Shelby Zarotney joined NEWS9 in 1998 and is an anchor and reporter. Shelby anchors NEWS9 Midday and co-anchors NEWS9 Live at Five and NEWS9 at Six. On November 13, 2007, Shelby and her husband Gary welcomed their first child into the world.

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PICTURES: Arwyn Sophia - 1 Month Old

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Plans Made Then Tossed Out the Window - November 29

You know how you make plans for any particular day, nothing special, but plans on how you want your day to go? So, you've got in your head the day scheduled out, then, your 2 1/2 week old wakes up and decides to throw those plans you've made right out the window.

Yep, Arwyn knows just how to do that. So I'm learning to roll with the day. And let me tell you, my days with her are completely different from the so-called "9 to 5" I have been accustomed to over the last 9 years. In the news business, you live and die by your deadline; the last report, last news update, last newscast--- whereas, being a mom, there are no real deadlines, only-- in the life of my newborn-- life necessities that must be fulfilled. It really makes me chuckle!!!! I surprise myself at how easygoing I am becoming after having had her. My co-workers would be shocked to hear that, heck, I shock myself sometimes.

Right now, I'm sneaking in this blog while little Wynnie is sleeping. She's right next to me, and as I type this, every few words or so, I glance down at her to see whether my typing is at all causing her to stir.

I've found there are quite a number of tasks I can get done around the house in the 2 or so hours she sleeps at a time. That makes me feel good-- I don't want to sit and watch soaps all day. (Although, a little secret, today I did watch almost 2 full soaps-- they're so hoaky, I have a hard time watching them, but Arwyn was a little fussy, so I waited until she went back to sleep-- takes a while)

The lesson here she's teaching me, plans were made to be broken. And right now, that's ok. I'm living in the moment, the here and now--- as long as I do that, I'll enjoy the moments when she doesn't want to be put down, when she wants to sleep right on my chest-- the moments where she wants me to hold her and soothe her. Sometimes, she bobs her head up toward mine-- now I know she can't quite see me yet, but she'll gaze in the direction of my eyes, then she'll grab onto my shirt and hold on tight. Boy those moments are too precious, I could just eat them up.

Pregnancy Stories: No Two Are the Same

You know, I think its important that as I blog, I mention often the hundreds of viewers who email me and share their personal stories with me. Stories of love, babies and heartache.

I want you to know, I take every story, every email to heart and am touched by all of them. Some bring me to tears, some give me a laugh and others make me feel so good to know we all, at some point in our lives, have been to that place where we thought "I'll never recover from this challenge," but we do, and we come out of it stronger.

One viewer wrote to me about a baby, her third baby, she had due this month too. She has 2 other children, she and her husband, and were expecting baby number 3 this fall, but due to placenta complications, the baby, at 6 months along, was stillborn. They lost their little angel.

To that viewer, if you're reading this, please know I was so touched by your honesty, by your words and sharing your experience with me. I replied to her as I'm writing now in this blog, her strength-- and I can tell it just in the email, astounds me. I've said this before, and I'll say it again, we, as parents, as adults, as caring people in this world who want to offer something to society, have a moral responsibility to take care of the children.

Life is a miracle. Some babies make it, like mine, like millions upon millions upon millions all over the world-- while, for so many reasons, others do not.

No two pregnancies are alike. Mine was not met with much difficulty or stress. I didn't even swell until the day I went into labor. But some women have terrible times with their pregnancies, some women get pregnant and never carry to term, and some women never get pregnant. I think about this and wonder, "why?" The answers are not for me to question, or for any of us to question, for that matter--- they're for us to be in awe of and to continue to have faith. God/Fate allow some pregnancies to be seen all the way through while others end-- just as some babies are born without mental or physical challenges, where others are not.

And because of this- we owe it to all children, collectively, as a community, to treat them BETTER. I'll try not to get on my soap box here.... but the other night, Gary and I were about to fall asleep, we could hear our little angel sleeping, her breathing steady and sounded like heaven--- and I began to cry.

Gary asked me, "Shelby, why are you crying? What's wrong?" To that I replied, "I was just thinking, right now, right at this very moment, there is a baby left alone, abandoned, there are children who are cold, who are being abused in some way, who are frightened, who are afraid of their own shadow because of some form of mistreatment and I can't stand it."

Before (Arwyn) those truths were sad to me--- in other words, even reporting on them was tough, but now-- being a parent myself, the thought of a baby being tossed in a dumpster somewhere absolutely brings me to my knees-- makes me instantly cry out in great saddness. Now, since we were about to fall asleep, and Gary was afraid I've have a nightmare, he said, "Shelby, you can't, you just can't think about that right now. But if you, as I do, just keep in mind, God gave us Arwyn to take care of and to love-- its our God-given duty to love and care for her-- for all the children who don't get the loving homelife that she has."

He gave me a big hug then and let me cry it out until I could calm down.

She's crying now, instead of me, I'm going to read her a story. Another Winnie The Pooh adventure.

God Bless,

Shelby Zarotney

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November 28 Natalie Pasquarella Goes Into Shelby's Home: Baby Talk With NEWS9's Shelby Zarotney

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First Week Without Dad At Home (Full Time) - November 28

Gary is heading back to work. You know what that means, yep, its me and Wynnie at home alone. Just the two of us. Now, we knew this day would come. Gary was able to spend two weeks with us at home full time and now, for at least one of us, its back to reality (only a reality with a baby in tow). I am happy for Gary that he's been able to spend so much time bonding with our angel and over the last few days, he and I talked about what we could both do to make him feel connected to us even though he would be heading off to work.

I am not afraid to be at home with her alone. In fact, we had a few hours together just the two of us last week when Gary went in to work for a meeting, our time together went well. What does concern me, is making sure Gary feels as though he's still making a connection with Arwyn, that he's still bonding with her. What I have been doing, is making sure a bottle is ready and she's ready to eat by the time he comes home, that way he can spend some one on one time with her.

Parenting is definitely a shared responsibility and I am seeing just how much my husband wants to share in the experience. I remember asking him before he left for work today, "What can I do to make you feel better? What can I do to help you still feel part of her day even though you're at work?" In the end of our discussion, we agreed to call eachother as often as we can and I would just talk about our day and let him know what she was doing.

Gary is a very passionate person, very loving, warm and giving. Since the birth of our daughter, he has just been completely taken by her, as I am sure many husbands are by the birth of their first child. When I look at him holding her, it is truly a magical site. I hate for him to miss any moments, but if I take pictures of her everyday, we'll never get our shots developed!!!! We're up to over 300 pics of her so far!!!

Arwyn and I did get some fresh air yesterday. We went out for our first walk. We were both bundled and warm, she slept the entire time and I walked my first 2 miles since having her. Needless to say, I was a bit tired and needed to rest once we got home. Its a process, isn't it, getting your baby and all her things ready before you leave? I thought, well, if she wakes up before we leave, I could feed her then she'll fall back to sleep, or let her sleep and bring a bottle with me, then run the risk of her waking up in the middle of the walk. In the end, I fed her first before we left, then changed her THEN we finally left. It was funny, because around 1:30 Gary called me and asked when we were leaving, I told him in about 15 minutes. It wasn't until an hour or so later that I called him back and told he we were finally leaving for our walk.

Our friends who have two small children, one 3 the other 1, told us, "Everything is a process. Getting up and going anymore is out the door!!! Just going for a walk will be a process." Boy, were they right!!! :) But you know, I wouldn't have it any other way.

I talk to Arwyn all the time, and if I feel like I'm running out of things to say, I read to her while I'm nursing her. This I really enjoy because it seems like she nurses better when I'm reading to her. She keeps her eyes open longer, gazes up at me and really seems to be listening to the rhythm of my voice. Most of the books have rhyming in them, so I think she likes that. Hey, its never too early to start reading to our kids!!! The earlier the better.

When Gary gets home at night, he spends his one on one time with Wynnie, and we also make it a point to talk to eachother--- about our day, about our feelings for eachother--- all the things we've always focused on, just now, we are making sure to not forget about our relationship. I know that's so important, especially when you have a baby and so much of your time and attention is focused on this new life, this new person who looks to you for everything she needs. We both feel so good inside that we can equally console her and make her feel content and safe.

She's beginning to stir!! Gotta run, but I'll log back on and blog again soon!!! Hopefully again, today. And keep emailing me!! I appreciate all the well wishes and hearing from other parents across the Ohio Valley!!! Your words are truly appreciated!!!

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1st Thanksgiving Holiday As A New Mom - November 26

The holidays are for celebrating. They are for families to get together, to break bread and to laugh about memories made and simply bask in the moments shared. Well, that's exactly what Gary and I decided to do for this Thanksgiving. If you can believe it, I was pretty dead-set on having Thanksgiving at our house this year---- yes, even though we had a week and a half old baby at home. Crazy you may say? Well, my husband would agree with that, but I told him, "don't worry honey, everyone is bringing a dish, so basically we don't have to cook, we're just opening our house to EVERYONE."

So, the family came over. My parents, my sister and my 4 year old niece, to get things started. They brought the ham, turkey, stuffing, the works!!! Ok, I supplied the rolls and drinks. I had to do something. (ha ha ha) Our dinner was at about 3:30 Thursday afternoon, then, as it has been for the last 30 or so years, it was time to clean up and get ready for the next wave of company. Every Thanksgiving, our tradition has always been to invite my dad's older sister and brother and all their children over for the evening. Now that we kids are "all grown up," as they say, we all have children (INCLUDING ME!! --YEAH!!!), the gathering just keeps growing and growing.

This year though, it was moderate, we had 5 immediate cousins, then 7 children, including Arwyn. This year, Arwyn, Sam Charles and a baby who's due in the beginning of December, are the new babies in our family. So in ages, we had, Arwyn who was 9 days old, then Sam who is 5 months and 5 other kids ranging in age from 4 to 11 years old.

I am telling you though, while yes, the house was busy, I loved it. I wouldn't have had it any other way and am so happy it worked out. Arwyn really surprised Gary and me, for she was so content the entire evening and let many of my cousins hold her. Even some of the kids held her, and she didn't make a fuss, not even one time.

So, there are 7 kids in the house, and including the cousins and aunts and uncles, 14 adults..... oh yeah, plus 2 dogs. My parents have two toy poodles, "Cocoa" and "Patches." They are adorable dogs and go everywhere with them!

The evening went so well, cameras were flashing, kids were smiling and running around, plus we buy presents for all the kids, so it becomes kind of an early Christmas for them as well. Then, around 8:30 or so, you can tell the melt-downs are coming. Its when moms and dads start getting kids into the pj's and one parent has a child in the bathroom telling him or her, "No, you can't throw cars down the stairs," or "Honey, don't hit your brother with that toy, its hard and it could hurt him." Its about that time when everyone reaches for their coats, start hugging and kissing their goodbyes and we all hope to stay in touch yet at the same time say, "This time next year Arwyn will be walking, how fast the year goes."

Thanksgiving is an event, and its one I cherish every year. Always have, as a child and now as an adult, as a parent. I love it. It feels like just yesterday I was the child, receiving the money or the presents and tearing into them like there was no tomorrow. Now, I'm that parent and am looking at the children on the floor, playing with their new toys, amidst all the wrapping paper, tape and bubble wrap flying about. Those are the moments that make me smile, the moments that nearly bring me to tears. And I can't wait for Awryn to experience them too!!!

Oh, that was just the beginning of our holiday weekend. Friday, our friends from Harrisburg popped in for a couple of hours. Seeing them is always a treasure. Then more friends from Naples, Florida stopped by and slept over to Saturday. Saturday afternoon, Gary's sister, her husband and their 2 month old came over from Columbus. This is especially wonderful for us because my niece, Isabella and our Wynnie are 2 months and 2 days apart. They, we hope, will be buddies. Needless to say, we were busy.

Every time I had a down moment, I said to my husband, "Gary, I've got to blog. I have so much to share and the days are just melting away." But with each moment that seemed like it would be a good time to write, the doorbell rang. But still, I wouldn't have it any other way.

I remember early on in my pregnancy, when we figured out when Wynnie would be born, I said to Gary how worried I was because I'm an outdoor person and she would be born in the winter. I couldn't take a newborn out to the track. But now that she's here, while I don't have her in the stroller right now, running 6 miles with me at the track, I do have a new baby here with us just in time for the holidays. Having her at this time of the year makes all these moments I've just described to you so much more magical, so much more special, so much more of a blessing.

So other than spending time with family and friends these last few days and letting them get to know Arwyn, Gary and I are really trying to soak in every moment together. We're stealing moments just the two of us, plus we're spending time together with Wynnie, just looking at her and soaking in her features, her noises, her movements. I can't say enough, how much of a blessing she is to us.

Caring For A Newborn

Ok, I think I've finally got this nursing thing down. Arwyn eats about every 3 to 3 and a half hours. Depending on whether she wakes up from her nap on her own or if we wake her up, she eats on a pretty regular basis. She does wake up once or twice during the night now. That's working out pretty well for us. Sometimes we have a bottle of formula ready in the middle of the night, that way Gary can feed her too. Its working out well that way too.

Wynnie does not like baths yet. They're sponge baths at this point, but we think its the change in temperature that she isn't especially fond of. Now, washing her face and hair, no sweat. She seems to like that. And Gary is getting better and better with each diaper changing. Poor guy, he thinks his hands are so big and he'll be too rough with her, but watching him, he's like a big teddy bear.

I heard him in the middle of the night, he was giving her a bottle, then changed her. Its the sweetest thing to hear your husband, the man you love the most, sing to your child and talk to her while he's taking care of her. For me, it makes me feel even that much more in love with him and that much more secure.

Wynnie likes to wave her arms everywhere and kick her legs, so changing her clothes can be tricky sometimes. Those long skinny legs just go back and forth, so when one comes down, you catch it and put her leg in her pants and so on for the next leg. As far as her beautiful arms and hands go, she's got long arms and long skinny fingers so I bunch up the arms of her shirts and try to get her fingers through first (gosh its tedious!! :)) and finally her arms get through. Then the crying begins to subside, because she's warm again. Its the sweetest thing, though, her cries. We love all of them. And she can cry. Our girl doesn't like to be wet and her cry indicates she's saying something like, "CHANGE ME NOW, I DO NOT SIT IN WET DIAPER!" And mom and dad oblige immediately so our little angel is kept to the accustomed treatment.

She's funny.

Changes You Face Becoming A Mother

It happens, whether you realize it or not. The --changes--. There's a love I have for Wynnie that I can't describe, I just know it gets stronger and stronger every day. I look at her and see one of God's mysteries staring right back at me. In that moment, I know something inside me has changed.

Now, Gary laughed at this, but about mid-way through my pregnancy, I said to him, "Gary, I still want us to go out and I still want us to do the things we used to do before we became pregnant." He laughed not at me, but at the fact that I was so worried about something I might lose rather than all that we were gaining in a new baby. Now, I look back on my worries and see that I've not lost the person, the woman I was before I had her, but rather I've added a new role to the person I am. I also know, who I was before and the new part of me now all live in harmony. Gary keeps telling me, "Shelby, don't worry and be fluid. God tells us not to worry. Its in the Bible, and that's exactly what I want you to do. Don't worry. There'll be a time to go out, time to take care of our family, time to go to the park, and time to have an afternoon at home. It will all work out." He always knows what to say to keep me calm. I love him for that.

These changes though, are not to be taken lightly, yet at the same time, they're not to fear either. I look forward to the changes parenthood brings. For now, I'm enjoying the little changes..... you know, like "changing" her diaper, "changing" her clothes (every time she spits up), "changing" my clothes when she spits up and it projects onto me. That's part of life. And I love this new addition of life to our family.

Thanks To Family, Friends, And Faithful Viewers

I want to thank you now, as I will over and over again as I continue to blog. Thank you to my family, Brie, Mom and Dad, Uncle Joe, Phyllis and co-workers, Michelle Zmuda and Lisa and other co-workers of my mom's, thank you to friends, Aaron, Maggie, my co-workers at WTOV and so many viewers who are reading these blogs, offering words of congratulations and sharing your stories.

Thank you so much for your support and I am excited to hear more of what you all have to say. Until I blog again, I'll be talking to you soon!!!

God Bless,

Shelby Zarotney

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The Birth Of A Child- First blog since the birth

I'm a Mom!!!!!!!!!! And I am loving it!!!!

Ok, let me go back a few steps and get you caught up on the birth of my first child, a daughter, Arwyn Sophia (Wynnie as her nickname. My husband kind of dubbed that one, and well, I like it. Wynnie, pronounced, Winnie-- but he liked the 'y' instead of an 'i'.)

Labor: Sunday, Nov. 11th I started feeling a little cramping. Ladies, those of you who've had children probably know what I'm talking about. They were those kind of annoying crampy twinges that make you say out loud, "Ok, that hurts a bit, but I can keep moving." That's what I did, my husband, Gary and I went for a walk, in fact, on that walk we bumped into my general manager, Tim McCoy and his family. We were so excited to see them and we walked over to them, I announced, "I'm in labor!," to them and said, "I feel great!" (Little did I know what lied ahead of me over the course of the next day and a half--ha ha ha)

We finished our walk-- a very slow one mind you, and I'm what you would call a bit of an exercise "freak." I love to be active, love to run, lift, all that good stuff. So last Sunday, when I was walking about at a snail's pace, my husband kept me laughing, surprised at how slow I was going and how each step was taken, as if very carefully planned. It was really quite comical.

After the walk, we returned home, cleaned the house-- just to give it a once over, for we had family coming in to help us out and you know mothers and mothers-in-law, they spot anything out of place. :)

By Sunday evening, Gary had his stop watch around his neck and was trying to time out the contractions and the rest time in between. Well, we thought they were pretty sporatic until we went to the hospital that night to get checked out and the nurse told us my contractions were 2 minutes apart, but I just wasn't feeling all of them.

We returned home, I was only 2 centimeters dialated and very much preferred to progress at home if I could rather than sitting in a hospital bed.

By Monday around noon, we returned to the hospital and at 2:30, my doctor broke my water. Oh yeah-- that's not too comfortable!!!! Breaking the bag is a no-brainer, I didn't feel that, but the pressure you feel when the doctor checks you before she breaks your water--ha!!! That's not the best feeling in the world. Again, little did I know what lied ahead of me.

So contractions really started to come on by that time and I want into what I call, "My Zone." Gary burned some music for me. Not nature sounds and a nice trickle of some brook somewhere-- oh no. I wanted "game day" music. Something with a beat I could kind of drown in.

For those of you who have experienced labor contractions and did all the breathing and focusing and meditating through them I congratulate you too!!! The contractions started off tough, but I could, if I wanted to, talk through them. I was even smiling and laughing a bit during the break periods. But, when they got to a level 6 or 7 I'd say, there was no more talking and I was so focused. Focused on relaxing, focused on, in my mind, stepping on and just plowing through those mind-blowing contractions. You know the ones I'm talking about. I met those contractions head-on and I am literally amazed at what a woman's body can do. I am amazed at how painful they are, yet at the same time, I prayed, relaxed my body and went to a place where stored up inner strength was located and then was amazed with myself by how I really tried to handle them.

Big Problem: Contractions were lasting minutes on end with about a 20 to 30 second break inbetween. The doctors told my husband, "Your wife needs to get the epidural or her uterus could rupture." That was the moment for the both of us-- though I was petrified, I certainly didn't want the alternative, so I got the epidural.

Sleep: I slept for a couple of hours, and by then it was maybe 8 Monday night. By 11 or so it was time to push and on Tuesday Nov 13th at 12:19 am, Arwyn Sophia was born.

Reaction: All I could say, over and over again was "Oh My God!! Oh My God!!!" No other words left my lips. I was and am so overwhelmed with love, amazement, joy and astonishment by this little person. She has a look all her own. And she is so beautiful. Knowing I would have her, I'd go through the whole process over again in a heartbeat. Looking at her makes me cry with such happiness. I look at her, I look at my husband and think to myself, "How could I be so blessed?"

I said to Gary, "She is on loan to us from God. Here on this earth for a brief time, as we all are. It is our responsibility to love her, guide her, protect her, help her to know God, learn about herself and the world around her." I am so glad we were picked to be her parents.

Our parents were there for the birth, so it was really a family moment. One I was nervous about at first-- (you know, having dad in the room and all) but it all worked out. My mom and mother in law helped count through the pushes, Gary was at my side, smiling at me, crying and kissing me and my dad was in the far left corner of the room, with his head down, praying. He prayed the entire time. He is where so much of my strength comes from. He is an awesome man, he taught me to pick an awesome husband, and in Gary, I did.

I couldn't have asked for a better coach for the entire labor process than my hubby. And now he has us both-- the love witnessed coming from a man who, for the first time becomes a father, well, its just miraculous. I watched him fall in love all over again-- that brings me to tears. I am so glad for him. I look at him and I'm glad for him. I'm glad God has given him an opportunity to teach a child all the things he knows. There's so much ahead and I just want to say, quite simply, giving birth to a child IS the most amazing experience and I loved every moment--- yes, even the painful, tough ones.

Getting To Know A Newborn

I've been around babies all my life, changed them, fed them, played with them, even watched toddlers as they went through the process of learning which hand they'd use as their dominant one. Plus, I have a 4 year old niece and nephew-- both of whom I love dearly and have watched grow. So, no problem, my own child-- I've got this one, with total confidence.

Wait a minute!!!!!

Ok, so she has different cries and figuring out which one means "MY DIAPER NEEDS CHANGED!" "I'M HUNGRY!" "HOLD ME I CAN'T FALL ASLEEP!" "I'M CRYING BECAUSE I HAVE NO REASON TO CRY!" Ha Ha Ha, they're all interesting and take a few days to figure out. Gary and I finally think we've mastered all the different ones....but you never know, there could be a new cry, a new problem lurking out there and this week-old child just hasn't introduced us to it yet. That's ok, time will tell.

I could watch her all day. I could just hold her and look at her. If I did that, I'd never get anything done. In fact, I'll share a secret with you.... I'm holding her right now, typing as quietly as I can-- but she's so out, I don't think she hears any of it. She may be used to the sound since at the station, I'm typing all the time.

Arwyn immediately recognized Gary's voice. I wasn't surprised, but was very happy about that. While in my stomach, he would sing to her everyday and talk to her every morning and night. So hopefully that's what stuck with her. I suspect she'll recognize some co-workers voices too, especially Eric Minor's. Since we anchor together everyday, I would imagine, when she meets him, she'll recognize his tone, too.

I notice, everyday, different things about her. As soon as she came out, the nurses put her on my chest and that was AMAZING! Looking at her-- she had her arms outstretched and her fingers spread out as if she was reaching up to the heavens. I couldn't believe how long her fingers were!! Really, her hands and fingers are so long. And people, when they see her, comment on the same thing.

Right now, its hard to tell what color her eyes will be, sometimes they look jet black, other times I think I see a little brown in them and then other times they look deep gray/blue.

Her little legs, I sometimes call her, "Skinny Wynnie," because they're so thin. Newborns' arms and legs-- man, you want to be so careful for fear you'll handle them too hard. But babies are tough though.

We've nestled into new routines, the three of us and I think we're getting the hang of this stage of parenting. So far, with a newborn you're just meeting their needs. But she knows we're here. She knows we love her. She knows when we hold her close with blankets all around her, she's warm and feels calm, content.

I'm excited to keep you updated and excited to hear back from you. As a first-time mom, I'm taking all the advice I can get, and am applying it to my situation as it warrants.

You know, it is so very true, the best thing we can give to this world, as adults, is a God-loving, productive, happy, healthy member of society. I am so thankful and proud to get this opportunity.

Children ARE a blessing...... we all should treat them as the perfect, wonderful, inspiring creatures they are.

Its 11:15 am, I really need to get a shower. By this time just a few weeks ago, I had already been up since 6:45, ran, lifted, got ready for work, attended the morning meeting and was getting ready to anchor for you, our 11:26 morning news update.

How funny a routine can change in the blink of an eye. I got up this morning (Monday, Nov 19th) at 4:30 to feed Wynnie, we fell back to sleep then got back up at 8:30 to feed her again. Well, that feeding took until about 10:15 because she likes to look around, feed, stop, feed again and just plain old take her time (sounds like her mother) then I finally got her asleep and got to blog.

Like I said, I really need a shower. Oh, its too funny!!!!:)

Talk to you soon!!!!

God Bless,
Shelby Zarotney

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It's a Girl: November 13 - Updated by NEWS9 Newsroom

Shelby and her husband Gary welcomed their first child into the world early Tuesday morning.

Arwyn Sophia was born at 12:15 a.m. She weighs 6 pounds, 10 ounces and is 19 ¾ inches long.

Shelby is resting in the hospital and tells us everyone is doing great.

Congratulations to Shelby, Gary and Baby Arwyn!

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It's Time To Blog: Oct. 3, 2007

I'm joining the ranks of those out there who are blogging online. It's new for me, but I am excited about hearing from you and sharing elements of the newest addition in my husband's and my life.

In about a month, Gary and I will welcome our first child. We are excited and overjoyed about the birth of our first baby and our families share that excitement with us.

Needless to say, our home is getting bombarded with "baby stuff." You name it, clothes, toys, pacifiers, baby cleaning supplies and so many other items. My house is being invaded by baby experts (i.e. my mom, mother in law, and other mothers who've gone before me and know all about newborns.)

Believe me, I welcome the help, the advice and tips to sneaking in sleep here and there once the baby comes!!! That's part of my personality, I consider all mothers I know as my mentors and I will be calling on them in my times of need. I'm sitting here thinking, "What does it mean to be a mother? Will I be a good mom and how will I know if I'm making a mistake?" These are all things I know I've got to take in stride, one day at a time and Gary and I, as parents, will lean on each other now just as we always have in the last 5-plus years we've been married.

Time is so precious, isn't it? When you start your day, you are always thinking whether there will be enough "time" in a day to do all the things you want to do, next to obligations like work, taking care of the house, dinner, etc. When children come along, time doesn't expand, but the needs and demands do….. so how do you fit it all in? That, too, I suppose I'll figure out.

I'll be blogging as often as I can and am looking forward to sharing with you pictures and stories from this new adventure I'm embarking on. So keep checking in and I'll keep writing.

I look forward to hearing from you too!!!

God Bless,
Shelby Zarotney

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