Saturday, October 24, 2009

Noah's Biggest Fans

In the first week of Noah's life we were blessed beyond words by family & friends who came to stay for the week or just dropped in for a minute. Whether here for 5 minutes or 5 days, we are very thankful for the continued love and support, thoughts and prayers extended to our new family.

Our first round of "fans" arrived at the hospital about 30 minutes before Noah made his grand entrance. My mom and dad left shortly after we called them Thursday morning and made the trek all the way from Pensacola... with an extra surprise in the shape of my sister, Kelly! I knew my mom and dad were making their way up, but had no idea that Kelly was coming with them until she walked in the room about an hour after Noah was born! I was so worn out and delirious but on the inside was feeling so overwhelmed with joy and gratitude that the 3 of them had made it just in time, and were now getting to meet our boy for the first time. I am eternally grateful...





Because of the perfect timing of the weekend, Kelly was able to stay until Sunday...she left us with a fridge/freezer full of delicious food, a cleaner house (with one less mouse), and plenty new mama tips and tricks that have definitely come in handy. I think she was already plotting her return before she even left... and if she wasn't I know her kiddos were. While skyping with the Bullington kids, Wilson was sure to let us know that their Fall Break was only one full week of school away and then they would be coming to meet their new cousin. A little skyping action:




My mom and dad were able to stay a whole week with us! What a blessing/relief! And in Mama Bo and Papa Bo fashion, not only did Noah get a lot of lovin' but so did our house. You see, we live in camp-provided housing so there are some things that are a little rough around the edges. Well, my parents live for such projects and were busy updating, repairing, replacing, scrubbing, painting, installing, building, supplying, etc. the entire time they were here. Again, we are so thankful for their help and support. They snuck in plenty of Noah time though, too:



As I predicted, Chris' mama would not be able to stay away if Noah came on his own before the scheduled induction on the 7th. And I was right... he was born just after midnight on Thursday/Friday and she could hardly stand that it would be almost 3 weeks before she could get her hands on her first grandbaby. So, by that afternoon she had booked her flight and was on her way early Saturday morning. She arrived at the hospital just in time for us to be discharged and to meet Noah for the first time. Again, I planned the time so well that she was able to make it for a couple of days. She had to leave Booger behind, but he will meet Noah in about 2 weeks in North Carolina. We were very excited that she was able to make it to hold and love on our precious boy:



 Noah also met his first Uncle Matt and his first Aunt Heather (GiuGiu), the ones who aren't married to each other. This poor kid is going to be so confused, Heather & Matt who are married and Heather & Matt who are siblings. I promise, our family tree does fork even if we do live in east Tennessee...





We also had a very special stop-by from Noah's Grand-Godmother, Ann Thompson. She (and 4 other ladies) were on their way back to Florida from Luke Thompson's wedding in Michigan. We were sad that we couldn't make the wedding, but were very excited that Grandma Ann was able to stop for a few minutes and love on Noah for the first time. The other ladies (Mary, Sharon, Lois, and Cynthia) didn't seem to mind admiring him either.



I think those are all the photos of visitors that we have, but we had many more folks come by to offer their congratulations, drop off a plethora of food and gifts, and to get a look at our little guy. Allison brought us some delicious soup, listened to me ramble about the whole labor and delivery (thanks for that, it's good for my soul), and to hug the little munchkin. Several ladies from Bethel Presbyterian Church (Pat, Sue, Debbie) brought by lots and lots of gifts and soups from the Bethel family (thank you so much... you've really shown us what it means to be part of a Christ-centered community).  Dennis McCurry (Outdoor Ministry Team for CJK) generously supplied us with a bunch of diapers, wipes, and Noah's first (and maybe only) Volunteer outfits (thank you, you've made Chris' nights MUCH easier). And that only scratches the surface of the many cards, gifts, phone calls, and messages we've received over the past 3 weeks. I am slowly getting around to thank-you's and returning phone calls... please bear with me.


And for your viewing pleasure, one of our first family photos:



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