Taisim's Birth Day (2/10/2006)

Taisim's third birthday is tomorrow, and one of my favorite things to do around the kids' birthdays is to go back and look at pictures from the day they were born.  Since I don't have these on a blog anywhere, I thought I'd put them here now.  

This is a picture taken during the last month of my pregnancy.  I was good at being pregnant (meaning I wasn't uncomfortable or waiting for it to end or not liking the way I looked) - even though I was sick sick sick during the first five months of my pregnancy with Taisim, it's not even close to being one of the first things I remember.  I remember mostly feeling good, and a little bit apprehensive about how a second child would affect us.

For those that don't know, Taisim was born at home.  Our original plan was to go to a birth center, but about two months before she was born I changed my mind.  I wasn't in love with the midwives at the birth center, and was starting to wonder why we should bother driving all the way there when we could just have her at home, so we found a wonderful midwife and had she and our doula at the birth.  

My first contraction was right around 4:30pm, and she was born at 8:49pm ... up until the first contraction I hadn't expected that day would be the day that she was born.

Here's Yuta holding her for the first time, and our first picture with her together (well, I should say the first posed picture):

Yuta and our midwife weighing her (8lbs 10oz I think ... maybe 11oz):

The next day, cleaned up a bit:

Taipan with his new baby sister - he was with my sister while she was born, and she brought him home around midnight.  He fell asleep on his way home, and went right to bed, but was glad to meet her the next day.  This picture was when she was 3 days old:

That's my trip down memory lane today.  She has brought such joy to all of our lives - her smiles, her kisses, her stories and imagination light up my life every day.  And, to be honest, I wasn't sure if she would be a good or bad thing for Taipan ... I was nervous that he wouldn't get enough attention once she was born, but I can't imagine him not having her in his life.  They enjoy each other so much, and she brings out a side of him that I don't know that we would've seen otherwise.