Claire Melanee England

 The night before our little Claire was born, I went to bed feeling just fine.  Three hours after I went to bed, I woke up with very painful contractions.  Normally the doctors tell you to wait at home until you have contractions every five minutes apart or less for an hour, but I felt really strongly that I just needed to get to the hospital.  So I woke up Chase and about half an hour later, we were off to Maple Grove hospital.  It's a good thing we left when we did, because about half an hour after I was admitted, given an epidural, and was hooked up to those heart monitors that measure baby's heart rate, Claire's heart rate dropped dangerously low.  It was hit and miss for about 1 1/2 hours as to whether or not I could deliver on my own or if I needed to have an emergency C-section.  Luckily, I was able to deliver little Claire at 5:58 a.m. without incident, and we had a healthy little addition to our family!
Claire weighed 7 lbs 9 oz, and was 21 inches long.  She was healthy, happy, and an excellent eater and pooper from the very beginning.  She's only been in our family for 1 1/2 weeks, but already I can't imagine life without her.

 Mckay is a proud older brother.  The first time he met Claire, he told me, "Oh, Mommy, she's so wonderful!"  I couldn't agree more.

 Chase's first time holding little Claire.  He looks pretty good for someone who got less than three hours of sleep!

 Grandma and Grandpa Sainsbury watched Mckay and Logan while we were in the hospital.  We looked forward to their visits every day, and they loved getting to spend a little time with grandchild #9

 Claire's first picture with her eyes open.

 One week old.  She is a bright-eyed little girl who loves to stare into your face.  I always feel like she is older and wiser than I am when we have our little talks.  I'm pretty sure if she could speak, she'd have some marvelous things to say!

 Grandma and Grandpa England and Cole came to visit us and help us out for a few days.  We were so glad that they were able to come and meet their first granddaughter/niece!

I took this picture this afternoon.  It's amazing how much little babies change after just 1 1/12 weeks.  We are so grateful to have little "Claire-Bear" in our family!