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Heidi is one month old today! Let’s start this out with some fun…

Name that baby… which Butler baby is which? Answers at the bottom of the post.

A

B

C

Before and After

As fun as it would have been for our little girl to have a birthday on her due date 11-11-11, that wasn’t the day we met her, but rather four days later. I was scheduled to be induced on the 15^th so our dear family friend, Becky Kelsay, drove over to watch Lucy and Brady that morning until my family arrived that afternoon. Brent and I got settled in our labor and delivery room around 9am, ready to meet our baby and feeling a little surreal having been through these same steps twice before. Doctor Wenzel broke my water by 9:30 and had the pitocyn going by 10am. Neither Brent or I had a feeling that our baby was a boy or girl but some of the nurses were not convinced since we brought the book, “Bringing up Girls” by James Dobson to read. It’s a book we heard great things about, hoping to apply any advise to our “sweet little, somewhat concerning, over-obsessed in princess land” 4 year old. Now the book will be referred to more than once I’m sure! So we read some, listened to calming music, and waited as the contractions picked up. I opted for the heaven-sent epidural around 1pm, making labor smooth sailing. As we were waiting I was thinking about how with the other two we just asked one of the nurses to take pictures for us when the baby arrived. They turned out great, but thought how nice it would be to have someone I knew take them for us. My sister, her husband, three kids, and my dad all arrived at our house in the afternoon to meet our little one as soon as they could. So we decided to ask my sister, Laura, if she would be interested in taking pictures for us since the guys could watch the kids and my mom would be joining them shortly. She was overjoyed when I asked her and drove right over to be with us. It was so so special to have her with us in the delivery room and bonded us in a whole new way. She was such an encouragement and has made me even more thankful that Lucy was given a sister that day. I pray that Lucy and Heidi will hopefully experience that sweet love of a sister, that I’ve experienced with Laura, as they grow.

I think it was around 3pm that I seemed “stuck” at 6 centimeters dilated, but around 5:30pm Dr. Wenzel came to check me and right away she said, “Ok, you’re ready. There’s hair!” I only had to push once and Heidi was born at 5:48pm. When Dr. Wenzel announced, “It’s a girl” and placed her on my chest my heart beamed with love for her! An indescribable moment for us!

We named her Heidi Carolyn Butler. Heidi means noble one, we love how it fits with our kids’ names. I read Lucy the book “Heidi” this fall; I loved the character Heidi lived out in the story; her love for people and God was so sweet, I think that is when the name went to the top of our list. Heidi’s middle name is after Brent’s mom, Carolyn, we call her Carrie. She is a hero to both of us. There are so many qualities we admire in Carrie and want for our sweet daughter to look to her grandma as a woman to be like when she grows up. Carrie’s love of our Savior, Jesus, her constant serving and giving heart, her contagious smile, and her sacrifice for others are only a few of the things we admire about her.

Heidi is an absolute wonderful gift to our family and such a fun surprise. Lucy and Brady have welcomed her and adjusted to life with a baby so much better than I was expecting. I pray every day that the Lord will help me remember how small she is, the noises she makes, the way she smells, the captivating cuddles because I know how fast I will forget because they just grow so stink’in fast… so I will cherish today. Happy one month old baby girl!

Answers: A. Heidi, B. Brayden, C. Lucy

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