Yesterday morning, I got a call from Karen.
"He's here, Mom.  You oughta see him.  A full head of blonde hair!  and he has your cleft in his chin!"

Born in the hospital where Maddie is a nurse.  She had Catholic  mid-wives deliver the baby.  He was born 9 months and 6 days after his Momma and Daddy's wedding.

All those years of ballet training must have made strong pelvic and stomach muscles because...6 hours labor, no drugs and Karen said, "she said once, 'oh--that kind of hurts.' "

One of the Mid-wives stated, "Madeleine, you were made to have babies."

Karen said it was like a birth in the olden days.

When he was born, they cut and tied the cord and put him up on Maddie's chest, skin-to-skin, and left him there for two hours.

No checking him out in an isolete, cleaning him up or putting drops into his eyes.

Just Momma, Daddy and baby.

They didn't even weigh or measure him until two hours later.

Grandma and Grandpa.  Look at my Karen.  Isn't she beautiful?  59 years old and looks like a young woman.

Then the whole family showed up.

Most of my grands and my 3 greats. 

Born only 7 months apart, he and other great grandson 

Harrison will no doubt be the best of pals.

Then in the evening, Daddy's showed up.  I don't have a photo, but there was about 10 of them.

8#  6oz.  21" tall

First blonde born in either family.

Of course, his great gramma was blonde, HAH!

His Daddy's family are pure, beautiful German's and devout (traditional) Catholics..the women always wear a head covering in church and the services are done in Latin.

There are 7 children in the family, all boys.  Each has 7 names--Saints names or Catholic names.  It is their family tradition.

So let me introduce:

Benedikt Leonel Lourdes Aquinas Anton Dominic Athanasius

I have no idea what we are supposed to call him!  Maybe Ben?