just a week ago....

Just a week ago I woke up feeling a little funny. Just a week ago I was still pregnant. Just a week ago my heart had no idea how much bigger, fuller & amazed it would feel....

Sawyer Richard just turned 1...week that is and in some ways that seems impossible but mostly I just can't remember a time I didn't know his sweet face, pointy ears, deliciously soft skin & tiny little body. He's finally here and MORE than worth the wait for sure! It was such a whirlwind last Saturday. It's hard to even believe it happened with how fast it went, but here we are at home for a few days already when my "plan" had been to be released from the hospital today. With my kids, God has always had a plan of his own, which has always worked out just the way it should be, isn't it great to know that what we love most are in the best hands possible!??!!

I could make this a horribly long post and fill you in on every detail but I will try and give you just the cliff notes. When I woke up last Saturday I was feeling miserable and hadn't felt Sawyer move really all night. I decided to get in the shower and that's when the contractions started. Whew...I wasn't expecting to go into labor at all so it was surly a surprise, and painful at that:)! So we packed up best we could and hopped in to the car for the typical "movie style" woman in labor ride where I was screaming at Ryan that it hurt and begging him to drive faster. He started to time my contractions and when he said 45 seconds I told him to just stop...and my nerves really set in.

Thankfully they were ready for us at the hospital, got us checked in and me checked out in no time and I think that they knew that both baby & I weren't doing so well. It took forever to even find his heartbeat and when they did it wasn't so good. Before we had time to think I was being wheeled into the operating room and even my request to see my mom real quick was shut down so they could hurry and roll me out the door. He was out and in the NICU within 1 and a half hours of getting to Edwards. The staff was awesome and never made us feel like there was an emergency, they just acted fast and got him out. He wasn't breathing when he did get pulled out so they resuscitated him and sent him straight to NICU and I got finished with surgery. I got to see him really quick as I was rolled down to recovery. He was a little champ and recovered amazingly. The NICU doc told us that most babies who come out in his condition are sick for a very long time, but she thought Sawyer would be fine in just a few days. We were overwhelmed with awesome staff at the hospital who also commented on how glad they were that I came in when I did and how happy they were to hear about how well our kiddo was doing. What a blessing that he is here and safe and all is well. I can't believe God's grace in the situation and am overflowing with thankfulness for his hand in it all.

We are now safe and sound and tucked in at home as a family of 4. I gotta say, I love it! It seems like this is how it should be. There are for sure some ups and downs coming our way, but I am just feeling really positive (& tired) but positive. Griffin is doing well...this is going to be an adjustment for sure, but he is doing as to be expected! He loves his little "Brudder"...there is no doubt about that and frequently asks to hold "his baby"!

Griffin so excited for "my baby" to be home and hold him!

Daddy lovin'

My husband is a little gem. What in the world would I do without him??!!?? He has been my biggest encourager, takes Griffin and gives him extra loving, hugs me at just the right time, washes my pump stuff, cleans and puts things away, gets up to help me in the night if I need it....can I list out more??!! He is seriously an angel and I love him so much. So blessed by his willingness to serve us all as we make this transition.

all my boys...am I so lucky??!!

I think every new mom can relate to the crazy love that starts pumping through you when your baby is finally with you. I can't really explain how much in love I am with this little boy, I could watch him sleep for hours and even when I am dead tired in the night I hate to put him back in bed. I want to enjoy and remember each precious moment, as they are too fleeting already! How amazing is it that God saw fit for us to be an intimate part of this whole process, we all just feel so blessed! I could go on for hours about how much I love this little 8 pound ball of sweetness but I would rather go wrap him up in my arms so I better head out. I can't believe that my pregnancy is already over...I said I was a little sad about that to Ry, and I got laughed at since I was not a super happy camper these last few weeks:)! WHAT A WEEK it has been!! I ended up making this a long post without meaning to, so sorry....thanks for bearing through my gushing:)...and here's just a tiny preview of some pics that the hospital photographer took...I love them!!

And some perspective...

This is Ryan one more time. There was one more memory I wanted to share with all of you before closing up shop for tonight and getting some much needed rest. Sawyer was admitted to the NICU (ICU for babies) after he was born due to some fairly inconsequential problems with breathing. He is fine now, and Griffin went through the same when he was born, so we were prepared. However I wasn’t prepared for everything the NICU would show me yesterday. As I stood looking at my son, tears of joy welling up in my eyes, Sawyer’s doctor apologized to me for not coming to talk with us sooner. “I am taking care of another baby that is going to die today…” Those words echoed through my head for what seemed like an eternity wrapped up in 30 seconds and I can still play them back perfectly in my head. As I stood there thanking God for the miracle that he had brought into our lives, a mother and father stood less that 20 feet away from me, questioning the same God, asking him why, and I asked with them. I looked at my perfect son and asked God why those people weren’t going to be able to share the same joy I am sharing with all of you. I can’t tell you that I heard an answer clearly back, because I don’t think God believes we deserve an answer every time we ask why. That makes me feel many things. I am confused, angry, disappointed, sorrowful, and at the same time delighted, thankful, joyful, and blessed at the gift I have been given in Sawyer. Through experiencing these crazy emotions all at the same time, I was drawn closer to God in those 15 minutes that I have been the entire last 2-3 years of my life. Those emotions stirred my heart to seek him and talk to him, and question him and grow in him. My prayer (and I hope you will join me) is that the family of that baby would draw closer to him, that our doctor that was treating him would draw closer, and that you in your moments of pain would draw closer to God even further than in your moments of joy and thankfulness.

A Surprise Appearance

Happy Saturday everyone, or is it Sunday? This is Ryan writing for the first time. Over the past couple of months I have taken to reading a number of different blogs and so to make this more official…welcome to my first guest post. I would have rather Abbi wrote my introduction, however she is lying next to me dreaming of holding her newest born. I am staying up late, training for the triathlon of feeding, changing, and 26.2 minutes of soothing that make up infant parenting. I wanted to take this opportunity to share some pictures with you of our amazing new family member, and share a few thoughts from the day.

Our day started off a little different from the past couple. Abbi woke up and I was fully expecting to hear her say, “I slept terribly last night …the baby kept me up all night…why hasn’t he come out yet…can you believe LeBron gave up on Cleveland and went to Miami?” Okay maybe she didn’t say that last part, but a guy can dream that that would be part of his wife’s stream of consciousness right? But back to the day: Abbi rolled over to me (in between our oldest son’s screams for us to come get him out of his room…we gate him into his room…if you know him you understand why) and said she wasn’t feeling too hot. She said she was cramping a bit and felt a little nauseous, and that the baby hadn’t been moving a whole lot. I, being the calm and coolheaded one in our relationship, jumped from bed, cancelled my appointments for the day (sorry Jason, I promise I will help you with the swing set some day) and launched into a general state of panic. Abbi promptly responded by yelling at me that she was the only one that got to be nervous at which point I stuck my proverbial tail between my legs and calmly googled our hospital’s phone number…yes I was unprepared…no I wasn’t completely ready for the baby that was supposed to come on Wednesday…but LEBRON CHOSE MIAMI! Ok, not the real reason I wasn’t ready, but it sounds better than just procrastination. So post tail tucking, we gathered Abbi’s things (yes our pregnancy bag was ready to go) and headed off to the hospital.

After a number of NASCAR maneuvers that would have made Joe Gibbs recruit me on the spot to his driving team, we arrived at Edwards Hospital in Naperville. They quickly escorted us to a room where they hooked Abs up to a monitor. Before I had time to call our parents, hand our oldest off to his Grandma, get Abbi’s things from the car, and discuss the 2010 NBA Free Agency period with a male nurse, they were taking my wife into the OR to deliver our son into the world.

Sawyer Richard was born at 11:43 AM on July 10, 2010. He was born at 8 lbs 14 oz and was approximately 19.5 inches long. I wish I could tell you what the moments were like as they wheeled Abbi into the operating room and left me behind, but all I could think was “God please take care of my wife and son…” and he did just that. The next 30 minutes or so were a blur and I don’t have a lot of recollection of them, but what I can tell you is that having a child is like no other adrenaline rush you will ever feel. Our friends who have kids will understand this, but for those who don’t, wait until the time is right, but definitely do it! We are so excited to welcome the newest Eccleston into the world and thank all of you for your support and prayers over the last nine months.

We are so thankful for the gift that has been given to us today and we look forward to sharing him with all of you in the years to come. I added a few pictures below of our experiences and hope you can take even a small fraction of the joy from them that they are bringing us right now. We love you Sawyer!

the 4th!

Happy 4th of July! We usually spend every 4th of July up at Grand Beach and this year we made the trek up there for a weekend full of Grand Beach fun! The neighborhood always does a golf cart parade (which the boys rode in this year in Lighting McQueen themed float) and all kinds of other really fun family themed things to do! It'll be so fun as the years go by for the boys to spend this holiday up at the lake creating fun memories and crazy golf cart floats to ride on! I will have to post more pictures later!

In baby news, as you can see from the pic on the 4th, he's still cooking! I did wake up this morning though at 7:30 and think, in a week I will be in the hospital and he will be just about to enter this world since that is the exact time my c-section is scheduled! It's amazing! My body is SO ready for this little man to be out, but it is a lot of anxious anticipation to imagine all the changes this new babe will bring to our lives. Plus I am starting to freak out about having surgery! In a week though, it will be here and gone and we will have a new life to adjust to! We will keep you posted! We are so excited!