This little one came out with arms shooting up into the air, as if announcing her presence to the world - HERE I AM!!! It was such a joyous, victorious pose as she was met with cheers and laughter. This was only the third time I've been at a birth where the baby's gender was a surprise - always a fun announcement to hear.
It never ceases to amaze me how alert baby's are just after birth. Their eyes are wide open as if they're trying to take in the world, but when they are tucked up against the familiar scent of their mother and hear her soothing voice they seem so at peace. Especially when they are nursing and gazing up, as if they are awed to discover the face connected to the voice they've grown to love over the past nine months.