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A special preview of one of our Holiday Cards for 2007/Paisley Birth Announcement

Start!
At 3:30am this morning my wife Allison began labor with our second child. We are having a home birth and have the same midwife that delivered our son so we are excited that this birth will go as smoothly and be a memory as amazing as the first.

5am-6am
Counting contractions using www.contractionmaster.com — A very cool tool to help keep track of each contraction with minimal interaction.

6am-7am
Called the midwife and family. My inlaws arrive to help watch our son Griffin.
7am-9pm
Nothing new to report yet, contractions are growing stronger I am told but we are just waiting and trying a few things to move the baby along like adjustments, bouncing on an exercise ball, eating, listening to awesome music (at least I did). The new camera is coming in handy already and pictures are already starting to look good.

9am-10:30am
The midwives have arrived while Allison is out taking a walk with a friend. Contractions are strong and steady, we think there may be quite a bit of time left (I’m guessing the baby will arrive late afternoon at this point). Lots of coffee and cleaning is keeping me and the inlaws busy — Griffin seems to like all the excitement and is currently eating lunch.

10:30am-12noon
Alli is resting now while the contractions are getting longer and more painful. Griffin is watching Shrek and playing with some new puzzles. We are all gearing up for a big lunch as there are a ton of people in my house. I think we may have exceeded the maximum capacity for our tiny little home, but its pretty fun too.

12noon-1:30pm
Alli just finished laboring in the bath here while Griffin entertained her with his amazing number of bath toys. Griffin headed in for an afternoon nap and the house seems to have quieted down for a little while while we gear up for the big moment.

1:30pm-3:30pm
WOW! Big 2 hours here. Alli has gone from sporadic contractions to almost one every minute and a half. Our midwife helped her through some positioning to adjust the baby ensuring it arrives into the world headfirst and with arms down. We are currently listening to the heartbeat again and everything appears to be going smoothly as we head into the final moments. We have been able to labor in the bed and then moved to a firmer futon so my wife could get better support. Each room has been outfitted with clean spreads and the right equipment - it’s amazing to see how smoothly it all works at the crucial moments.

3:30pm-4:41pm EXACTLY!
Welcome Paisley Adams Norris
Amazing day! At 4:41pm November 21st 2007 Paisley Adams Norris was born healthy and at home! She is beautiful and it was an amazing experience to say the least. Very different from Griffin’s birth and exciting in new ways. Allison used the birth stool for the final moments and everything happened so fast towards the end. She’s already latched onto her mom for some food and is as strong as Griffin ever was.