Brothers

 

Here's our first attempt at taking pictures with all three!

The boys are wearing their new Big Brother and Little Brother shirts.

(Thanks McFadden family.  The shirts fit perfectly!!!)

 

Clark loves his baby brother.  He sings to him and gently touches him all the time.  

Clark enjoys babies so much. 

 

This is Joel's first time to hold Levi.

 

By the end of this photo shoot, Levi got a little wiggly and squirmy.  Joel tried to soothe Levi by rubbing his head.  Clark started talking to him to calm him.  I have such sweet boys.

Why Levi? (joined in harmony)

Michael and I had the hardest time deciding names for our son.  We actually didn't name him until we were holding him in the hospital and after much prayer.  We wanted to name him a name that had deep meaning for our lives as well as his.  When we name our children, we consider what kind of person we hope they will grow up to be and what this child means to our lives. 

Levi was Jacob and Leah's third son in Genesis.  This is our third son.  Leah was longing for affection and love from her husband, so she hopefully named her third born a name the means, "joined in harmony."  My heart breaks for Leah, and we understand her plight somewhat.  We are at a time in our lives were we are longing for harmony in our lives.  We both have a deep desire to be in harmony with each other, our children, and our loved ones.  Lately we have had an insatiable desire to be in harmony with God's will for our lives.  We have been seeking wholeheartedly what He wants for our lives instead of having a self focused drive.  We also want our son to seek harmony with God all of his days.

Levi wasn't really a good guy in the Bible.  In the end, his father couldn't even leave him a decent blessing because of all of his misbehavior.  BUT....God uses all things for good.  Levi, who messed up so much, was the father of the Levites--the chosen people to serve God.  Michael and I have felt the sting of regret and the consequences of mistakes.  We know that our Levi will mess up as well.  But in the Biblical Levi's life we see God's amazing restorative powers and redemption that is for us all.  We plan to teach our little Levi that nothing can separate him from the LOVE of God, and our God even uses our mistakes for good.

Levi Joseph Lofton--Happy Birth Day!

 

Here we are in the operating room, right after Levi was born.

Levi Joseph was born at 9:00 am on March 16.  He weighed 8 pounds 14 ounces and was 21.25 inches long.

 

Here's relieved momma and her bright eyed boy. 

 

Proud Daddy and his yawning son

 

Happy baby with a full tummy of warm milk

 29 hours after the c-section, we headed home.  I can't stand hospitals, so we get out of there as soon as they let us.  Joel and Clark were happy to see us. Joel wanted to help with the diaper change.

Happy Birthday Party for Levi!

We stopped off and picked up a cake, balloons, and a few gifts to celebrate Levi's Birth Day. 

My four big boys.

Less than 24 hours!!!

Well... in less than 24 hours, I'll be in an operating room meeting my son!  I'm so excited and READY. 
I think I would be willing to do just about anything to have this baby.   Here's a few snapshots of our last day with just the four of us.

 

 

If I look tired, I am.  I have been exhausted for the past few months.  And I promise I feel even bigger than I look. :-)  I can't wear any of my "big" maternity clothes because my tummy sticks out too far.  I can't wait to find out how big this boy is. 

 

Joel is laying on the crib mattress in the nursery which is full of kidney dialysis boxes.  If this was my first baby, I would be panicked. But I've come a long way.  On Sunday, we discovered our crib was recalled.  So we took it down and mailed pieces of it to the company.  We should be receiving our new replacement crib in a week.

 

Here's hide and seek Clark hanging out with Grandma and Paw Paw during PawPaw's kidney dialysis.  Michael is trying to focus on work while we hustle around getting ready for the big day.

Five Days and Counting.....

Today was my last doctor's appointment before the big day. 
My sonogram indicated that this baby boy is 9 pounds and 4 ounces already at 38 weeks. The biggest concern was the amount of amniotic fluid I have.  I have an excessive amount of fluid, and it's steadily increasing.
So my doctor gave me his very strong medical recommendation for a c-section next week.  He's concerned I will not make it that long due to the increased chance of uterine rupture.  Another sweet thing he said was that I'm as large as a woman carrying twins full term.  I have to agree with him.  I am HUGE!!!!


I have struggled with c-sections every time.  But I rest knowing God is fully in control, and this is the safest thing for my baby.  As a mom, life is all about sacrifice and dying to self.  The way my child enters the world is no different. 

So Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 9:30, my third son should be making his grand appearance.

I can't wait to hear his little cry and see his face and hold him close. 

BTW
Clark was 8 pounds 0 oz. 21 1/2 inches long at 40 weeks 3 days.
Joel was 9 pounds 6 oz. and 21 inches long at 39 weeks 6 days.