This just in...

5:50 PM Jackson just laughed for the first time! He's been smiling more regularly the past few days, and now actually laughed.

Sunday evening

Jackson has not yet met the Reformed Baptist pastor who is sure to most appreciate his name. (For guesses as to who this is, write in the comment section; it should be obvious.)

However, he did have the special privilege of briefly meeting one of my few most esteemed heroes, Pastor Edward (Ted) Donnelly. Pastor Donnelly's preaching was used by the Lord in my own salvation. (This series of sermons is available here: Donnelly on Heaven) He is not only one of the humblest, funniest and most eloquent preachers I have ever heard (with the coolest accent!), but one who evidently knows the Lord. Would that the Christian church had more men with his ability to clearly open the Word. We hope Pastor Donnelly will be to Jackson another godly man to emulate.

Sunday morning

Today Jackson was introduced to two of his future pastors, should the Lord be pleased to save him and bring him into our church. He heard (though of course without any comprehension) Pastor Carlson in Sunday School, through the webcast. And this evening, he heard Pastor Dave Chanski preach by webcast. I informed him I hoped these would be his pastors, but he didn't seem to care much. Seriously, though, we pray he will care greatly in a few years.

Our little son also experienced Trinity Baptist Church this morning for the first time, though he was not up to being present for any of the service. He met his Aunt Julie and Uncle Jeff (and it was decided that they could still be Aunt and Uncle to him, though I have called them that for years). This means that he has met all our pastors (and planned pastor) except his father's namesake Pastor Martin.

Condo listing

Check out our condo listing at http://www.forsalebyowner.com/listing/4B4AD

Feel free to send this link to family, friends, acquaintances, etc who may be interested. This condo has been a great blessing for which we are thankful. But it's feeling crowded with a crying baby. So pray for the Lord's continued provision.

Saturday morning update

Yesterday afternoon, Jackson got his first taste of three very important things: the sport commonly called soccer in America, TCS sports, and our friends from TCS/TBC. Oh, I guess it was three very important things and one very important person, that person being George R. Barnes. [This is not to be a slight on anyone else who was there, but come on, this is THE Gearge R. Barnes.] OK, so in English, we brought Jackson out to the TCS varsity girls game against Timothy Christian at the Camp Dawson fields. He couldn't take the fact that Trinity was losing 0-1 at halftime, so we had to take him home out of the cold. Of course, a quick stop by Gram's house on the way home was obligatory.

Last night, Jen & I got a little comic relief by watching a few routines by Brian Regan on his website and Google video. We enjoyed the hearty laughs.

For the first time, Jackson kept us up for a while last night. He eventually fell asleep after a little more feeding and a little more blanket-layering. (It was a little chilly for the first time last night, which Chris loved and Jen wasn't quite so keen on.)

Also, we got the contract to buy the 2-bedroom condo in the mail yesterday afternoon. So I am working on listing our current place to sell for part of the day today. Please pray that I would do a good job with that task, that our 1-bedroom place would sell quickly, that we would obtain the best mortgage for our situation, and that the move would go smoothly, if this would be the Lord's will for us. Interested buyers should visit forsalebyowner.com starting later this afternoon. (A shameless plug, I know....)

Last night

Well, the first bath went about as expected. Jackson pretty much screamed the whole time he was actually being cleaned and only settled down when wrapped in one of those towels-with-a-hood (which are really handy, by the way). We got most of the bath on film (if by "film" I mean an 8cm DVD), but I still haven't had the time to make our camcorder and computer talk. The first DVD-R did play very nicely in the computer's DVD drive, though, so there's hope!

Keep praying for Jen, please. The Lord is upholding her well, but she needs continued grace.

First full day home

Jen and Jackson had a couple visitors today. Jackson managed to get fingers (3!) into his mouth today and suck on them. This was a useful addition to the please-wait-another-few-minutes-while-mom- finishes-eating-before-feeding-you repertoire. He's healing up nicely from birthing and such. He's also getting stronger lungs, which is a mixed blessing. That's right, he can scream twice as loud as yesterday. Seriously. He also took his first nap with daddy this afternoon, during which he was very content until Mommy took a flash picture. But he settled back down for 45 minutes after that. Oh, and we also got a few smiles out of him today - not the first ones, but the first time there were several in succession.

Later tonight: baby's first bath! Let's hope the smiles continue....

Random update, 2

From my extensive and detailed observations, the following are true of my son:

-He is already a Yankees fan. When, only minutes after finishing the delivery, Dr. Scian joked that his first few screams sounded like a declaration of other not-even-to-be-spoken-here baseball loyalties, Jen quipped "Send him back!" (I knew there were so many other good reasons I married her that I couldn't put my finger on before!)

-He is really, really cute. The evidence is available on our Picasa photo site. And no, not all babies are cute. But he is. (I assume this is from his mother's genetic endowment.)

-He will be a runner, or at least a football player (true football, not the American version). This is based on the fact that he came out kicking, literally. And also that he squirms and whines about being wrapped too tightly. And because he got my amazing running genes. (Who am I kidding? No, I didn't think anyone.) Also note that when my father reached over to point out Brooks-running-shoe-worthy feet, Jackson lifted his right foot and displayed it for the camera. There is videotape evidence of this. Enough said.

Random updates

-Jackson was 20 inches long when measured in the nursery last night. Women like to know this measurement for a reason I will probably never comprehend. And then there's Josh R, who will probably inform me as to the precise location on the "American male Caucasian infant length at birth" bell curve where my son falls....

-Jackson is named after the Confederate general Thomas Jonathan Jackson, known to the history books (where real history is still studied!) as "Stonewall" Jackson. His steadiness under heavy enemy fire, because of his absolute belief in a God of Providence, is said to have earned him his nickname (despite the fact that he rarely kept the men under his command standing still anywhere). In the hospital, Jen and I read some moving passages regarding Jackson's piety from chapter 3 of Christ in the Camp by J. William Jones. We hope and pray that our son will also be a man of sterling character, unwavering conviction and of great feats in the Kingdom.

-Jackson's middle name, Daniel, is after our dear friend Dan Haynes, who went home to be with the Lord on July 3rd. (Read about him at http://www.vandermay.com/ Select "For more obituaries click here" and then select "July" and his name.) This name was an appropriate continuation of our theme of Christian character, as Dan was remembered by all as not only very funny and possessing amazing spreadsheet skills, but most of all as a quiet, consistent, sincere Christian.

-As I hope is evident, Jen & I are more concerned with character than athletic or academic success, or any other thing parents may legitimately hope for. We pray God's grace will be evident in our lives also, as this new responsibility is used by the Lord to mold us more into His likeness.

-No, Jackson is honestly not a covert way of naming our son "Jack", notwithstanding the coolness of Jack Bauer of (fictitious) "24" fame, and despite the wit of Jack Anderson of GCCCC renown. We actually prefer the full version of the name over any of the nickname variations. (And yes, we did think through the nickname possibilities, including those we wouldn't terribly mind and those that would be truly unfortunate.)

visiting hours

For anyone other than aunts, uncles and grandparents the visiting hours (at Chilton Memorial Hospital on West Parkway in Pompton Plains) are 2-8PM. Jen is on the second floor in room 215.