Well, good morning!!!

Once again, I’m fixing my hair while I type this (impressive, no?). By now, you’ve probably seen that, last night, we welcomed a baby boy into our lives! I’m getting ready to head back to the hospital this morning, but before I did, I had to update y’all since we feel like you have been right with us on this wild ride!

Here’s how it went down: yesterday morning, Roomie went for an exam at her doctor’s office on her own (she had quite the little independent streak happening yesterday and wouldn’t let me go with her). I went on over to the office to try to get some work done. Not long after that, I got a call that she had — prepare yourself — driven herself to the hospital and was in labor.

I, of course, flipped out and headed home to grab my bag and get to Labor and Delivery. We are on confidential status at the hospital (more on this below) so they couldn’t even tell me where she was! Once I finally found her, I was happy to see her sitting up in bed with a orange popsicle to keep her company.

The next few hours went by fairly quickly; the parts that stick out to me right now are her water being broken, some intense contractions and then The Medical Marvel I Shall Encourage Everyone To Fully Embrace All The Days Of Their Lives: THE EPIDURAL.

Let me just break it down for you: one moment, I had a girl laying on her side, crying in pain. A few minutes later, she was sitting up in bed talking about how good the chocolate cake on the tv looked. And that was when I understood The Power Of The Epidural.

A few hours later, the doctor came in for an exam and told us that it was time! Roomie had planned from the beginning to be alone for the actual birth so I stepped out into the hallway and spent the next little bit pacing, sitting, pacing, walking, pacing, etc.

When the doctor came out and told us that, in less than 15 minutes, Roomie had given birth to a healthy baby, I thought I would pass out! We were able to go back fairly soon after that and I burst into tears the minute I walked in that room. Baby was placed in my arms and I got to spend a few minutes talking to him.

I was so surprised at my reaction when he was laid in my arms. I spoke to him and he immediately opened his eyes and looked straight at me! Maybe he recognized my voice? I started telling him how much I loved him, how handsome he was and how long I’ve waited to see his face. He looked in my eyes the whole time and, frankly, I believe that baby boy and I had ourselves a little bonding moment.

The rest of the night is a blur as we watched him be weighed, measured, etc. through the nursery window (in case you’re wondering, the official stats are 7 lbs, 15 ounces and 20 inches long). Roomie was settled into a new room where she’ll be staying for a few days (we would normally be released today but due to some things that happened, they’re keeping her and the baby for a minimum of 2 days). There was some McDonald’s consumed, phone calls made and, finally, I got a chance to sneak back to the nursery by myself.

I just stood there, in the middle of the night, watching our baby boy move around in his little holder. I talked to him through the window for a long time last night, a conversation just meant for me and him. And I know that you think he couldn’t hear me through that wall of glass, but he and I know differently. He heard me and lifted his little arms to let me know so.

There will be a time later when I thank you for coming along with us more profusely than now, but at this moment, just know that we are profoundly aware of your prayers for us and just shocked at your outpouring of support in the last few hours. I’ve literally got hundreds of emails yesterday and this morning and simply can’t respond to them all, so I wanted to take a second to answer the most frequent questions I’m receiving:

1. What is baby’s name? We do have a name, but aren’t releasing it right now. Thanks for understanding about the sensitivity of Roomie’s particular situation.

2. I’m local and know you and would like to come by during visiting hours? We’re going to see how things go this morning and afternoon and then we’ll make a call from there on visitors. I’ll be sending out a text to those of you who we spoke with before about coming by to visit as soon as Roomie feels ready.

3. I would like to send flowers / balloons to Roomie; how do I get them there? I haven’t even told Roomie about these emails yet because she would find herself a laptop and tell you herself that you don’t need to do that! I know there are some people who really want to show love and support for her in that way, however, so I think the best thing would be to send them to her care of the Starlite office. Our office literally borders the hospital, so we will easily be able to transport them to her at the hospital as they were to arrive. If you wish to do that (and PLEASE know that she would never expect such a thing from you!), you can send them to: Starlite Ministries; c/o Amy Beth Bullard; 2251 N. Ocoee St.; Cleveland, TN 37311; p. 423.476.2727.

4. What’s next for you three? I don’t know about Roomie, but I’m planning on learning how to change a diaper today. Seems like a good place to start.