Turklet (aka Annika Maeve) has arrived

After a long wait, our beautiful daughter has arrived. Born December 1 at 1:49 am, Annika is perfect. She let us know of her arrival with the most beautiful sound in the world, a loud, bright cry! Weighing in at 8 lb 11.3 oz and measuring 21.5 inches, she's no lightweight but you'd be surprised at how skinny she is! Check her out:

We are happier than we can describe and look at her in wonder everyday.

Due to some complications with the birth, I'm on bed rest for another week. This means that Stephen has had to do EVERYTHING! I can't believe how lucky I am that I have someone who takes care of me completely. He has stepped up in a way that I don't think many people could - in addition to his own work, he's cooking, cleaning, and generally taking care of his family and household and still takes the time to come and hang out with us in bed. Annika absolutely adores her daddy - and he adores her. She stares at him and responds immediately to his voice and (for those of you who have had the pleasure of hearing them) his nonsense songs (Stephen loves to takes familiar tunes and assign his own words - and by his own words I mean words you won't find anywhere but in his head).

This is without a doubt one of the most wondrous times in our lives and we're relishing every moment. Annika is a joy and brings us immeasurable happiness. We look forward to introducing her to all of the people that mean the most to us.