Alice Lily Virchow

Alice Lily Virchow, born February 8, 2014, at 4:47pm

There's so much to say that it's overwhelmed me to even initiate writing this post--this post that I wasn't sure I'd ever get to write, this post that confirms the reality of what I see just five feet from me, sleeping happily in her bouncy chair. If I let myself delve into the overwhelming emotions of the first three weeks with our daughter, though, I might never get this written, so I'll simply stick to the basics--for now.

Lily arrived with the headstrong, stubborn, "I'm going to do this my way" attitude that confirms she is most definitely my daughter! Despite Jeff and my certainty that she'd arrive late (we had our money on Tuesday, February 18), Lily had other plans in mind. After a full day of work (including my regular afternoon workout at school) and a date night with Jeff at our favorite Irish pub, my water broke six days early in grand (and flood-like) fashion at home on Friday, February 7. That night and the next day were largely a blur of "hurry up and wait"; we watched a lot of Olympic figure skating, dozed intermittently, and chatted (in disbelief) about the imminent arrival of our daughter. However, when our doctor came in at 3:45pm Saturday to discuss the possibility of an immediate c-section (due to 18 hours of non-progressive labor and some scary episodes where Lily's heart rate decreased dramatically on the monitors), the reality that Lily was really coming--NOW--set in. And in spite of my tears and worries, Jeff did what he always does so well: he wrapped his arms around me (and a whole lot of tubes and monitors!) and whispered quiet words of reassurance in my ear as he prayed for the three of us.

Just an hour later, Lily was in our arms. And I finally saw the sight I have dreamed of for three years, the sight that kept me going through expensive infertility treatments, the sight that let me cling to hope after we lost first Blueberry and then Beanster, the sight that tells me God is faithful and tiny miracles do exist.

There are no words to describe the moment Jeff became the father of his little girl. It overwhelmed me exactly as I expected it would, and it continues to do so daily, as I watch him with his daughter--as he sings to her, as he rocks her to sleep, as he gently takes her out of my exhausted arms at the end of the day and soothes her quietly.

Lily is already turning us into the best versions of ourselves--the ones where the focus can no longer be on us but needs to be on the support and encouragement of each other as we care for our tiny daughter. We are certainly imperfect parents, but we know--with certainty--that our Father believes we are the perfect parents for Lily. And that is an honor greater than any other we have ever received.

Sweet Alice Lily, welcome to the world.