Ocho

Ocho.

I never paid much attention to that word before. It’s just a number. Number’s aren’t all that attention grabbing, you know. But now, hmm…. now it’s a bit different. Now the word “ocho” means something to me, for that;’s the number of our latest child, at least where he fits into the family line.

Little Samuel Arthur was born into this world August 5, 2013 at 11 am in the morning. He had a little bit of help to be born then. He wasn’t due until the 10th, but for medical reasons we had labor induced. He came out nice and healthy! He was pink too, not the green that we are accustomed to seeing out babies come out as. He weighed in at a whopping 6 lbs 13 oz and was 20 1/2 long.

There were many prayers sent up to our Lord for Samuel, while he was still being formed:

We prayed that he would be healthy.

There were times when he was so quiet and still, I feared that he was no longer with us. During those times of worry, I prayed that the Lord would fit me for whatever it was that lay before me.

We prayed about what his name should be.

There have been problems with the timing of the births of our children, and so we prayed about that. All of our children have been born with meconium in the amniotic fluid ( the child’s first bowel movement), and this can cause the child to breathe that contaminated fluid into their lungs. A situation that 3 of our children have done. The other 4 did not, but because they were in such water, didn’t come out as health as they could have. With Samuel, we wanted to avoid such possible problems. And so, after much prayer, we decided to induce labor.

Towards the end, I was getting so little sleep and rest, that I prayed daily, and sometimes hourly, for the Lord to carry me and to have a hold over me tongue. (To every mother who has ever been beyond tired, you know what I mean)

After the induction was started, there was about 3 hours where it looked like I might be sent home, to try again another day (for the hospital looked like it needed my room). At first I cried. I had already been going for 6 hours, and the though of starting all over again was so heart breaking! But I prayed for peace and I fully surrendered to the Lord. Whatever happened, would happen and I would submit to His plan. Shortly after this surrender, the induction began again.

Early in the morning of the 5th, around 5:45 am, Adam had to leave to cook and deliver the food to the meal sights. I was getting closer and closer to delivering this child, while Adam was still away. I prayed then, as I had been doing for the last few weeks, that Adam would make it back for the birth of his son. Time was running out and the time of his birth was at hand. 5 minutes before Samuel was born, Adam walked into the room, took his place next to the bed, with my hand in his, and I delivered this sweet little boy.

All of those prayers, along with the ones not mentioned, my Lord graciously answered.

The name Samuel means “God hears”. Indeed He does.

Welcome, my sweet little Ocho.