Finley Aurora

“Find the ease…” was the mantra that constantly ran through my head during the 3-day labor odyssey leading up to our daughter’s arrival. Despite our best efforts to snowshoe, hike and dance her into this world, her miscalculated “due date” offered us the unique opportunity to experience 2 long days worth of varied induction procedures.  Although far from the ideal scene I originally envisioned, the journey that unfolded during that time was transformative, magical and beautiful beyond my wildest expectations.

I’ll save the rest of the details for a campfire tale down the line, but in the end, my water broke as I woke up on the third day, and I was able to experience the natural childbirth we’d been hoping for all along.  At a Blessing Way celebration weeks earlier, my friends had encouraged me to follow the birth process instead of attempting to control or lead the way.  I had a tremendous amount of support encouraging me to dig deep and surrender/trust in the process unfolding, and wow, what an adventure that was!

This magical “selfie” was captured while we were in the hospital by our friend Jen Groncki…

Every step of the way, amid laughter, tears and everything in between, I had a choice to “find the ease…”  It was so powerful to observe myself surrendering and flowing in this way.  Even though I was going through one of the most intense experiences of my life, it actually felt surprisingly joyful and grace-filled.  Now granted this was more of an extreme case than the experiences I’m encountering on an average day, but I had a profound realization that really, the choice is always the same.  Whatever is happening, just IS… it’s how we choose to experience it that makes all the difference.

So, it’s with hearts full of gratitude that we welcome this little lady to our tribe!  Miss Finley Aurora was born February 20th here in Sitka, Alaska.  Her much anticipated arrival coincided with a spectacular display of the Northern Lights (hence the inspiration for her middle name).  Thank you to our tribe for your  love and support as we continue to find our way with another little one in tow.  We’re continuing to experiment with the mantra “find the ease” (it seems even more relevant now with a newborn and a 2 year old!) and hope that you’ll feel inspired to try it out as well.  In the meantime, be well and happy Spring!