After Holly received her epidural at 2.30am, we tried settling down to get some rest before pushing. I slept terribly...bits and pieces of sleep here and there. During one of those sleeps, though, I was awakened around 7am by the stirring of nurses and Dr. Loeb entering and leaving our room. I was VERY out of it and had to take quite a bit of time to understand what was going on. Holly was whispering to me that she was going to be pushing really soon, so, at the prompting of the nurses, I got up and grabbed one of Holly's legs to get her in the birthing position. After a half-hour of pushing, I suddenly remembered that I had wanted to record Logan's first cries, so I quickly turned to get the camera recording just as he was being born...

Logan Wayne was born at 7.31am on Nov 6th. Mom was in labor for 41 hours. We arrived at the hospital at 10pm on Nov 5th, and water was broken 20 minutes later. A long, sleepless night was rewarded with his arrival after only 30 minutes of pushing!

Mere seconds after birth.

Hols hasn't been feeling well for the past few days. Nausea and overall discomfort are keeping her from eating and drinking fluids in confidence that she'll be able to keep them down. The baby hasn't been quite as active recently either, so, we consulted the doctor, and she scheduled a non-stress test to make sure he was okay.

The monitor shows the baby's movement (based on heart rate) on the top graph, and Holly's contractions are tracked on the bottom graph. We were able to hear his heart beat and activity in the womb for the duration of the test. Holly was very encouraged to feel that much closer to him by hearing him in addition to feeling him.

The test results showed that he's quite active and responsive. He's just chilling until his time comes. :) Holly thinks he comes tomorrow. We'll see!

In honor of Halloween, here is a photograph of the Milky Way galaxy. What's cool about this photo is that it is a panorama of more than 3,000 individual photos composed by Dr. Axel Mellinger of Central Michigan University. He traveled more than 26,000 miles to places like South Africa to collect all of the digital photos. He claims this panorama is 1,000 times brighter than what we would see with the naked eye and boasts that no stargazer could see this complete image from any one point on earth.

Whew! We've made it another week. Two more to go until the due date.

The kiddo has really be plumping up since most organ development is finished, the rest of the time is spent giving him some additional insulation to prep for the colder fall weather to which he'll be introduced before long. He should be nearly 7 pounds and 19.5 inches long.

Holly has been spending her days at home trying to relax and rest. She wants to be as prepared as possible physically, emotionally and spiritually for the time when he comes. I'm trying my best to accommodate on a level higher than an "as needed" basis. Being the first time for both us, the latter months of pregnancy are proving to be anxious and longing for his coming. We are trusting GOD that He has put together this beautiful person and that He'll usher him to his new life in due time.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother's womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous--how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed. --Psalm 139.13-16 NLT