Caleb James Rodgers-Gates arrived on Saturday June 30th at 12:02 pm.Caleb means "faithful" and is taken from Caleb in the Old Testament--he was one of the 12 spies sent out by the Jewish people to scope out the land God had promised to him. While 10 of the spies said "The people are huge and there's no way we can take them down", Caleb (along with Joshua) believed God and trusted that He would give them the land He had promised, that He would enable them to overcome the people of the land. I've always pictured him as a fiery old man, who wasn't afraid to say it like it is and go against the flow.
James is a family name. Mandy's uncle Jim has been a caring, supportive presence in her life, as well as somebody who can always make you laugh! Also, Cullen's dad Ron goes by his middle name--his first name is actually James! We pray that Caleb can grow to be full of love and laughter like his great uncle Jim, and that he can grow to love and trust God with the kind of strong faith he sees in his Grandaddy Gates.
After spending a couple days in the "special care nursery" for some rapid breathing, Caleb came home with us on Tuesday July 3rd. Hannah and Ethan are fully enjoying him, as we knew they would. Hannah loves to snuggle with him, and Ethan literally can't stay away from him! Caleb gets lots of kisses and lots of love :). Hannah and Ethan have also been helping Daddy take care of Mommy, as her body's taking a little more time to recover this time around. We're so thankful for our three wonderful kids!
At the hospital....
At home.....
