At about 2:00 this morning, I received a phone call from Casey. Laurin's water had broke an hour earlier and it was time to head to the hospital. Jeff and Danny had gone on a church camp out so I woke Jonas up (which is no small feat) and headed across town to watch Carter while Casey and Laurin headed to the hospital. She had considered waiting a little longer, but thankfully they didn't! Only about an hour and a half after they arrived, Miss Everly Rae made her appearance...and our hearts are bursting! The human heart is an interesting organ. Just when you think it couldn't possibly have any more room for love, it expands just enough to allow another person in. Everly is just perfect! She was 7 lbs, 18.5 inches long, and has a full head of red hair. Thankfully, there were no complications. Once Jonas and Carter got up, we went back to our house to play until I took Carter to the hospital. (Unfortunately, because of Jonas's age, he wasn't allowed to go to the hospital so he met her the next day...even before Jeff and Danny, who were still on the campout). I was grateful that I had the opportunity to see Carter meet his sister for the first time. It was the most tender experience to witness. He was so soft with her (which isn't totally out of character for him, but at the same time, he is a little boy who can sometimes be rough). At one point, he grabbed her little head and embraced her. I'm certain he understood more than we thought he would. He knew who this little angel was and immediately gave her the love and protection of a big brother. She is seriously the sweetest thing. I loved being able to hold her. I forget how tiny babies are. She was alert and awake as I talked with her.
The next day (Thursday, August 4th - her actual due date), Jonas and I headed to the mall to buy Everly and Carter some gifts then we grabbed some chocolate chip cookies (because it was National Chocolate Chip Cookie day) and headed over to Laurin and Casey's house. Jonas was super excited to meet his niece and play with his nephew (earlier in the week, he lamented having to go back to school because he was concerned that he wouldn't get to see Carter as much and that it would affect their "bond"). Jonas just loved baby Everly! He wanted to hold her. Obviously, she didn't do much other than sleep, so he'd hold her as long as his attention would allow him, then pass her off to me, go play with Carter, then repeat.
Finally, that evening, Jeff and Danny met her (Dallin, Amber, and Jacob met her in the hospital the day she was born after Carter and I had left). They returned from their campout so we went back over to see Everly (which I didn't mind one bit!). Watching Jeff as a dad has been rewarding and almost sacred as I see him labor with his divinely appointed duties as father, but watching him as a grandfather is just as rewarding. He teared up as I showed him the video of Carter meeting Everly. His little girl just had a little girl and he couldn't be more happy.
We rounded out the introductions on Friday, August 5th, when Gma Penny and Grumpy got to meet her. To say we're all smitten would be an understatement. Jeff and I feel extremely blessed to be in this chapter of life. We are humbled that our children love us enough (even in all our flaws) to still want to be around us and share their children with us. Family truly is the only thing that matters. There are many things I wish I would have done differently in hindsight or aspects of parenting that I wish I didn't still struggle with, but I keep trying and I keep showing up...and I think that's all any of us can do. In the end, it's these small moments that matter most. It's the expanding of the heart that is the greatest reward.
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