This last week has just been a blur. Last Monday, after being in fake labor all weekend, I went into real labor during Chris's softball game. My water broke just as Chris was going up to bat (poor guy hadn't played at all the entire game!!), it felt like it could have been straight out of the movies. I'm sure it was a really strange sight for Chris's co-workers to see a 9 month pregnant woman, sopping wet, waddling towards the diamond in a hurry yelling for my husband. I was SOOO glad I finally went into labor! I had had contractions for about 3 days, and was ready to just give up and accept the fact that I was going to have a belly and contractions for the rest of my life. The labor itself went really well, I only pushed for about 40 minutes, and she popped right out in all of her trollish glory. She was born on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 at 4:04am weighing 7 pounds 15 ounces and 20 inches long. Now that the swelling and conehead has gone down, she's just a little doll. We've known all along how cute she was going to turn out. . . . My mom came into town Tuesday night, and has been such a huge help. Between grocery shopping, cleaning, cooking, driving, doctor's appointments (pretty much everything), I haven't done a thing. She's taken care of everything. To be honest I feel a little guilty that I'm not so helpful around the house. My mom has done so much for me over my lifetime, and now she's doing even more. Since her arrival we've eaten so well. Before Nelly P came, our staple food was sandwiches. Chris and I are so appreciative of real food. The night we got home from the hospital, my mom made us the most incredible salad and muffins. I've not had food like that pretty much since we visited my parents for Christmas. I just had to take a picture of the meal. Doesn't it make you salivate just looking at it? It was also so nice to come home to a clean apartment filled with flowers!! My friend Carrie, gave me the cutest daffodils (which, I'm afraid, are dying– I'm terrible with plants), and Chris's work sent us a large bouquet of flowers. I don't think I've ever been given a bouquet that large. It's just amazing what live plants do for an apartment. I'm tempted to just spend all of my money on flowers in our apartment. They're just so fun! I'm just so incredibly grateful that our Nelly P is in good health and here with us. We have been blessed greatly with a beautiful daughter and such a great support system of family and friends. I'm so grateful to all of you that have called and visited!! We thank our Father in Heaven for blessing us with a healthy girl, and fabulous friends and family that love us so much. Thanks to you all. A thousand times over. I'm in the process of posting a page devoted entirely to our precious Penelope Pearl. We'll be posting more pictures and video!! Stay tuned...