Gretchen posted on December 23, 2014
Our second baby boy, Andrew McLean Paxton, joined us on Friday, December 12 at 7:54am via C-section at Memorial West Hospital in Pembroke Pines, Florida. He weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces and was 19 inches long. Everything went smoothly and I was able to see him right away, and in a few hours we were resting together in the room. We spent three days in the hospital and came home on Monday, December 15.
My parents came down from Illinois for the delivery. Dad stayed a week and Mom is here through the holidays. Isaac really enjoyed spending time with them, and also liked visiting us in the hospital (he told all the nurses, "I'm gonna see Mommy!"). My recovery has been better than expected and I'm feeling great. It will be three months to heal completely, but I'm able to walk around quite a bit and do everyday things, although I can't lift anything heavier than Andrew for now.
Andrew has been a dream baby. He sleeps, eats, and poops like a champ, and is hardly any trouble at all. We keep having to remind ourselves that he's there because he's so quiet! We marvel every day at what a great baby he is.
Besides sharing a birthday with his dad, Andrew's birthday also happens to be the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico. Babies born on this day are called "Guadalupanos." So although we left Mexico, even Andrew now has a connection with the country we love.
Last but not least, Andrew is named after my grandfather Andrew (Mom's dad), who was a Presbyterian minister and a wonderful husband and father. My engagement ring is the one my grandmother wore, and every time I look at it, I think of the 54 years that they spent together and the committment that the ring represents for them and for us. Now we have another little piece of them with us.