The Biggest Adventure Yet: Catalina

  From Glimmer in our Eyes to Baby in our Arms

Catalina at 6 days old

  What an amazing thing to witness, the birth of your first child. There are so many unknowns and it seems like no matter what people tell you before hand you will still be shocked at the super power of mom to go through labor and give birth, and then again with just how much you are going to love your child. I finally realized all of this at 10:04pm, on the night of January 19th, 2008. That is the moment that our daughter came into this world.

8 months pregnant

  It doesn't seem that long ago that Heidi was sharing this ultrasound picture with me. This was nine weeks in and our first visual of our future child. However, at least for me, the reality of the situation doesn't really settle in until you see a crying, breathing human come out of mom. It was also the moment we found out it was a girl.

 We named her Catalina Blinn Tamarack. 'Catalina' after the island Heidi and I met sailing around on the tall ship Tole Mour. She tipped the scales at 7 lbs 13.6 ozs, and was a tall 20 inches. She had dark hair and even darker eyes. One detail everyone noticed was Catalina had very long slender fingers. She wasted no time in latching on to Heidi's breast and over the next day and a half became known amongst the nurses as the most veracious feeder in the mommy baby ward.

  It has been one week now, and as Catalina sleeps peacefully in my lap, I find myself thinking back to how amazing this entire experience has been. (And trying to write this with my one free hand.) I wonder if Catalina already knows that she has all of these people that will love her unconditionally for the rest of her life. Some who haven't even met her yet.

  One piece of advice that I am keeping in the forefront of my mind is to soak up as much from this newborn time as I can. Luckily I have another three weeks off from work and I might just spend all of it holding her close like I am doing right now.

  Here is to becoming a father, a mother, and a family, and embarking on our biggest adventure yet.