Pictures

We are on "vacation" this week. We have traveled to west Texas to visit my parents in Big Spring! So here are just a few pictures of my sweet pea. Enjoy!

The first 4 are pictures that my friend, Kandace, took. She did an amazing job! And the last is just an iPhone pic. that I took one day.

1 Month

I can't believe my baby is already a month old! Where does the time go?

Things to remember about Nathan's first month:

•  We aren't sure how much you weigh as we don't go back to the doctor until next month but we are guessing around 9 pounds.
• You are wearing size 1 diapers.
• You are starting to grow out of your newborn clothes and can wear some of your 3 months clothing.
• You are long and skinny. A lot of your 3 month clothes fit length wise but are still a little too big around. 
• You love to smile! That toothless grin gets me every stinkin' time. 
• You are such a happy, content baby. 
• The only times you really cry are when you get your bath and are hungry. You are not too fond of bath time yet. 
• You love when people talk to you. You just smile and coo. 
• You are still nursing about every 3 hours.
• You are such a good sleeper! Some nights you sleep 5-6 hours straight which mommy loves!
• You love to sit in your swing and bouncy seat. 
• Your neck is getting stronger and stronger. You do so well at holding your head up.

Nathan, we love watching you grow and learn new things each day. You are such a joy. Your mommy and daddy love you to the moon and back!

NICU

Nathan was delivered at Mission Trail Baptist Hospital in San Antonio. We were so very blessed with the best nurses and NICU nurses. The hospital is brand new and beautiful. The NICU nurses took such good care of our baby boy. Nathan was real trooper with his feeding tube down his throat and being stuck with needles all over his body.

Here are a few shots of his stay in the NICU.

Our first family picture

Sweet boy

I love his crazy hair.

Daddy holding Nathan.

Grandmother and Nathan

Nonny and Nathan

Nathanael Louis Beasley

Before Nathan was born, I was against starting a blog as I thought no one would care or even read the posts. But now that he is here, I have jumped the bandwagon so I can record and remember these precious days. So I wanted to start with Nathan's birth story (I'll try not go into much detail!) Sorry for it being so long, I just don't want to forget!

Nathan's due date was July 17th which was on a Tuesday. I had an appointment on Wednesday, July 18 but much to my dismay I had not dilated nor effaced. Therefore, my doctor decided to induce but before we could start to induce I had to be somewhat dilated. She admitted me to the hospital that night at 5pm to start a medicine that was suppose to cause me to dilate.

Throughout the night, I had small contractions but nothing too painful. The next morning I still had not dilated. The doctor then decided to insert a "balloon" which would then be blown up to cause my cervix to open up. This was a very painful process for me. Strong and frequent contractions began immediately. It didn't take long for me to request an epidural which is the best thing ever! I was able to sleep the rest of the afternoon. The "balloon" did it's job and after a couple of hours I was dilated to a 7.

After pushing for several hours, our sweet Nathan arrived at 10:27pm. He was 7 lbs 14 oz and 22 inches long. Of course the first thing a new momma wants to hear is their baby's first cry. Nathan came and nothing. He was not crying nor breathing. The next few hours were very scary for us.

We were told that Nathan had a bowel movement during the delivery and had swallowed it. The room was filled with nurses and they rushed him to the NICU. At this point, I had not been able to hold my baby nor really even see him. We were then informed that they may need to transfer him to another hospital across San Antonio. We signed the papers to have my new baby boy transferred by ambulance to another hospital so he could receive the proper treatment while Alex followed behind. 

Thankfully they ended up not having to transfer him and was able to treat him at our hospital. We were so thankful to have both of our parents there with us to support us the entire time. They stayed with us at the hospital until 6am the next morning. We met with the on call doctor around 3am that morning. He informed us that there was a possibility that Nathan could have pneumonia so they would be treating him with antibiotics for the next 5 to 7 days.

Obviously this was a difficult and trying time for both Alex and myself. We were faced with doubts of why our son and why us. Of course, we did not expect this to happen as I had such an easy pregnancy. In the end, we knew that we worship an awesome God who is sovereign and good. We were blessed with so many people praying for us and Nathan. We really saw the power of prayer during this time.

Our good friends, Scott and Kandace, brought us this verse to hang by Nathan's bed. This verse became our strength and encouragement during the difficult times.

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10