Hello Helen!

 Helen Elizabeth Roe was born on Wednesday, September 3, 2014 at 9:41am (with a scheduled c-section that began at 9:30am).

Helen weighed 7lbs, 14oz, and was 19 3/4 inches long (shorter than her brothers from the start!). As soon as they brought her out, she let out a howl! 

 But as soon as she got cleaned up and wrapped up, she calmed right down. The nurse called out that she had an APGAR score of 9 and 9.

 She was brought over to Mommy much faster than her brothers were after their emergency c-sections. The whole time that the doctor was putting Mommy's belly back together, we got to stare at each other (this took a while, as Dr Herman seemed to be pointing out the different parts of Mommy's guts to the students watching).

 Helen was completely calm that whole time, with her eyes open and looking around at her new surroundings, especially at Mommy and Daddy (note: we're not sure why Daddy had to wear a hairnet...).

 That first moment of meeting your child is simply indescribable! This little person, whom you have known in a way for the last 9 months - talked to, sang to, prayed for... and now to lay eyes on her for the first time. Birth truly is a miracle!

Of course, Daddy got to hold her first, like all of our kids. He brought her from the operating room into our room where we would be staying, while the doctors and nurses finished cleaning up Mommy. He also, just like with the boys, had the privilege of changing the first very stinky diaper that night (though he did tell Mommy, "How about if you just call the nurse in to do it and tell her I'm asleep?"). 

 Finally, Mommy's turn! This was the 3rd c-section for Mommy; the boys were both done in an emergency situation (Micah's heart rate was too high; Henry's dropped too low). And let's just say, a scheduled c-section is a much easier recovery without having gone into labor (though Mommy was having noticable contractions before being wheeled into the operating room). This time, things were much less rushed, and the seemingly slower, more methodical pace did provide space for a little more anxiety. So Mommy used the time to pray for those making the incision to have steady hands and for Helen's health.

 At 2pm, the boys came up to meet their new sister. Micah wanted to hold her right away; Henry first wanted to sit with Mommy. They each took a turn loving on their sister.

 "Baby Sister" certainly makes her brothers look big! They were very sweet to her when they met her. And beforehand, they had insisted that Grandma and Poppa take them to the store so that they could buy her a teddy bear and a balloon.

 It was great to be together with our boys again. They had spent the night at Grandma and Poppa Moldy's house since we had to be to the hospital by 7am.

 We were able to get our first family photo together... and Micah insisted that he hold the breathing machine in the photo (blowing air into this and getting juice from the little kitchen were highlights of the visit for the boys). It was sad to say good-bye to Micah and Henry, but active boys can only stay cooped up so long in a hospital room.

 After the boys left, Helen had a great feeding about 4pm (perhaps all the snacks her brothers ate inspired her) and then her first bath (and Mommy got her catheter out - yea!).

 In the evening, Helen had more special guests - her cousins Calla and Albert, along with Uncle Andy and Aunt Heather. Calla was super excited to meet her first female cousin (Uncle Andy said she was shaking on the elevator ride up!). Helen is only the 2nd girl cousin on both the Moldenhauer and Roe sides of the family (with four Moldy boys and seven Roe boys!).

 Aunt Heather took a turn also.

 And Uncle Andy!

 The Moldenhauer girls - Mommy, Calla, and now Helen. We aren't many but we're mighty!

The first night together: Helen was a good sleeper but she had some trouble breathing with the mucus she had from birth. This is not unusual for c-section babies, but when she was gagging, it was troubling for Mommy! She seemed most comfortable to lie on Mommy's chest, so that's where she spent most of the night (Mommy didn't mind!). 

About her name... 

We choose "Elizabeth" as her middle name. Mommy has four younger brothers - each time her mom was pregnant, the name would have been "Elizabeth," if they had been a girl. Instead of a sister God has given Mommy a daughter. Elizabeth is also the name of Daddy's paternal grandma (though she went by Betty). Daddy has many fond memories of his Grandma Betty! One special thing about her - she was very talented musically. She regularly played in a band and piano at Schuler's restaurant. We hope our Helen Elizabeth is one who always has the joy of music in her life and shares it with others.  

Helen isn't a very common name these days. We've typically had a tough time picking names for our kids (names that Mommy and Daddy agree on are few and far between!). With the boys, Daddy said he was the one who had the final say (and both times, we didn't finalize the name until we were in the hospital!), so Mommy knew this was her turn. One evening, a few months ago, Daddy called Mommy out of the kitchen where she was doing dishes and showed her a list of about 8 or 10 girl names. At the top of the list was "Helen." When Mommy saw this, she immediately began crying. Helen was her maternal grandmother's name. Mommy didn't even bother to look at the rest of the names; she knew Helen was the one! 

Mommy's Grandma Helen Schmidt was kind, gentle, and thoughtful. She never spoke badly of others and always put others before herself. She had a servant's heart, teaching Sunday School for many years. She lived out her Christian faith in a way that was obvious to all who met her. When she passed away (while Mommy was in college), the line at the funeral home went out the door and took hours to get through. 

"Helen" is also the middle name of Mommy's mom, Corleen. She is the next generation's version of Helen, embodying many of the same characteristics as her mom, gently sharing Jesus' love with those around her. 

The name "Helen" means "light." In choosing the name "Helen," we hope that our little girl will shine Jesus' light brightly into the dark world around her, much like her grandma and great-grandma have done. 

"Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." 

Matthew 5:16