A lot to be thankful for

This Thanksgiving we were overwhelmed by that many blessings in our life over the past year. Caleb and our family now being 3, was the most obvious but we are grateful for Wade's health being good, both our families living so close and such a support for us, jobs we enjoy, our HFG, and our church body just to name a few. Sarah and Joshua have waited so long for baby Caleb. But the disappointment is that he just lays there, sleeps, and doesn't sit up or talk yet. One day he will be chasing his cousins around the house. We spent Thanksgiving lunch at the Spencer's with a full spread of food and playing with Joshua and Sarah. Then, we drove to the Shields' , and enjoyed more food and family for dinner!

Dedication

On November 17th we joined about 7 other families in the deciation of our new little babies at church. This was a time we dedicate Caleb to the Lord and ask the congregation and our friends to support him as he grows up and prayerfully one day accepts Christ. Like most major events in his life, he slept. He even slept through the entire church service as Pop held him.

Playing Catch-up

I admit that my plan was to update our blog a couple times a week for everyone to see and watch Caleb grow with us. But with the little 'down time' I choose to do something else. So, for now I will try and give some update on the past month or so. He now enjoys some of his 'toys' like the safari play mat and his swing. But for him to play for awhile he wants someone to seat beside him on the floor:)

He enjoys his bath time. Wade and I often do it togethr and it has become a sweet time for all of us.

Life at Home

We have been home for over a week and a half but everyday is still an adjustment. We have loved getting settled with all the new baby toys and just realizing that it is more than 2 of us now:) We have loved snuggling with Caleb, learning to give him a bath, and taking walks together. It has been a struggle learning to nurse and being with out sleep night after night. I never knew what sleep deprived meant- I just thought it would be like in college on exam week, but I guess you just never get to sleep in the whole weekend. We had our 2 week check-up. ( We consider ourselves blessed to have such a good pediatrician! She has called us at home to check in on us and even given me her number to ask questions!) So, he now weighs 9lbs and 4 oz. and is a healthy little boy.

Birth of Caleb Tucker Shields

We want to introduce you to Caleb Tucker Shields. He was born on October 2, 2007 at 10:46 pm. He weighted 8 lbs, 15 oz, & was 20.5 in. long. He is a BIG BOY. He is named after Caleb son of Jephunneh from Number 13 in The Holy Bible. He is also named for Wade's grandfather who passed away this year, Earl Tucker.

There are plenty more pictures located at http://picasaweb.google.com/wadeandsusan04

May he always trust God, & never feel like a grasshopper with Jesus on his side.

Numbers 13:25-33 "²⁵When they returned from spying out the land, at the end of forty days,

²⁶they proceeded to come to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; and they brought back word to them and to all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land.

²⁷Thus they told him, and said, "We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.

²⁸"Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there.

²⁹"Amalek is living in the land of the Negev and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan."

³⁰Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, "We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it."

³¹But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us."

³²So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size.

³³"There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."

The Waiting Game

So we are 2 days away from our due date and waiting everyday to be our sons Birth Day. Actually, we had our practise round Saturday night as we labored until 6 minutes apart but then it all stopped. I have been daily amazed at the entire pregnancy process and even more how anticipating labor is God's perfect timing of when our baby is ready. We have our bags packed and ready by the door but now it is our turn just to wait- a game we aren't that good at. Hopefully our next post will be pictures of our little one. We are so excited to meet him and for everyone else too:)

38 Weeks- 9/19/07