The Cotta Family: Welcome Day, Audrey Rose.

We waited nine months for her arrival.

And on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, on my momma's birthday, at around 10:00 pm after tucking in our first little one, it was time. To the hospital we headed, equipped with a new diaper bag, all things pink, and a brand new knitted afghan from baby's great-grandmother to take her home.

It was our plan to put Jacob to bed before we left so he wouldn't know that we would be gone for the rest of the night...but when Philip went to his room with his shoes on to give Jacob kisses goodnight, the little one knew all too well. "Where you going?" he asked looking down at his shoes. Without answering, Jacob said "I want to see my baby sister born." His intuition was remarkable. Little one, we told him, you will meet her in the morning. With tears in his eyes, he let me scoop him up and coax him sleep.... and there I sat in the rocking chair, Jacob draped over my thirty-nine week old belly, rocking him to sleep in the exact same position I had since the day he was born... my last night as a momma of one.

By 11:00 pm, we were settled into our room, letting time and a bit of pitocin work their magic. I was anything but nervous, calmed by the presence of my husband by my side and the sound of the baby's heartbeat on the monitor. Almost, I continued to think, it is finally almost time to meet you.

September 29, 2011.

Just after 3:00 in the morning, I decided I was ready for the epidural. Philip and the nurses almost thought I was joking. You are maybe a one-and-a-half, maybe, I was told. But I insisted and, after another hour of rocking on a ball and waiting as patiently as I could, I was given it. I loved the fact that the anesthesiologist came into my room reading my name and asking if I was the photographer and then telling me she had been planning on calling me to book a session.

Five hours later, we had made it to morning, I had made it to a whopping two centimeters, and my little sister had arrived to decorate the room with Princess books she had purchased for her new niece.

For an hour we sat and chatted, making sure to call my mom and pretend that it was time to push and she better get here right away. "That's not funny, girls," she scolded. Yet not ten minutes later, I suddenly felt a huge amount of pressure. The nurse, knowing I had just been a three, said she would check me anyway. Nine-and-a-half. It was time to call in the doctor. I panicked. Had we finalized the name? I hadn't even shown Lindsay how to work the video camera. And my momma was not here yet. After calling my mom back and forcing her to believe that no, we were not joking this time and yes, she better drive as fast as she can because we were about to start pushing, we got down to business. First things first, a little bit of make-up...

As the stir-ups went up and my amazing doctor arrived, I informed everyone that I would not be pushing until my mom arrived. Luckily, within a minute or two, we heard loud footsteps racing down the hall and in entered my momma. This would be the first time during this day that tears filled my eyes. We later found out that not only did my mom go around a hundred on the highway to make it but when arriving, she threw her keys at the valet attendant and ran into the door, just as the attendant was trying to throw the ticket to claim her car into her purse. What mommas will do.

And just a few rounds of pushes and just under ten minutes later, she arrived. And I cried.

And she was so beautifully perfect. And all the heartache we went through exactly one year ago on this day, all the anxiety we had during that first trimester praying for a healthy baby, all of it was worth it. Because just as we told ourselves a year ago, everything happens for a reason. And this was it. On this day, September 29 at 10:49 am, we were welcoming our second child, our gorgeous baby girl, into this world.

Meet Audrey Rose.

I fell in love with her the first time when I caught my first glimpse of her.

And for the second time when she was placed in my arms.

And moments later, when my husband reached down to give me a first kiss, I fell in love with him all over again.

It was the most perfect start to our new life.

Eleven ounces less than Jacob, she weighed just five pounds, ten ounces.

And just as Philip did when Jacob was born, he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

This time, where baby gets checked out and momma gets cleaned up, seems to last the longest. Because really, those first few minutes of holding her upon her arrival just doesn't cut it. And so I waited patiently... watching baby's first footprints, first diaper, first weigh-in, until....

the moment arrives when she returns. Forever yours.

It's a pretty amazing thing, bringing a child into this world. And how fortunate we are that we have been able to do this two times.

And shortly after we welcomed Audrey Rose into this world, we watched as Jacob learned he had officially become a big brother.

And as if enough happy tears had not already been shed in one day, my eyes filled with tears as together we sat for our first family picture. How absolutely complete I felt.

And when Audrey Rose gets of age, I can not wait to tell her about the day her big brother met her... because he fell just as in love with her as we did.

Hi, Baby Sister.

Momma of two. How sweet does that sound?

And soon after our very first snuggle session as a family of four, we were able to introduce her to the other most special people in her life... her Yaya.

and Pops.

and Mimi and Poppa.

her great-grandfather, Poppy.

and her other great-grandfather, Papa (and just a few days later, her first meeting with her great-grandma, Mama!).

To steal a few of my mom's words, life doesn't get any better than this.

Of all of my cousins, I was the very first girl. And of all the great-grandchildren, there are seven little boys (with two more boys on the way). Audrey Rose is the very first girl.

Our hospital stay was short and Philip and I quickly fell back into our newborn parent roles. And as for our first little one well, he can't quite keep his hands off her.

Growing up, we dream about certain things... what we want to be, who we want to marry, and what kind of family we want to have. So what happens when you realize that you have everything in the world you have ever wanted?

You live life. Your life. And you capture every moment of it. Because I already know these little moments are going to go by way too fast.

{taking Jacob home from the hospital back in February 2009.}

It's not going to be easy, the art of juggling two, but I can only imagine the things that these two have in store for us...

{thanks to my mom and dad for the adorable welcoming sign!}

On September 29, we welcomed our Audrey Rose, our second little one into the world. And just when we thought life couldn't get any sweeter, it did. What a wonderful world...