oh baby!

It was an amazing coincidence. My best friend learned she was pregnant, and just a few days later, my brother and his wife called me to tell me they were expecting, too. The next nine months were full of onesies, sonograms, baby showers and butt paste.

Then January came around. I was consumed in SAINTS "Who dat?" mania and the excitement of two little ladies who were about to enter the world. Still, I wasn’t ready for it. I had no idea how it would hit me.

I am so in love with these two – Ashley and Lily – and I feel like I have something to look forward to for the rest of my life.

First, there was Lily. I took a picture of her in the first hour of her life. I had never seen a baby so new to the world, and I was a bit overwhelmed by my own feelings. I went to the hospital at about 3 p.m. The petocin was flowing, but the flowers weren’t blooming –if you know what I mean. Christy was, as usual, headstrong and brave, and beautiful, too.

At 9:35 p.m., Lily was born by Cesarean section.

I tried to capture as many moments as I could. See some of them online with my new iWeb account.

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But the fun wasn’t over yet. Two days later, Mandie and Stephen checked in to a Houston hospital and gave birth to Ashley, my red-headed niece and godchild. I am living off the photos Stephen, my parents and Mandie’s parents send to me. Here are some of my favorites.




To tell you the truth, I cry when I look at these photos. I want to meet Ashley, hug her and hold her because, although I have never met her, I love her more than I can express. I can’t wait to go to Houston with my camera and take an annoying amount of photos!