Josephine Marie

On May 3, 2012 at 12:20 a.m., Josephine Marie was born via c-section after a very long induction that was going nowhere. She weighed 9 pounds, 7 ounces and was 21 inches long. Jake had made it home from Afghanistan a few days earlier and was there to welcome her into the world because her mommy slept through the whole thing. Yup, that's right. I was so doped up on meds because the epidural wasn't working properly and just sheer exhaustion that I was out cold and didn't wake up until about an hour after Josephine was born. Oops.

Here I am meeting my precious girl for the first time in the hallway on our way to our room.
Photo courtesy of Volker Schmitt-Illert

Here we are again, getting to know one another a little better. This is the first time I held Josephine.
Photo courtesy of Volker Schmitt-Illert

Funny story. Jake and I are raising Josephine bilingually. During the pregnancy I really didn't speak German very much but when I first held Josephine I automatically started talking in German. No real reaction from Josephine and I thought that was normal for a newborn. Then I said something in English. Wow. Josephine's eyes opened and she looked at me. She recognized my voice! I really didn't believe that that was even possible until it actually happened!

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Considering how far away we are up here in Alaska, we had so many loved ones here for Josephine's debut. My dad, Jake's mom, and even my brother-in-law David! My mom flew out a few days later and we picked her up from the airport the day we were discharged from the hospital. I am so grateful for all the help, before and after Josephine arrived! That includes my sister-in-law Anna, who dropped everything to help me out for a few days after a surprise hospital stay back in February.