3 weeks in...

Well we now have 3+ weeks under our belts and I feel a huge sense of relief. We made it this far! The first 3 weeks were hard, so much harder than I thought they would be. But just as all of the wise sages who have gone before us promised, it does get better. Now everyday seems just a little easier than the last, even with the ups and downs of one bad night or hard feeding. All that said, I think we are both keenly aware of the fact that this is truly the hardest thing we'll ever do. And a huge opportunity to grow in grace!
The best part is that just when I feel like I can't do "blank" anymore (e.g.-get up in the middle of the night, calm her crying, etc.) I look down at her and my heart just melts. She is truly an incredible little person, and the awe and beauty of that overwhelms me. Here are some of her latest moments.


Daddy and Kiah taking a nap while Mommy gets a shower!


Milk coma...


Asleep between her loving parents =)


Contemplating the issues of the world with Grandpa


Daddy loves to calm her down

The Cousins Meet At Last

The joke in the Richter family is that Ian and I have patterned our life trajectory after his brother Karl and wife Jayla. Karl and Jayla got engaged a month before we did, were married 3 months ahead of us, and had their first baby girl just about 6 months before we had Kiah. Because of Jayla's job, that Richter clan migrated out to Arizona just before Kiah's birth. But this last week, Karl and Jayla and Kayla came out for a visit and the cousins got to meet at last. She's still waiting to meet her cronies in Utah, but Kiah now has her first extended-family visit under her belt.


Ian was a little freaked out by a baby that weighs over 13 pounds after holding our little 6 pounder. It was really pretty funny!



Kiah's getting to know her Aunt Jayla


The goofy Richter boys with their little girls.


I'm not sure Kayla knew what to do with a tiny baby


Grandma and Kiah are sharing a calm moment...

Welcome Kiah Mary

Here we are, just minutes after Kiah came whooshing out of my abdomen. I'd say we all look pretty good after 30 hours of labor and a c-section!


One of Kiah's first pictures--she's just 23 minutes old here.



















Mommy finally got to hold Kiah for a little while!


Daddy is in love already. Thanks to my c-section, Ian got to be the main one to hold, change, comfort, and love on our new baby girl. An interesting opportunity for early daddy-daughter bonding.


Look at those eyes. They were midnight blue, almost steely when born. We'll see what they become, but they are so gorgeous and intense right now.