birth [photography] and story: henry.

i do believe i'm going to go mostly with black and white.

but some of the daytime photos need to be posted in color. :)
so.
onto the story.
we got a call at around 4:30pm.
we were on the road by 5.
got there around 6:10pm.
the sweet girl with the camera is julie's eldest, hannah. :)
and there's mom, giving julie some essential oils {therapeutic grade: young living dist. #1237953} to rub on her belly.
41.5 weeks? mhmmm.

michelle, julie's friend and doula, tickling little gus.
gus was such a cute mama's boy.

the pool.
:) isn't it awesome?
[yeah, it's just a pool from toys r us. it worked beautifully.]

gotta love a boy who shares his books! ;)

daddy [mike] and the twin girls: lila and gracie. and gus again. cutie. :)
watching finding nemo. yeppers. love that movie.

this is what happens when you're pregnant and in labor: you get massages.
all day.
looking back on these photos, i'm almost jealous:)
but maybe someday that kind of day will come for me. :)

the amazing woman part of the birth crew. :) michelle: doula. rosie: midwife.
it was so cool to see them do their stuff; beautiful things i've only read about and seen videos on for the past 10 years.
okay, not all of 10 years. i mean, it's been 10 years since i've seen a birth in person. that was lyddie, my youngest sibling. just in the past few years have i seen some inspiring/informative birth films.

this last one: orange juice and castor oil, anyone? :)
she drank it like a trooper. golly.

what time is it?
ohhh....time for pizza. :)

♥

i love the sunlight here.

♥

sweetness.

a massage of clary sage . . .

meanwhile, the sun was working on setting . . .

michelle was such a cute lady. and so nice, too. this is another yummy castor oil/orange juice potion in the making.

me and i-honestly-can't-remember-which-twin. :) please forgive me.

8:30pm.
decaf vanilla-almond coffee. *grin*

around 9, the childrens were put to bed . . . julie tried to rest . . .
{and found out she was around 2-3 centimeters. pretty discouraging, considering there were 3 days in a row before this that she experienced on-and-off labor, including all day this day: thursday may 26.}
and me, emma, and hannah took a few shots in the mirror.

mmmmm.
10:30pm.
caramel brownie ice cream time.
oil of frankincense massage for julie . . . starting to do stair laps.
more intense contractions. starting to vocalize now.
gosh, this was amazing to see.

bottom picture: rosie, getting tired of my camera always on and clicking. el oh el. ;)

this was my first super-big moment of revelation of how amazing doula's are.
my heart may have swelled with pride a little at the thought of my sister, anna, being there like this for women.
♥

reflection.

mmmmm. that's some great tea!

somewhere between 12am-1am we filled up the pool and she got in.
i guess the hot water around and supporting her made a lot of the contractions just sweep away.
pretty awesome.

transition.
yeah, it tends to be a pretty intense time.
as i shot one after the other, i was praying for her under my breath, totally amazed (in every definition of the word) at what exactly was happening.
a new little human . . . being brought into this world.
stunning!

and at 3:07am, friday, may 27 2011, henry came.

♥

the beautiful family, sans sleeping gus. :)

while mama julie got out of the pool after delivering the placenta in quick timing, michelle held baby henry.

mhmmm. total love.

skin-to-skin bonding is the most beautiful thing.

by this time, it was 4:14am.

and the sun was rising.
ohmyword. beautiful.

around 10am, after a few hours of sleep.
gosh, that floor was comfy. at that hour, a pillow and blanket is all you need.

and for the shot i really cherish:
;)

♥
*breathe deep*

i tell you: sweetness!!
and being a bit overdue-ish according to dates calculated, he was born with some ultra-cute chub.

and we celebrated with some delicious homemade cinnamon coffee cake [made by hannah] for breakfast with cinnamon coffee... oh so good.
to henry's family: thank you so much again for letting me be a part of that beautiful day!
julie, you're so amazing. and so blessed. but i know you know that. ;)
♥
the end.

ending:
this is what crazy baby people do.
stay up till nearly 1 . . . and wake up at 7. aaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!
*chants* : i will not be a zombie when i watch the kiddos [sam and reese] tomorrow. i will drink coffee. and pray i stay alert. amen. :)