2 Weeks and growing!

We made it to our two week mark and Kaden is just as healthy as we prayed and asked for. We are truly blessed with a heavy eater and sleeper.

He is in the 84th percentile for his height - He grew .7 " in two weeks.

He is in the 50th percentile for his weight - He is now back up to 8 lbs. 10 oz.

We're getting back to our original weight!

Lyneil and Andy are home!! Braxton and Brazos are more than pleased as are the McDonald's! Andy is doing great. He is such a trooper! He is working from home until January and then he will return to work. Lyneil takes him everywhere. She just pushes him around in his wheelchair and is so patient.

Brazos and Braxton both enjoy loving on Kaden!

Tuesday night we joined the Beck's at the mall to visit Santa. Kaden actually woke up for the whole process. I am sure that next year will be different for us. Maybe he'll be a little excited!

Kaden and Santa

Kaden and dad taking time with each other.

Kaden's first bath down stairs.

Kaden's test results are GOOD!

The pediatrician’s office called today and when I saw the caller id, I sat straight down. The nurse on the other end of the phone asked for Kaden’s mom, (that’s me; it seems so weird to be called “Kaden’s mom”). She reported that all of the tests were complete and we have one healthy little boy on our hands. No thyroid problem and all is well with every test that they ran! We are truly thankful.

Lyneil came by this morning and took her two boys up to the hospital and it has been very quiet here. I almost feel like I am supposed to be doing something and I keep looking around thinking about things that need to be done. All of the things that I can think of now, that can wait, are going to do just that! Kaden is down for another hour and I am going down also.

Karl should be home early today. We have our first John Deere Banquet tonight. So we get to get somewhat dressed up and go smooze with some Deere’s. I really hate it that Neil and Andy are missing this evening. I know they look forward to attending this every other year. On the even years we have our Zant Reunion in Texas. So, they will be missed as much as I know they will miss out.

Andy is doing better. He and Neil were able to help each other stand and hop to the bathroom and we have success! I know that he is in a great deal of pain and will be for some time, but he is handling it like a pro. Not that I didn’t expect him too, he is just showing me how tough he really is. Neil is doing great as well. She is still one of the toughest cookies I know. All three boys are doing great and adjusting as well as they should. God is good and we are blessed to have each other for center poles!

We are going to leave Kaden in the hands of a wonderful, caring young lady from church and I am still nervous about it. I know that she will do more than her fair share and probably a better job than I can even imagine, but just the though of leaving him for a long length of time is getting to me. I will try and post some pictures tomorrow…thanks for all of your prayers with Andy and we’ll get some details for you tomorrow!

Update on Andy

OK! If you have missed us, we are going nuts around here. Neil has been at the hospital with Andy and decided she needed to be there overnight. Andy is still in the hospital but out of surgery. He is in a great deal of pain and will be for quiet some time. We are going to head that direction after the boys wake up from their naps!

Can I just say that I am thankful for not having triplets! These boys are all so wonderful, don't get me wrong, I am just not ready for three...Neil, hope you're ready by January! Wednesday, I was lacking a little bit on sleep and patience. I tried to contain myself for most of the day, but as soon as Karl walked in the door from work, the water works went to town. I cried because I was looking at Kaden, I cried because I didn't have any makeup on, I cried because Andy was in pain, I cried because Karl was home from work, I cried because I didn't have anything planned for supper; you name it I would shed tears about it.

Finally on the way to church I pulled myself together and made it tear free all the way through worship and class! WOO HOO! Then, we stopped by to get Andy's pickup (Lyneil had an automatic started put on it for him for X-mas!) and Karl took the Beck boys to get ice cream because they asked and they have been stinking angels all day and Kaden and I headed home. I cried the whole way (probably didn't go faster than 35 mph).

My sweet husband is so wonderful. He made arrangements to be home with all three boys tonight so I can go to our Ladies Night Out kid less...what a man. He came home for lunch and helped me get the boys fed and even stopped by and picked up Braxton on his way home from work! I don't know how Neil does this every day. I definitely don't have the scheduling down, not even close!

We all slept well last night that is a fact! But, we are ready for Andy to come home (pain free as possible) and ready to have Lyneil back. I know that her boys are ready for mom and dad to be back in their bed not Andrea and Karl. They have seriously been so good for all that is going on and the fact that mom and dad are out of pocket. I am the one that can't stop the tears, they are just fine. Of course, they love seeing Karl come home because he picks them up and plays hard with them. I just read books and they help me feed Kaden!

Get well soon Andy, we need you home!

Prayer Request for Andy

Wow! What a week. Of all of the changes that we have going on right now in this one little house, we would like to add yet another prayer request. Last Tuesday, the day Kaden was born; Andy went to play basketball with his John Deere friends. He went up for a lay-up and collided with an older gentleman. When he fell, he broke his knee.

Yes, I said, he BROKE HIS KNEE. How? Well, the top of the bone where your tibia and fibula meet is one solid large bone that you can feel if you touch the outside of your knee. Andy fractured his. So instead of a solid bone at the top, his has a split all the way through it. I know this is not technical but this is the second hand information that you get!

He and Lyneil went to the doctor yesterday and then again this morning and they admitted him into the hospital this morning. He is scheduled for surgery on Thursday and to come home on Saturday. He will have a plate and bolts put in and be sore for quite some time. He was told that he would not need to put weight on his knee for two months...So, needless to say, Neil will need your prayers as well. God made her tough as nails for a reason. We all depend so much on Neil and Andy!

Please pray for a successful surgery and painless and quick recovery for the both of them! Andy said he was trying to help keep my mind off of the test results that we are waiting on for Kaden. I think I'll be busy enough with three little boys that he will accomplish his task! I am thankful for two healthy, busy nephews and one healthy baby boy, as well as one healthy (on the way) nephew!

Thank you God for mom and the tasks that she has been able to complete and the clean house that she has made for us and the time that she has been able to spend with her grandsons and daughters. I am thankful for a sleeping baby that loves to sleep most of the night. Wow, what a blessing we as a family are! Thank you God for YOUR PLAN!

More of Kaden...

I can't tell you how much I have abused and appreciated my mom this week. I don't even want to think what or how I would have handled this process without her. Karl got me through the hospital stay and he did as good of a job as one could ask for plus he took care and waited on me hand and foot. Mom has been here during the day while Karl has returned to work and not only has she cleaned the house and played with her two oldest grandsons, she has made time for Kaden. But don't forget the time she has put in with both Neil and me. She is absolutely AMAZEING. I want to be like my mom when I grow up!

Mom was holding Kaden while Karl was talking to his mom. Kaden decided he wanted to talk and mom took him over to the phone so he could tell his Grandma Cindy he loved her!

Kaden has slept from 1 am to 6 am for the last two nights. Now that I am posting about this, I am sure that schedule will change. But, for the time being he is one good sleeping baby. I have been told the bigger the baby, the better they sleep! WOO HOO!!

Mom, Kaden and me (mom...I can't wipe this smile off of my face)!

I received a phone call today telling us that Kaden's tests came back and his thyroid test came back below normal. So, Neil took Kaden and me to the doctor where we weighed in and were checked for jaundice. Then, the doctor talked to us about the test and the reason for testing a second time and assured us that either way we are going to come out on top of it.

An infant’s thyroid that is under active is much more serious than an adult with the same problem. In infants, it affects their neurological growth. So, we definitely want to stay on top of things. The only thing is, it will take a week for the results to come back. So, in the meantime, rather than worry, when I think about it, I try to take a deep breath and just say a little prayer of thanksgiving for my healthy, handsome little boy!

My precious baby boy (captured by Lyneil)...thanks!

I'll keep you updated as I find out more information. By the way, I LOVE our pediatrician!

Kaden leaving the hospital

Here's to you...

There is nothing in my mind that I can write that will be able to be compared to what loving things my wonderful husband has said. So, I will post some pictures.

I will say that I am one of the most blessed women in the world. Karl and I have so many wonderful things to be thankful for on a daily basis. Little did I know how things can change in such a short time of hearing that first cry, seeing a purple baby with the cutest cone-head, watching my husband across the room hold our baby’s hand while the nurse cleaned him up and then later watching that same man, convert into a huge Kaden lover, protector and be someone that I always imagined being married to: a wonderful man that can be called ‘Dad’. I had no idea life could hold this much meaning. He has been so supportive with me through this whole process, but seeing him handle our child is something that can’t be described. He is the most gentle, caring, helpful, loving man. He has been the best lactating coach and wants only the best for Kaden. I would venture to say that I married the best Christian man in the world, but I also hope that there are many out there that would argue. Many times I have told my mom how lucky I am to be married to such a wonderful man, and many times her reply has been; ‘Andrea, we planned it that way’! I hope that I can be the best mom and pray for my children and show them the example that my parents planned and showed me so that my children can grow to find that Christian lover God made for them.
Here’s to our children…May they be the best Christian young men and women and lead their lives as the Bible has taught us to!

Mom arrived safely today. Her flight was able to land while it was snowing and she is here safe and sound and Kaden has now met his Mama Z. Braxton and Brazos did not want to leave her at the hospital with me but Neil talked them into a deal and they said I could borrow her for a couple of hours…Thanks Braxton and Brazos!

Kaden ate up all of her time and loved every minute of it. She gave extra hugs for all of the grandparents that couldn’t be here. We can’t wait to come to Texas. I can’t wait to show off my best production yet! Life is greater than expected and I am more thankful today than I ever imagined I could be.

The Moment...

So it hit me today... the moment when you realize so much has just happened to make you one of the happiest people on earth and there was not much you did to deserve it or earn it. It is a true definition why children are blessings from God, a gift.

Today was busy; it started early at around 4 to 5am with one doctor after another making their rounds. One for a hearing test, one for general health, one for lactation... the list goes on. By noon the visits tapered off, back to nurse's care.

Today is ending where I started above... crying... happy... BLESSED. Sure, parents can be proud and I think we as children do everything to gain that pride. Perhaps a parent's most proud moment is that moment we, children, never knew. It was the moment we entered their lives, healthy, living, real. I smile with pride; I have a loving wife who has provided a healthy baby to our family and I stand in awe that God has given me the opportunity to be apart of it all.

I close with what I see now and with tears in my eyes...

Mom and Kaden sound asleep.

Pictures are worth...

As I mentioned yesterday, Lyneil came by with the boys last night and took some great pictures (I might be a little bias). Take a gander: http://www.beckboys.blogspot.com/

Thanks Aunt Lyneil!

New Arrival!!!

Thanks for your patients, my apologies.

Andrea and baby are doing great!!! We have added a baby boy to our family. He came in to our lives some time ago, but we met him today at 2:26pm. He was ready but God was telling us he needed his own entrance that would accommodate all 9lb 1/2oz and 21 inches of a boy. Yes, I (Karl) am probably most of the blame for that as I too was a 9 pounder. At any rate, Andrea and Kaden are getting more acquainted with each other (nursing). I have taken to the cheering section.

I must say, the miracle of life is truly an awesome thing to be apart of and God had it all planned out when he brought the world into existence. I know I don't have the same connection that a mother does when that beautiful child finally appears... and even at that, I am taken at how it all works. God... wow!!! What a blessing it is...

We will send more pictures tomorrow once mom has had a chance to clean up. If you ask me she looks great! What a trooper!

Lyneil has also just take some pictures she will be posting soon.

"D" Day goes to "C" Day

Andrea progressed to 5cm and has held there for a few hours without change. The experts don't normally see a change after that amount of time so we are headed in for a "C" section.

Reporting from the igloo and about to go to the colder igloo.

"D" Day

Andrea is resting and feeling well. The baby's heart rate is holding well and on track for a good delivery.

Reporting from the igloo (and Andrea is still warm).

KwM

We have set a date!

Well, Friday I had my last pre-delivery appointment. We have set a date for Tuesday, December 4th. Karl and I will head to the hospital at 9 pm to check in on Monday evening. I have been feeling very nauseas after my appointment and again today. It is sleeting here (it is white outside but there is no snow, just sleet). It is a good day to stay put and get things done inside the house. Karl is working on the church website and I am going to get some calendars done!

So, unless we make an unexpected trip to the hospital before Monday night at 9 pm we will be planning on holding our baby for the first time in our arms on Tuesday! WHOOO HOOO! I can't wait.

Lyneil and I walked the craft show last night determined that we would start the labor process before the weather moved in. But, this baby was not ready to come, just not ready quiet yet. I had more contractions while walking than I have ever had but as soon as I sit or lie down they stop completely.