Much to my children's dismay that the baby did not arrive on Christmas, he is finally here. Apparently, babies are supposed to arrive on Christmas to be the best present. I am sure he turned out to be the best present anyway. I was induced, it took 4 hours (short and sweet, as usual), and he came out screaming. good thing he hasn't kept up with that. We named him Leo Keller, and he weighed 6 pounds 8 ounces, and was 19 inches long. We called home and told Lana what we named the baby and she says, "Oh, that sounds nice, Mom. Have you decided what his last name is going to be?" Thanks a lot- you make me feel great about myself, Lana. Needless to say, his last name, we informed her, will be Burrell, just like all of the other children.
Leo spent some time in the NICU due to the fact that he could not maintain his blood sugar level. I was very glad when he was able to come back downstairs with me, and subsequently go home. We brought him home on Friday, and he has been doing well ever since. We went to Justin's parents' home to get the other kids, and they each took a turn holding him. When it came time for McKendrick to hold him, he takes Leo's tiny hand and says, "Nice to meet you." Very cute, I thought. McKendrick is a hand shaker. No high-fives or bones or knuckles from this boy.
The kids all enjoyed Christmas, I think. I worked Christmas Eve (at this point I must send a shout out to Darci who traded me Christmas Eve for the night before I was to be induced), went home and had Christmas with the kids, and then crashed while Justin fed the cows before we went to our parents homes. I must say it doesn't really feel like Christmas when you work through the night and grab some much needed sleep in the day. That's okay, though, because we all enjoyed spending time together. and, yes, Justin still guessed what I got him even though the box was well disguised. I still do not know how he does that!
