Our beautiful son Ian

Our beautiful little boy, Ian, joined Annie, Silvi and I this past Labor Day Weekend. He was born on Saturday afternoon at 12:45pm, weighing a healthy 7 lbs. 10 oz. Annie did most of her labor at home Friday night until the contractions told her, "Hey, get to the hospital!" She was only too happy to comply. Mom and Dad Eckblad picked Silvi up from our apartment at 7am and took her for a McDonalds breakfast while Annie and I drove through endless construction zones and bumpy roads to the hospital. Halfway there, Annie told me to, "Stop the car, NOW!" I pulled over and she got out to walk off the pain from the contraction. I followed her down the sidewalk, the open car door skimming the pavement. A few minutes later and we were back on our way over the graded road. They admitted us immediately, but because the contractions were still 10 minutes apart, didn't react with much urgency. That is, until they discovered how dialated Annie was. They were pretty amazed that she was only hours from giving birth with contractions spread so far apart. They rushed us up to the birthing room and started Annie on her legal Crack injection, the epidural. A few minutes later and Mommy Annie was drifting into anesthesia heaven.

The doctors and nurses were truly angels, and I'm not saying that lightly or in a weird way. There was so much peace surrounding Ian's birth, so much "Presence." From our caregivers, from our extended family waiting to hear from us, from God. Peace. Annie did not experience any pain, and there were no complications this time like there were with Silvi. Ian came into the world with a cute cry, fists pumping the air, little toes wiggling. Annie held him. I rocked him in a nearby rocking chair. The nurses took his weight and measured him. They all marveled at his blond hair.

Then one of the doctors gently told us the she thought that Ian had Down Syndrome.

The shape of his eyes and ears. The "simian" crease on both his palms. His little gorgeous flat nose. The space between his big toe and the rest of his other tiny wiggling toes. His large tongue. The bulge on the back of his neck. I hadn't noticed any of those things. I saw only my son, Ian.

Then they told us that he wasn't breathing correctly and took him from us.

That was Saturday around 1:30pm. We got to hold Ian for less than an hour before he was placed in an oxygen "tent." He requires a constant stream of oxygen in order to breath. His blood is too thick, they tell us. They thinned his blood. They performed an echocardiogram to make sure his heart is not deformed, an all-to-common struggle for Down Syndrome children. His heart is strong. They checked his lungs. They are clear and appear healthy.

They tell us to give him time. A nurse and a doctor with Down Syndrome children search for us to comfort and help us. Everyone is very encouraging and understanding. All of Annie's family and relatives drop in to greet little Ian into the world, to be with Annie and Silvi and me. Silvi is captivated by Ian. She likes his blue pacifier. "Ian has an owie," she tells everyone she meets.

We're not sure when Ian can come to his new home. Hopefully in a week or so. This is uncharted territory for our family, and it is scary. But my beautiful son Ian has a gift for the world. And I am excited to see what it might be.

Introducing Ian Thomas E.