It’s impossible to write this post without first acknowledging what it took to get here. As many of you know, Jeff and I struggled with infertility for nearly 2 years after we were married (read about our infertility journey here). Our infertility road was a long one… it involved having a major surgery and going to at least 100 fertility appointments before we finally found out we were pregnant last August. After a while, I began taking photos of myself at each fertility appointment. If Jeff and I were ever blessed enough to become parents, I wanted our baby to know just how much they were wanted/loved before they ever even existed. I’ve never shared these photos because they were painful for me to look at. Most of the smiles are forced… the reality was that each appointment was more painful than the last.
This past Thursday morning, at 10:30am, our “infertility journey” came to an official end.
We. Are. PARENTS!
Introducing Elizabeth Claire Mayes, the answer to our prayers and the center of our world. She’s got Mama’s full head of hair and Daddy’s everything else. ❤️
It was a difficult delivery that ultimately ended in what the doctor described as one of her “most difficult C-sections in a long time.” But nothing about this journey has been easy… so we were already prepared for anything. When Ellie was born, she was completely limp… no movement, no crying, nothing. The NICU team was called into the operating room, and after what felt like the longest 60 seconds of our lives, she let out her very first cry. BEST sound I’ve ever heard. She was crying, we were crying… it was a big ole’ cry fest right there in the O.R. Turns out, she is 100% happy and healthy. We were discharged from the hospital just two days after she made her appearance.
We are now home (adjusting to sleepless nights!) I can’t wait to share lots more photos with you guys in the weeks to come… but for now, here are some of my favorite photos from the day that she was born and the rest of our hospital stay. THANK YOU for coming along on this journey with us. This party is just getting started! -Kaylinn

