Lucy Claire

Our little Lucy joined our family December 10, 2009.

All 7 lb. 8 oz. and 20.5 inches of her.

She is the perfect addition.

I've been thinking over the past week about Lucy's transition to this world. Her birth was such a disruption to her existence. Without warning, she was removed from the comforts of the womb and plopped into a cold, bright and loud world.

She was no longer part of me, and endured the unpleasantness of newborn medical procedures.

It's just not a warm welcome for a daughter from heaven.

But she was handed first to her father, who introduced her to me. Held by arms that would love and protect her forever.

And welcomed home by two doting, loving, big sisters.

She is part of a family who adores and loves her to no end, and will direct and pad her way through this world.

Welcome, Lucy Claire. You are home now.

Clues

You know your husband has spent way too much time away from home this past year when:

One
The staff from the hotel he frequents sends a hand-signed holiday card. Residing there for 4+ months apparently makes you family.

Two
His employer honors him and his co-workers with an award called the "Perseverance Award"

with the following description:

In recognition of an employee or a team of employees who exhibited remarkable tenacity and overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles through unwavering resolve, vision, and dedication to their duties to accomplish particularly difficult or contentious projects.

I attended the Department of Justice Civil Division Awards Ceremony on Thursday, where the Attorney General, Eric Holder, was present.

Brian and the team shook his hand and posed for a picture with him. It was an honor, and made me proud to have Brian representing our country’s interests.

There are few people who have worked harder than Brian on this Idaho case—talking with his colleagues reinforced to me how heavily he is relied on (not that the long days and nights didn’t tell me that) and what an invaluable attorney he is. And while he is the first to point out that I persevered right along there with him, I was delighted to see him be recognized for his hard work and so proud to be his other half.