Our newest addition

Hello!

Thank you for all the congratulations on the arrival of our daughter, Esther Juliana, born on May 6, 2011. Here are a few more pictures to document her first week of life in our family.

Noah has adjusted beautifully and is enjoying all the different people caring for him. He continues to take his blended food feeds well, with his retching being well managed. I'm so proud of how well he has done amidst the changes around him. He thinks his sister is a pretty fun addition to the household and isn't too put off that I cannot lift him or really do much care for him. He is in very good hands with daddy in the morning and evening and then a group of special women who are helping us in the 6 week recovery period.

Our planned c-section went better than I could have imagined. God has been so gracious in my recovery process. I feel better than I did months after Noah's birth and am able to manage a newborn and the household with lots of support. We are learning to readily accept help, knowing in time we will be more able to bless others.

Esther is a joyful addition to our household and the extended family. Esther means "star" and comes from a character in the Christian Bible, a woman of great character and strength. Esther's middle name is the same as her Oma's (my mom) and is also a version of my sister's name. Both are very important women in our lives and in our journey with parenting.

I'm going to take a little break from blogging to focus on parenting, rest and recovery. Noah is stable in his feeding, we aren't looking to add or change anything to his therapies right now and we are just enjoying a season of raising our young children. Things are going well with Esther, she is a healthy little girl and we are learning her routines.

We are incredibly blessed. Blessings to each of you.