Holding that sweet little baby in my arms for the first time was a beautiful moment. Joshua was so alert - he opened his baby blue eyes and looked straight into mine. What an angel!
How Joshua Keith got his name:
We knew early on that we wanted to name Joshua after his uncle Keith. Keith is an awesome uncle. He loves to be with the kids. Every time I let him know another one is on the way he says, "So how many is that now...?" and he always knows the answer. Keith is also a wonderful role model for little Joshua. Keith is so kind and loving and gentle. He is able to find joy and laughter in life. I hope that Joshua will grow up to have these qualities.
As for the name Joshua...well...that took a bit more time to come up with. We had three boys in our family prior to his arrival: Gabriel, Simon, and Oliver. Each of them were named for different reasons yet they each have a person from the scriptures with their same name that they can emulate. I wanted the same for Joshua. His name first came to me when I was at Six Flags with the kids over the summer. I had HOURS to sit around while they swam and the name Joshua Keith was one that came to mind. Allen was in New Mexico with Gabriel camping so I had to wait a couple of weeks to run it past him...but I shared it with the kids and they all liked it. It took until after the baby was born for Allen and I to finally commit to the name...as is the case with most of our children. The prophet Joshua in the Old Testament is a good example for our little Joshua. He was humble and patient and obedient to the Lord - even when he didn't fully understand. Those are more good qualities I hope my Joshua will grow to possess.
The stats:
Born October 25, 2010 at 6:07 a.m.
Weight 6lbs 2oz
Height 19 3/4 inches
This was such an easy and enjoyable birth. We actually got to the hospital in time for an epidural...which makes a world of difference and I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone. (Last chance for one of those was with Katrina 13 years and 4 kids prior.) After Joshua was born I commented to Allen that it would have been great for all my deliveries to have been this enjoyable. Now that I knew it was possible I could do this again....He got a rather frightened look on his face and said very firmly, "No". So I changed my comment to, "This was a great way to finish". He liked that better.
I went into labor around midnight. The contractions came so suddenly and so strong that withing the first 30 minutes I felt like I was going to explode and have the baby sitting in the rocking chair. Guess my bag of water was bulging and could have burst. Thankfully it didn't. After arriving at the hospital things began to slow down, especially after the epidural. If the nurse hadn't documented my initial condition I doubt the doctor would have believed I was in progressive labor. Course, since I was already on the epidural it was too late to turn back. My contractions from there on were so sporadic and I was feeling no pain so it was actually a surprise when the nurse discovered that I was fully dilated and could allow this baby to enter the world. We both wondered how long I had been at that stage. Definitely not a "normal" delivery for me.
Joshua also broke the mold by waiting until almost 39 weeks to be born. He and Amelia were the only ones to do this. Guess the more I had the better I was at keeping them in longer. Since he was still so little I was grateful that he waited a bit before coming.
I loved this photo. I love the way the light hits his hair and his tiny fingernails and makes him glow.
I held Joshua for hours during our short hospital stay. He would snuggle next to me and sleep and I would just look at him. He felt most secure when he was all bundled up and he would hold his little fists closed tightly and up under his chin. (He's two months old now and still balls up his little fists to let me know he is tired and ready for a nap.)
Joshua had many excited, but very well behaved visitors to hold and love him! Amelia was happy when she learned we could take this new baby home. We had practiced being around other babies for a bit - but this one was actually ours and we could keep him.
Hanging out with his loving sisters.
The brothers - bringing the boy count to 4. As the boys repeatedly told me, that means that they win.
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