Theodore Jonah Michael Scott

Rachel and I are proud to introduce our 8th child and 3rd son…

Theodore Jonah Michael Scott. 

Born:  June 13, 2018
Time: 10:09am Eastern
Weight: 7 lb 11 oz
Length: 20 inches

Baby Theo made his way into this world on his paternal grandmother's 78th birthday!  

As a family with so many children, we had A LOT of input for what we should name baby brother.  Although Rachel and I reserved final naming rights, we definitely sought our childrens' input.  We chose Theodore because...

Theodore was his paternal grandfather's middle name.  We name him in honor of a man who faithfully led his family such that all 6 of his children proclaim Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Theodore means "God's gift," and this little boy certainly is a gift to our family. 

Jonah has special meaning to Rachel and me since we learned we were having a child with DS.  Sometimes the Lord calls you to a place you wouldn't choose to go, but when you travel that path He can work in amazing ways. We love this little guy and hope the Lord uses Him in mighty ways now and in the future.  In addition, Jonah was the name of a special young man who grew up in our church with our oldest daughters, is a favorite of our little ones (gave them candy all the time) and always called Rachel 'mom'  

Michael means "who is like God?" and is a name Rachel has always loved not only for its biblical meaning but also because many special people from her childhood had that name. Our youngest children lobbied hard for this name spurred on by AJ (ask him if you are curious!).  We wanted to honor their excitement in helping name their brother.  

First Kiss

Rachel delivered Baby Theo via C-Section.  He came out face up with 'jazz hands', gave one cry, and then went silent.  Although his heart rate was good and he was breathing on his own, he wasn't quite strong enough to cry loudly and move whatever needs to be moved out of his lungs through that crying process.  So, he got supplemental oxygen and earned himself a trip to the NICU where he will remain until he is strong enough to go to the main floor.  

Once in the NICU, the doctors ran a battery of tests and found some fluid on his lungs, some pulmonary hypertension, and a low enough platelet count (needed for blood clotting) that he received a platelet transfusion.  A number of these kinds of things happen in little ones with DS.  Sometimes these things work themselves out in a few days; sometimes they require more treatment.  So, we ask that you pray prayers of healing and strength for our little boy.  

Before all the test results came back and the doctors recommended he be given space and quiet time until tomorrow, Rachel was able to connect with Theo....

I cannot begin to explain how much I love those photos.  

By late afternoon, the rest of our children (minus Sarah who is still in Chile on a year long exchange) came to the hospital to meet their baby brother.  Since he is in the NICU, the kids could only come in 2 at a time.  They were SO excited, and I got wonderful videos of our younger ones' wide-eyed faces meeting little Theo. The nurses broke the 'no more than 4 people in the NICU room' rule, and what a blessing to be able to have a photo like this:

Thank you in advance for your thoughts and prayers.  

Welcome to the world little Theo!  You are much loved.

Love,

Daddy and Mommy

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Other photos from the day...

Arrival at the hospital (after initially going to the wrong one!)  LOL

Just before Rachel headed to the operating room...

One of the wonderful things about this birth is that the hospital allowed one other person to be in the operating room with us. Since our daughter Hayleigh was on life support when Isaiah was born and remembers nothing of his birth, she got the honor.  What an amazing blessing this ended up being....

Namesake Jonah and Rachel...

Family picture including Jonah is below.  My sister asked who was the girl between Vienna and Hayleigh.  That would be Bethany who joined our family last year during her Senior year of high school (we were her legal guardians), and she is now stuck with us as we will not let her go - we all love her!   Sarah was with us in spirit from Chile, and AJ is holding her picture.

Birthday hiccups...

https://youtu.be/w45T9lwOpbo

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