Every Thursday, here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
Many Lawlers and some Folleys were fairly certain that Finnabee was going to be a boy. I can attest that Deirdre did, because the nursery is lacking in girl outfits and there was a blue onesie in the hospital bag.
When Deirdre asked me to be in the delivery room with her, it was a dream come true.
On the one hand.
On the other, I was a bit nervous. I'm not doula material, I think. (I frantically read up on this role, and I don't think that helpfully staying in the background and basically just affirming all your choices is my calling.)*
But I read up on what was needed, bought various lotions, oils, and salves on my friends' suggestions, added some inspiring cards that actually belong to Bridget, and limped through security with, not the one quart-sized ziploc that you are allowed, but three gallon-sized ziplocs, fairly brimming with liquids of suspicious aspect — in my defense, all in quantities of three ounces or less.
Bag check on Belt Three.
Once I assured the TSA that My Daughter is Having a Baby and that is why All These Things are Necessary, it was all good. Hopefully no terrorists are reading this, because I don't want to give them ideas. But they let me through.
And then, after my arrival, we waited. As you know.
I won't give the blow-by-blow, but suffice it to say that there was a bit of somewhat effective pre-labor, lots of walking and yoga, many squats, clary sage to the abdomen, spicy foods (as much as she could stand — do you see that head of hair? so much indigestion!), and… no baby.
That's a hard moment, when your dream, built up by all the books you've read and the birthing stories you've heard, sort of crumbles because your baby might be in danger.
I can't believe I witnessed the whole thing. Amazing!
Three Folley generations. Proud Grandpa.
Taking a cooking break to dandle my granddaughter.
Just very happy!
I just think babies' feet are funny!
In the past few weeks, The Chief's site, Catholic Culture, had a malware attack that they took care of. But some code lingered — not dangerous, but enough to trip the Google warning. I don't know. But the folks at Catholic Culture assure me that their site is clean and our blog was never in danger.
Hopefully it's gone for good, we can put the widget back (invaluable object), and all will return to normal! Again, my apologies!
* Dearest doula friends, please trust me when I tell you I am making fun of myself, not of being a doula!
Margie says
Congratulations!
I am on the west coast and starting checking this evening ( Wednesday), hoping I would find some baby news before the morning.
What a lucky little lady to be born into such a lovely family. Love all the beautiful dark hair.
Thanks for sharing the news.
Susan says
She is so beautiful!! Blessings to all and especially this darling little gal. “my granddaughter” has a lovely ring to it, doesn't it?
Emily says
Wonderful, beautiful, lovely! Many congratulations to Deirdre and John and the whole extended family. Is her name pronounced Evange-line or Evangel-een? In either case, it is simply lovely!
DeirdreLMLD says
Hi Emily,
Thank you so much! The pronunciation is “E-VAN-gel-een.” 🙂
Racheal says
Oh wow! she is so cute and pretty. Congratulation to all of you! God bless…
Lori N of MN says
Congratulations to all, Grandma!!
I also was incredibly blessed to witness the birth of my oldest daughter's first-born (I was the babysitter for the following births…) , so I can completely understand your joy in that capacity!! I was the one giving birth 6 times, but the one time I was privy to witness the birth of my grandchild was nothing short of miraculous. Truly amazing!
Evangeline Rose is absolutely beautiful. May God bless you all!!
Valerie says
What a little angel your granddaughter is…many, many more blessings to your family!
You look just radiant btw…and Deirdre, too!
Ngofamilyfarm says
Such joy! Congratulations to everyone! I, too, know very much about letting go of labor plans and just giving praise for a healthy baby. (And I can greatly sympathize with having to truck down to the NICU -in a wheelchair, after an emergency c-section no less! – for round the clock nursing). Going home with your baby makes it all worth it, though. Such a beautiful girl, beautiful name, beautiful family. xo
-Jaime
MaryOstyn says
Cute, cute, cute baby!!!
Congrats to all!
Mary, momma to 10, nana to 3 going on 4 sweet little ones
Jeannie says
What a beautiful baby girl! Glad to read that mother and daughter are healthy. Congratulations to all of you!
_Jessica says
Evangeline Rose is absolutely beautiful! I'm so glad to hear that things worked out for Deirdre in the end! It's such a blessing to have a supportive husband and mother team!
nancy in ak says
Congrats on your first granddaughter! She is beautiful. Lovely post.
Stephanie says
So sweet! A lovely name and God bless you all!
Jamie says
Seconding the West Coast Baby Check before bed. Welcome Evangeline Rose! Congratulations to the mama and papa and way to go, Deirdre! You've crossed the Rubicon. God's blessing on you and yours.
Rosie says
So glad everything turned out well! And what a beautiful baby 🙂
Terri says
Beautiful! Congratulations to all!
sarah says
What a beautiful baby! Congratulations to Deirdre, John, and the whole family.
Janet says
Beautiful, beautiful beautiful! Even her name is beautfiul….So happy that everyone is OK and nothing untoward needed to be done. May God bless her and her loving family. God is good.
Mary says
Congratulations!! As a doula, I have to say it's a bit more than that 😉 but there's a whole different aspect to it when you are family. It's often recommended that you don't have a mom there for that purpose since they are way more emotionally invested and just plain worry because it's THEIR daughter going through it and it's much harder to be objective. It sounds like you did beautifully, though! What a gift to be there! Evangeline is stunning!
DeirdreLMLD says
Thank you, Mary! Yes, my mom was a huge help and comfort. I'm so glad she was there!
Julie says
So happy for you…little girls seem to be everywhere lately!
Elizabeth says
Congratulations! The third picture down is gorgeous. Enjoy this sweet little girl. I love her name too! Beautiful on its own and lots of cute nickname potential.
Sara says
All the girls in this post are beautiful! So happy that everything worked out for Deirdre and Evangeline! Congratulations to all of you.
Rebecca says
What a gorgeous girl! And a gorgeous name to match it! She is lovely. And her Mama is too- what a sweet picture of their snuggles.
Congratulations to all on the good gift of this precious life and on His hand that worked all things out *just so*. Praise God.
Karen says
Congratulations! Evangeline Rose is gorgeous! God bless her!
Barbara says
Congratulations! Such a beautiful baby. God bless her, and her mama and daddy.
Bridget Green says
Congratulations! What a beautiful family and I absolutely love the name. So classic and feminine. Hope everyone is doing well 🙂
wstyrsky says
Congratulations! Grandchildren are so special and amazing! Our 5th is due in just a few weeks, Luke Alexander! Keep the pictures coming!
Ruth says
Oh, Evangeline is beautiful!
I am finally coming out of lurking to say congratulations and thank God for a safe delivery!
– Ruth in Ireland
Erin Yonke says
Oh, the newness. The sweetness! It almost hurts, it is so beautiful. Congratulations to all of you!
Kathy@9peas says
So happy to hear all the good news about Evangeline – she is just precious!
Thank you for sharing about the malware, I had to remove the Catholic Culture widget to get it off my blog but don't like having it gone. I'm happy you updated that they are and have fixed the problem – I'll add the widget back in a few days.
Blessings to all of you during this happy, happy time! Now for Rosie!
Melanie says
Congratulations!! Such a beautiful and blessed family!
Anabelle says
Congratulations! What a beautiful baby and LOL on the heartburn/hair comment.. Since I fell in love with Deirde and the Artist's love story, I have been anxious to “meet” Finnabee and really did think she was a girl.
Mrs. B. says
Yay! Congratulations to all! I confess I was doing multiple blog-checks every day, too – it was so exciting! Mother and girl look truly beautiful – I love the calm bliss on Deirdre's face. The calm after the emotional and physical storm, I guess: “baby in distress” are the last words you want to hear at the end of a pregnancy, and I would say especially a first one: I am so glad everything went well. I agree with your rant about hospital policies – I had my first baby in the NICU, too, at the beginning. And on top of that, being woken up when still dark just to check blood pressure and temperature – argh!! Let me sleep when I can!!
I now realized this is your first granddaughter, Leila! And now with Baby Girl Turner, you're going to be even 🙂 Now I'm sure your crafting possibilities are expanded ad infinitum! The name is adorable – so sweet and feminine, but also with a touch of royal elegance to it, so to speak. Can't wait for more good news from OK!!
Rain says
She's beautiful! Congratulations to all!
Jenny says
Congratulations!! My second daughter's middle name is Rose. It's such a lovely name.
Margo says
awww, I love these photos. ANd I have always adored the name Evangeline! Congratulations to everybody.
armyofseven says
Congratulations! I just love her name – Evangeline Rose. So pretty, so sweet, so old-fashioned. And she's just the loveliest little baby. Mama looks beautiful, too!
Juliana says
Congratulations again! What a beautiful name and beautiful little girl!! (And, oh such a delicious baby!!) I don't care what anyone says–the newborn stage is hard, but it is also the.best.
Lisa says
I hope Deirdre sees how beautiful she is in those pictures. I love new mom and baby pictures. And little Evangeline is adorable! Such a wonderful time.
Deanna says
Congratulations! Now two boy grands and two girl grands!
She is very sweet! Next up Rosie!
sarahkeith says
She is BEAUTIFUL! Congratulations to you and your family! What a gift!
Wendy in VA says
Yay! Welcome Evangeline Rose! Congratulations to all of you on the birth of that beautiful, beautiful baby girl. 🙂
Mary says
So beautiful and sweet smelling baby head! Oh! So blessed you all are!
Grace says
So was waiting to hear that good news about Deirdre, baby, and the Artist! You made my day.:) Congratulations to all of you. Deirdre looks so young….that photo of the 3 of them transported me back to holding our first child…a girl (who I thought for sure was a boy!). That baby is starting high school in a few weeks….AAAHHHH! Many blessings to all of you….love & prayers from MN.:)
Cassidy says
Congratulations to all! Beautiful name! I have a Evelyn Rose at home 🙂
Lisa G. says
Oh, my goodness, who can top this? What a pretty girl she is, and a great choice for a name, too! I hope her health will be good; God bless Deirdre, her husband and child.
Maryanne says
Congratulations to the whole family! What a blessing, a safe birth and a healthy mom and baby! She looks beautiful and the whole family so happy!
Now, I can't sit on my hands anymore because I am a nurse and you KNEW one of us would have to respond… The reason vitals and labs are drawn in what seems like the middle of the night is that the doctors usually round at 6 or 7 in the morning. So, to be efficient when assessing a patient in the morning, it is important to have this data already in hand. It's not to torture, I promise! I work the night shift as a RN and I always feel bad waking patients up, but our job is to help the patient get better so they can get home and heal (or nurse and care and snuggle their baby).
Also, I am pretty sure the NICU nurse manager would like to have tortured you with the charge of keeping many babies safe, keeping their lines and tubes infection free, medications properly administered, diapers weighed, bodies cleaned, properly assessed, charted, etc. I say this not only as a nurse but as a mom who had a baby in the NICU (and a twin birth that involved a vaginal and a emergency C-section).
DeirdreLMLD says
Thanks, Maryanne!
I'm sure you are a good nurse, especially since you have sympathy as a mother yourself. I've been reflecting on how the difference between a competent, gentle, communicative, sensitive nurse and one who does not have those characteristics is very great! The night shift nurse on my last night there was SO great that in the morning I thanked her with all my weary heart for the fact that she entered the room quietly, treated me gently, and explained things clearly, etc. It made a world of difference!
_Leila says
Maryanne, I have nothing but admiration for the nurses. I do think that the managers (and planners and designers) are clueless. Sorry, but I do. There are different ways to handle NICU care and the solutions in this hospital were ridiculous. They can torture me all they want but I won't break. 🙂
Maria says
Congratulations to the whole family! I especially love the third picture in the post. Good job all around. Good name. Virtual hugs, though I've never met any of you (it's a strange world isn't it?).
fiddlejill says
She's so beautiful – congratulations to all!
tacy says
Congrats! She is so beautiful!!! Our babies are 1 day apart- amazing! So glad it went SO well, especially with some fear of complications. Praise God.
Melina says
What a beautiful little girl, and beautiful name as well. Congratulations to Deirdre and the Artist, and to you as well!
Emily G says
Congratulations! She's a beautiful baby. I love her hair! And I'm so glad Deirdre got the birth she wanted.
Meredith_in_Aus says
Congratulations to you all! So glad all worked out well. Look forward to hearing more of Evangeline.
God is good.
In Him (just happens to be what I use. Up until the other day, I didn't know I was so outdated and holy. Ha!)
Meredith in Aus
Lindsey says
Congratulations! Such happiness for the whole family. Enjoy getting to know Evangeline Rose. 🙂
liz tighe says
Congratulations! And I love the name – we wanted to use it if we ever have another girl – hopefully that is in God's plan for us! Here's a very cute song with her name in it from the Princess and the Frog.. .http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA8TUA6zp0Q“ target=”_blank”> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA8TUA6zp0Q” target=”_blank”>.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA8TUA6zp0Q
Blessings,
Liz
liz tighe says
I just tried the link and it doesn't work! Try looking up Princess and the Frog my belle evangeline
DeirdreLMLD says
Yes, I have been singing this song to her since day one! Isn't it so sweet!?
kimberlee says
Congratulations! Deo Gratias! Hooray! What a beautiful girl, with a beautiful name! Enjoy this special time with your girls!
Lisa says
Praise be to God! What a beautiful baby girl! Congratulations to the proud parents and all the extended family. Love the name Evangeline Rose. We have a family full of Rose's ourselves in both first and middle names.
ayearinskirts says
LOVE!!!!! So happy for her!! Beautiful baby girl! Who seems so cute, petite and lovely it makes me laugh that she had the name Finnabee for so long 🙂 That's going to be a very cute story for her. My in-law auntie is an Evangeline and she goes by Vangie.
hope says
Congratulations! She is beautiful!
Jessica says
Congratulations to you all!
chatteutile says
Beautiful baby with a beautiful name! Congratulations!
Nancy says
Congratulations to all ! Evangeline Rose is a beautiful name for a beautiful baby girl.
Mrs. Pickles says
Congratulations!!! Evangeline is truly a beautiful baby. So glad her birth went well — good job, Deirdre!
Look at her little prehensile toes! I love newborn feet too. 🙂
Mary Ellen Barrett says
Oh what a heavenly little girl. God bless her and her beautiful mama and happy papa. I am thrilled for everyone in both families and I was dying at the thought that there were pictures posted and I wouldn't get to see because of a silly malware warning. I'm so glad the problem is fixed.
Enjoy that beautiful girl.
nt12many says
What a beautiful, perfect little baby girl and she has been given such a nice, feminine name! Congratulations to all!
Jill Farris ” target=”_blank”>http://www.generationalwomanhood.wordpress.com ” target=”_blank”>http://www.jillcampbellfarris.com
monica says
Darling Baby Girl, Beautiful Family, Precious Tiny Baby Feet.
I'm happy beyond measure for all of you.
God bless, monica
Mary says
Congratulations!!! Such wonderful news. i am so glad everything went well in the end. I absolutely LOVE her name. Just beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing all the photos. Blessings and Grace to the new family…
Bobbi (RoL) says
What a blessing!! Congratulations!!! 🙂
Rachel~ At the Butterfly Ball says
Congratulations! What wonderfully happy news! She is a beautiful little girl! God bless you all!
Nicole says
Congratulations! I love a baby announcement! She is beautiful, her name suits her!
Joy in Alabama says
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful baby! Thank you for posting the pictures!! Hope all are well!
*kate says
Congratulations! She is beautiful. And I agree – newborn feet are funny. But I think that is the prettiest hospital gown I have ever seen. Lovely picture of the newest mama and daughter 🙂
Annalisa says
Oh, I am so glad to hear that all went well with the birth after the initial trouble! Thank the Lord, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. What a precious time, these first days and weeks of getting to know each other can be. Praying that they are peaceful and joyful.
Joy says
Sweet, sweet baby. I love her name! Congratulations to all.
Rebecca says
Mama and baby are so beautiful! Congratulations on your first granddaughter!
And thank you for dealing with our Chrome issue while so busy and involved in much more exciting happenings.
Helene says
Another daughter for Like Mother Like Daughter! Congrats and blessings to you all!
Cmerie says
Yay! Congratulations! I'm so happy that things turned out well. What a pretty name for such a pretty baby.
Haus Frau says
Congratulations! Beautiful baby, beautiful family!
Claire says
Beautiful post. Our prayers and love to you and yours.
Joana says
Oh, she's lovely! Congratulations!!!
Joana from Portugal
momco3 says
Hallelujah! I love the bag check story, and the fact that you find baby-feet funny. Congratulations to Deirdre and John– sometimes the hardest thing (and best) to do as a parent is to let go of the plan. Sounds like they did that admirably. Blessings!
Meghan says
Oh my goodness, what a little sweetheart! She's beautiful. Congratulations Folleys and Lawlers!
How lucky are you to have two grandsons and two granddaughters now, Leila!
Lori says
What a beautiful baby girl, and I love her name! So wonderful to add a girl to your family. Congratulations!
Natalie says
Congrats and praise God for healthy baby! Can't help but inquire, are those curtains homemade? They are gorgeous!!
Katherine says
She is beautiful. Congratulations to you all and welcome Evangeline.
Amy says
Beautiful Evangeline! I love the dark hair. And what a pretty name. Congratulations to all of you! So glad she was able to deliver without pitocin or C-section.
Woman of the House says
What a darling baby girl, even her funny feet! Congratulations and God's blessings on you all!
So Much Forever says
Just.so.beautiful!!! Congratulations!
-Tamara
DeirdreLMLD says
Thanks, all, for the love and warm wishes!! We are so very happy and you're all so very kind!!