I apologize for the delay but here is the post at least I’ve been waiting for and I know you’ve been anticipating with us!  I’ve been trying to upload a video Daniel made for the last week and have been unsuccessful so it is just going to have to be pictures.

Our baby girl arrived ten days early [2.16.09] and we are SO excited that she is here.  I believe we’ve broken every “first child” statistic about labor, delivery, and the first few weeks to which I am very grateful.  Labor was not painless but was very fast and we were able to stay at home for most of it which was what I wanted.  We arrived at the hospital at 6:35 AM and she was born at 6:58 AM.  Hmmm…cut that one a little close.  Daddy was asleep til 3 AM because Mommy wasn’t even sure she was in labor until that point.  Ha!  It has been an unbelievably smooth transition and we seem to have a very content little baby.  We are counting our blessings for sure.

God’s timing is impeccable as always but it is amazing how that is so much easier to see in hindsight.  My grandfather died within 18 hours of her arrival but he was able to see pictures, here her name, and even remember it well enough to speak it later in the day.  Had she come any later, he would have never known the name of his first great-granddaughter.  This is only one of many, but probably the most significant things about God’s perfect timing over the last couple of weeks.

We’ve been having a blast getting to know her, enjoying family & friends who have come to meet her (and the ones that are still on the way!), sleeping a bit more than we thought we would, and celebrating this new season of life and marriage.  So, without further ado, meet Savannah!

A special thanks to Crystal for her pictures on the very first day.  Thanks for your prayers and support!

Psalm 104

104:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
2 covering yourself with light as with a garment,
stretching out the heavens like a tent.
3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;
he makes the clouds his chariot;
he rides on the wings of the wind;
4 he makes his messengers winds,
his ministers a flaming fire.

5 He set the earth on its foundations,
so that it should never be moved.
6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
7 At your rebuke they fled;
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.
8 The mountains rose, the valleys sank down
to the place that you appointed for them.
9 You set a boundary that they may not pass,
so that they might not again cover the earth.

10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills;
11 they give drink to every beast of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
they sing among the branches.
13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

14 You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food from the earth
15 and wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine
and bread to strengthen man’s heart.

16 The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 In them the birds build their nests;
the stork has her home in the fir trees.
18 The high mountains are for the wild goats;
the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

19 He made the moon to mark the seasons; [1]
the sun knows its time for setting.
20 You make darkness, and it is night,
when all the beasts of the forest creep about.
21 The young lions roar for their prey,
seeking their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they steal away
and lie down in their dens.
23 Man goes out to his work
and to his labor until the evening.

24 O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Here is the sea, great and wide,
which teems with creatures innumerable,
living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships,
and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it. [2]

27 These all look to you,
to give them their food in due season.
28 When you give it to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
when you take away their breath, they die
and return to their dust.
30 When you send forth your Spirit, [3] they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works,
32 who looks on the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they smoke!
33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
and let the wicked be no more!
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord!