Birth day and a birthday

We had a party this weekend.  The birthday boy was pretty excited for his big day.  He came home from school with a birthday crown and a scepter.

He called in the available cousins and other assorted relatives to join in the celebration, some from as far as Kansas and California who were conveniently in town for other reasons.

And best of all, his new baby sister came home from the hospital just minutes before the festivities began.

Once the noise level grew and the presents were opened, she and her mother went upstairs to their bedroom.

Ray is a man of passion.  His current passion is submarines.  I walked the halls of Target and this was all I could come up with, a penguin submarine from Batman 2.  Ray, however, was delighted and that's what counts.

I thought that we were all pretty awesome putting together a party and welcoming a new baby girl all in one week.

Opal's already won over the men in her life and they have fallen hard for her.

She is a bundle of sweetness.

Doesn't she look good just two hours after her birth?

I brought her bathed and pajama clad brothers to meet her before taking them home to bed.

Good timing mom!  Thanks for not having her in the middle of the night.

We all loved seeing her so brand new.

We followed daddy and baby to the nursery for a check up and sponge bath.  The boys were allowed to watch through the window.

They found it fascinating and had loads of questions.

 Henry, my ever observant one, was fascinated with the whole process.

There's a very happy daddy.

Henry watched until Opal was all cleaned up.  Raymond headed back to his mother's room.  I understand that he wanted to talk about submarines.

Opal returned with a hairdo

and a bit worn out.

So happy to have her safely here!  For the first time my little but growing family has more females than males.  And for the record, she's not an oval.  Her face is pretty round :)