On Wednesday morning, March 23, Amanda woke up feeling a little different than the days before. She had said to me several times in the week or so prior that she was "pretty sure things were going to happen sooner rather than later." So when the contractions that she had been feeling every morning for the last several days continued into our late morning, I gained a whole new appreciation for a woman's intuition. Around 1:00 in the afternoon the contractions were coming on a bit stronger, and at about 3:00, Amanda declared: "These are starting to get my attention." Just after 5:00 I decided it was probably a good idea to get Bruce to the Bow Bow Bathhouse and Resort for a few days of R & R. Our wonderful doula Nancy got to the house around 8:30 or 9 and she was just in time. The contractions really started ramping up at this point, and Amanda and I both were incredibly thankful to have Nancy there to support us through the rest of the labor. I will never forget Nancy turning to me after an impressively strong contraction at around 10:30 and asking: "Is the car packed?" It wasn't, and the scramble out the door ensued. We arrived at Holyoke Medical Center around 11:00 with Amanda in full active labor. Amanda was able to get into the birth tub about an hour after we got there, and thankfully found that it took away a bit of the intensity of her contractions. It wasn't long before little Leigh was ready to come meet us, and it was there in the water that she came into the world. At 1:20 am on Thursday, March 24, Leigh Scott Wilson was born, and we are constantly in awe of how beautiful she is. Here are a few photos from our first few days together. Love, Matt
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