Oh Henry!

As many of you may know, we now have the pleasure of introducing you to the newest member of our family, our handsome son, Henry Samuel.

Though my C-Section was scheduled for the seventeenth, by about 1:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, my contractions were only two minutes apart, and so we went into the hospital, and I was prepared for an immediate C-Section. Henry was born at 3:47 a.m. - a bountiful 8 lb. 2 oz., 21 inches long. He was taken by the neonatologists to be cleaned and examined and then moved to his room in NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Soon afterwards Joe and I were able to visit with him there, and I tell ya what - He is one handsome little fella!

And now, Joe and I are resting in our room, reflecting on the past 40 hours. What a whirlwind! But I am eager to share with you all the encouraging news we've been getting. We spoke with the neonatologist, whose name is, ironically, Dr. Ben Doctor. He's been doing ultrasounds of Henry's heart, brain and kidneys, and everything is functioning perfectly. We also met with the pediatric surgeon this afternoon as she began the steady process of compressing Henry's omphalocele back into his abdomen, which she does by wrapping it tightly with an ace bandage. She said that in Grand Rapids, they treat about a half dozen babies with omphaloceles each year, but she rarely sees such a case where the baby has no other health concerns. She was incredibly encouraging, saying that while it will likely take 2 to 3 surgeries to repair Henry's omphalocele over the next 6 months or so, the process is extremely manageable and his full recovery is promising. The surgeons will meet again on Monday to assess Henry's condition, but as of now, they're hoping to do the first surgery next week, even as early as Tuesday! Then depending on his recovery, he could be home in a matter of weeks, until he is ready for the second surgery.

As you can imagine, Joe and I are thrilled. There were a lot of unknowns coming into all of this, but it seems like many factors are falling into place to make for the most ideal situation given the circumstances. On a non-medical, more personal note - I just have to brag about our boy. He seems like such a good baby. So content. So peaceful. We love him so much and feel so fortunate to have him in our family. We can't wait for you all to meet him, but in the meantime, we'll continue posting pictures and updates on the blog. Thanks for reading, and thanks especially for praying. We're so grateful for you all.