Ivy Aurelia Haws joined our family at 5:35 am on July 19, 2010. Like Amelia, she was born at our home with the support of wonderful BirthCare birth center midwives. Unlike Amelia, she was eager to get here (or Mommy was eager to get her here) -- labor was just a few hours! Ivy was 8 lbs, 5 oz, and 21.5 inches long.
Ivy at a few minutes old
Baby footprints
The weigh-in -- both the midwife and birth assistant were shocked Ivy was so big!
Doing the crawl with her powerful legs
Snuggling with Daddy
Passed out with Daddy a couple of hours after birth
Two of the most important people in this post-birth photo are asleep.
Daddy woke up a few hours later...
And Ivy makes four... "Pedro" meeting big sister for the first time.
Amelia is nonplussed until a big sister present is mentioned...
...which subsequently consumes all of her maternal/sisterly energies.
Ivy meets Grandmommy and Auntie Livi
Auntie Heather holds "Pedro" the baby so she can meet "Pedro" the doll.
Our "Brangelina" photo shoot, with Amelia playing Shiloh, baby doll Pedro playing the part of Zahara, and Ivy standing in for both twins...
Ivy made her entrance just in time for Mommy's friend Carrie to ride the train down from Philly to meet her!
Snuggling with Auntie Mer-Mer
Auntie Lauren dresses Ivy up in her "Happy Birthday Pedro" hat that Amelia and Mommy made for her birthday party a few days prior to try to convince her to show up.
Ivy tries to tie her hat on by herself...
Content little Ivy snoozes after the commotion.
Ivy is an ancient Greek symbol of fidelity, femininity, fertility, and everlasting love; in Celtic tradition, ivy--a hardy evergreen--represented determination and spiritual growth. For early Christians, ivy's need for a support was emblematic of our reliance on God, a reminder to help the less fortunate, and a symbol of everlasting life.
Aurelia derives from Latin and means "golden," which seemed to suit a little girl born at daybreak. Like Ivy, it is also a botanical name of sorts, as we have had a Ming aralia (aurelia) plant since we were married 9 years ago that only becomes bigger and more beautiful each year.
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