On Monday we went for a follow -up doctor visit. Our doctor thought he looked yellow so he sent us to the lab for a bilirubin check. We then decided to run some errands. Mike's cell phone rang at about 2:30 pm and it was the doctor. He said that a regular bilirubin count is about 15ish, they start to get a little worried when it's around 18 or 19, and Andrew's was at 25. He said that Andrew needed to be admitted to the hospital as soon as possible. We took the groceries home, I fed Andrew, and then I took him to the hospital. 
We were checked in at 3:15pm and were there until Tuesday at 5:00pm. Since then he has had three doctor appointments and has been poked in the foot for blood three times. He had blood drawn this morning again, and his bilirubin is back up to 18.8. (It was 16.2 when we left the hospital.) They are sending over a suitcase with lights in it for Andrew to be in for awhile. Hopefully the lights will work. If not, and his count goes up again, he will have to go back into the hospital. While he was there, they had two banks of lights on him. One had four lights in it, and the other one had eight lights, plus he was on top of a blanket that was a light. So, he had a total of 13 lights. 
This is 
what he looked like. His eyes had to be covered so the light wouldn't damage them, and the bandage on his arm is his IV. 
We are thinking about starting a BORG collective. The will be 8 of 8. The morning started with Belle getting up and getting going at about 5:00am. She claims she slept last night but I doubt it. She got me up at 6:15 which is amazing that the dead can rise. Michelle's mom, Diann, was here to help with getting the older batch to school and making sure that our at home child, Aaron, was well cared for and loved. We made it to the hospital which is a complete wreck. They are adding a new wing(what hospital doesn't add a new wing each year?) and the parking is insane. You then have to walk through the maze of hallways in order to find the admitting desk. This is the fabulous place where they tell you how much this experience is going to cost upfront. They do give you 10% off if you pay up front. We then were booked into the Labor and Delivery area which I have come to learn is L&D. We are branded with the bracelets so they can tell that you belong and aren't there to swipe a kid. We then waited for 30 minutes until a nurse came in to help us. Apparently they booked 13 ladies for delivery on Tuesday. Belle got the IV a-runnin' and then came the bag of contraction starter fluid, "potatoeskin". I don't know how to spell it or say it. The whole hook up took until about 9:30 and then we started getting some contractions. At this point in the tale I would like to express my undying love and gratitude for my sweet, amazing, super, tremendous, and incredible wife. I would also like to thank my Heavenly Father for making sure I came out a guy. I don't know how women do this thing. 
I saw my sweetheart in pain for the next three hours. She was incredible and finally asked for medication at Noon. of course it takes 15 minutes for the nurse to get the drug and put in in the IV. By this time Belle and molded my hand like clay and she is at her wits end. She asks for more of the pain meds but by this time the nurses and her doc have got all the stuff put together to get this kid down the pipe and into the world. Belle give it everything she has and gets our little one almost out and then pushes so hard that she forgets to breathe and nearly passes out. At this point THE LITTLE MAN APPEARS!!! Belle's doctor puts him up on Belle's stomach for her to look but there is to much pain and she can barely see because she has almost passed out. He had his arm up on the side of his head so he has a bruise on his face and on the inside of his little arm. The nurses are awesome and get him warmed up and bawling his head off. The nurses are weighing him in at 7lbs and 3 Ounces and he is 18.5 inches long. He has a crop of hair and those bruises make him look like he has been in a boxing match. The doctor asks me to cut the cord which I have to say is a really crazy ritual to hand a father who is about to faint a pair of sharp scissors and ask him to perform a medical procedure. The doc is getting Belle cleaned up and I am grateful that I get to stay over with the nurses or I would have passed out. 
Finally the nurse brings the babe back over to Belle and the get about 3 minutes before he is rushed to the nursery for tests and other fun stuff. I get to go with him and watch them get him warm again and later I get to give him a bath and clean him up. He was not to keen on the scrub down but he really like having his hair washed. My parents showed up and got to take a good look at him and then they had to leave. At 5:30pm it was time to go and save Diann from the horde so I went home and loaded the Family into the big bus and we went to the hospital for the kids to see their bro. Aaron was a little concerned at first but he warmed up to his baby brother. All the kids got to have a hold and then they whispered to Belle what they thought the name should be. And so the day ends with me bringing 
the troupe home and getting homework and housework finished and calling my soul mate for one last thought for the night. I am moved to say that this experience always opens my eyes to the love God has for us. I looked at my dad and father-in-law and realize that we have been blessed to have the same experiences as a loving Father in Heaven. I look at my soul mate 
and my mom and mother-in-law and realize that we all married up and that being a mother in this day is an amazing challenge that is filled with blessings from above. I saw today the miracle of life and I am so grateful that God gave me this chance. Look for yourself. I happen to think this one is a keeper!!! (NAME SOON TO FOLLOW, HE HASN'T TOLD US YET)
And here is a picture of me in all my 51 inch waistline glory.
I can't believe I'm that big. I guess I should've included a sentence beforehand warning of the upcoming picture in case some of you didn't want to see that.
Here is the scoop. I went to my doctor this morning. I am dialated to a one and a half. The baby's head is down, and the doctor seems to think it will stay that way. I am going to see her again on Monday morning and she will do some things to me that my husband says I shouldn't talk about. They are labor inducing things. She seems to think that I am ready enough that this may put me into labor and I won't need to be induced. Nevertheless, I am still scheduled to show up at the hospital at 7:30am on Tuesday, March 18 to be induced. So, unless he comes on his own earlier, he will be born on Tuesday. I guess we are ready for his arrival. We have all the things we need, the crib is up, and the siblings are anxious. I don't know if I'm ready. I'm not ready to share him. I'm not ready to not feel his movements all the time. I'm just having a hard time letting go a little. I am ready to get to know him better. I'm ready to see what he looks like, and I am ready to sleep a little better. I hope he's like all my other babies. They only (on average) woke up once during the night around two or three for about a half an hour or so. I guess we'll meet him in a few days and have a lifetime to get to know him.
