Update on Kaleb

Hi Everyone,

So, for some reason I completely forgot to include the meaning of Kaleb's middle name in the first email-oops! Many people have emailed and asked me, so I thought I would send out an update too. Kekoa'imipono means "the warrior who strives for righteousness". We thought it fit very well with the name Kaleb because in the Bible, it says that God rewarded Caleb (and Joshua) for serving him wholeheartedly. They were the ones to see the Promised Land and be rewarded for their faithfulness. Kaleb also means faithful.

We are all doing well here at home. It has been such a blessing for us to be near our friends and family this time around. We have had people stop by to bring us meals and gifts; we feel so spoiled! And of course our family has been helping out a lot with Lukas too. Kaleb is beginning to settle into a routine. He is a very calm baby, who sometimes doesn't even cry when I change his diaper. This is a HUGE departure from Lukas, who STILL screams when I change him. :) Kaleb is very alert and is already looking around and noticing voices and people's faces. Even though he can't see more than 6-12" at this age, it seems as if he is really trying to make eye contact with the person who is holding him. Lukas is continuing to adjust to Kaleb's arrival. He is always giving him kisses and asking what baby brother is doing or why he is crying. It seems that Lukas is really warming up to him more every day, but perhaps is still unsure of how much fun a little bundle can be to a 21 month old who can barely sit still.

Thanks again to everyone for the well wishes, thoughts and prayers. It means so much to us and we can't wait to share Kaleb with everyone.

with love, Mike, Keri, Lukas & Kaleb

Kaleb is here!

Dear Friends and Family,

Our second addition has arrived! On June 11, 2008 at 12:14 PM, Kaleb Kekoa'imipono Welch was born via C-section. He weighed 8 lbs, 5 oz and was 20 1/4" long. Everything went as smooth as possible with Kaleb's delivery. We are so blessed to have a healthy baby boy. So far Kaleb seems like a very calm and content little guy. It seems as if he is going to have brown eyes, and at this point his hair is a sandy blonde. My recovery has gone very well and we've gotten great care at the hospital.

As I write this, Mike is taking all of our stuff to the car as we get ready to go home from the hopsital. Lukas has been spending the past couple of days with Uncle Jon and Auntie Nikki, but we'll all be together again today. Mike and I are definitely looking forward to being together as a family of four (well, a family of six counting the dogs). Lukas isn't too sure what to think of his baby brother. He has given him lots of kisses and is learning his name too. Hopefully he will like having Kaleb around at home.

We'll try to keep you updated with more pictures, so check back on this blog periodically. Babies change so quickly at this stage, so it is fun to take lots of photos and see who they are really starting to ook like.

Thanks to everyone for all of your thoughts and prayers this week. We have truly felt you all with us, and it is always comforting to know you are being thought of. It's been so great this time around to be near so many family and friends. We can't wait for all of you to meet little Kaleb.

Click on the link below to view a slideshow of Kaleb's first couple of days.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

with love,

Mike, Keri, Lukas and Kaleb