Welcome Audrey Jolie Cotnoir!

Early Thursday morning, Benoit and I welcomed Audrey Jolie Cotnoir to our family. She is a precious, sweet little girl with dark hair like her daddy and curious eyes just taking in this big world. She eats like a champ and sleeps so peacefully. I'm in love with her little sighs and grunts. I could just snuggle all day! With Sophie, I was so overwhelmed I almost forgot to just take it slowly and enjoy the simple pleasures of having a newborn. I remember being so tired and unsure of myself I don't think I relaxed into motherhood for a few months. This time, I'm going to enjoy each moment - even the grumpy, sleepless ones....


Things I want to remember so far include:

• How Audrey brushed my face with her tiny, but long, fingers right after she was born while lying on my chest.


• How she calmed instantly when she heard her Daddy's voice for the first time after she was born. It was as if she just knew him and found his voice soothing.


• How proud Benoit was when he first saw her and how eagerly he watched her during her first checkup.


• How she and I fell asleep together this afternoon after breastfeeding in the bed. We just snuggled peacefully together and enjoyed mommy/daughter time.


• How tiny she is right now - she'll never be this small again. I love how curled up she is and how she just balls up in your arms. Precious.

Also, I would like to explain the meaning of her middle name. Benoit and I loved the name Sophie Belle, as Belle refers to my Southern heritage and also translates to 'beautiful' in French. For Audrey, we debated over several middle names but settled on Jolie since it also translates to 'beautiful' in French. It is a simple way to connect the sisters. We hope that both of our girls learn that they are beautiful to us and that their beauty begins from within. We've been calling Sophie 'ma Belle', or 'my beauty' for a while and now we have a 'ma Jolie' in the family. We are so blessed and thankful for it!

The first expanded Cotnoir Family photo!