We are family...

I started the blog off with Ella's journey to get here.  That was an exciting, yet trying time in our lives.  In the introduction blog I just wanted to give you a "brief" synopsis of a LONG journey.  I didn't include details about all the special people who cared so much about her because I had all that to come!  Now for the fun part- I get to tell you about all the love Ella has experienced already!

Ella's Mimi, Julie Herrin

Ella's Papa, Eddie Herrin

Ella's Grandmother, Connie Wright

Ella's Uncle J, Jason Wright

The day we found out I was pregnant, we decided to tell our parents at the same time!  We couldn't wait for the doctor to confirm it, we had to tell them right away.  They were thrilled!! So were our brothers. They knew the long journey we had been on and were over the moon with joy.  I think they were just as excited as we were!  Our families were there praying for us every step of the way. They showed us an immense amount of support, prayers, and love.  When the going got tough, they prayed for us and when things turned out beautifully, they rejoiced!  It was such a fabulous feeling to have that tremendous love through a special (and uncertain) time.

Throughout the pregnancy, they shared their excitement with us. I'm sure they too dreamed of what it would be like to hold her in their arms!  One really exciting moment for us was finding out Ella was a little girl.  Being able to tell Brent's mom and dad that Ella was going to be a girl was special.  They have raised two boys and Julie happens to be one of the girliest people I know!  It was only fitting that she have a little grand-daughter to dress up and love. And Eddie knew Ella would have him wrapped around her finger too! I know that they would have been extremely excited with a grandson or grand-daughter, but telling them we were having a little girl just felt great!  My mom was also extremely excited about us having a little girl too--she said having a daughter is a truly special gift!! She was thrilled! My mom and I wondered what she would look like or who she would act like.  It's my hope that she gets Brent's laid backness and easy going personality--don't know if there is room for two "Kristens" in the house!  My dad was also proud about having a grandchild!  Our brothers were really excited too.  It was special to see that even though they had not hit this stage in their lives, they were really interested and happy for us!  Finding out the gender of our baby girl and sharing it with our family was a special memory!!

We were also grateful for the special support our family showed during my bed rest.  I think everyone was scared and worried.  Luckily, everyone tried to stay positive and have faith that everything would be okay.  I know that a lot of prayers, worry, and concern went out to us at that time and for that were are extremely grateful.  We are also grateful for all the prayers from people outside our family too.  I'm not sure Ella's safe arrival could have happened without you!!

After Ella was born, her Mimi and Papa were her very first visitors.  They're Brent's parents.  They came in the morning after she was born.  They were so ecstatic.  It's amazing to watch your baby being embraced with the infinite love of grandparents.  I think they could have held her and stared at her forever!  A special memory we will be sure to pass on to Ella is a book her Mimi gave her.  It is one of the sweetest books I have ever read.  We will read the book and message that her Mimi wrote to her in the future and she will know how loved she was by her even before she was born!  Our favorite memory with her Papa was the night he held her in his arms and she smiled and smiled and smiled.  There have been few times since she has smiled so brightly.  It will always be special to tell her about their love for her- even since before she was born!  It was so great to get some wonderful home cooked meals and watch them love on Ella!  Thank you, we love you!

Ella's second visitors were her Grandmother and Uncle J- my mom and brother.  They came on Christmas Day, so that was a wonderful memory!  They were so amazed at how tiny and cute she was.  We spent the day together- taking lots and lots of pictures of Miss Ella Bean.  My fondest memory of my mom from the visit was watching my mom hold Ella close and seeing her stare at her in awe.  I could see all the love she had for her and it was so touching.  My brother was so excited to be an uncle.  A special memory I have of him was when he asked me to take a picture of he and Ella with his camera phone so he could text a picture of her to all his friends.  I was so touched at how proud he was of her.  It felt so good to see how much they loved her and I know they always will.  Thank you-We love you guys and will always remember Ella's special First Christmas!

Brent's brother, Uncle Brandon and my Dad haven't made it out to see her yet.  We are hoping Brandon is able to take a short trip to see us in February.  His job as an investment banker keeps him so busy and we know it's so hard for him to get away.  We can't wait for Ella to meet all our family and friends back home.  I think Ella has at least 10 "Aunts'!!

Family is so important to us and we are so blessed that Ella has so many people to love her.  You all have prayed her through some tough times and are looking forward to all the joy she will bring.  She'll never be short on love--which makes us so over joyed.  In life all you have is family, and are terribly lucky if you have friends that feel like family.  We have both.  That was another area I realized more than ever that God had blessed us abundantly!  So, Ella, whenever you hear "We are Family," get up and sing, loud and proud because you, sweet girl, are blessed with some wonderful grandparents, uncles, aunties, and people who love you!!  And as always, we love you too!