Our little Maddie was born January 15th at 4:27 in the morning. She was perhaps the most well planned surprise ever. We had wanted to get pregnant for some time, with Jeanie trying first. After several unsuccessful attempts, we did a little math and figured that if Julie got pregnant on the 26th of April that the timing might just work. She would be due safely after Christmas, but before Lent kicked in. She'd be six months old at the end of Julie's internship, just before she's truly mobile. And, she'd be old enough for child care when classes started up again. Seriously, we did all this planning. But, we didn't really think that it'd work on the first try. So, when that stick came back with two pink lines, we were stunned.

Pregnancy was amazing. The first few months, Julie had an aversion to meat. Actually, it was just the texture. This was terribly inconvenient, as the moms-to-be were selling meat at a local farmer's market. It's not helpful for sales to think the product gross.

On January 14th, at 7:40 a.m., Julie felt the first contraction. It was a snowy day, and so by 5 p.m. we headed out to the hospital. Jeanie didn't want to let the weather get worse, and she also didn't want to have to keep shoveling snow through the night. Our neighbors, Justin and Kari, came with us to be at the hospital and see us through the night. They kept a sleepy vigil in the waiting room. As the night grew on, it got colder and colder, as our little Maddie made her way into the world.

Just when Julie thought she could push no more (it'd been 3.5 hours of pushing), our little one was born, with her hand up by her chin, already striking a pose. She was born on the coldest day of the year, healthy and alert. And her moms immediately fell in love.