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Lately I have been given cause to reflect on how our journeys into this world are as unique and individual as the personalities we develop over time.

The night I was in early labour with Mylo, we had our dear friends Shannon & Guy over for a night in, complete with fish n chips and rugby on the TV. They headed off home about 9.30pm with the expectation that we might call in the middle of the night to come and look after Noah. Shannon then kindly returned at 3.30am after I put the SOS call out to her, allowing us to head off to the hospital, where Mylo was born just over an hour later at 5am.

Although we try and catch up regularly, last Friday was the first opportunity we had to sit down and have dinner together since Mylo was born. Shannon and I had both joked via text earlier in the week about the prospect of this sending her into labour too (their first baby due yesterday, Wednesday 23rd December). After a tasty BBQ dinner, we were relaxing around the dinner table about 9pm when out of nowhere Shannon's waters broke. As they didn't break forcefully, she was left to question at the time whether this was in fact what had happened. Nevertheless, we all thought it a good idea that they headed home at this point, home being just a short 5-minute drive away.

I thought of Shannon & Guy during the night when I was up feeding Mylo, but then left it till the respectable hour of 7.30am to text to see how their night had progressed. To be honest, I was fully expecting that they would still be at home, possibly in the stages of early labour. To my surprise and delight, a few minutes later I received a text back to say that Maia Rose St Clair had been born at 12.30am on Saturday 19 December - only 3 hours after Shannon's waters had broken. What an incredible first labour - 3 hours! And they came home just a few hours after the birth - wow, big kudos to you all! I have to admit that I have already been to visit twice since then, and it is just so lovely to see Shannon & Guy as parents, and wonderful that they can celebrate their first Christmas together with their little bundle of joy. Let us not forget that we celebrate another miracle of life tomorrow, the birth of Jesus. The fact that the living God came to Earth and experienced the limatations of humanity from birth as a baby, should always be a source of amazement and wonder for us. Not to be forgotten amongst the tinsel and reindeer, presents and Christmas pudding. For without this glorious event, there would be no reason to celebrate.
Posted by Meghan Maloney Photography at 10:52 AM