Sam is 6!

Six years ago today we welcomed Sam to the family. As with the rest of the children, Sam's birth was a greatly anticipated, much-prayed for event. God surrounded us with helpful friends and family to encourage and help us. Jong and Naty took our six older children to stay at their house all day, and most of the night. Ilene, Kristine, and Ashley played with the children and kept them occupied while they waited for us to call and tell them the baby was born. One of the Navy corpsmen was a former football player for Clemson, and he talked to Steve for most of his shift, thus keeping Steve from being bored. I was happily surprised to see my labor nurse was an old friend I'd last seen years before in Beaufort, South Carolina when she was a Navy dental tech. In the intervening years she'd gone back to school and trained to be a labor and delivery nurse, and come back to serve in the Navy - and she was there for me! As I walked the halls of the naval hospital, I saw several other old friends. And at 8:00 p.m. Sam was born - safely and with no complications. The nurse from the nursery who took him to be weighed and measured was the same nurse who had taken care of Marley when she was born, and had been there with us when we had Christine!

All these people rejoiced with us when Sam was born. Jong and Naty cheerfully kept the children until late that night, when Steve finally got over there to get them. That night I stayed awake, holding Sam in my arms and reading Oliver Twist. Steve and the children came the next morning to see Sam (and me).

This morning Sam opened his birthday gifts in bed. Then he played with them with the help of David and Marley. This afternoon he'll help Joan bake and decorate his cake (chocolate with chocolate frosting) and he wants Chinese food for supper.

Happy Birthday, Sam!