Welcome Nelson Wade!

Thank to everyone for the flowers, well wishes and support on the arrival on Nelson Wade Stevenson. He was born at 7:02 p.m. on Sunday, June 3, at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

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It was a very long few days for Kim and started Saturday night at midnight. By 3:30 a.m. we called the doctor on call who talked us into waiting a little longer to go in. Easy for him to say, eh? But by the time we arrived at the hospital at 6:00 a.m., things had slowed down, and they sent us home at 8:00 a.m. Kim was really frustrated but better to be miserable at home I guess.

Thanks to Pam Montgomery for saving the day and coming over to watch our other kids!

Kim gave me the greenlight to go to church and lead worship since our band is scheduled to play every first Sunday. I was a little dazed from not sleeping for 36 hours at that point but Brandon, Jonathan and Michael Clutz carried me! The music went really well, mainly because of them, and I was so appreciative that Michael stepped in on piano. He did an awesome job!

Back to help with the kids while poor Kim breathed through the pain on the couch. By 1:00 p.m. Sunday, she said we have to go! So the kids headed for the Montgomery's and got to attend Amanda Jane's graduation with them while went back to Riverside.

Things were moving right along, with only one big scare. At one point Kim's epidural had migrated too far towards her chest and slowed her blood pressure WAY down, and the baby's heartbeat got dangerously low. I have never seen so many people in scrubs come running into a room! We really did not panic until afterwards we heard them talking about the resusitation methods they had to use!

But at 7:02 a.m., Nelson Wade surprised us - of course we did not know what sex of baby we were having, but for some reason were convinced that the baby was going to be a girl. Surpirse!

And he is an absolutely perfect little boy. We are home, healthy and ecstatic. Thanks again to everyone for your prayers. God has been so good to us through all of this and has blessed us beyond our expectations!