In the past few days, you might have noticed my absence from Plymouth Patch and the Plymouth community.

That's because on Thursday, I was busy giving birth to my first child, Sonya Annabel Nunez. And since then, I've been busy getting to know everything I can about my new sweet daughter.

For all of you who have seen me and my ever-growing belly and have been waiting for news, here are all the details (minus the gory ones).

Sonya was born on April 14 at 11:32 p.m. at Garden City Hospital, weighing in at a strong 9 pounds and measuring 21 inches long.

Since then, I've been stumbling my way through learning what it means to be a first-time mom with a newborn in the house -- lots of feedings, lots of diaper and clothing changings, less sleep than I'd like and tons of questions. But it's all wonderful. And while I'll miss my daily job of reporting the news in Plymouth, I'm leaving the site in good hands while I take my maternity leave.

 You'll see fill-in editor Nicole Krawcke around town, continuing to report on important things such as city government, schools, business community events and more. You probably already recognize her byline and might have even met her -- Nicole has been a regular Plymouth Patch contributor since the day the site was launched. She's a dedicated reporter and will do a fantastic job reporting the news that matters to the Plymouth community.

After my leave, I'm sad to say I won't be returning to my role as editor of Plymouth Patch. I've been promoted to a new regional position with Patch where I will be helping oversee the day-to-day operations of about 12 patch sites. We are in the process of interviewing candidates to be Plymouth's new permanent editor and you can rest assured that that person will be every bit as dedicated to delivering valuable news to the community as I have been.

This isn't goodbye, as I will never truly leave the Plymouth community. In fact, I'm bringing Sonya downtown Monday afternoon to have her first visit with her doctor at the Arbor Health building. So keep your eyes peeled for me and my new little one.

And in the meantime, if you'd like to let us  know about something going on in the community, you can reach Nicole via email at n.m.krawcke@gmail.com or by phone at 313-510-1417. She's ready for your news tips, events and announcements.