a baby changes everything

In 1985, during the first week of December, I went with my mom and dad to St. Mary's hospital to pick up my baby brother. He and I are both adopted. We actually went one day and he was a little bit jaundiced so we had to go home and wait one more day to bring him home! I'm sure that extra wait was a LOT longer for my mom and dad than for me. I don't remember much about that trip now except for pictures...which I might have to dig up in the near future... :)

Little did I know then that it would be 24 whole years later (pretty close to the day!) that God would bring me back to that same hospital...to bring my "little sister" to see her new baby brother - that they are adopting. :)

Lauren's family met the birthmom through a good friend and when this young girl was 13 weeks pregnant, she asked Catrina and Steve if they would adopt her baby. It has been a long pregnancy for both her and Catrina and the family! There were multiple trips to and stays at the hospital dealing with different health issues for the birthmom. Thankfully, the baby stayed strong and healthy and growing throughout the whole ordeal.

We knew the baby would be born early and time was getting closer when after the Dr's appointment on Monday, Lauren text me to say that the Dr. wanted the baby here by this weekend! I didn't find out until I woke up the next morning that the birthmom had started having contractions around midnight and Catrina took her in to the hospital around 3am on Tuesday!

Now, I just have to pause here to say that God is a God of details. :) Unfortunately, my kiddos and their mom were sick...again...so I only worked part of the day on Monday and was off on Tuesday, to help allow me to stay healthy and for them to get over what we think was a 24(ish) hour stomach bug. Thankfully, I stayed perfectly healthy.

But it worked out perfectly that I was off of work on Tuesday! As I started seeing status updates on Facebook, I wrote on Steve's wall that I was praying and to let me know if they needed me to do anything since I was off work with no plans for the day. Around 1pm, Catrina called saying Steve had just told her about my message and would I be able to run to their house when the kids all got home from school and bring them to the hospital, provided the baby had arrived by then. Yeah, that was a dumb question! ;)

It turned out that baby was taking it's own sweet time coming and for a while there was a possibility of a c-section. I ended up grabbing all three kiddos and taking them to dinner at McAllister's. After dinner we checked in with Catrina and found out that they still weren't sure what was going to happen next, so we bought some time and went to McKays, where Reegan entertained us with a joke book. ;) After checking in again, there was to be no c-section, but no one was sure just how soon the baby would get here. For a few minutes it looked like we might not get to go to the hospital at all that night! Trying to stay calm, we did what any girl in that situation would to - went to get something chocolatey at StarBucks!

After that we just headed back to Lauren's house to hang out and see what would happen next. We kept our eye on Steve's status updates on Facebook and watched "18 Kids and Counting" in an attempt to keep a little distracted. (While Josh was up in his room getting away from us crazy girls for a while... ;)

Finally, just after 9pm, after being stuck between 2 and 4 cm most of the day, we got the update that she had reached 8cm! We started to get excited all over again that maybe the kids would get to meet their new family member that night after all. At about 9:15 was the update that they were "getting the room ready". (Any one of you mom's who has had a baby knows what this means! I haven't, but have enough friends who have. :) At about 9:30 or a little before, Lauren and her dad were texting back and forth when she got the text that said "getting ready to push! gotta go!"

We could hardly sit still at that point! (Again, Josh was upstairs being totally cool about it all...he is 15 after all...)

FINALLY...a couple minutes after 10pm we got this...at just about this size...on Lauren's phone:

He was here!!!

Maddox Bennett Beck

12/01/09, 9:55pm

8lb 7oz

22 1/4 in. long

(And yes, I added a photo "modesty sticker" to the pic above...and one more below! Don't want him to hate me when he grows up and finds out I put his pics on my blog!) :)

There was much excitement at that point! Reegan just couldn't sit or stand or be still any longer and had to do a happy dance. Lauren was busy sending each picture and video clip to my phone that has a bigger screen than hers.

We were then waiting and holding our breath and PRAYING that Maddox would check out just fine and not need to be sent to the NICU as a result of some of those health issues during the pregnancy and the fact that he is technically a premie, having been born at 36 weeks. If that was the case, the kiddos wouldn't get to see him until he came out a couple days later! We soo wanted that text that would tell us to come on to the hospital!

While we were oohing and squealing over each picture, Josh calmly walks down the stairs and says, "Ok, let's go."

Um. What??

Because Lauren was sending pics to my phone, Josh was the first one to get the text saying to come quickly, so they could at least see Maddox for a minute in case he still needed to go to the NICU.

So we rushed to grab shoes, cameras, coats, ahem...directions to the hospital (!) that I was too distracted to think to look up until then! I quickly looked at a map online so I knew generally where the hospital was and Josh pulled up the map on his iphone to help me out on the way.

Steve met us downstairs since a code is needed to take the elevator up to the maternity floor.

We finally got to walk in the room to greet a grinning-from-ear-to-ear Catrina and tiny baby Max! Each big sister and brother had pretty much the exact reaction I expected... :)

Reegan was eagerly checking Maddox out, exclaiming over how tiny his little hands and feet were. Lauren's heart melted instantly which is the part that made me tear up...and still does! Josh looks cool in this pic but I knew him better than that - as did everyone else in the room! He may be a cool 15 year old guy, but he has the biggest softest heart, especially when it comes to his siblings. As Reegan was talking and Lauren was crying, he quietly looked at Maddox.....and then slowly looked up to focus intently on the ceiling...still trying to stay cool...but we could see the tears in his eyes!

You can tell in the middle picture that they had to use forecepts as baby Maddox has a bruise on his forehead. And his ear, although you can't see that in these pics. He'll recover quickly, but for now he does not like the process of hats being put on his sore, sweet little head. :(

Big sister Reegan carefully touches Maddox's tiny hand. :)

Maddox was lying under the warmer when we got there. Finally a very kind nurse came in and he got to be wrapped up snugly in a couple blankets and handed to Mommy while his first-time-big-sis Reegan watches.

Daddy and Reegan getting to know the newest Beck.

Lauren, a Very Proud older sister gets to snuggle and kiss her new baby brother. And even Josh hold him for a couple minutes...until Maddox decides to exercise his lungs and cries...at which point Josh says, "Uh, will someone take this thing?!"

Catrina says, "But Josh, it's good for him to cry right now!"

To which Josh replies, "Not while I'm holding him!!"

:}

Finally, around 11:45pm, Steve takes the three oldest Becks home and I stayed and got to hold Maddox myself for a couple minutes. Then, since I knew Catrina hadn't eaten in many hours, I made a McDonald's run for her. When I came back, she was feeding Maddox his first bottle. When she saw the food, she handed him to me so she could eat...and I got to help give him his first bottle! Very cool. :)

I think Catrina very much enjoyed being in the hospital with a new baby - without the exhaustion, soreness, etc. of labor and delivery! (Not that she wasn't still very tired, of course, but you know...!)

After I finally left, around 1:30am, Maddox decided to wake up. He had been saving his awake time just for Mommy to enjoy by herself. :) But she did share a picture.

I got to go back Wednesday night to take Catrina dinner and Lauren and I watched Maddox for a few minutes while she was out of the room. So of course I grabbed the opportunity for some more pics!

Look at his tiny feet!! Love it! :) This outfit is one that Catrina gave to her best friend 4 years ago when she had her baby. On Wednesday, Kim brought this outfit back for baby Maddox. :)

It's such hard work recovering from being born!

Don't you just want to kiss those chubby little cheeks???

Oh, but wait...

LOVE HIM!!!!

He has a head full of hair - especially in the back.

Snuggling in Lauren's arms. These pictures frustrated me only because the lights in a hospital room are SO HARSH!! Sheesh!! Thus the reason his little forehead is a little bit scrunched up...

Hey Josh, I just want you to know that I think you are pretty much the coolest big brother I know! I love the way you are protective of your sisters - and I know you will be of Maddox too. I love the way Reegan makes you laugh. I can remember you being so kind to Lauren one day when we were out at recess when she was in my class. I don't even remember what it was about...I just remember being impressed. I know you two don't always get along...but what brother and sister always do?? :) Thanks for tolerating us crazy girls the other night while we waited for Maddox!

Ok, enough embarrassing him... ;)

I think this next one might be my favorite.

Yup, makes me teary all over again! She is totally in love. Can you see it all over her face??

Lala, you will be an awesome big sister. You already are. :)

Congratulations, Beck family!! Maddox is beautiful. I am so thankful that God has been faithful through this whole process and given you the strength and energy each of you needed at each step of the way. I am also so thankful that his birthmom, like my birthmom, loved him so much that she was willing to go through a rough 9 months and give him to you at the end. I am praying that she will stay as strong as she has been and will continue to feel peace about her decision and will recover quickly.

Now, enjoy your precious Christmas gift and let him remind you of the Most Precious Christmas Gift Who was born in a manger so long ago.

Rebekah...I'm praying that you will be next!! :)