On Tuesday, January 24th at 5:17am, we welcomed sweet William Mark into this world! He weighed in at 5 pounds and 11 ounces, and is 18.5 inches long. He is absolutely beautiful and we feel so blessed that God would entrust us to be his parents!
A close-up of his sweet face:
Ok, the following 7 pictures were taken during and right after delivery -- don't worry, it's all rated PG, but Will is definitely "fresh!" ;) This is one of my favorites -- the view from Andy's and my perspective was priceless! As soon as he came out, Will threw his hands in the air like "I'm heeeerrrrreeeee!!!" :)
What a miracle!!
Getting examined by the NICU nurses -- these gals are absolutely awesome. We have had the best care while he has been in the NICU.
Hello world!
This one is blurry, but I still think it's sweet... poor guy! So traumatized!
On the scale! He did weigh an even 5 lbs, 11 oz... this photo was snapped before the final weight:
Dada didn't get a chance to hold him, but he did get to put on his very first diaper! Will had already peed twice all over Dr Owen and the nurses -- he probably would have weighed even more if it weren't prior to his weigh-in!
Our first family photo with Will -- we're just missing Big Brother John!
Our only close-up of Will's face before going to NICU... my camera auto-focused on my hand, but I still think his little face is too cute:
Later that morning, Mandi brought John up to visit us at the hospital! He had a great time playing with Dada, but the poor kiddo still has no clue what being a "Big Brother" actually means!
Snuggling with Mama:
Say cheese!
As for the story prior to delivery, we had NO idea or warning signs that he would be pre-term. In fact we hadn't packed a thing -- that's what the following weekend was for! Our actual due date was February 24th, so we were definitely surprised when on Monday, I started having contractions while at work. Starting around 10am, I began having painful contractions every 3-5 minutes. By lunch it was consistent at 3-minute increments and did not change with rest or hydration. I was in total denial that it was real labor, as I thought we still had a month to go! (Plus, I had to be induced when John had not arrived after 40 full weeks, so I had no reason to believe I would be pre-term.) I called my OB, Dr. Owen (LOVE her!! She is a fantastic doctor and I am so grateful she came in to deliver Will -- she wasn't even on call that night!) and stopped in. While they wanted me to go to labor and delivery at the hospital, I was still convinced this wasn't the "real thing" ...Guess I was wrong!! :)
So I was given a steroid injection for his lung development just in case, and sent away with a prescription and instructions to rest and to go to labor and delivery if it worsened. I did return to work to finish paperwork and treat a few more patients, but I did so in our pool room where I can sit for the majority of treatment. By the time I got home that night, though, I was in severe pain and realized that if this wasn't true labor, I don't know what is! ;) So we packed as quickly as we could! My brother Joe stopped by on his way home from work to pick up John and Wayne-Dog to keep them overnight. A great big THANK YOU to he and Mandi for helping us out!!
After being admitted later that night, I was able to receive an epidural (praise God!!). Then at 5:17 the next morning, we met the newest love of our lives and member of our growing family!! Welcome to the world, little one!!
Love,
Abby, Andy, John, Will, and Wayne-Dog :)
I just adore you guys!! Congrats on the new addition!
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