Sept 21, 2009
What a glorious and unexpected day for the Felix family. Our little boy decided to come 5 1/2 weeks early to grace us with his presence; what a wonderful gift. Although it was scary to think he was coming so early, both Ethan and I were surprisingly calm. I guess that when you're living right and doing what you've been asked to do. . . the Lord does the rest. And that's exactly what happened:

5:00 p.m. My water broke while at church; I was about to play prelude; Ethan was so excited!
-since we weren't prepared for baby yet, we had to scramble around the house and figure out what to take to the hospital etc... it was a little hectic; I asked for a blessing.
6:00 p.m. Checked into hospital; confirmed water breaking; dilated to 4 cm already
7:00 p.m. All hooked up to chords & medicine; dilated to 5 cm; painful contractions began
8:00 p.m. Resting time; I took a nap; Eth secretly coordinated flight plans for my sister, Aubrey to come up
9:00 p.m. PAINFUL CONTRACTIONS! Finally asked for the Epidural; not fun
9:45 p.m. It took the guy 45 min to come give me an Epidural! All the while enduring the pain and trying to breath
10:30 First Epidural was in; cut the pain in half; I was pleased, but not comfortable; Epidural didn't work 100% had to try again.
11:00 Epidural #2 successfully in place; AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! No pain at all; loved it
11:30 Drained my bladder & baby dropped completely; dilated to 10 CM
12:00 a.m. Practice pushes; called Dr. Merideth; babies head was visible... time to go!
12:15 a.m. Moved me into the Operating Room by the NICU; began pushing; Ethan watching in amazement
12:25-12:46 PUSH, PUSH, PUSH! I did 3 sets of 3 pushes to get him out. Once the head made it out, Ethan got to catch the rest of his body :)

12:46 A.M. WYATT ETHAN FELIX 5 lbs. 9 oz.

12:00 a.m. Getting ready to move into the Operating Room. They made us wear these cute outfits for sanitary/safety reasons. We were so excited :)

Now if this isn't a proud father. . . I don't know what is. He was like a little boy on Christmas morning.
12:46 A.M. Baby Wyatt Ethan Felix was born. Also, to all those who haven't had a baby yet- there is NOTHING more precious and special in life then to have your little child placed in your arms for the first time. The feeling is indescribable and overwhelming. You will never fall in love faster...it's one of those things you have to experience to understand.

A very happy Mommy

Day #1: Wyatt had to be hooked up to a lot of different machines. I am so grateful for the knowledge and care we have in hospitals today.

I put the snot sucker next to him for a size comparison. He's a tiny little guy, but pretty big for a premature baby.

Monday morning: This was the first time I got to see him all cleaned up. As soon as I turned the corner and saw him there, the tears began to flow. Not because I was sad, but because I was so overwhelmingly happy I couldn't hold them in. I couldn't hold him yet, but I could place his little hand in mine.

Tuesday Sept 22, I got to hold my son for the first time. It was unbelievable. I think this picture can say a thousand words...
(Thanks Mamma Jan)

Wed 23: I got to change his first diaper!

Here's the monitor that calculated his weight and things.

Wed 23: Daddy got to hold his son for the first time. Once again, this picture says a lot about Daddy.

This is how we feed him for now- through a tube in his nose.

His precious little hand. He loves to hold Mommy's hand.

Here's one of the funny faces he can pull already. Luckily for us, he doesn't cry much they say. I don'tknow about you, but it kinda looks like he's about to cry?

KANGAROO TIME: This is a time for Mommy, Daddy, and Baby get to bond and grow close to one another. It's skin-to-skin contact for a few hours. It's wonderful and so snugly. This is basically the only chance we get to hold him for now so Eth and I take advantage of it. This procedure helps the baby to grow and develop faster as well as help the mother to heal, recover, and be comforted through the hard time. Trust me, it is hard.

On Friday we let Grandma do a feeding so she could hold baby Wyatt. She was so gitty and excited. She is going to be a great Grandma for Wyatt.

This is the first time we got to feed him through a bottle. He did really well for his first time and everyone was pleased... especially me. This is a lot of hard work for such a little guy. Way to go my son!

KANGAROO TIME w/ DADDY: Like father, like son.

Altogether Wyatt is doing pretty well. He is making little impovements every day and that's all we can ask for. He is such a good baby so far and the nurses say he's the best one in there. (As far as crying and cooperating goes) We discovered that Wyatt has a lot of Ethan's features: ears, sideburns, hair, the shape of his fingers, and his big fat toe. No joke- it's cute.

Having a baby is an amazing experience. Ethan and I are so excited to be parents and to learn and grow together. Babies and families is what brings this world together. I know this and will never deny it. We want to thank all of you for your kind and uplifting words of encouragement, as well as your love and support.We don't know how long Wyatt will be in the hospital, but we pray for his health and strength every single day. If you can all keep Wyatt and our family in your prayers we would love and appreciate it. He is truly a blessing in our life already and I am overwhelmed with the instant spirit, love, and affection that comes with having a baby. I wouldn't trade it for anything! We love you all!

We will try to keep you all posted on what's happening...stay tuned.

Much Love,
Ethan, Ashley, & Wyatt