I wanted to share a bit about the name Logan James.   Chelsey and I had names picked out from early on for both a boy and girl.  We sort of knew what we wanted.   However, the further we got into the 2nd trimester I started waffling on the boy’s name.   I wasn’t sure I wanted a Jr, so we started talking more about other options.   We had an idea of what we wanted the name to stand for, so we went from there.  

Logan:
Logan is named after the Boy Scout Camp where I worked during high school and college, Chief Logan Reservation.   Chief Logan was Chief of the Mingo Indian, a honorable and respectable man known for  seeking peace over war.  To read more about him, click here.  The camp represents the same qualities to me.   It is focused on helping boys grow both in their scouting and life skills.   Lifetime Friendship is it’s mantra that we live by as both current and former staff.

Camp however is also special in that it’s the place where I was lead to Lord in 1999.

James:
James is actually a family name, given to the first born son of all Garrett’s for now five generations.  I am proud of my dad and grandfather and the men they are and were, so I definitely wanted to pass along the name and keep the tradition running.

So it was decided one day as I put on a camp t-shirt – Logan James.   Stands for Strength, Peace, Friendship, Honor, Tradition, and walking with the Lord.  

It’s crazy to think that Logan is over six weeks old and I’ve yet to share the story here about his birth, as well as anything about him since birth.   Honestly, time has been a factor (imagine that with a new born), but I think my hesitancy has been even more driven by not sure how to share the story of the emotional change that happens from within when becoming a father.   It’s hit me though over the past week that the emotional and spiritual changes that take place as you enter fatherhood are not something that can just be shared at once, but something people will see, hear, and read about over time, so I am just going to focus on the story and hopefully get that out here.

The Birth:
Thursday was like any other Thursday.  CG an I went to work like normal, came home and then went out to do a final run to Babies R’Us.   It was a 3-day weekend coming up, and we were planning on spending it doing the final preparations for his arrival.  We were ready, but there was a handful things that we were hoping to get done.   Nothing about Thursday showed any signs of an early arrival, in fact nothing in the pregnancy hinted that he might come early.   At the start of week 37, which was the Sunday before, CG even hinted at be willing to go all the way to 41 weeks, just to have something to celebrate in May since April was full of things to celebrate already. I myself was ready for him to come at any point, and apparently Logan was too.

For those who aren’t aware of this simple truth, here’s some knowledge for you: pregnant women pee a lot! And so Thursday night CG got up an went pee in the middle of the night like normal.   Most of the time, I had no clue she had even gotten up.   But at 4am as she started to go, she quickly realized she couldn’t stop.   She woke me up a few minutes later, explained the situation, and asked my opinion.  It didn’t instantly sound like her water had broke, but it wasn’t normal either.  After consulting our book from class, we made the decision to pack our hospital bag (which was one the few things unfinished), and go on down there.   Worst case, we come home and sleep as it was a day off anyway.

We made it to the hospital by 5:15/5:20, got checked in, and went to triage where they did an initial exam to see if we were indeed in labor.  At 5:45 it was confirmed that CG’s water had broke, and that we weren’t leaving.   We prayed,  calling the soon-to-be grandparents, while waiting for a room.  The full-moon from the night before made the labor & delivery wing a hoping place.   It took us three hours to get a room.

Once we were moved they started us on a drug to induce contractions because up to that point there were none.   As the contractions began to get heavier, they could see our baby’s heart rate decline for a minute, before stabilizing again.   This happened numerous times, and the nurses and doctors both started to talk about a C-Section.   We secured a second opinion for her OB, and at 1:15 we went in for surgery.   

The surgery went well except for a small cut to the right side of his head where he was nicked from where he started into the canal while in natural labor.    He received his first stitch in the first minute of life outside the womb.

The Baby:
At 1:48 on 4/10 he was born!  Logan James – 5lbs, 6oz – 19 1/4 inches long.  Healthy and Strong, with blue eyes like me.   He had some great lungs, full head of hair, and was very alert.   We took our first family portrait right there in the OR.   I’ll never forget the first time I held him.   He was (and still is) tiny, yet probably the biggest thing to ever be handed to me.  His first cry was an amazing moment where I suddenly felt the role of father was given to me.

CG had to go into recovery for a few hours, and I went with Logan to the nursery to watch him go through a full exam.   It was during that time that I began to feel the change taking place.   I wanted to be in two places at once – with Logan as he was get acclimated to the world, and with CG as she was dealing with recovering from the surgery.  I went back and forth between the two multiple times.   (It’s an amazing tug on you heart, being an husband and father – something I still feel today, and will probably feel forever.)

We spent the next three nights at the hospital.  My wife recovered quickly, and Logan was healthy and eating well.   He lost a little weight, which is normal, but by Monday morning we were just awaiting the discharge papers.   We came home as a family for that first time, and it was amazing – and that hasn’t changed.  

We’ve been overwhelmed – at parenthood, at the lack of sleep, at the number of feedings, but most importantly – the greatness of the Lord, and the gift he’s given to us.  Logan is our son to raise in the likeness of Him…that’s our desire.

I know folks, I am well overdue for some blogging here – especially with the things happening in my life over the past few weeks.   I am going to attempt to get some stuff about Logan, Fatherhood, and the emotional and spiritual journey this has been this week.   I really want to do that.

Today however, I have a post even further overdue.    At the end of March, CG and I had the opportunity to tour the finished remodel of our old apartment.   That’s right, April 1 was the first day people have lived in that place since July 14th, 2008!   Fire is bad, really bad!   

They did a great job with the redesign, changing the layout including adding a second full-bath to the first floor, all hardwood floors (when we were there it was 100% carpet), and ceiling fans.    I thought Doug did a great job as did Chelsey, but ultimately we were able to appreciate the restoration and not be upset at what might have been “taken” from us.   We are thrilled to be where we are, and believe we’re right where God wants us.

Below is a video of the remodeled place for all those who might want to see the changes.   Enjoy it!  

On last note, we just found out this weekend that tenant who lived on the 2nd Floor for 38 years (and is the one who discovered and alerted us to the fire) past away last Wednesday.   Rest In Peace Carolyn, aka RAYCTHYME.