Benjamin Walter Kotecki was welcomed into the world last Wednesday night at 11:19 pm. Apparently, he was determined to be a November baby! He was born in the water, in our home, under the twinkly glow of Christmas lights and amidst the soft chorus of Christmas carols. The environment was as peaceful, comfortable and magical as we’d hoped it would be.

He tipped the scales at 10 pounds, 4 ounces, which earned him the nickname of “Big Ben,” which goes along with the other early nicknames of “B-Dub,” “Benihana,” and “Obi Wan.” Despite Ben’s meatiness, Kim’s labor and delivery was smooth and quick as well as intervention and drug-free. In many ways, it was a lot different than our experience with Lucy, which we’ve been reflecting on in conjunction with the release of our newest book.

I was reminded yet again that I married a rockstar. Kim did so great. She spent much of the last few months talking things through with our midwives, mentally preparing and visioning for a smooth labor, and relying on her faith through it all.

And Lucy is as proud as can be of her little brother. She likes touching him, holding him, and showering him with kisses. She is already talking about all the things she needs to teach him. “Flying a kite” came in at number two.

Having a water birth, a home birth, and going without any pain or interventional meds are seen as weird things to many people. They are definitely unconventional. We certainly don’t make decisions like these lightly. To be honest, it can be wearisome to be so mindful with all of these choices. Each new decision brings new questions to ask and more research to be done. The alternative is to always pick the default choice, the conventional one that every one else is doing. But as our rocking midwife Mary has said, that is akin to sleepwalking through life, and who wants to do that?

Here’s a humble suggestion: Make your decisons mindfully. Everybody’s situation is a little bit different and there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. Sometimes the tried-and-true traditional way really is best, sometimes it’s not. The important thing is to make sure you know WHY you’re making the decisions you make. Sleepwalking sure is easier, but it’s not worth it in the end.

Thank you so much for your prayers and well-wishes. You guys are the best! If you’re eager to see more pictures, go here.