Welcome Baby Justin!!

Well, it's been a long but rewarding day. Justin Zera Colyar was born today, November 27th at 5:02pm. He weighed in at a hefty 6 lbs. 8 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. Both mom and baby are healthy and doing very well. Kristi was an absolute trooper through the entire process! We arrived at the hospital this morning around 7:00am. By 7:45 they had oxytocin in her system to induce labor. She started the process dilated to 1cm and 70% efaced. At about 9:15 the contractions began and they came strong and frequent. By 11:15 she had her epidural - this was the best call of the day! At 12:10 she was dilated to 2cm. We thought we were in for the long haul...maybe a 10 - 11pm delivery. But to our fortune, just two hours later she was at 6cm and an hour after that she was 9+ and ready to start the pushing. After an hour and 15 minutes of pushing (during which, I might add, Kristi said to me, "Craig, you're actually helping more than I thought you would.") our little guy made his grand entrance. He had a good set of lungs on him from the get-go and we could tell he got his mom's good looks. The second "thing" they delivered looked more like me!

Where did Justin's name come from? Justin is my grandpa Colyar's name and it's also my middle name. We also liked the rodeo aspect and the fact that Justin is a brand of cowboy boots and other yeehaw apparel. (Can y'all tell it's late?). Zera is also a family name. Kristi's dad's middle name is Zera and he is a phenomenal man. This name was given to him after a great grandfather, Zera Pulsipher, who preached the gospel to and baptized Wilford Woodruff. Kristi is fond of the unique factor of the name and I like the fact that I can now call my boy Jay-Z.

Thanks to everyone who supported us through this pregnancy and to the events that led up to the pregnancy. We have way too many people to thank for their influence and support. But I do want to give special recognition to all of Kristi's amazing friends in Texas. You all really had a huge role in making this happen and we're very grateful for you. From Hilary Weber who referred us to Dr. Rodriguez and helped us have the courage to try in-vitro again to Angie, Kellie, Nikki, Sarita, Cristie, and Nicole and many others who helped watch Savannah and gave Kristi all kinds of moral support...we thank you in a big way. We love you and miss you!

And of course, thanks to our dear family who is always behind us 110%. What a blessing you are to us in our life. We are so lucky to have you all. And I just have to say....seeing this little baby reminds me of when we got Savannah. And while we weren't able to see and experience her actual birth, her arrival to us was the most special miracle we have ever been a part of. Savannah is our angel from heaven (just ask her if you don't believe me!). She melts my heart every single day. We feel so incredibly lucky and blessed to have both of these children. Well....sorry for the long entry here. Next time I'll put it in chapters and verses.