You may not have noticed, but I've taken a small hiatus from blogging for probably the best reason ever: caring for two beautiful babes! Finley Anne took her first breath at 3:19 a.m. on Sunday, January 25, and, man, was she ready to greet the world. I labored at home for about four hours before we decided to call Chad's parents to pick up Nora so we wouldn't have to worry about the hand-off as the labor progressed. Good thing we called when we did because during the 25 minutes it took his parents to get to our house my contractions went from 8 to 3 minutes apart, at which point I made Chad speed race down the highway. When we got to the hospital, I pleaded my case for an epidural - begged, I think, at one point - but baby girl wasn't having any of that. In less than 45 minutes, Chad and I met sweet Finley and fell in love. Hard. Since Nora's labor was so slow moving, we didn't expect Finley's to be so quick! I may have harmed a nurse's hand in the process, Chad's too, but Finley came au natural. Y'all, there are no words for the pain, but, the labor experience and recovery were a thousand times better than the first time around. Maybe it's because my body was all "Been there, done that", but I'm continually amazed by what the human body is designed to do. God is so good. I'm so thankful for the two precious gifts that make me a mama. Nora Evelien and Finley Anne, I love you.