Flashback Friday: Joshua Bryant, Birth Day

The fertility gods were smiling upon us when we had Joshua. My due date landed smack-dab in between Randy's Pediatrics & Surgery rotations (both very busy). Randy had two weeks of Christmas break; there were no if's, and's, or but's about it-Josh needed to come then, and only then. My body was cooperating nicely and I tested positive for Group B Strep so an induction date was set for the first day of Randy's break (5 days early).

It was fun to telling people the exact date our child would come into the world. I felt like I was cheating somehow. We went to church on Sunday and then dropped Andrew off with Randy's parents that night. We got a good night's sleep and went to the hospital first thing the next morning. When we arrived at the hospital, a room was waiting for us and I was promptly started on Pitocin. What a difference from my first induction!! I was already dilated to 4 cm, and my labor was progressing a little too quickly for my nurse's comfort, so the Pitocin was turned off. We had to wait at least 4 hours for the antibiotics for the Group B Strep to do its thing. Then we had to wait for another 2 hours, I can't remember why now. I think my doctor was in surgery. Then my doctor came in to break my water and Joshers was born 3 hours later.

We still hadn't decided on a name when we came to the hospital. When I first found out I was pregnant, I wanted to name the baby Natalie if it was a girl and Matthew if it was a boy. Matthew was thrown out the window early on because it souned too much like Andrew and we didn't want to name our 3rd boy (if we had one) Bartholomew. Joshua came to me during the end of the pregnancy. Jared & Alexander came to Randy. So we took Joshua, Jared & Alexander with us to the hospital. My step-sister was pregnant with twin boys at the time and they were playing with the idea of naming one of their sons Alexander. I just couldn't do that to her-naming one boy was hard enough, I couldn't imagine trying to come up with two at the same time! (By the way, they ended up naming them Benjamin & Jackson) So, I really wanted Joshua and Randy really wanted Jared. We were dead-locked. We had to make a deal: We could name him Joshua, but if we have a 3rd son, we have to name him Alexander. I know, not a ton of logic with this one, but that was the deal and I got my way.

I was completely numb once again-that must be my lot in life when it comes to epidurals. But it took only 3 pushes and he was out! It was such an easy labor, and this was the result....

Doesn't he look like a Joshua?

His middle name is Bryant-named after Uncle Lewis Bryant

He had a perfectly round head. My doctor said he looked like a C-Section baby. I protected that perfectly round head at all costs (that statement will make more sense later).

Aparently, Randy likes to take pictures of our newly born children when they're screaming. And cold. Here he is in all his 8 lb. 3 oz & 21 inch glory. I grow them big. His cry was small and sweet-just like his brother.

Andrew looked like he was 18 compared to Josh. It was the strangest feeling for me. When he walked into my hospital room and saw me in bed, his eyes widened and he looked pretty freaked out. I'll never forget that look on his face. He ignored the baby and just played with us. Then he went back to Grandma's house for another day.

Here's Josh on his way home. I don't think they get any cuter than that.

Joshua was born 5 days before Christmas. The best Christmas present I could have ever asked for!