She's here! Finally! Sadie Marie has joined us!

Hi everybody. I only have time and energy for a quick update but I wanted to let you know that Sadie Marie arrived on August 1, 2008 at 12:16 p.m. (Amsterdam time) after a 26 hour active labor by none other than me. We were sent home from the hospital at 3:00 and are getting settled in. Now THATs a big difference from the US I know. All I had to do was eat a meal (yeah 26 hours of labor, give me 4 meals please) take a shower without fainting and pee and they gave me the go ahead. My midwife will come to the house over the next 10 days to check me and the baby and we also have an in home nurse who will come every day to help with the baby for 3 hours every day for 8 days.

She has a head full of black hair, weighed 8.8 pounds (4 kilos) and I don't think they ever measured her length though. She is just absolutely beautiful and has the longest fingers I've ever seen on a baby. She actually looks a lot like my niece Ryleigh when she was born which is perfect because Ry was a beauitufl baby! We are just in awe of her and I can't quit staring. It's so surreal to actually have her here with us. I bawled like a baby as soon as they placed her on my chest and I will have to say, there were tears in Marco's eyes throughout the day. Of course, being a weeper, I've cried off and on all day, tears of absolute elation.

My water birth did not work out as planned at all not due to any factor except that I just didn't like it in the pool. I will give a ery detailed explination of my birthstory at a later time, gore and all. I will say now though, I have a sore throat from screaming.

Sadie's a calling. Thanks so much for everything readers! You're ther best!