1 Week Old

Andrew was 1 week old yesterday. His first week was full of many FIRSTS! Enjoy the pictures and Andrew wants you all to come and visit him!

Happy 4 Year Anniversary, honey...

Today is Matt and my four year wedding anniversary! How excited I am today to celebrate the past four years. In that short time we have owned 2 homes, lived in two states, graduated from college, made it halfway through grad school, had many wonderful jobs, gone to many wonderful places, take some really great family vacations and best of all had a beautiful, healthy son.

I am so proud to have Matt as my husband. He is SO giving and selfless to me. He continually strives to serve me better and better each day. He is the best spiritual leader a wife (and now family) could EVER ask for. The Lord has truly blessed me.

I love you Matt more than I can explain. You are truly the love of my life. Thank you for 4 wonderful years. I look forward to what the Lord has in store for us for many years to come.

Happy Anniversary, honey!

Home SWEET Home!!!!

After a busy morning at the hospital, Matt and I (along with Granny- my mom) joyfully brought Andrew home. What a feeling of relief I had in the car on the way home. I sat in the back with Andrew and held his hand as we made the short journey home. We are SO happy to have our son home. As my older sister said it perfectly, "Now the fun begins...."

Andrew in his car-seat for the first time

Daddy, Andrew & Mommy getting ready to leave the Special Care Nursery

Putting Andrew in the car

Home sweet home- Andrew is waving bye until next time...

Home coming...

Hello All-

Matt and I are leaving in about 30 minutes to bring our boy home- PRAISE THE LORD!!!

He did great yesterday eating, the took his feeding tube out and everything looks great! We have not gotten the ultra-sound results (regarding his soft spot) but the nurse last night told us she thought things looked fine. 

We will keep you updated and post more pictures soon! 

I am SO happy right now, I can not even tell you. God is SO good!

Our little Andrew..

Hello to ALL of family and friends!

I am back online- receiving (and trying to answer emails) and blogging. I have missed communication with you all through my blog- but thank you Miranda and Carin for helping with that!!!

Matt and I are leaving the hospital (yesterday), sadly without our son. I have gone through many emotions over the past few days trying to deal with leaving Andrew here and going home with out my baby. I NEVER thought it would be this way. God has been SO good to us and he has shown me many blessings in all of these trials the past few days. I am SO blessed to have a beautiful, healthy son. I am happy to be at a hospital that has taken such good care of me and my family and I am blessed to have a husband who has served me and his son unconditionally over the past 4 days. 

We have not heard of an exact time we will be able to take Andrew home but he is improving every feeding. Today he has eaten all of his food without using the feeding tube. My milk has come in so he is getting mostly that now- which he LOVES! The doctor anticipates that we will be able to bring him home by the end of the week. (I would love to have him home on Thursday- it is our 4 year Wedding Anniversary). Andrew is getting an ultra-sound of his head today. We are very hopeful that everything will be ok with his soft spot. After talking this over with the nurses and the doctors, we have realized this is a more common thing than we thought. We will be sure to let you know the results of the scan though.

We have been blessed by all of you. Thank you to everyone who has prayed and is still praying for our son. Matt was feeding Andrew last night and he looked at him and said, "There are people all over the world praying for you, son." That is so true. We have felt comfort in that and thank you!

Thank you Miranda for sending email updates out and keep our family and friends updated. 

Thank you Nikki for all the beautiful pictures you have taken and shared with everyone.

Thank you Heritage Presbyterian Church Family for your constant prayers and support.

Thank you Covenant Seminary Family & Friends for loving us and praying as well.

Thank you Mom & Tom for being here so soon after Andrew was born, your help has been amazing!

To everyone (I am probably forgetting a lot of you) thank you for loving our son and praying for our family. We truly appreciate it. We will continue to keep you updated and we look forward to bring out boy home! 

Love to all,

Emily, Matt and Andrew

Another Update...

(Via email from Miranda)

Just wanted to update everyone. Andrew's blood work came back all normal (yeah). They think that at this point he just has a swallowing issue that should resolve with time and practice. the doctors today have discovered that he has a small fontanel (soft spot). they are concerned that there might not be enough room for when his scull starts to grow. They are going to do a CT scan tomorrow to check it out. So please pray that everything is normal, continue to keep Em and Matt in your prayers. It looks like Andrew will not go home w/ his Mama tomorrow. It's been a hard day for Emily. As I get info I will pass it along!

Love,
Miranda

Update on Andrew

(this was an email from Miranda - Emily's big sister)

I just wanted to let you all know that little Andrew is in the special care nursery. He was sent there last night after being weighed and he had lost already more then 10% of his birth weight (in just 32 hours). The doctors are concerned about his sucking/swallowing reflex. They are running some test to rule out that it isn't something more serious (like a infection). He has a tube in his nose that is feeding him (gastric lavage) until they can determine the cause of the weight loss. He is still a good size baby but it is upsetting to the new parents to see their new baby hooked up to all the tubes. Please keep little Andrew in your prayers! Please pray that the condition is resolved, that it is noting serious and that he can come home with his Mommy on Monday or Tuesday. I will keep everyone informed to the outcome in the coming hours/days. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at MirandaK992002@yahoo.com or call me at 239-390-1874

Andrew James Loveall is Here!

Hello faithful blog readers.... This is Carin Schindler, guest blogging for Emily. The Internet connection is not the best in the hospital and she asked that I update you all on the miracle that occurred on Friday, May 23, 2008.

Emily true to form was baking cookies for our work (we work together) picnic the next day... later that night around 12:45 am she felt her water broke. Not really knowing if that was it, she waited a while for the contractions to start. They went to the hospital around 2:30 am and she was already 6cm dilated. It didn't take long and she was fully dilated at around 6:00 am. The doctor arrived and she began pushing. Dr. Mani said she was a wonderful pusher but Andrew wasn't making his way out. They decided they had to go in after him. And she had a C-section. Andrew was born three weeks early but he was 7 lbs 15oz. and 21 inches long at about 9:16 am. I can't even imagine if he would have made it to full term.

Here are some pictures (taken by Nikki Sawyers). Emily is super woman in my book and her son is the most gorgeous boy I have ever laid eyes on. Good job Emily.

After Arriving at the hospital ...............................Getting ready to push

Here he is ..... So precious........................................Mama and her son

Happy Family on the 2nd day...Nice shirt Emily... I have never seen her more happy. This is what God has made her to do .... be a mom.

Could this hat be any cuter.... I don't think so.

Emily is planed to be released from Missouri Baptist Hospital tomorrow, Tuesday. I know she'll be happy to post when she returns home. On behalf of the Loveall's ~ please keep them in your prayers. And I know they are grateful for all your love and support.

Professional Pregnancy Photos

On Saturday afternoon a friend of ours (Mandy Hardy) took pregnancy photos of me with Matt. We had a great time. Mandy really is a talented photographer and I look forward to when she can take pictures of this little guy in person. Thanks Mandy! Check out her blog, www.mandyhardy.blogspot.com

copyright of Amanda Hardy Photography

copyright of Amanda Hardy Photography

copyright of Amanda Hardy Photography

copyright of Amanda Hardy Photography

copyright of Amanda Hardy Photography

copyright of Amanda Hardy Photography

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today is my Dad's birthday...I wish I could be there to take him out to dinner and celebrate it with him.

Happy Birthday, Dad! I hope you have a great day and that you do something relaxing and fun for yourself!!! Love you!

Dad & Grace

I MUST be nesting...

Over the past month or so people have asked me if I am nesting or not. Well, since this whole pregnancy thing is new to me (or since this is my first time around at this), I was sort of confused by the question- NESTING...what the heck are you talking about. When I stated thinking and realizing what all I had done around my house, I was convinced- I WAS DEFINITELY NESTING.

Here is the list of all that has been done within the last month:
-Cleaned out the oven (inside & out- by hand)
-Cleaned out the refrigerator
-Cleaned out our closets & drawers (in bedroom)
-Dusted House & fans (about every week this month)
-Decorated & Organized a baby nursery
-Wiped the blinds down (all of them)
-Cleaned the inside of the windows
-Washed and folded MANY loads of baby clothes, blankets, etc.
-Organized just about every closet in my house
-Disinfected doors, counters, bathrooms (about every week)
-Swept & Vacuumed (about every week)

I am either OCD or nesting (probably both though).
Now, if Matt would just let me get the carpets PROFESSIONALLY cleaned, I would be one REALLY happy camper.

35 Weeks...

Only 5 weeks left! I know 5 weeks sounds like a lot but I am SO READY to have this baby! I feel (and look) huge. I am also starting to feel very uncomfortable, plus I am ready to be a Mom and meet my son. We will keep you updated on all doctor visits (I am going every week now), and let you know when this little guy makes his grand entrance!

Work Shower...

On Thursday, I had a baby shower at work. It was a GREAT shower. Carin (my friend and party planner) did an amazing job putting it all together. She was SO thoughtful from the food she chose (pizza bites and cookie cake- two of my favorite things) to the group gift she picked out- our car-seat. I think just about everyone at the seminary (except the Professors) was there to celebrate with me too. It was just a nice time being with all of those people I have had the pleasure of working with over the past two years. I will really miss all of them. Thank you for such a wonderful baby shower, Covenant Seminary!!!

My 1st diaper cake (thanks Becky, I LOVED it) and the cookie cake!!!

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Carin (the hostess) and Me...Look at that ADORABLE tie- so cute!

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My St. Louis Moms- Connie & Betty...

My best girlfriends at work- Jackie, Melissa, Me, Nicolle, Libby & Carin

Donnetta and Me (she has spoiled this child already) 

Me & Anna- a dear friend and old coworker who had a baby last year (and is preggo again).