Because who doesn't like starting the week off with the happy news of a baby- complete with a birth story and pictures?

Friday morning (May 29th), I was scheduled for a c-section at UCLH. We were supposed to be there at 7:30 am to get the day started, but around 4am- my contractions kicked off. By the time we arrived to the hospital, I was having them three minutes apart. Even though I was 39 weeks, it definitely cleared up any question of if this baby was coming early... regardless of the caesarean, he was up for being born on the 29th.

There were six patients scheduled for c-sections that day, but when you go into labor- you get the cut the line and go first. (Kind of made those hours of labor worth it.) The doctors came by and talked with me, we were told to change clothes and be ready to go in about ten minutes.

Before we knew it, we were in the "theatre" meeting the team that would deliver our son. (Don't those moments feel so weird? Everything feels so normal and calm, but you know everything is about to change.)

My epidural cranked on and in the midst of chatting with the anesthesialogist- I realized the surgery had already started. About ten minutes later, they asked if we wanted to watch the baby come out. Umm... sure? Gross? I don't know. But they lowered the curtain and all we saw was his body appear and them turn him around so we could look at him.

And there he was- a real baby coming out of my stomach. You always "know" there is a baby in you.. but, since you can't actually see them, the whole thing seems so abstract. It may sound silly, but to see such a REAL baby being held before our eyes was amazing. It was like we had been given an upgrade from the hand-drawn version on all the pregnancy apps that I had come to envision as our child.

After having the world's worst/saddest c-section experience, I can tell you: that day was an entirely different experience. It was calm, it was happy, we had classical music playing and chatted with everyone about really pleasant things. In fact, I have to say- it even changed my perspective on having a baby being the most terrifying moment possible to something that could be really fun. After it was all said and done, we kept saying to each other how great things had been. I think that as we sat in the recovery room with that little baby sitting beside us, we felt our bodies finally unravel from 9 months of stress and anxiety.

With that said, it is still NOT my favorite experience to have my body opened up and feel hands moving around my insides. It makes me sick to my stomach thinking about it... but, luckily- the process ended up with something pretty awesome.

We have a son. A sweet, chubby little boy who looks just like his sisters did and feels like he was made just to fit in with the rest of us. (Which he was!)

HARRISON HUNTER KNIGHT | MAY 29, 2015. 7lbs 10 oz. + 21 in.

We spent the next 24 hours in at UCLH.... experiencing a different side to post-delivery than we had known before. My parents brought Viola up to meet her brother, which is an experience that, as a parent, makes your heart burst into a million rainbows, sprinkles and other cheesy things upon witnessing.

Beyond that, Tyler and I basically sat around, eating toast and drinking tea while staring at this sweet new baby. The next afternoon, they had me take a shower as proof that I was independent enough to go home, wrote up my meds, and sent us packing. (If you're a second-time mom here and everything is "normal,", they let you leave after one night and send a midwife to check on you at home the following day.)

Now we are home. It feels great- though lets be honest, a bit crazy with surgery recovery, a toddler and a new baby. But hey- life is good and we are so thankful.

Thanks for your sweet support during the past few months. Your kindness has made this process much softer than it would have been on our own. We can't wait to share the days ahead with you, too.

Welcome, sweet Harrison!