Welcome Elijah Gene!

We finally get to introduce the very special little guy we've been waiting so long for! Elijah Gene Goodwin was born on Tuesday, October 11, 2011. He weighed 7 lb. and 5 oz. and was 19 3/4 in. long. He is absolutely perfect in every way, but I'm sure I didn't have to tell anyone that.

I could tell he was going to take after his daddy from the very beginning... very vocal! Of course, at that time it was the best sound in the world. I couldn't tell at first who he looked more like, but now I think he definitely looks more like his daddy. Hopefully that means he'll get his brains from his mom :) Just kidding, of course!

It was a very long day waiting for him to arrive. I started having contractions at 4:00 that Tuesday morning, and woke Andrew around 5:30 to start getting things ready to head to the hospital. By 6:30 the contractions were strong enough that I was getting concerned about the long car ride, so we headed to Conway. We had an uneventful car ride, and I was not ready to be strapped down in triage yet, so we walked around the parking lot for a little over an hour before heading in to the hospital. That's when the day got long! After 10 hours of very intense back labor that was not progressing, we decided to start an epidural. Progressed quickly in the next couple hours, than nothing again for the following 6 hours. Elijah's heart rate had dropped a few times and they always got it back fairly quickly, but it was getting scary for Andrew and me. By 10:00 we had decided a c-section was going to be the safest way to get our little guy and they started prepping us immediately. By that time I was very exhausted and emotional, so there was a little crying on my part, but we were both relieved to know we would have him in our arms soon.

The surgery itself went very smoothly. We found out that the cord had been wrapped around Elijah's arm and neck and he was trying to come out sideways, so we were very fortunate to have taken the path that we had to get him here. We are both very thankful for my doctor who stuck with us all night even though she wasn't on call and was really a very reassuring voice that we knew we could trust through every decision that had to be made that night. Also, the nurses and the rest of the staff were absolutely amazing throughout the whole experience. I don't think we could have been treated any better! Most importantly, we had so many family and friends that were praying for us throughout the day. Just knowing so many people loved and cared for the three of us was extremely comforting. It helped us make it through the day with much more courage, strength, and faith that all would be well.

Now for the fun pictures! Elijah was absolutely beautiful and perfect from the very beginning.

I was very selfish with Elijah the night he was born. They wouldn't let me hold him until after he'd gone to the nursery and I'd been in recovery, and it was so late already! By the time they finally let me have him, I wasn't willing to let anyone else hold him. I'd recovered from my selfish fit by the next day and finally allowed the rest of our family and friends take a turn admiring our little miracle!

Andrew was, of course, the only exception to my selfishness. We decided that since I couldn't be with Elijah right after he was born, Andrew would stay with him for both of us. He was able to hold him immediately and go to the nursery with him while I was in recovery. This is one proud dad! He took excellent care of both Elijah and myself throughout the whole process. Not an easy job!

Aunt Leah's (my sister) first time to hold a baby! Nana was giving tips, but mostly they were just loving him.

I think Papa (my dad) is pretty proud as well! It's pretty hard to get a goofy grin like that to show on this tough guy's face!

There was never any doubt that this Nana (my mom) was in love from the beginning! Of course, I don't know how anyone could not love his cute little face!

 Uncle Jared (my brother) came all the way from Missouri to be here when Elijah was born. I've never seen that proud goofy face of his before, I think he's in love!

 Mamaw (Andrew's grandmother) was able to come visit us a few times in the hospital. Thanks again to everyone that helped with that! I think she's pretty excited about her newest great-grandson!

 Aunt Erica (Andrew's sister-in-law) couldn't get ahold of Elijah quick enough! She's a pro at loving all her nieces and nephews!

 Standing over mom's shoulder wasn't good enough for this big cousin! Eliza showed just how grown-up she is by taking very good care of her Eli! Uncle Jonathan (Andrew's brother) was smart and didn't try to get between the ladies and the baby, but admired him from a distance! Eli's coming home outfit was actually a gift from his Uncle Jonathan - a razorback outfit with Eli's name embroidered on it! These boys and their razorbacks...

Obviously, there are some very important people missing from these pictures! We've got quite a few more introductions to make, and I promise those pictures will be posted as soon as possible (between feedings, changes, doctor appointments, etc.)!

Thanks again to all the family and friends who have been praying for us. We love you all very much!