Monday, April 20, 2015

The Baby Announcement

I'm back! Did you miss me?

Okay, I'm not really back, but I'm getting there. As of June, Writerly Wednesdays will start up again, but only one every two weeks until I feel like a human being again. (Which is coming along quite nicely.)

SO, I've had enough requests to share my news:


Kirianna (Kir-ee-ahn-ah) Seraleis (Sarah-lees) 
was born Sunday, March 22, 2015 at 7:08 PM, 
weighing 8 lbs, 7 oz. and measuring 21 inches long. 

She was born at home with an incredible midwife and staff (email if you're in central Florida and would like a recommendation), after 4 days of labor and almost no sleep.

Now the quick story:

"Sera" (we have a tradition of going by middle names in this house,) is a true miracle baby. I've been wanting another baby for 5 years. Maybe I'm crazy because the next youngest is BEYOND a handful and my oldest is starting into college this fall. (No, I'm not that old. He's advanced. Really advanced.) Regardless, I've felt this need to expand our family for years, but the hubby wasn't ready. By the time he was, our youngest was 7 years old. We spent a year trying to conceive--a year riddled with disappointment, early miscarriages, and the fear that perhaps it wasn't in the cards. In fact, I'd decided it wasn't going to happen. We started building a house. We sold our old house and moved into temporary housing. Book 2 was headed out to the big bad world...

And that's when we learned little Sera was on her way.

My miracle baby.

Fast forward 9 months... I have never aspired to experience a natural birth. Ever. I'm a doctor's daughter (and granddaughter) who firmly believes that modern medicine is inspired and should be used. I suppose that's why we were shocked by the intense feeling that we should attempt a home birth.

Insanity, right?

But it went well.

My midwife has delivered well over 1,000 babies and was shocked when she saw the placenta. The main arteries that nourish the baby were where the "water breaks." (That's SO not normal.) In fact, my water broke right along one of the arteries. She told me that had my water broken across an artery, my baby would not have survived. As in, had we gone to the hospital and a well meaning practitioner blindly broke my water, it's very likely my little girl would have been a fatality. A stillbirth. 

We feel beyond blessed. Humbled and blessed. Every time I hold Sera I'm reminded what a miracle she is. (And I do that a TON--the holding.) I'm totally sleep deprived, completely in love, and beyond overjoyed.

So A to Z-ers (and everyone else), what have you been up to the last month? Eat any unique cheeses? Read/write any amazing books?

P.S. I've got a couple FREE (and amazing) reads for you at Lightning Quick Reads




Leave me some comment love, eh? (I promise to return it.)

69 comments:

  1. CONGRATULATIONS!! She's beautiful! And, wow, what a story. Enjoy your sweet little bundle of joy!

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  2. Awww, congratulations! What a beautiful girl.

    But…four DAYS of labor? Wow.

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  3. Wow, she was a miracle then. Congratulations!

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  4. Yay! I was wondering. Congratulations, she's beautiful. And wow, so lucky you listened to that prompting for a home birth!

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  5. Congratulations! Sera is beautiful, and I wish you and your family lots and lots of happiness!

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  6. Congratulations! She's beautiful. I guess there was definitely a reason you felt the need to have a home birth!

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  7. So, so glad it turned out okay! Congratulations, and keep holding her. There's nothing more important. Though I suppose you should take care of your other kids at some point. :)

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  8. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! She sure is a miracle baby and she's beautiful. I love her name. :) I live in Central Florida, so if I ever need a midwife, I'll email you.

    She's precious. Enjoy her. <3

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  9. She is a miracle! Congratulations!

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  10. Congratulations! She looks like a cutie.

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  11. Many congratulations for you, Crystal. So glad that your dream came through, and that all went well.

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  12. So thankful everything turned out well for the both of you! I remember holding my baby girl:) She's almost 6! FOUR DAYS of LABOR?? Ugh. Take all the time you need!

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  13. Congrats on the beautiful addition to your family. I have missed you but you have more important things going on. Enjoy that blessed family.

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  14. Congrats and how fortunate the midwife was there.

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  15. Wow, let me congratulate you with all the others here. Truly a blessing and she is adorable! :D

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  16. Many congratulations to you and your family. :)

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  17. A miracle baby and soo cute! Congratulations to you all.

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  18. Yeh! Such a lovely and unique name. Wishing you and yours all the best!

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  19. Congratulations Crystal! And here's a cyber smooch for sweet Sera. (I've been following some of this news on FB...)

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  20. Congratulations! You are blessed, indeed. Keep doing all that holding and snuggling!!!

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  21. Congrats! Your baby is beautiful. So happy for you!

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  22. That is the best story! I'm so happy for you and your new little one. She's beautiful.

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  23. Crystal, congratulations on your beautiful little miracle Sera... she's beautiful ♡ xox

    My oldest had her second child... a girl (Arianna) on April 6th ♡

    I'm happy that you listened to your intuition about the home birth... my fear of pain would have stopped me... I'm glad it didn't stop you. Relax and get as much sleep as you can xox ♡


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  24. Congratulations, Crystal!! She has the most beautiful name. :) So glad she was brought into the world safely!

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  25. She is beautiful, but I would expect nothing less coming from your genes. I love to hear birth stories and yours truly was inspirational. What a blessing you flawed that prompting to have a home birth! I would love to do that sometime but because we nearly lost Keith when he was born, Jeffrey is adamant about hospitals now. But we do go the natural route as much as possible. Is magical, isn't it? So glad you both are doing so well!

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  26. So happy everything turned out will, Crystal. Congratulations!

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  27. Aw, Sera is so precious. Many, many congrats on the new addition to your family! So glad she ended up being in the cards for you after all this time... :)

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  28. Congratulations! Glad everything turned out OK :)

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  29. Congratulations. She is adorable!

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  30. Hi Crystal - yes what a story .. not having had a child I don't know the ramifications .. but it does sound like Sera is a little miracle ... so pleased to see the photos, read the story and to let you know about F for Food and Flying the Cornish Flag! .. Wild garlic wrapped Yarg - I just suspect that's not such a good idea for a few months!?!?

    Happy times and so so pleased all is well - congratulations to you both .. Hilary

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  31. Congratulations, Crystal! She's beautiful and precious and clearly your little miracle. So happy for you all.

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  32. Congratulations, she looks like a doll. I love the yellow dress. Glad everything worked out with the delivery.

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  33. She is darling! Congratulations to you and the whole family! :)

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  34. Congratulations on your beautiful miracle baby! That's awesome that you had a homebirth. I've wanted to have a home waterbirth since I was 22 or 23, and I'm a huge advocate of midwifery and natural childbirth (for low-risk women). I have to bite my tongue so hard when my friends in my science-based Facebook groups start trashing homebirth and out of hospital midwives, often based on blog posts from She Who Must Not Be Named (a notoriously rigid, sketchy, mean-spirited ex-OB who pops up like Betelgeuse if you so much as mention her name in a blog post about homebirth). So many hospitals and OBs don't practice evidence-based medicine, and then there was that ugly smear campaign to drive midwives out of business in the early 20th century.

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  35. She is truly a beautiful gift from God. Congratulations, again.

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  36. Sera's absolutely beautiful! Congratulations!

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  37. Happiest and biggest of congratulations! :) I was worried there for a time when I hadn't seen any recent posts. But I'm so, so glad to hear you and little Sera (and the fam) are all doing well. :D

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  38. Hooray for Sera!! And congratulations to you and your family. She's a beautiful little miracle!

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  39. Congratulations. She is a beauty. Wow. I believe God nudges us int he directions we need to go if we keep and open minded and listen. Good that Sera was delivered by safe hands. Three out of four of my babies born in hospitals had their placentas broken broken manually. It's very common. So happy to hear how well this worked out.

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  40. oh I'm so glad to hear it worked out, how scary!! she's gorgeous!! CONGRATS!! <3 you are indeed so blessed xoxo

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  41. Big congrats! Glad everyone's doing well:)

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  42. Welcome back (oddly enough, I figured you were back when I saw you on Twitter), and congratulations. ^_^ And that is an amazing story about Sera's birth. I've always believed in following one's unexplainable instincts; so very glad to see you are too and it worked out so perfectly.

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  43. Hi Crystal! Welcome back (kinda)!! Congratulations! She is absolutely beautiful. I've enjoyed seeing pics on Facebook. :)

    What a miracle baby and what inspired parents. Kudos to you and your hubs for following your promptings to have a home birth. Amazing! I love stories like that.

    Hope you're doing well and getting some sleep...

    And keeping holding that precious baby. You know they don't stay that way for long!! :)

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  44. Wow, I took a few months (or a bit more than a few) off of blogging/commenting and look what happens! Congratulations on your beautiful baby!

    -Vicki

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  45. Congratulations on your bundle of joy!
    What a beautiful name!
    She is too precious...
    Writer In Transit

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  46. She is such a lovely baby. Congrats to the proud mama, you!

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  47. Congratulations. At 8 lb. 7 oz., that's quite the bowling ball.

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  48. Congratulations. What a wonderful and sweet story. Life is indeed a miracle. I knew you from A-Z last year on one of my blogs that I no longer use, sorry I didn't run across you again this year, though I do love cheese...and now they're saying it's good for us again...YIPPEE skippy, I had cut back thanks Cholesterol. Anyway, am closing down the blog you knew, as I don't use it, so thought I'd pop round and visit everyone who's still left...not many are, hit lots of dead blogs and leave the link to one of my other blogs. This is the one I used this year for A-Z. You will be sleep deprived for probably a year, on that score...my condolences...I look back at pictures and I looked worse then I thought at the time, lol. Then again working a 60 hour work week probably wasn't the best idea either.

    Sandy at Bridge and Beyond

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  49. So happy for you! What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl! Congratulations!!!

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  50. I know I've said it already, but so happy for you! She's beautiful. Take care...

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  51. Crystal! So glad you're back. Such a beautiful baby! Congratulations!

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  52. Great story! BTW, I'm still looking for a name for my female protagonist. Sera sounds pretty good for her. :)

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  53. OMG I come back to this! She's a beautiful gorgeous miracle and I'm so so happy for you! I guess I know what you've been doing since I've been gone, LOL! This is the best news ever and you so deserve your beautiful family!

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  54. Congratulations! And wow, such a little miracle. Four days of labour?!?!
    Happy mother's day!

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  55. Oh my gosh. Four days? You're my hero!

    She is beautiful. Congratulations to your whole family!

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  56. Oh my gosh, congrats! She's beautiful!

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  57. How lucky you are! A new and healthy baby. This is better than a book launch, Crystal. :-)

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  58. What amazing and wonderful news. Many congratulations to you sweet Crystal :)

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  59. Oh Crystal, many, many congrats. She truly is a miracle baby.
    Hugs,

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  60. Oh, wow! HUGE congratulations!!! So scary to think about how differently things could have turned out. She really does seem like a miracle baby. Also, four days of labor?!?! I bow down to you.

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  61. Such lovely adorable photos. Congratulations!

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  62. Wow, congratulations, Crystal! What an amazing story. She's such a beautiful miracle. So glad to have you back!!! You have been missed.

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  63. She's AMAZING! And so are you - 4 days???? Oh my god. Congratulations!

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Hit me with your cheese!