Welcome Baby Soren!

On Sunday evening, we welcomed Baby Soren into the world! At 37 weeks, he was considered right on schedule for a Lowry baby (Abby and Isaac were both born at 37 weeks.) I've been writing detailed daily updates for my parents in Africa, but can't seem to simply cut and paste them into a post. So until I figure that out, here's the story in a nutshell: Soren struggled to breathe from the first moments of his life. He was whisked away immediately, leaving me alone and shocked and wondering what was wrong. He was taken to the "Special Care Nursery here at LDS hospital where he was connected to this c-pap machine to assist his breathing. (We lovingly referred to him as "Rhino Man" due to the unfortunate shape of the tubing.)

For the first few days we weren't allowed to hold him because he was so delicate, and the doctors confirmed that he has pneumonia and will be at the hospital for at least 7 days to receive IV antibiotics. Each new day brings with it a new set of challenges - but luckily, our little boy is a fighter and is making incredible progress.

Yesterday was a particularly emotional day as he had several setbacks and was fighting for each breath. It was pure torture for me to watch him and have to fight every mommy urge to pick him up and hold him close and comfort him. Seeing my tiny son struggle for life and not being able to do a single thing to help him was by far the hardest thing I've ever had to endure.

In contrast, a few short hours later and he made a remarkable comeback. They were able to remove the dreaded Rhino Mask and insert simple oxygen prongs. We were able to see our little son's face and hold him for the first time!

Today, Soren remained stable and began weaning off his feeding tube. I was proud of the boy who exceeded everyone's expectations by latching on and nursing like a champ the very first time! I have been discharged from the hospital, but allowed to stay as long as Soren is here on a "hotel visit". Ben has been juggling between taking care of the kids, spending a few hours at work so he can stay home a bit next week, and getting over each day to spend some time with his little son. It's exhausting and emotionally draining, I'm not going to sugar coat that at all. But, I am proud of my little boy and each day he gets a little stronger and begins to act like normal baby. Last night I did our first Kangaroo Care hold for an hour and was amazed by how immediately all of his stats went up when he was right next to me - hearing my heartbeat and feeling the familiarity of being so close to his mommy. He is amazing.

On a sappy note, thank you to everyone who has called, come by, emailed, texted, but most importantly - thank you to everyone who is praying for our little boy. We are truly seeing your prayers being answered.