Lincoln has arrived

What a week! Erin's due date was September 26th, but she was put on bedrest unexpectedly on the 12th. A few days later she had contractions 5 minutes apart for a few hours and we went to the hospital, hoping it was time...but no such luck. Although the contractions stayed regular and close for 4 DAYS the baby was not in the correct position to make labor progress. So, on doctor's orders, Erin and her mom walked...and walked...and walked...and walked. (Only the dog enjoyed it, however.) Even with all the walking, labor didn't progress. Then, after a regular doctor's appointment, we were sent to the hospital when Erin's blood pressure was elevated. Due to headaches and other symptoms of pre-eclampsia, Erin was induced on Wednesday the 19th.

Unfortunately, only the contractions progressed-nothing else. By Thursday morning, Erin was in full transition-labor contractions, but had no other progression. Andrew stepped out with Erin's dad to grab breakfast in the hospital cafeteria about 8:00, as the anesthesiologist was contemplating whether to go ahead and administer an epidural. (It looked like it could be a VERY long day...) until things drastically changed.

The baby's umbilical cord became wrapped around his neck and his heart rate suddenly plummeted. Alarms started going off, and within seconds there were multiple nurses and doctors in Erin's room. Although they tried all sorts of things, the baby's heart rate dropped consistently for six minutes and eventually was undetectable. At that point, they (literally) raced Erin to the OR. (You can ask Erin the details, but let's just say it was an ... interesting... ride down to the OR) Although they planned to put her under general anesthesia, once in the OR they were able to get a heart rate on the baby. That gave them time to give Erin an epidural (and get ahold of Andrew so that he was in the OR when the C-section began). 10 minutes later Lincoln came out crying! Erin and Andrew got to hold him for a few minutes in the OR and Erin's parents and his Uncle Barrett got to see him immediately afterwards. Lincoln was born officially at 8:47 a.m, weighing 7 lbs 6 ounces, and was 20 1/2 inches long.

We would like to thank everyone for their prayers. So far, Lincoln is healthy and perfect, showing no effects of cord compression. And, after his rather chaotic arrival he is (at least so far) a very laid-back baby! We just sit and stare at him, amazed by God's goodness. He's beautiful, with the cutest little face, a full head of sandy blonde hair...and big feet!! What a miracle.

Gaines & Shawna come to visit

Gaines and Shawna flew in to visit for a few days before driving up with us to Abilene for Michael and Karri's wedding. We had a blast. Gaines is at a very fun age - talking non-stop, and very inquisitive. He played with Major, went to the children's museum, and Andrew took him to Build-a-Bear where he got a bear dressed in a basketball uniform (strangely, with the colors of the Detroit Pistons...I think he has his uncle to thank for that.) It was wonderful to get to hang out with Shawna (who is pregnant and due at the end of January); we only wish we all lived closer. And - Mikey and Karri's wedding was beautiful. Everyone had a great time hanging out and just celebrating them.

What a great suprise!

On January 23rd, Andrew and I got the suprise of our lives when we found out we were expecting a baby! Although we were planning to start trying for a family in the spring of '08...early '07 would also work just fine. :) As much as I tried to keep the secret until I was further along, I was terrible at it - and within a few days we had already told our families, and then the news started to spread. We were thrilled, overwhelmed, excited, and nervous - probably the same things that everyone feels when they find out that they are going to be responsible for someone else's life. Our parents, on the other hand, were just plain ecstatic--and very ready for a grandchild. (My parents' first, his parents' second.) It seems like that all happened so long ago - and we've been waiting to meet him ever since.



Of course, the past 7 months have been busy. We've done the typical first-time parent things: I've read all the books I can find; woken Andrew up in the middle of the night so he can feel the baby kicking (who, of couse, won't kick on command); driven around in desperate search for a snowcone, when that was the only thing that sounded good to eat; Andrew has reworked the budget and thought about college savings plans, assembled the baby furniture, rearranged the guest room into a study / guest room combo, and put up with me "nesting" and rearranging kitchen cabinets and the pantry. We've taken the child and baby classes, and Andrew has been kind enough to accompany me on NUMEROUS trips to Babies R Us and patiently listen as I agonize over jogging strollers. We've debated over names (and almost more importantly, what nicknames mean kids could come up for potential names we like). But most of all, we've prayed, together and separately, for the wisdom to be godly parents and for a healthy pregnancy and baby. We are thankful for all of our friends that we have watched become parents over the past couple of years -their advice has already been so helpful. (And, will be more frequently sought-after, soon, I'm sure!) We're also so thankful that the baby will be born into a family where he is well-loved.



We are getting down to the wire now and are so excited to meet him. I'm due September 26th...so who knows when he will choose to arrive. But whenever he comes we, and his extended family, are ready to meet him. (We've even tried to explain things to the dog--although, Major doesn't quite seem to get it. At the moment he is much more interested in trying to chew up the stuffed animals now residing in the nursery.)



As we anxiously await his arrival, I am just amazed at how much we already love him - and we haven't even met him yet. We'll keep everyone updated!

Welcome to our blog!

Well, Andrew & I decided to join everyone else and set up a blog so that people can keep up with what is happening in our lives. (And, what is happening with our soon-to-be growing family!) While neither one of us are exactly...technology-savvy, we'll attempt to update it often with news and pictures--so check back soon!