Caleb Thomas Wood was born this (August 3, 2005) Wednesday at 9:37 am. He is 7 lbs. 7 oz., 19.5 inches long, 14.5 inch head...and as cute as a bug in a rug (whatever the heck that means).

    Warning: Expecting mothers may not want to read the following graphic description of labor.

Don't believe the lies from and supposed things that occur with a third child...like labor gets shorter. We arrived at the hospital when about 8 pm, concerned about waiting too long and delivering the baby on the median, or too early and spending hours in the lovely confines of a labor ward. (Do they use decorators?) Well in my arrogance and ignorance I expected to be home around 2 ish...in time to get some sleep, get the kids up, and pick up LuLu form the airport...For those of you good at math...and good reading comprehension you will note the time of delivery verses the time of arrival at the said hospital.

  Let's just summarize...not much sleep the previous night because of contractions, a nap yesterday before the hospital, no food for Melissa or me from after lunch (I as too nervous to eat. Okay, stop laughing. Yes it is possible for me to respond by NOT wanting food.) So...after 2am...as I was getting ready to roam the halls shouting the vilest profanities you can imagine (ooh, good one Justin. Don't say that in front of your mom) Melissa encouraged me to keep on...(Before I get nasty comments about the pregnant lady encouraging the coach...finish reading). Melissa's desire was for a natural birth. It makes breast feeding and recovery easier...so...we did it with Brennan, 6 hour labor, surely we can do it for Caleb...the third...supposedly much faster laboring child. 

   Well, Melissa did it. After 14 hours of labor, no food or sleep, and excruciating back labor...(did I mention Excruciating!) she delivered Caleb without an epi...or ripping my lips from my face. She is incredible...she didn't scream, shout, or cuss (much). She was ready to quit...and get the shot...and if you have ever seen the person you love the most on this earth suffer, you know how broken and helpless it feels to be the person they look to for comfort and be able to offer none...IT SUCKS...so as I am crying and coaching her through breathing exercises, the mere request for the epidural seemed to do the trick...Shortly we were in the delivery room and she was pushing out another perfectly shaped head of a child.  No rips, tears, or incisions to those delicate places...and a perfect little boy...health and pink!

   So, what I am going to have to work out in the days to come, probably with lots of prayer and solitude...is what was/is God teaching me through this...As we were both pleading with Jesus to turn the baby so he would face the right direction and ease the back labor...as I pleaded with Jesus to make Melissa progress faster because she was so weak...I had faith...I believed that the God who said if I want anything all I have to do is ask...the God who gives generously to all who ask...the God who seemed to abandon us during a dark hour.

   It is funny how during all of these thoughts, I keep having these visions of nails being hammered into a palm...of lashing wounds oozing blood...

  I know that this is one of the hardest things Melissa and I have ever done in our lives. I know that the bond between us is even stronger than before. I know that the God who brought us through our dark night, will ALWAYS bring us through...no matter how painful and how impossible it seems. I know we are blessed and there are people much worse off than a long labor so I should quit whining. But would I trade the "depth" God has added to my soul and will continue to add through this experience for an easier one? I would...but that is why God doesn't always "give us what WE ask." I will almost always opt for the easy way out...thankfully Jesus didn't.

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