You, Me... and Ernie Makes Three

Today I have been given the honor of guest blogging on my wife's blog. I have been talking about doing this for some time now and what better time than the birth my son Earnest. My original plan was to attempt to blog during our hospital stay, when Ernie was only a day or two old. The little man is now more than a week old (born Thursday Aug, 4th at 4:22 am) and while I'm a bit late, I'm thankful that we decided to have a professional capture the earliest moments of his life while still at the hospital. I'll try and capture some of the events and feelings from the past week and since my wife Jennifer's last post between the images below.

Earnest Joshua Jacobs came after an exhausting and exhilarating 28 hours of labor.  Jen and I decided to stay up a bit later on Tuesday night, August 2nd after contractions that felt "different" from the normal Braxton-Hicks type. Hoping to take her mind of the mild discomfort, we stayed up watching a movie  until about midnight, banking on me driving us to the hospital in the morning instead of myself to Graco, where I work as a mechanical engineer.

 The fact that this was her official due date really began to make the both of us think it could be the real thing.  Our hunch was right when not more than an hour into our slumber, Jen's contractions began becoming painful enough to disallow any prolonged sleep. Little did we know this would be the only hour of sleep we'd get in over 50 hours (18 hours before labor started, 28 hours of labor, and 4 hours of joy and excitement).

Jen and I couldn't quite imagine how fast he would change day by day, even as our mothers were reminding us how quickly it all goes and how he'll never have the "newborn in the hospital" look ever again - to us this was hard to imagine. Eight days later we are beginning to understand - God is graciously growing our boy and each day holds another surprise.

All of these pictures were taken about an hour before we put him in his car seat, strapped him into the Corolla, and drove a whole 6 blocks from the hospital to his home. This was surreal... he's real, he's beautiful, and he's OURS?

While my hands dwarf the size of his cute little cranium today, Earnest has very large hands and feet for a little guy. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if at 16, his feet eclipse his dad's size 11 and his hands better palm a basketball (I was always so close).

Below are his "caveman pants"- possibly my favorite. If it were up to me I'd have him in this type of garb all of the time or even just his diaper; it gives me better access to bury my face in his belly and touch more of his baby soft skin- it's now a hobby of mine.

Looking at the picture below that Jen took makes me wonder if there will ever be a moment captured where he looks more cute than this! I don't have milk or the calming, nurturing, magical mother's touch but I make up for it with a slightly warmer and infinitely more furry chest, all the better to nap on if you ask either Ernie or me.

I want to take these last few inches of blog space to praise the Lord for his kindness in allowing Jen and I to raise His little child. I look at my beautiful, strong and courageous wife, then down at the miracle of a new life in Ernie and I am all of a sudden caught up in how blessed I am to be one of God's children. 

"...what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him."

-Psalm 8:4

God's unwarranted, undeserving love and care for Jen and I gives us strength and confidence that His sovereign love will bless and keep Earnest. In this we can rest. Please pray for us, that we would trust in God's will for our family and ultimately rest in His goodness. Pray that we can shepherd Earnest well and that he'd place his faith in Jesus, who is the very the author and perfecter of our faith. 

"Oh God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;"

-Psalm 63:1

Many Blessings,

Josh