Good News...and Bad News

Well, the good news...actually great news...is that Holland (our good friends' Ben & Erin's daughter) was born yesterday! And she is GAW-GEOUS! After a fabulous softball team supper, we headed to the hospital to visit our newest fielder...I call her Holls. She's soo tiny. I mean a regular size for a baby, but it's so hard to imagine that we were all that size once. Well, except for my Uncle Brad, who was a husky 22 pound toddler when he was born. (Love you, Uncle Brad). But she is soooo stinking cute and super chill and relaxed. Just let everybody hold her. Not like she had a choice, but she seemed cool about it. When Brandi held her, she opened up her eyes and looked around. Just steals my heart. I was TERRIFIED that she would hate me. When she was in the womb, she hated me. She wouldn't move for me. She'd move for everybody else, but I'd walk in proximity and she'd hiss and turn the other way and not move just to spite me. But, when I held her yesterday, she smiled at me and high-fived me and we laughed and just chatted away. They say babies don't know how to smile yet when they're first born and that it's just gas...no...she totally smiled AT me. So, me and Holls are cool now. 

I didn't get very many good pictures, so I'm borrowing some of Ben's that he took while we were there. 

Look at her. Could she be any more perfect. I think not. 

So sweet. There's nothing cuter to me than to see a guy holding a baby.

I's so happy!! 

Little Mummy Holland...all wrapped up. What you can't see is the head of AMAZING dark curly hair underneath that cap.

Proud Papa Ben

Little Reid (Tris and Eric's cutie pie) wanted to come along, too, to meet gal pal Holland. He was just chatting away. The Braves lost the game, so he was a little upset about that, but otherwise, he was giving Holland some diaper advice and which toys were the most tasty to chew on...stuff like that. 

Sigh. It makes me excited for when these squatters get here. Right now, I'll settle for knowing if they're boys or girls. Three weeks to go! Woot! 

Now for the bad news. 

This might upset some of you. Those of you that knew her. Ann Claire the Majesty Palm kicked the bucket this past weekend. She lived a long, full life of a year and two months. She brought much happiness and pleasantry to the breakfast nook area of the house. She was green and lush and tropical-y. And Blue loved to chew her leaves. She meant a lot to all of us. Now, her brown stalks rest down the hill behind our house...where David threw her...kind of harshly, too. Goodbye, Ann Claire. Now I have to go buy another one of you.