Introducing "Honey Cate" Hill

Yesterday, on Sunday July 19th @ 1:06pm, our lives changed forever...for the better! Natalie gave birth to our daughter, Catherine Honey Hill, whom we're calling "Honey Cate!" She weighed 7lbs and is almost 20 inches long with a little red hair. We are still at Denver Health, but hope to come home tomorrow (Tuesday). She is healthy, breastfeeding, sleeping great, and we are so stinkin thankful! Nat's water broke at midnight on Saturday night, 2 weeks early, and we were dog-sitting at a friends house. I had to run home to our apartment to grab the car seat, borrow a video cam from studmuffin Evan Perkins, and pack a bag for the hospital, and then came back to our friends house. Nat labored there for 7 hours and then we went to the hospital. She was 5cm dilated when we arrived in the OB screening room and then we went to Labor and Delivery. Nat labored on a workout ball for a few hours, then in the tub for a while, and made the final push for an hour or so on the hospital bed...and then at 1:06pm out came...A GIRL! We both had a feeling that it was a girl, and it was! She is precious! The midwife placed her right on Nat's belly and I cut the cord and then Honey Cate and Nat bonded for an hour or so. I'll never forget it!
We've been learning to change diapers, to burp, the breastfeed, how to function on no sleep, etc... I think Nat went 50 some hours in a row with no sleep since her water broke right as we were getting ready for bed on Saturday night. She has been such a trooper and God has really given her so much strength. I was so proud of the way she pushed through hours of hard labor...and my respect level for all moms in the world has greatly increased! Watching her labor and then our daughter come out was so surreal!
Today I pushed Honey Cate around the hospital in this little crib while I tried to give Nat a break to take a short nap. While I pushed her and watched her sleep I was overcome by emotion and couldn't help but just worship our Heavenly Father for giving me the incredible blessing of being a father myself. I'm sure all of the nurses that I passed while crying were wondering what the heck was wrong with me...but I just can't explain the joy of parenthood. Even now as I write this, and Nat is on the phone with her Aunt, lil Honey Cate is sleeping in my arms. Its much harder to type with a baby in your arms, but way worth the extra effort.

Thanks so much to everyone who prayed for us and we will keep u posted. Honey Cate can't wait to meet you!

Our families are sadly many miles away in NC, but this is a pic of us web-chatting with my mom and dad tonight...the beauty of technology...and web-camera software!