Meet Kieran

On July 22, Julie, Shawn, and Nolan welcomed the newest Bowen into their family: Kieran Reed Bowen!

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All pregnancies get uncomfortable towards the end, but this one seemed particularly uncomfortable because Julie is tiny. Ti. Ny. She's one of the most petite women I know, and her hubby Shawn is six feet tall, which meant that her teensy frame had to support an awfully big belly those last few months.
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Julie happens to be one of those fortunate women whose pregnancies only show up only in their belly, so unless you were looking at her in profile, you couldn't even really tell how pregnant she was. When seated, she didn't even look pregnant. Lucky!

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Several weeks before Kieran was due, Julie began having contractions severe enough to land her in the hospital. Her hospital stay coincided with our monthly moms-only dinner, so Brooke, Sheila, and I paid her a visit. Luckily, Julie's contractions abated, and Kieran stayed put. Even more luckily, our hospital visit wrapped up in time for us to make it to dinner. I know what you're thinking: I can't believe you b*tches still went to dinner without her!
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You may be amused to know that after dinner, we left the restaurant only to find Brooke's car battery dead. Like us, karma's a bitch. But I digress... Back to Kieran!
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The day after he was born, Sheila and I drove to St. John's to meet him for the first time. At over 8 lbs, he was a big baby, and it was no wonder that Julie had been so uncomfortable. But just one day postpartum, she looked happy and on her way to recovery.
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We were all struck by how much Kieran looked like Nolan. He had Nolan's eyes, nose, and lips. In this picture, he even shares Nolan's trademark furrowed brow. But according to Shawn and Julie, the resemblance ends there, because Kieran is a calm and mellow baby. No offense, Nolan.
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Julie's own birthday happened to be the following week, and we didn't want that to be forgotten. So the day after she was discharged, we surprised her with a surprise birthday party. We festooned her home with streamers and balloons, hired a caterer and a 12-piece band, and invited Julie's 50 closest family and friends.

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Just kidding! The surprise party just a casual gathering of a few friends. There was a little cake with candles, and Shawn threw burgers on the grill. The whole time, Kieran slept peacefully in his bouncer or in Julie's arms. It was really cool to see the Bowens as a family of four for the first time.
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Congratulations, guys!