Our Best News for 2014!!

Checking monitors and helping Noah remember to breath

As a family, we would like to introduce you to the newest member of our little clan.

Noah Wesley Fandrich

Born on April 24th at Toowoomba Base Hospital by emergency caesarean at 1:37am because Sarah Joy went into labour. He weighed in at 9lbs or 4070 grams.

We had planned to have the caesarean on April 24th, at 8:30 or 9am. But during the afternoon of Wednesday 23rd I started having some very strong contractions (I had these on and off throughout the pregnancy, causing one hospital stay at 26weeks). After the kids were in bed I had time to sit down and notice the timing, and we realised we had to forego a good sleep and head to the hospital.

Happy to have him to ourselves on rooming in night.

Our fine young men.

It turned out we did a good thing. Noah inhaled merconium that was in the waters, and this meant he had trouble breathing. He was taken fairly quickly to the Special Care Nursery, put on CPAP to assist his breathing for two days. But was kept in hospital for 7 days until his breathing was completely back to normal. This was a very difficult time for Sarah Joy as she had to be present for all feeds (you get out of hospital quicker when feeding is established), and it's hard communicating and asserting your needs, wants and desires to others regarding your baby when you are tired and unwell and they have their own plan for your baby that they don't want to divert from.

Noah is now back to almost full health, a wee bit of jaundice and a few feeding issues due to having to give him expressed milk via bottle to get him out of hospital (needed all suck feeds and he wasn't up to that just yet). Sarah Joy has quite a few weeks of recovery to go, but needs to be constantly reminded to go and lie down. It's hard to sit still when you feel that your brain is functioning properly (which really it isn't because I am so tired and change from third person to first person in one sentence!).

Noah means rest or comfort. Noah in the Bible was a godly man who trusted and obeyed God, building an ark to save not just his family but a pair of each kind of animal on earth. Saving creation through water of the great flood, where all the world was covered. Through the water of baptism, we too are saved. We pray that Noah, who is already our rest and comfort will be a godly man, following Christ even when all turn away.

Home at last!!

The name Wesley comes from the great hymn writer Charles Wesley. One of 19 children, homeschooled by his mother, Charles was a leader of the Methodist movement with his brother John, and wrote over 6000 hymns, many of which are our favourites. Christian really likes: "Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending", and my all time favourite hymn is: "And Can It Be That I Should Gain". Other great Hymns are:

• Christ the Lord is Risen Today
• Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
• Hark! the Herald Angels Sing
• Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
• O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing
• Rejoice, the Lord is King
• Ye Servants of God

Our first family photo, with Granny