It is so exciting when you decide as a couple that you are ready to start a family. I had been desiring a baby but Heath was still on the fence always worried about whether we could afford it. Of course everyone tells you you'll never be able to afford it, just do it. I was so excited the day he told me we could consider it. It didn't take long and before I knew it, I was pregnant. We were busting at the seams to tell everyone! I was sick in the begininning with him and I remember laying in bed one day wondering why women put themselves through this misery to have a baby and why they would do it more than once? (of course, once I had him, I knew because those memories were nothing compared to holding him!) We found out what we were having with him and decided on a name pretty quickly afterward.
My pregnancy was smooth until February when Heath volunteered our home for over 20 high school kids for a Disciple Now. I was 35 weeks pregnant and needless to say it was a stressful weekend! Sunday night when it was all over and we were finally relaxing, I discovered I was having contractions. We called the doctor and they told us to come straight to the hospital. Sure enough I was dilated to a 2 and my contractions were 8-10 minutes apart. They put me on medication and bedrest until week 36 when they felt I was at a safer time to deliver. Of course at that point Caleb was content again and decided to hang out for awhile! I was still teaching and by week 39 I was 4 cm dilated, he had dropped, and I was miserable. I walked into my principal's office on Thursday and told her I was done, hoping to have a few days rest. No such luck. I woke up Friday morning and felt contractions. By lunch time I was having to breathe through them and knew it was time to go.
When we got to the hospital and I checked in, they told me that they didn't have any beds and I might have to just crawl up on the counter and give birth there! When my doctor checked me I was already at a 6 so they fast tracked me through and found me a room. We had a scare when they gave me my epidural and my blood pressure crashed. I stalled at 9 cm and wasn't complete until 9:00 that night. I pushed for an hour and a half and made no progress because his heartrate dropped everytime I pushed. At 10:30 the doctor decided it was time to get him out and we went in for a c-section. At that point all I wanted was for him to be alright. He was born at 11:01, 3 hours after his cousin was born to my sister and on the birthday of my brother's 1 year old daughter! Can't say that happens very often!
I can still remember the smile on Heath's face when he came back to the room after seeing him. He was so proud of his little boy. I remember when they wheeled him into our room and I looked at his face and knew I would never forget it. What an amazing moment it is when you look into the eyes of the baby you have been longing to see for so many weeks. It is moments like these that I wonder how people cannot believe in God?
Caleb was a great baby and brought so much joy to our home. He was all about getting things done and rolled over quickly, sat up early, got teeth long before babies should have teeth, crawled and pulled up almost simultaneously, gave up baby food and went to table food before he was a year and was running a day after walking! Phew! But we loved every minute of it and still do!
God thank You for my baby! Thank You for blessing us with Your child to love and nurture and raise in Your love! Thank You that we not only celebrated 7 years of life this year, but that we also celebrated his new life in You this year as well. Lord, give us the wisdom to counsel him in his walk with You. Thank you for his sweet spirit, his desire to do what is right and to please others. Thank you for his energy, his constant curiosity, and his love of learning. Lord bless him today and all the days ahead!
I wanted to post pictures of each year but I don't have digital pictures of his 1st, 2nd, and 3rd birthday. It is late and I don't want to hunt for them in order to scan them in. But enjoy the others!
Caleb Aubrey Lockhart - Born March 22, 2002, 11:01 p.m., 7 lbs 20 in.
4 years old
5 years old
6 years old
7 years old
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