Levi James Stroh - November 16th

I witnessed a miracle on Monday when my newest nephew, Levi, joined us in the world. There really is no other word to describe him other than precious. Sure, that might be a cliche thing to say cause all babies are "precious."But take one look at his little round head, tiny cheeks, squinty dark eyes, buns like peaches, and fuzzy hair and you too won't be able to resist calling him...precious.

But more so than the miracle of life and the miracle that Casey achieved in pushing out that 9 lb baby drug free, was the distinct experience of seeing pain and joy mixed in such harmony. I personally did not experience the pain, perhaps those who were gripping Casey's hands as she pushed did, but it was written all over her face. I, on the other hand, got to experience the joy and pride part as I watched my sister do something incredibly brave, and as I saw Levi take his first breaths. But there was a moment, in the last seconds before Levi was fully out, that I saw it, that moment where the physical pain of having Levi almost there was intermixed with the extreme joy as Casey realized: He is here! It's an amazing and awe inspiring thing to witness as normally pain and joy don't often commune together so nicely. Made me stop and think, if only all things painful could be like that, hinging on the cusp of experiencing something joyful. Maybe they do we just don't always recognize it or have something so visible before us.

Anyway, it was an honor to be a part of Levi's beginning. I loved being able to capture those first sweet moments of his life on camera and hope they are a gift to the Stroh family for years to come. It felt a little surreal standing in that room thinking, the next time we are here, it will most likely be us. The next time we hold an hour old baby, it will probably be ours. The next time someone is being coached in breathing through contractions, it will likely be me. Now, watching Levi be born could have done one of two things to me: 1)make me want to run in terror or 2) inspire me to achieve the same feat. For me it was the latter, if anything I think it replaced the nerves with determination because I know, at the end of all that pain, there will be extreme joy....can't wait!