Stuart Pierce Glendinning

Well he was a bit earlier than we expected, but baby Stuart has joined us.

At 9:17 PM on November 14, 2005 he arrived. 1lbs. 2 ozs. 11.25 inches

And yes those measurements are correct. Stuart was 3 months premature. I won't go into the all the gory details but here's the gist for folks that don't know the scoop yet:

Monday evening I went for my regularly scheduled checkup. When I got there my blood pressure was very very high. The doctor sent me over to the hospital for a few tests. When I got checked in, and my blood pressure still wasn't coming down, and the monitor showed the baby's heart rate dipping, it was time for action. My doctor looked at me and said, well the only way to take care of this is to deliver the baby.

What on earth is she talking about? How can they deliver a baby at 6 months!?

What they did was to put me into an ambulance, take me to Shady Grove, and prep me for an emergency C-Section.

At 9:05 PM they took me from the room I was in to get me into the OR. At 9:17 PM Stuart was born.

He was born crying. It was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard.

Now starts the hard part. I'm home again and recuperating. Stuart is still at the hospital. He is in one of the best NICU facilities in the area, but he won't get to come home with us until next year.

God works in mysterious ways they say, and I truly believe He was with me on Monday as He has been every other day. I had no other symptoms, I was feeling fine. If I hadn't gone to the doctor that afternoon I could have had a seizure and been completely at home alone when it happened, or driving to work, or a million other horrible possibilities. He was watching over me and Stuart.

So any and all prayers for my little man and the doctors and nurses looking over him are truly appreciated. God listens.

Thank you to everyone who has already called, emailed, sent flowers, gifts, food, helped out with the dog, and generally sent your love. We love you all right back.

If you'd like to see our boy, Andy has posted pictures of him. There will be many more to come, and I'll try and write updates as much as possible. Hopefully there will be many more good days than bad ones, but each day has to happen one at a time.