After a busy afternoon at Blues & BBQ with my younger brothers, a subsequent trip to Ghurties, and some loud car-singing just to annoy Payton, I took a shower and laid down on the couch.

I was getting settled in for a quiet evening by myself (Kevin was working Blues & BBQ all day) when my phone rang and my older brother’s name popped up on the screen. I grabbed my phone, thinking he was going to give me some baby news.

It was baby news indeed. My brother and his family had all been out for dinner to celebrate Mel’s birthday when her water broke. Matt & Melanie left immediately to go to the hospital, leaving the kids with a friend who had been with them for dinner. While the kids finished eating, I got out of my pajamas (yes, it was 6 PM and I was in my pajamas on a Saturday night) and went to pick them up at the restaurant. They were abuzz with excitement. Not only had their server given them free cupcakes so they were on a sugar high, but, mostly, they were so excited for their little brother to be born.

I got riddled with comments during the car ride home including, “We went out for mama’s birthday and it’s going to be the baby’s birthday now!” (Hogan) and, “When mama said her water broke, I thought she meant she spilled water.” (Kylie)

In the meantime, Jordan was in Kalona breaking into Matt & Mel’s house via a window to get their camera, video camera, Melanie’s hospital bag, and jammies for the kids. He made the rounds, dropping off the stuff at the hospital and the pillows, pajamas, and toothbrushes at our house.

Since we live in a small condo, I knew we’d never be able to last all evening with all of us inside, plus, I’m an advocate for non-TV activities and the only kid-friendly things I have here is the Wii and some old books from my childhood, which apparently are not cool as they had no interest in reading them. So we had a little meeting wherein I said that we weren’t going to play Wii until we went outside and took two laps around the pond.

Twenty minutes later, I was having a panic attack as they were dipping their toes in water so that fish will come and nibble them. I said to myself, “Self, you are not prepared for motherhood. This is an uncontrollable situation.” Keep in mind, these kids are probably the most well-behaved children ever, but they are still children. And I was still in charge of their safety.

All in all, I somehow managed to keep everyone safe (while they rolled their eyes and said, “We’re not babies, Aunt Emily”), we saw Kevin at Blues & BBQ, visited the petting zoo there (where they got to pet a deer, which they have always wanted to pet), and sat on the grass to watch fireworks.

We got the text around 9:10 that their little brother, Ashton Brent, had been born at 9:03. Matt thought that the kids probably wouldn’t be able to sleep until they saw him so, after fireworks, we packed up into the car and went to the hospital for a quick visit before bed.

It took quite a while to get into the hospital as all of the main doors were locked and we had to keep walking around until we found the emergency entrance. I walked through the doors and had an immediate wave of déjà vu from last September when I had last walked into that hospital—also late at night—to say goodbye to my grandma. Having the kids with me helped me keep my emotions in check, but I did take an extra deep breath as we walked by the ER room where my grandma had laid before being transported to the Hospice floor. In strange irony, I thought to myself that life had come full circle. I was last there to say goodbye and to mourn the heartbreak of the end of life and now I was there to say hello and to welcome with joy the beginning of life.

We found Matt, Mel, and Ashton in Labor & Delivery and little Ashton was immediately swarmed with loving little hands and lots of “my turn!” Melanie looked fantastic and I thought to myself, “Self, you will never look as hot as Mel does one hour after delivery. That’s not fair.” Ashton was a little peanut, all wrapped up like a little papoose, and absolutely perfect with thick black hair and long eyelashes. He made squeaky little newborn noises, which are my absolutely favorite!

We only stayed for a bit since it was already 11:30 and clearly past all of our bedtimes. I got the kids all back into my car and home, got jammies on, feet washed, teeth brushed, beds made—including a couch-cushion bed for Kylie—night lights on, and bedtime prayers said.

This morning, with Kevin’s encouragement, they woke me up by jumping on the bed. We lounged in our pajamas and watched Cars 2 and ate cereal. Mid-morning Matt stopped by to pick them up to go back to the hospital; they couldn’t wait to see Ashton again and we kept reminding them that they would be able to take him home with them.

My parents are coming back from their Alaskan cruise today and my mom is absolutely antsy to get her hands on the baby. Meanwhile, this aunt is feeling pretty great. I had so much fun with Hogan, Kenna, and Kylie and felt like we had successfully navigated the very first sleepover in the Crall house. And little Ashton fits perfectly into my arms. I couldn’t be happier. Next up is little Whipple in September. I LOVE all these baby-sized additions to our family.

Favorite quotes:

“My legs keep quivering.” (Hogan, who was so nervous and excited to see his little brother)

“Ashton is sooo cute.” (Kylie on repeat for several hours)

“I don’t know how anyone couldn’t love him!” (Mckenna speaking truth)

“We might think he’s a burgler.” (Mckenna, in reference to me warning them that Kevin would be home really late so if they hear him come into the house, not to worry.)