Blessing Day

We decided it would be prudent to bless Andrew before he went in for his surgery- just in case. Normally only three people are allowed at the bedside in the NICU at one time. However, the chaplain was great and helped us make arrangements so that all of the visiting adults could come in and witness the blessing.

Andrew was given a name (Andrew John Love) and blessing on Thursday July 31, 2008 by his father. Both of our fathers joined in the circle (well, triangle actually). It was so wonderful! John did an excellent job. Even amongst all the beeps and alarms that are in the NICU, the Spirit was so strong.

Because of the surgery, the doctors had to put an IV line in through Andy's umbilical cord. That meant two things for us- we would not be able to really dress him in the little blessing outfit Bonnie made and we would not be able to hold him or move him. Bonnie was able to do some last minute stitch removal and made his outfit one that we could just lay over him and tuck around him at the sides. It was perfect.

Just before the blessing we had a professional photographer come and take pictures of Andy and our family. She is part of an organization called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. You can check out their website and find out more about them but basically, they go into hospitals and take portraits of critically ill babies so that families have beautiful memories in case they pass away. Here are some of the pictures she took. (She did try to edit out some of the wires but the results made Andy look a little alien-ish. You'll see what I mean.)