But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Luke 18:16

Andrew, you have made your arrival! Much to our surprise, you decided to hold off a bit and be born on your Aunt Kim's birthday, March 23rd. You were born at 12:08am on Saturday morning, and you weighed 7lbs 6oz and were 20 1/4 inches long.  You just took our breath away when you were born you were so perfect!

Your daddy and I went to the hospital on the morning of March 22nd and checked in around 6am for your induction. We were going to try for a natural labor, but by 4pm that afternoon, we asked the doctor to break my water to get things moving along. We were ready to meet you!  Here's you mom and dad in the hospital -

After my water broke, the pain was pretty intense. I went from 4cm dilated to 7cm dilated in a couple of hours and decided to have an epidural. After the epidural, I got some rest until about 9 or 10pm when we started trying to get you to turn face down for your birth. The nurse at the hospital worked with me for two hours to get you to turn and thankfully you cooperated! I knew you were ready to be born just before midnight and you almost arrived before the doctor could scrub in! I pushed for twenty minutes and then you were born!

 Your first week at home has been amazing! Your grandmother DeeDee stayed with us for a few days after you were born and gave you lots of love and cuddles. You started losing weight before we left the hospital and got down to 6lbs and 11ounces. Your doctor, Dr. Mark Jones, thought we should supplement with formula and we're hoping that you're gaining lots of weight after that.

You look so much like your daddy right now. It looks like you have his nose, his little hair swirl on the top right side, and his chin. We're not sure who's eyes you have yet. We can't wait to see you grow and change and are loving every minute with you. This week you've started to ask for more formula (3oz every 2.5-3 hours) and I'm also trying to nurse and bottle feed you with breastmilk. You like to make lots of dirty diapers every day and yesterday you pooped all over your daddy! You love to eat and look around at everyone and you try to hold your head up to find people who are talking around you.

 Andrew we love you so much! You are more amazing that we could have ever imagined.

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Psalm 127:3

Dear Andrew,
Tomorrow we will meet you face to face. I can hardly believe that this special day is upon us. You have been all your daddy and I can think and talk about for weeks, and we're so excited about your birthday tomorrow. But your mommy is also a little sad that you won't be in my tummy anymore after tomorrow! I've loved having you with me all these months, talking to you and taking you everywhere I go, and feeling your reactions and movements throughout each day. Now I will get to see them instead of feel them.

Who will you look like?
What color will your eyes be?
Will you have hair?
How big will you be?
What will your first cry sound like?

These are the questions we have wondered for months, and we get to see all the answers tomorrow! I have prayed for and thought about the moment when the doctor puts you in my arms for so long, the moment when I can finally say "Here you are, my son." You are our destiny and you will be the most important person in our lives.

Tomorrow you will be welcomed by your daddy and me, your grandmother DeeDee, your Aunt Kobie and Uncle Tate, and your cousins, Rayli, Kasen & Lexi. They will all be anxiously awaiting your arrival! Sleep well sweet son, we have a very big day ahead of us tomorrow! I love you so much.

Love,
Mommy

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Col 2:6-7

Overflowing with thankfulness is the perfect way to describe how we felt about your baby shower. You have so many friends and family who love you SO much already! You are a testament to God's faithfulness each and every day and we love you dearly.

Your shower was so much fun! There was so much yummy food and everyone showered you with wonderful gifts! We got your BOB stroller, which I think you'll be spending lots of time in when your dad and I take you and Miles on walks along the river. I hope you love to be outdoors! You were blessed with tons of adorable clothes, blankets, hats, socks and toys. DeeDee got you your snugabunny swing and your aunt Kobie made you lots and lots of cuddly blankets for us to wrap you up in when you arrive. Your Aunt Kim and Uncle Matt got you a play yard for you to lay under in just a few more weeks! Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Rod got your baby monitor and your cousin Alexis made you an animal night light for your room!

The doctor says we have about 4-6 more weeks until we get to see your face! We are so excited to hold you!

 

Here is your shower invitation!

Doesn't your menu look delicious?! It was!

Here are all your cousins (minus Kasen), your great grandmother Jennie, DeeDee and Aunt Kobie

Grandma Sandy and Aunt Betsy talking to Melissa... she's about to have a baby, but we're not sure yet what his or her name will be!

Here is your Aunt Kim writing a special Blessing for you to read one day!

Look at that beautiful blanket your Aunt Kobie made for you!

We are praying for you!

Here are all the lovely ladies who hosted your baby shower! They love you very much! 

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. 1 Samuel 1:27

I'll never forget when we first learned that you were going to join our family! Your dad and I had been praying so hard that God would bring you into our family. We took a trip to Jackson Hole in July 2012 and that's where we found out that you had come along with us!

These are our friends that we hiked with on our trip, Laura & Kate! 

They are so excited to meet you!

You have been such an easy baby to carry, and you love to move around! You've started a play schedule that starts around 4am for most of the morning, then you like to start playing again around lunch time, late afternoon, and your favorite play time is around 10pm. I love getting to feel you move around, and your dad and I can't wait for you to be here!

Here are all of your first photos! I love that we were able to capture these images of you from the very beginning. Your daddy and I were so excited about you that we went to the doctor every week for as long as we could so that we could see you. Someday soon we'll get to see your sweet face every day!

A Miracle Begins

6 weeks 3 days

 

6 weeks 5 days

7 weeks

8 weeks

8 weeks

9 weeks

11 weeks

12 weeks

13 weeks

15 weeks

17 weeks

It's a BOY!

 

19 weeks

 

21 weeks

23 weeks