Welcome to the world, Beautiful

It doesn't matter how many times people tell you that your life is about to change or that you're going to love this new little person more than you can imagine; until it happens, you can't comprehend how true these words are.

Eden Faithe Neely came into this world in December 2009. She weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and was 20.5 inches long. She is the most amazing thing this first-time father has ever seen. She is beautiful just like her mother and perhaps a little stubborn just like her dad.

Kendall and I checked into North Florida Regional Hospital in Gainesville at 10 p.m. on the night before Eden was born for a scheduled induction the next morning. Being two weeks overdue, Eden's eviction papers had been served. It was time for her to vacate the premises and meet the outside world.

At midnight, the labor nurse gave Kendall Cervidil to prepare her for the induction slated for 7 a.m. However, by about 2 a.m. it became evident that labor had already started. Throughout the early morning hours, Kendall held on through contraction after contraction, while I did what I could to soothe and support her. When the nurse examined Kendall at about 4:30 a.m., she told her she was two to three centimeters dilated.

Kendall's mom Cathy had driven up from Tampa the night before and slept at our apartment. Kendall's dad Tom would drive up from Tampa and arrive later in the morning. They were both a tremendous support not only emotionally, but also in keeping Henry and us fed and helping with housekeeping. When Cathy arrived to the hospital at 6:30 a.m., Kendall's contractions were very strong and she was in active labor.

The midwife Shana came in and examined Kendall at 8:15 a.m. and told us that she was only four centimeters dilated. Realizing that this was not going to be a short labor, and being in a great deal of pain, Kendall asked for some relief. The nurse came about a half-hour later and gave Kendall a dose of Nubain to take the edge off the contractions. Then at 9:45 a.m., the nurse anesthetist came in and gave Kendall her epidural. I think this was one of the best decisions Kendall could have made, as we had no idea how long the labor would really last.

As it turned out, Kendall continued to labor with decreasing progress until late-afternoon when the midwife and labor nurse decided to put her on Pitocin to help strengthen the contractions. Thankfully, Eden showed no signs of distress throughout the long labor. Kendall continued to progress slowly until about 10 p.m. when the doctor, nurse and midwife came in to determine if Kendall would need a C-section. After another exam, they decided to have Kendall try to push.

An hour and a half later, after more than 21 hours of labor, Eden Faithe was delivered. She scored a nine on both her 1-minute and 5-minute Apgar scores and all tests have indicated that she is healthy.

While her first-time parents are still trying to figure out their new life of child rearing, they could not be happier or prouder of their precious baby.

Kendall and I are experiencing and surviving the notorious sleepless nights and keeping busy cleaning up after our little poop and pee factory. But we are also loving every minute of it.

Jeff's parents Bill and Joy, along with Jeff's sister Stephanie, her husband Brian and their children Josh and Shaylee came to visit on New Year's day. We had a fantastic day of enjoying Eden, snapping lots of photos, eating pizza, and playing Band Hero. It was a real blessing for us to celebrate the new year by sharing this time together.

Again, thank you to everyone for the thoughts, prayers, well wishes, and generosity in our journey to this new stage of life. We hope you have had a wonderful holiday season and that 2010 brings you the greatest joy. May you prosper even as your soul prospers.

That's the news for now. We'll keep you posted.