Seven is Heaven
I am happy to announce the birth of our seventh baby, Archer Edmund, to all of my Mile High Mama friends. He was born on January 5th, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. via c-section. We are calling him Archie.
His first week of life was a little rough. Archie was born almost four weeks early due to low amnionic fluid. Then, when he was about 24 hours old, he began breathing rapidly and struggling. He was diagnosed with pneumothorax, which is a fancy way to say collapsed lung. He spent the next several days in Exempla Lutheran’s NICU, where he was treated with fantastic care.
Archie is our seventh child. The biggest change we’ve noticed between parenting six children and seven is that the laundry is temporarily more charming. Honestly, after a certain point having another child in the house does not create much of a ripple. My husband and I are accustomed to little sleep, lots of noise, and multitasking on demand.
There are several things about a new baby which are still astonishing to me. I love Archie with all my heart. There is no limit to love, and society often questions how a parent can love more than 2.5 children. My attention is admittedly stretched, but I don’t worry. I see Archie literally surrounded by the welcoming arms of six siblings, eager to draw him in to their special circle that even my husband and I cannot crack.
I am looking forward to watching our new baby boy grow, thrive, and find his niche in our family and in our world. I envy him sometimes. He has an army of fans cheering him on, delighted by every spritely hiccup and in awe of his pinky fingernails.
It’s good to be the baby.
Gretchen,
Congratulations to you and family. The seventh is from heaven and he does look like a cherub.
Those cute little eyes. Those cheeks. It took a lot to get him into this world and I’m so glad to finally “meet” him. Congratulations!
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He’s a cutie.
I read you over at Lifenut, but I can’t get enough of Archie!
What a cutie! Congratulations!! I’m lucky baby #7 in my family… there are 12 of us all together (7 girls first, followed by 4 boys & finishing up with 1 last girl). Big families are fun……
He is ADORABLE!!!
CONGRATULATIONS~
Congratulations! What a precious baby boy!
Congrats to you, Gretchen! So glad to hear he’s doing better now!
I think you produce GORGEOUS babies! I just want to kiss those little cheeks.
I have a close friend with 7 kids and I’m sure she’d say the same; what the babies lack in parental attention is more than made up by the adoring siblings.
Sweet little Archie, adored by many.
He just gets cuter and cuter. I don’t blame your family for being utterly smitten with him, right down to “his pinky fingernails.”
I’ve heard from other families that it’s the 3rd baby that takes some adjustment–after that, having another little person join the family is pretty easy. I’m glad to hear that going from 6 to 7 kids has been a smooth transition too–especially after Archie’s rough start.
Congrats again, and welcome, Archie! (Your mom is right: you have a wonderful support system already in place.)
Congrats! I love the name! I suppose it gets harder to find good ones after awhile?
You’re right about the circle that we as parents can’t crack. I watch my three interact and the only way I can relate is to think about my own sibs. It’s a beautiful thing!
I’m glad to hear he’s doing well. He certainly is handsome!
Congrats to you, Gretchen!
Congrats lady! Glad he is doing well. As a NICU mama myself, I know how that can be scary.
He is soooo handsome!
Congratulations and welcome to little Archer!!