Jennifer and Lily are both doing great.
Jennifer was a super trooper during this labor! And now she’s resting comfortably and just absolutely amazed me with how strong and incredible she was during the labor.
And I just made the coolest discovery. Lily has the most crooked pinkies of all our kids. That’s a trait from my mom’s side of the family.
Some people have asked about her name, and I have to thanks Jennifer for going with Lily.
Lily M. Gyldenvand was my great aunt and a tremendous influence on me when I was a kid. Painting, writing, drawing, speaking about faith – that’s what Aunt Lil did her whole life. Google her name and you’ll find references to books she wrote decades ago.
She died more than 15 years ago of Alzheimer’s, and as soon as we learned we’d have a daughter, I wanted to call her Lily. Grace (her middle name) is a tribute of sorts to our Blessed Mother, who the angel Gabriel called “Full of grace”. For all the Hail Mary’s we’ve prayed, it seemed appropriate.