He is here!

David Andrew Fitzgerald Kuckel was born on July 11, 2010 at Greer Memorial Hospital at 1:45 pm. He weighed in at an astonishing 9 lbs 7 oz (although I wasn't too surprised...) and measured 22 inches.

At this point, 5 days after his birth, David Andrew is doing great. There were some initial complications, though, that had him being transported to the Greenville Memorial NICU on day two. At birth, he had a true knot in his cord which was itself wrapped twice around his neck. In addition, the stress must have brought on the meconium in the amniotic fluid. Amazingly, by the grace of God, he was able to be born naturally and quickly. He was well-suctioned and seemed to be adjusting just fine to life on the outside.

The next morning, it was decided that he was breathing too rapidly and a chest X ray was ordered which alerted the doctors and nurses to the possibility of pneumonia. The decisions were made, the transport team from Greenville was sent, and I was prepared to be discharged. I have to admit, my hopes were dashed, and I felt completely lost at that moment. I thank God, however, as He used this opportunity to remind me that He is sovereign. I also thank my husband who reminded me that our first responsibility is to bring glory to God in the way we approach our trials.

We are so thankful for friends and family who have shown such support to pray, bring meals, send notes and flowers, and even visit-- like my dear friend Tina in the picture above. We also enjoyed visits on Sunday from my mom, dad, sisters, and brother and his family. David Andrew was discharged from the NICU on Thursday afternoon with no pneumonia! To God be the glory!

Here is Mike on baby's first day home!