first baby fifteen days ago, and in the spirit of family, she ventured out to the country for a little lunch with a few Groves cousins. Her sister was visiting from California and it was awesome to be all together.

Over lunch, Kerah shared her birth story. And I'm not kidding, I think it might take the cake for the very longest, hardest labor and delivery story I have ever heard before. I was in awe of her endurance as she told the story, and because of her, in awe of woman-kind! I listened to her story and then remembered that sometime at the end of September, I'll have to birth a baby too.

Now I can't even explain it, but the more she shared her story the more excited I became to get to do it again. I felt the real privilege and the honor of getting to carry and then birth a baby. And maybe it was because I was holding her little boy in my arms as I stood and bounced him by the picnic table, but even as she told of the hours labor, my heart swelled when I realized I'd have one of these teeny-tiny babies again, of my very own.

Kerah was a rock star for coming out to the farm. Her big water bottle, the babies feeding schedule, her own need for rest and good food all brought back a flood of memories. And I'm so excited to do it again.