Baby Essley is Here! (Best Birthday Gift Ever!)

Today is my birthday.  Today is also the start of a brand new year.  And today is the day that we'd expected our baby girl to arrive.  She had other plans though, and after over 30 hours of labor beginning last Thursday night, Essley Morgan Williams was born at 3:42 AM on Saturday, December 28th.  She weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce, measured 21 inches, and had a full head of dark brown hair.  She is the best birthday present ever, hands down.  I am so in love that I feel like my heart might explode.  I won't lie - labor was the most difficult, surreal experience of my life.  I did 25 of the 30 hours with no pain medication, and by the time I gave in and got it, I was violently shaking and throwing up.  But the second I saw Essley, I forgot about all of it.  Immediately.

As for our sweet girl's name, we wanted something unique that wasn't too 'out there.'  Essley was my grandmother's maiden name.  She was one of my idols, and before she passed away this summer, I was able to tell her that the name was at the top of our list.  Morgan is my little sister's name.  She is one of the most amazing people in the world, and was my unofficial doula during labor.  (I seriously wouldn't have been able to get through it without her.)

I am still in a daze (the word 'exhausted' doesn't begin to describe it), so although I do plan to share more of our story with you guys, I hope this quick update will suffice for now.  I have only been a mom for four days, but I can say with 100% certainty that it is the best thing I've ever done.  Happy New Year from me, Robbie, and Essley Morgan.  I can't wait to see what this year brings.