Eternally Grateful - Our most important post - so far

Words will never do justice to what is the miracle of bringing a newborn into the world. Prayers without number concerning the health of both mother and baby precede the moment. And then it comes. As I looked at all the nurses and doctors buzzing around, I couldn't help but think of what it must have been like to bring a child into the world 100 years ago. Even with all their help, knowledge and support, my adrenaline was pumping. I dare not dream of how stressed I would have felt if I lived in times when doctors believed in using leeches to achieve balance in our blood, and would give an extra discount if we let them include a haircut in their services. All this being said, I was much more calm this time around than I was with JT.

Well, the miracle happened and our prayers were answered. Andrew Thomas was born at July 16th at 3:57 PM after a short labor. He weighed in at 6 lbs. 2 oz. and was 19 inches long. Right off the bat, both Angie and I noticed how quiet he is. Within the first minute after birth, Angie and I stared wide-eyed at each other amazed after comparing him with JT - the infant with lungs and vocal chords of an opera singer. 11 days into his life, this has thankfully not changed (amazing what parents can notice in the first 30 seconds of life, no?). Below is a picture of Andrew getting his APGAR test, which they do immediately after birth.

And here is the video of some of the APGAR test, slightly edited (this is a family blog).


The image below is of Angie holding Andrew for the first time.
The next special moment was watching JT meet his new baby brother for the first time. Uncles Gideon and Charlie and Grandpa brought JT over to see him that evening. Below are some pics and a video of what transpired.


Other than Andrew and Angie's health, how JT responds has been my biggest concern. To lessen the blow so to speak, we bought some die-cast cars from the movie Cars that he loves so much as a present from Andrew to JT. When I brought JT over on Friday, that's what we had planned to do. Right before we left to go to the hospital however, it came to my mind how it's always better to give than to receive right? So I mentioned to JT that we might want to give Andrew a present. I suggested that we give Andrew a blankie, and immediately JT turned to his favorite blankie and most prized possession and told me he wanted to give it to Andrew. I was afraid that after a while, JT would regret making that decision, so I suggested a different blankie, one which Sandy Tanner had given us as a baby gift for JT. It's the nicest softest blankie we have, it's silk on one side, and then microfiber on the other with some dot-like forms. For some crazy reason, JT took to some generic $5 blankies as his favorites, so this other blankie seemed like a win-win situation. Anyway, when we got to the hospital, JT was very excited to give Andrew the blankie and we try to recognize it and how good of a big brother he is whenever Andrew uses it. Also, JT really liked the cars Andrew gave him.

Here is more of JT with Andrew on Friday the 18th.


Below is me getting some rest with Andrew the cuddler on Friday.All in all, we are just counting our blessings of what has happened. My 3 biggest worries are quelled thus far, but I know there is a long way to go. I've really been impressed with JT through all of this. He has displayed surprisingly few signs of jealousy and he really seems to grasp what's going on through all this. I'm very proud of him (other than last week at nursery where he made all the other kids cry - but after a stern talking to, he did much better this week). We are truly grateful to our family, friends and neighbors who have done so much to make this transition easier for us and have included us in your prayers. You are all so generous and kind! Most of all, we are grateful to the Lord, whose hand and power we recognize. May we be worthy parents of this most precious child, of whom we are eternally grateful.