Emily

This is Emily.

Her full name is Emily Cassandra Brown, and she's expected to arrive on 1 February, 2007.

Emily was a surprise - Ken wasn't supposed to be able to have kids, and I wasn't sure if I wanted any. If we had thought about having children, we would certainly have said that this was not the time - we were in the middle of planning our wedding when we found out about her. But, expected or not, she is very welcome, and we are both excited.

Like most expectant parents I'm sure, we are full of plans and theories - what we are & aren't going to teach our daughter; how we want to raise her and with what standards and values; things we've seen other parents do that we are determined not to do. I have to stand back and chuckle at myself every now and then - how in the world can we really know what to expect, and how many of those ideal plans will fly out the window once they come in contact with a real, live, self-willed child?

In addition to all our well-laid plans, we also have a lot of hopes and dreams for Emily. I hope that she'll have my changeable blue eyes with Ken's dark complexion - but the odds are strongly in favor of a little red-haired girl. We hope, of course, that she'll be intelligent and talented, that she'll like to read, and that she'll learn not to follow the crowd but to be her own person. Ken hopes she inherits his obedient disposition and my bubbly personality. I hope she won't be a picky eater, but also that I won't have to eat at McDonald's three times a month.

All we really know so far is that she's an active little girl - she's constantly moving and turning and shifting positions. She seems to get a rush from chocolate, and she likes warm drinks. And she's a healthy baby...and we're very thankful for that.