nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals the power of your intense fragility

Today our daughter, Jessica Patrice Burdett, was brought into the world via a surprise (but, thankfully, not really "emergency") C-section. She is very small--3 pounds 13 ounces, 16 1/2 inches--but like so many tiny things, truly precious.

She was three weeks early, but for all intents and purposes she is full term. She is, nonetheless, spending a few days in the NICU (the neonatal intensive care unit) so they can make sure she can maintain her body temperature and keep her blood sugar up. So far she is doing very well. We don't know how long she'll be there, though.

Anna is recovering nicely, and we hope will be able to go see--and hold, and feed--Jessica tomorrow morning.

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens; only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands

Here are some more pictures of Jessica from her first day:

Long Overdue Update

A lot has happened, but I've been (as you can see) very lax about updating this blog. Here's a summary of some of what we've been through:

• Anna found out she has placenta previa, a condition in which the placenta is positioned over the cervix, below the baby. It was a concern for a while, but the placenta has moved and is now right where it's supposed to be.
  
• We found out what our baby's going to be: an astronaut. How the ultrasound technician could tell that, I'll never know.
  
• Okay, I made that last one up. But we did found out that our baby will be a girl!
  
• We had to spend one night in the hospital (December 1st) because of some bleeding. Anna is fine now, but she was on bed rest for a couple of days, and restricted activity for a few weeks.
  
• We're mostly through getting Baby Burdett's room set up, with a crib, changing table, and dragons.

As I type this, we're one month and one day from the due date; by the time you read this, it will be even less!

Start Spreadin' the News

We decided we were going to wait until after the first trimester to tell people this exciting news, and now Anna's about 12 weeks along, so today, Saturday, August 5th, we told our families. They were, of course, very excited and happy for us.

And now we can tell everyone else!

First Ultrasound

On Tuesday, July 11, Anna went for her first ultrasound, and we got our first glimpse of Baby Burdett:

It may not look like much to anyone else, but it's incredibly exciting to us! Plus, Anna even got to hear the baby's beating heart!

Pregnant!

Thursday morning, June 15th, Anna took the test. She passed with flying colors! That is to say...

We're going to have a baby!