Lavinia was born at home after a short labor of only 8-1/2 hours. I had been praying that my labor would start in the morning so that I would have more energy. The first sign that labor was beginning occurred at 6AM Saturday morning! I was about to head out the door to go to the grocery store, but I woke Douglas and he went instead.
on the morning of Lavinia's birthday]
My due date wasn't for another week, but honestly, I thought she might come anytime in May, so by her actual birthday I was thoroughly tired of waiting! We were all so excited to realize that Saturday was the day. This was another answer to prayer - in previous weeks, I had struggled with the thought of going through labor again, but by the time Lavinia arrived, God had prepared my heart to endure the trial with fortitude and joy.
As I said before, my labor was pretty short, which was another blessing. When Lavinia was born in the early afternoon, I was a bit shocked as I had thought it wouldn't be until dinner time or later! Good thing my midwife made the decision of when to arrive at our apartment instead of me; I was a bit clueless.
We're thankful for a healthy baby and a recovering mama. I'm a little slower to get back on my feet again this time, but my mom arrived on Monday to help and that is another huge blessing. I'm grateful to be a mother of two - my arms are full of God's goodness to me!
I'm a 31-year-old Christian. My hope is to live a quiet life filled with home and hearth, family and friends, loveliness and simplicity. I'm wife to Douglas (married October 2008) and mother to Edmund (born November 2009), Lavinia (born May 2012), and Rosamund (born February 2014).
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She's so beautiful, Laura! I'm so glad to hear that all went well, that Lavinia had the good sense to arrive a little early rather than a little late, and that your labor was shorter than you expected!
ReplyDeleteWhat a precious, precious blessing. I hope you'll be on your feet again soon (but not too soon -- rest is good, too :-), and that settling into a new schedule will go smoothly.
Love,
Shannon
She's beautiful! So glad for you, Douglas, and Edmund, and that you could have a quick homebirth.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! She's beautiful :)
ReplyDeleteLaura,
ReplyDeleteLet me be the first to congratulate douglas and you here on the birth of Lavinia! She is just beautiful! I am so thankful for you both being healthy and that it was short. God is full of mercy and grace. Many blessings to your dear family :)
Congratulations :-)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! So glad to share this joy with you : )
ReplyDeleteSo happy for you! Blessings and congratulations!
ReplyDeleteCongratulation! Lavinia is beautiful. : )
ReplyDelete-Sarah
Ahh! I have been waiting for this post!! Congratulations; she is a knockout :)
ReplyDeleteOh how precious! Congratulations to Daddy, Mommy, and Big Brother! :) Will be praying for you and Lavinia as you both adjust to a wonderful new life.
ReplyDelete(Lavinia is such a beautiful and femininie name. Does she have a relative who owned it?)
Ahhhhh, CONGRATULATIONS!
ReplyDeleteWhat a precious little gift she is!
Hope the next couple of weeks are enjoyable for you, as trying as they can be sometimes.
Awww, so happy for you!! She's beautiful! Edmund was a little early too, am I right? xxxx
ReplyDeleteThank you all so much for your congratulations! :)
ReplyDeleteCheri, actually May is the family name - Douglas' sister and grandmother share it as a middle name, though Lavinia is the only one who was actually born in her namesake month. ;) Douglas and I both like the name Lavinia because of its femininity, too!
Rachel, yes, Edmund was 9 days early, which is partly why I anticipated Lavinia's early arrival - I was just a little TOO anticipatory (my personal guess was May 10). ;)
CONGRATULATIONS!!! I adore the name, Lavinia, and it's a fitting name for such a beautiful, sweet looking baby! Enjoy, Laura! I am very happy for you and your family. :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulation, Laura (and family)! What a happy, happy post to greet me this evening. :-) Hopefully I'll be able to meet her at some point - perhaps before you move?
ReplyDeleteKaren (the Mrs.)
Congratulations, Laura! Lavinia is beautiful! I hope Edmund is enjoying his new sister. Was there any Downton Abbey influence in the name? :D
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you all! Lavinia is so cute and I'm so glad all went well for you - what a blessing! I've been reading your blog for quite a while now, and thought it was about time I left a comment :). Hoping you recover well.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless, Abbie (from Australia)
Congratulations on a beautiful little girl, Laura! I'm glad to hear everything went quickly and smoothly. She's adorable! :-)
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
Thank you so much, ladies! I loved reading your well-wishes!
ReplyDeleteKaren, are you all going to be out our way in the next few weeks?? (Drop me an e-mail if so.) There is some talk of stopping in Peoria on our way west, but plans are nebulous right now so I'll have to keep you posted. 'Twould be appropriate for Lavinia to make your acquaintance, as Mr. R. was the first non-family member (besides my midwife) to learn of her wee existence! ;-)
Keri, I haven't seen Downton Abbey and didn't know there was a character by that name until Lavinia was born and a couple of people asked me the same question. :-) It's a name that pops up in my reading from time to time; she is not named after anyone in particular, though.
Congratulations, that's wonderful!
ReplyDeleteWhat a little beauty she is - congratulations!
ReplyDeleteOh Laura!!! I'm SO happy for you...a little girl!!! She's beautiful and so is her name. It's so befitting to this little lass! I'm so glad that the Lord answered your prayers concerning the birth of your daughter! I've been haunting your blog last few weeks looking for news of the new little one's arrival. You've been on my heart and in my prayers. May the Lord bless this beautiful little girl. So happy for you and your family!
ReplyDeleteBTW, do please keep updating from time to time and please keep posting your beautiful pictures, quotes,and thoughts. They are lovely,thought provoking and leave me pondering and breathless with a sense of quiet peace and bliss.
Love,
~Shannalee
And those bellflowers!!! I love those! They are so lovely and delicate!
ReplyDeleteA perfect flower for welcoming your little girl. Congratulations!
Love,
~Shannalee
She is absolutely beautiful and so perfectly sweet. I too love her name. It brings to mind visions of sunlight-dappled flower gardens, tiny tea sets and rustly pinafores and hair ribbons. Congratulations on the arrival of your darling little girlie. I was so excited to visit this morning and see you had a post up announcing her arrival! God is good.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Laura, Douglas, and Edmund,
ReplyDeleteYou pick such classy names. I am glad she was an answer to prayer in so many ways. Bless your beautiful family! Pam in Nebraska
Thank you so much for rejoicing with us, ladies!
ReplyDeleteWow, Shannalee, thank you for your prayers and encouragement! I appreciate it! I am hoping to have more opportunity to get back to blogging this summer.
Thanks, Pam, I could say the same of your name picks. ;-) I hope to see you and your family again soon after our move!
Congratulations on the birth of Lavinia, and now being the mom of TWO!! I'm going to echo everyone else, and say that I think Lavinia May is absolutely beautiful--both the name and your daughter :). I love distinctly feminine girls' names. :D
ReplyDeleteAnd YAY for having a home birth! Both my little girls were born at home, and I *loved* their births.
Laura,
ReplyDeleteI saw the photo of Emily Rose and Lavinia today. She is a very precious gift from the Lord. Edmond will grow up to be her protector and friend. What a joy to help them to see the beauty in being family. Blessings once again. I apologize for spelling Douglas without a capital 'D'! Lol
Love in Jesus,
Jacqueline
Your daughter is so beautiful! It's so joyful seeing pictures of new babies... another perfectly innocent soul new to the world. :) I can't wait until I have my own, God willing.
ReplyDeleteYou have a beautiful blog!
~ Elizabeth