February 2, 2013...

I have no idea how David and I slept the night before Addison was born. We were both a bundle of nerves and filled with a variety of emotions...we were excited, anxious, nervous, thankful, blessed...and I could go on and on. But we woke up bright and early on Friday morning and got dressed for the biggest day of our lives.

I took one last belly bump picture before we left our home as a family of two and took the trip to the hospital...

We delivered at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville...

We didn't know this when we took the picture, but the window to our room was the second floor window above the the doors in this next picture...

Here I am checking in to the hospital...

And here are a few pictures of the labor and delivery room, as well as a few pics of all the family that stayed with us throughout the day...

This is where Miss Addison Kate would be cleaned up, weighed, and bathed after delivery...

Our room was VERY nice and large and we were able to have all our family with us during this exciting time in our lives.

The doctor broke my water first thing that morning and the contractions started to pick up.

AunTee and I waiting for my epidural...

Post epidural :)

Jilly, Pops, David and I...

Uncle Tim and I...

Uncle Brian, Uncle Mike, Aunt Sue, David and I...

D-ma, David and I...

And Big Cousin Mikey...

We had always wanted Addi Kate to be born on February 2nd...that day is my parents' anniversary and this year they would be celebrating 40 years of marriage. The doctors on the other hand did not want to deliver on a Saturday, so we settled for February 1. But, God had other plans...

My body was so slow to dilate and it literally took me the ENTIRE day to finally reach 10 centimeters and to start the pushing phase.  David created the perfect playlist for the delivery and as we started this next phase in meeting our baby girl, it was the perfect environment...our doctor, our fabulous nurse, David and I and all of our favorite songs. 

As I started pushing, Addi turned face up and was having a difficult time making her way through the birth canal. She was never in distress, but was unable to make her way passed my pubic bone. After three hours of pushing, our doctor recommended we have a C section and David and I agreed. We were ready to meet our little angel.

Daddy put on his scrubs and then the nurses took me to get prepared for Addison's arrival...

At 3:07 a.m. Addison Kate Knight was born...

She weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce and was 20 inches long.

Daddy cutting her umbilical cord...

And then he proudly took her to meet the rest of our family.

Here I am holding our sweet miracle baby for the first time...although I was very drowsy from all the medication, it was THE day I had dreamed and prayed about for years.

D-ma loving on her new granddaughter...

Jilly and Pops admiring their first grand baby...

Our family of three...

February 2, 2013...the day our greatest gift from God was born.

We love you Addison Kate...more than the world!

Sweet Addison Kate...

Sweet Addison Kate,

Today is the day that your Daddy and I have prayed about for years...your birth date. We are so anxious to finally get to meet you, see you, hold you, teach you, but most of all, love you.  Although your Daddy and I will make mistakes, we promise to try and be the best parents and role models for you.

This pregnancy has been the BEST 39 weeks of our lives and every step of the way has been absolutely perfect. Each new experience, from all of your ultrasounds, to the sound of your heartbeat, to your movements in my belly have been joyous occasions...ones that your Daddy and I will NEVER forget. I am really sad that this pregnancy is ending today, but I know that the best is yet to come.

I hope that one day you will know just how special you really are and how much your journey into this world has inspired, encouraged, and touched so many people.We already love you more than the world and can't wait to show you our love each and every day of your life.

All our love,
Mommy and Daddy

The Next Chapter...

As my pregnancy comes to an end this week, I wanted to reflect on how my baby bump has developed over these past three trimesters...

This pregnancy has been THE most fascinating, exciting, and blessed time for us. I can't wait to see what the Lord has planned in the next chapter of our story.

Sunrise Photos...

David has always loved sunrises and sunsets. Every time we go on a trip or take a stroll on the beach, we always come home with a camera filled with pictures of the sunrises or sunsets. Once we found out we were pregnant, he had wanted us to go out to the beach and take some pictures. And being the procrastinators that we are, we waited until the LAST weekend before Addison arrives to do just that. 

Here are a few of the pictures that we took...

 Isn't the sky just beautiful?? We arrived at the beach at around 6:45 a.m.

 There wasn't a soul on the beach either!

Look at that belly!!! Isn't it just amazing? It's still hard to believe that the human body can stretch like this...just WOW!

This last pic is probably my favorite. I just love how the sun is shining under our arms.

(And yes, we used the timer to take these pics...so it was a good thing no one was on the beach that morning!)

Skype Shower...

Yes, you read that title correctly. We had a shower this past weekend by using Skype!!! I'm telling you, technology is an AMAZING thing :)

A few of my friends from Houston got together and offered to give us a shower. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to travel since October. So my friends thought it would be a clever idea to have the shower anyway, but use Skype so we could "be there" and enjoy the conversation and fellowship.

David set us up at our home in Jacksonville...

He put a TV tray in the middle of our living room for the laptop and he connected a speaker (on the step stool) so we could hear better and then used a special cord to project the shower on the TV screen. 

It was the COOLEST experience ever!! It was like we were sitting in the living room with the rest of the guests. David had some of the ladies get together so he could take a picture of them on the TV screen...

SO FUN!!!

Wendi, one of the hostesses, sent us some "real" pictures of all the decor. Look at all the yummy goodness they prepared for the guests...

Do you see the little A that is below the banner and to the right of the fireplace? Wendi's daughter made that A and wanted to display it for the shower...too cute! 

Although I was sad that I couldn't physically attend the shower in Houston, it truly felt as if I was right there all along. 

And once again, our friends spoiled us rotten with several thoughtful gifts that Addison will cherish for a lifetime. I can't wait to tell her how loved she was before she even arrived on this earth.

Baby Knight and Mommy: 38 Weeks

School Shower...

Several of my school friends hosted a baby shower for us this past week. We had SO much fun and enjoyed  celebrating our little miracle baby with all the people I work with.

One of my favorite gifts (and moments) from the shower was this sweet book that several of my co-workers put together. It's called The Legend of Addi Kate...

Here is a video of our school librarian reading the book during the shower...

We also received SO many sweet and thoughtful gifts for Addi...

As you can tell by the pictures, we had a BLAST at the shower and shared lots of laughs. I truly work at a school that is like family to me. I would guess that we had close to 40+ people at the shower and we couldn't feel more blessed!!