Nathan Glen Edward

8 years ago today, God turned my sorrow into joy. Having ridden an emotional roller coaster for the previous two weeks due to my father's sudden death, I was now being driven to the hospital early in the morning by David in order to be given antibiotics for Beta Strep and then induced to deliver my third child.

It was a normal Thursday morning. My mom and sister had arrived late the night before, attended the Midweek Lenten services with us, and were now ready to watch our two oldest and await the news of number 3.

My mind was on labor and deliver. I didn't really want to be induced, yet again, like the last two times. But I also trusted my doctor. I was measuring two weeks bigger than the 40 weeks the calendar showed (Boy did I look and feel big, too!) which concerned him; plus he wanted two doses of antibiotics in me prior to delivery in order to stem the chances of baby coming down with beta strep while moving through the birth canal. And I knew what could happen with this virus as two sister-in-laws both had children in the same year who had contracted beta strep during delivery, just a couple of years prior; one of whom was really sick and whisked away to a hospital that was better equipped to care for the child. Although both children were now healthy, I knew I didn't want to go down the same road.

We arrived at the hospital at 6am, and the nurses started the iv with the anti-biotics at 7am. At 8am the doctor broke my water. All morning David and I read, snoozed, watched a little tv and talked. The nurses wouldn't let me get up to walk because the baby's head wouldn't stay engaged and they didn't want to take any chances that the umbilical cord would come down in the way. By 1pm labor still hadn't begun (which after my water breaking naturally with number 2 and no labor at all for 12+hours afterwards, I wasn't so surprised this time) so the second dose of the antibiotics were given along with an epidural and at 2pm they began the pitocin for inducing labor. It seemed my body needed a jump start one more time.

3 hours later at 5:15pm, the doctor was a bit concerned that the baby's head still wouldn't stay engaged, but I was fully ready to deliver; he therefore gave the okay to begin my final work. At 5:31pm our first born son arrived. Tears rolled down my cheeks and I couldn't keep from smiling. Our boy, our big boy, at 9lbs 14 oz and 22 inches long was placed in my arms. Oh and his head was 14.5 inches which is why he wouldn't stay in the right place, it was just too tight for him to stay where he should.

The name Nathan Glen Edward was given to him. We had always intended that if this child was a boy he would be Isaac Edgar Carl. Isaac after the great man of faith and Edgar Carl in honor of David's father who also bears that name. But after my Dad had left this world of sorrow on March 9th and was laid to rest on the 14th, we decided to change the name to what we had always planned our second son's name to be. Nathan would be in honor of King David's pastor in the Old Testament and Glen Edward in honor of my father who now worshiped with Nathan the prophet in heaven.

In two weeks my sorrow was turned into joy.

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord!

Happy 8th Birthday Nathan Glen Edward! Not only do you bear your Papaw's name you remind me of him in several ways. Like your Papaw, you love biscuits and sausage gravy, all kinds of pie, and fishing. Plus you always want to look nice, your shirt tucked in and wearing a belt, just like Papaw would have.

May God keep you in your baptismal grace until that day when you, too, may sing with all the angels and archangels and your papaw and your great-grandma whose birthday was also today, and all the company of heaven glorifying God and saying, "Hosanna to God in the Highest!"