Welcoming Gabriel Marc Wragg

Gabriel is here at last! I cannot believe my pregnancy days are over! We were supposed to induce him at 6 am. on Wed, Sept. 16th, but there was a miscommunication with the hospital and they had to keep me waiting in the recovery room until almost noon waiting for an open delivery room. My Doc didn't want to start an induction on a sixth baby in the recovery room, just in case I went fast. In the end, she could have started it at 6 am, because the labor took the other approach and went longer than any other I've had! I progressed very slowly throughout the day and even Marc's grandma had to head home to get some sleep because she couldn't make it through. Sadly, she didn't make the birth! My parents and Marc hung in there for the long haul and around 1:30 in the morning on Thursday I was finally complete and ready. My doctor, on the other hand, was home in bed. I have never had to wait to push before so that was a whole new experience and I ended up feeling like a first time mom in the delivery phase! He was born at exactly 2 am, which is a fun fact and was my smallest baby at 7 lbs, 10 oz, 20 inches long.
The other kids had an emotional week. I made the mistake of telling them that they would see the baby on the day I delivered, assuming it would all go as previous deliveries had. They went from Christmas Eve-like elation to depressed tears when they had to go home with the babysitter after AWANA and were not able to see their brother who had yet to be born. Then on Friday when Sarah and Dan were slotted to come visit me again, they both had come down with head colds and I wouldn't let them come to the hospitel-not for Gabriel's sake, of course, since he was coming home to them, but for the rest of the moms and babies on the maternity ward! They cried hard on my parents but Daddy rewarded them on Saturday when they were feeling better, and for the first time ever, they got to come help Daddy pick up Mommy and Gabriel at the hospital and bring us home!
My parents are here until the 28th and are a HUGE help! There is a lot to do around here with toddlers, homeschool, 3 meals a day, laundry, etc, etc, but they are being troopers and I couldn't believe how relieved my mom looked when I told her today what a good job she is doing! A reminder that we all need lots of encouragement in these high-chaos acts of parenting! Not only do Marc and I have to learn how to raise 6 kids, but my parents end up learning the juggle as well when they are here to help! What a reminder that God isn't finished with our influence when our own kids are raised. We are still useful and teachable when we are serving the next generation as grandparents!
So we are home and doing very well! I am certainly not up to speed yet and have to rest several times a day, but what a joy it is to have a new little baby around the house. The kids are continually asking to hold him and all Leah wants to do is get a binkie in his mouth! Marc held him on Saturday afternoon for his first football game, but other than that continues in true Marc fashion to wait for this baby to grow up to walk and talk before he is truly interested in him. He is thrilled, however, that God gave us a third boy, the one he choose to name after an angel. His middle name, Marc, means warrior, so we have high hopes for our warrior angel and as sooon as I get the picture from my friend, I'll show you how he already laces his fingers together in prayer :-). Love to all of you who prayed for us and are praying. We are SO BLESSED with our 1/2 dozen!