I have been dragging my feet on writing this for month now - not because I didn't want to but because I did not know how to start. How can I articulate the emotions that come with attending one of your closest friends birth. I honestly don't know.

Leading up to Bennett's birth was a long year and a half of hope and heartbreak. I was there with Kristi through all of it - I dreamed with her, I cried with her, I listened to her. 

And this moment was felt in so many ways like the culmination of all of that - like a moving on from a time period of grief into a time period of blessing.

So. On to the birth. By the time I got to the hospital around 2 am Kristi had gotten an epidural and was resting. But due to her reactions to the epidural, she couldn't sleep. Bryann tried to sleep, and I sat in a chair and chatted with her, or just watched as she tried to pass the slow hours of labor on her phone.  

And slowly she progressed. And in some ways, when Bennett was ready to arrive, it all seemed very sudden. She paused for a minute to absorb what was about to happen. And at that moment, I cried realizing that this was it. She was about to meet the baby that was so long awaited. Bennett - which means blessed - was coming.

Guys. Birth is an awesome thing. It is beautiful, and slow, and fast all at the same time. It is bloody and yet not at all gross. It is incredible. 

Thank you Kristi for having me there with you, for allowing me to be a part of this moment in your life, for allowing me to capture this moment in time for you. It was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had.