Aria Grace Easton

Born into this world at 5:45 p.m. on January 24th, 2006, Aria Grace Easton declared to all in hearing distance, and in her case this was a fairly lengthy measurement, that "oxygen is hard to get used to." She weighed exactly 7 pounds and was 19 3/4" in length.

We left for the hospital at 2:00 p.m. at the suggestion of the obstetrician, since Valerie's contractions were getting very severe although the interval between them was more in the 8-10 minute range instead of 5 minutes (the usual signal to head to the hospital). Apparently things were very much in progress because when we arrived Valerie was already close to 6 cm and it didn't take long for things to progress. Three hours later, Aria had arrived!

Aria is perfect in every way. She looks a lot like Lael but has her own distinct nose. We discovered that her lungs are of exceptional quality. Her name means "A melody of grace". At this point the melody is rather cacophonous but we pray that through the grace of God in her life, her life will demonstrate the grace of God to all around her. "Ann" is a family name (Valerie's middle name is Ann; My Granny's middle name was Ann, my sister's middle name is Ann, Valerie's mother's middle name is Anne) but we chose "Grace" as her middle name because that is what the name "Ann" means and I liked the sound of it better. It is also one of God's attributes with respect to his children, which he bountifully has demonstrated to Valerie and I throughout our lives.

We thank God for a healthy baby girl and for her safe arrival. We thank Him for the strength that He gave to Valerie throughout these past couple of weeks and today in the final hours of labour. We thank God for our supportive family and friends who have been so thoughtful, caring and encouraging. God is so good!