After about 30 hours of labor and 45 minutes of pushing, Kory and I were given the most precious gift ever: our first child, a baby girl! Nadia Perihan Dayani was born at 5:21AM on Tuesday, December 1, 2009. She weighed 6 pounds and 15 ounces and she was 20 inches long. Here she is at about 8 minutes old...alert and ready for her first meal. As I hold her for the very first time and marvel at her beauty - and her sweet little tongue! - you can see her Anneanne's loving hands right behind her. And speaking of Anneanne's (Grandmother in Turkish), Nadia's middle name was my Anneanne's. My mother's mother (her Great Grandmother) was named Perihan Akture and she was --is-- one of my most favorite people in the world. I am so thrilled we had a girl so I could honor her memory and give Nadia such a special namesake and guardian angel. She has two such angels really, as her beloved Grandmother, Donna Gail, is also watching over her.
