Introducing . . . Andrew

Our little guy was born April 8th, weighed 7lbs 11oz, and was 20.5". Labor was fine, thanks to an epidural, though long (it was an induction), and the delivery was short--a personal record of about 2 minutes worth of pushing! He looks like a blend b/w all three of my children as newborns: Lillian's mouth, Luke's hair, Sullivan's head shape, and a blend b/w Luke and Sullivan's nose. Everyone says he looks a lot like Cameron, too, but everyone says that about all of our newborns who are born with dark hair, so time will tell.

We chose a nice, classic, neutral first name that Cameron and I could both agree on, which is not easy. I was pushing for Phineas so we could call him Finn. Cameron was still rooting for Matai, which is both his and Luke's middle name. "But it makes a great first name too, Sara!" Andrew's middle name, Knox, was chosen in honor of my grandfather, John Allen Knox, one of the most neat and admirable people I've ever known.

We had several scares during this pregnancy regarding Andrew's health, one of which actually was valid. He had Wenckebach heart block, a very unusual heart rhythm to be found in a fetus, and it was considered to be a high risk pregnancy. We were lucky to live near one of the best pediatric heart care programs in the nation, MUSC, and attended weekly ultrasounds and echocardiograms for a while there to monitor his heart and make sure the condition didn't worsen. We had so many wonderful friends help us out. Luckily, after a lot of worrying and some special blessings, Andrew's heart block, (an interruption in the electric circuit which controls the rhythm of the heart) disappeared suddenly a few months before his birth, and did not return. We're so grateful for that miracle. He had a temporary heart murmur for about 24 hours after his birth, and while more common and not considered a big deal, it of course caused me a little worry, but that cleared up as well. His heart was monitored after his birth for a couple days, and he's been given a clear bill of health. We're so grateful to have him here, seemingly healthy and strong, and very sweet.

The kids have really enjoyed having a baby brother. Lillian is constantly telling me, "She's so cute!" (everyone's female to her). Sullivan just adores everything about him, and is always telling me, "You need to feed him" every time he makes a peep. Luke is a terrific and helpful big brother. Luckily, they all give him space enough that it's not overwhelming or dangerous! 4 kids feels good, and for the moment, complete. (And yes, we think we're done).

Oh and by the way, Cameron found a job here in town that he started last week, so it looks like we get to stay here a little longer after all--though we'll still be moving to a new house next month! Thanks for all the kind words and prayers for us over these last months. They've meant a lot.