Caleb Saunders March Joins the Family

Caleb Saunders March finally arrived on March 14th, 2012 - weighing in at an impressive 9 lbs. 2 oz. and 21 inches. Caleb was named after the old testament Caleb found in Numbers - one of the twelve men sent from the twelve tribes of Israel to spy on Canaan (the land promised to the Hebrews by God). Ten of the spies returned with a report that the land would be impossible to take over due to the size and strength of the inhabitants. Caleb and Joshua were the only two to remember God's promise and trust that He would deliver them: "Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, 'We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.'" (Numbers 13:30). Caleb was later rewarded by the Lord for his devotion: "But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it." (Number 14:24). Caleb's middle name (Saunders) is Tim's middle name and his mother's maiden name. Our prayer is that little Caleb would grow to know, love and serve the Lord wholeheartedly and that he would remember the heritage of believers and prayer warriors surrounding him not only from the Saunders, but from the Marches, Richardsons and Lucianis alike.

As adorable and lovable as Caleb is, we've also learned that he is a bit stubborn and not so punctual. Caleb was originally due on February 17th, but after the first ultrasound at 8 weeks, the doctor moved the due date back to March 2nd. With the 17th in mind, we always assumed Caleb would come early - a terrible miscalculation on our part! February 17th came and went . . . March 2nd came and went . . .12 more days came and went! With much excitement, anticipation and a fair share of nerves, we awoke the morning of March 14th (the day I was to be induced). After a quick prayer with Gramps and Grammy Richardson, we hopped into the car and Tim quickly put the car in reverse.... unfortunately forgetting that my dad had parked behind our car. This minor mishap was definitely not the ideal way to start the day, but I'm certain this will someday make for a funny story (although Tim has assured me that that day has not yet come).

After arriving at the hospital, we spent the next 13 hours in labor before receiving the news that a C-section was necessary (progression had stopped and the baby was in distress with each contraction). While not the picture we had in mind of a perfect delivery, it now pales in comparison to the joy of finally delivering a healthy, beautiful baby boy at 9:00 p.m. I have never felt such instant love or been more assured of our awesome Creator as I did that first moment meeting Caleb. Nine and a half months culminating in one miraculous moment that I will never forget.

Below is a timeline of photos from when we first found out we were pregnant to our first days in the hospital and the weeks that followed as we've been getting to know our little guy. We hope you enjoy!

I can't tell if Tim is excited or downright terrified

We'll go with excited :)

Caleb's first picture