Hello, dear readers.
Allow me to introduce you to our newest niece.....Miss Alayna Hope. (However we call her Laynie, for short, and I think that's just about the cutest nickname ever, so I will likely call her Laynie till my dying day. Haha!)
As it happened, Laynie decided to make her grand appearance on Sunday, this last weekend. As it also happened, we got word that she *might* be on her way early that morning, but got word that she was in fact, already here, some 3 hours later! As it also happened to happen, we were just finishing getting ready for church when we got word that she was here, which prompted the quick flurry of phone calls and the snap decision to forego church this particular Sunday, so that we could all meet up and make the road trip to see her immediately. (I'd like to offer special thanks to my dear sister, for having baby Laynie in such a convenient and timely manner for the entire family. LOL.)
So we loaded up the car (with me feeling quite happy about the fact that we were dressed for church, so we'd all look so cute in the pictures with baby Laynie that day! Haaaa!) and headed out to meet up with my Dad. He had responsibilities at their church that morning, and my Mom had gone on ahead and was staying at my sister's house with the other littles until we could all get there. My Dad was able to get away from his duties at church and we met up with my sister, Grace and her husband Chris (better known as Chris-o). :)
And then, it should come as no surprise, that we made a super quick stop at Target to buy Miss Laynie some presents to take with us (since we didn't know if she was going to be a boy or a girl until she popped out!)!!
After that, we headed straight to my sister's house, some 3 hours away, where we met up with my Mom and the 3 littles so we could ALL head to the hospital and meet this special little someone!
These next photos are those precious first minutes of everyone laying eyes on Laynie for the first time....the hospital lighting is bad (as it always is), the kids are moving and excited and the photos are blurry and imperfect, and yet I love each and every one that I'm sharing with you today. The wonder on the littles' faces when they first met their sister, was priceless.
And is my sister amazing, or what?! This is Diann (the sister in line right after me) with 3 of her 4 littles!
In these moments, I was waffling between the urge to cry, to capture every moment I could with my camera and my own excitement as I waited my turn to hold Laynie. That would probably more than partly account for any blur you see in these photos! lol.
And all 4 of them.....l-r: Ally (age 4), Malachi (age 3), Laynie (newborn) and Zoey (age 15 mths).
Auntie Dawn and my almost-birthday twinsie. I should interject here that my birthday was on Monday and so, in honor of the big day, my husband had a couple of surprise parties planned for Sunday (the day Laynie was born), both of which, he quickly rescheduled without batting an eye. This man knows me well. I love that about him. We still got to spend the day with family -- just in a different location! And celebrating this new arrival was exactly where I wanted to be. :)
Side note: Laynie and I have birthdays on the 24th and 25th.....but she and I are the only summer babies in the whole family!
There is a funny thing that happens now, when a new baby enters our family. There is a certain pecking order that everyone falls into, as to who holds the baby first! LOL. My mom (Grandma) holds every new baby first. No one even questions it! Haha. Then my Dad, and then the sisters, starting in order of oldest (this is one time when it pays to be the oldest!) and of course, my brother, except he wasn't there this weekend. My littlest sister had to miss the big day too...it just wasn't the same without them!
Anyway, after all of the sisters have had a turn holding the baby, then the brother-in-laws are up. No brother-in-law would dare to take a turn before the sisters have held the new baby! Hahaha. Smart boys!
This is my sister Grace and her husband Chris. She's next in line after Diann....so she's the middle child of 5.
Finally it was Uncle Bart's turn!
After the grown-ups had held her, the littles started asking if they could have a turn, so Ally went first. She had lots of kisses for Miss Laynie.
Malachi held her for approximately 14 seconds, gave her some kisses and then said, "Dad, I'm done." Hahaha.
Zoey's first order of business was to touch her nose. Heeee.
It didn't take her long either, to be finished holding the baby. :)
As you can imagine, it was kind of crazy town in that hospital room on Sunday!! Haha. But mama and baby are doing well and are both home, and adjusting to life in a family of 6!
Thanks for letting me share a bit of our family adventures with you. :) I've got quite a bit more to share, including Biltmore vacation pictures, but obviously we've been a little busy lately! Haha. Will share when I can.
Happy weekend!
