Aaron in Real Life

This video is great. My wife Julie took it a couple days ago. Andrew was sitting on our couch and she startled him. He loved it and started laughing. So, she kept doing it and captured it on video. He is the cutest baby ever!!!

So, a while back I decided I wanted to get a tattoo. I was a little hesitant because I was taught by "the church" that tattoos were not something that Christians got. I think it was mostly based on what tattoos usually represent (gangs, violence, rebellion). I wrestled with that and finally came to the conclusion that I was going to get one.

I didn't want to just get anything. I wanted the tattoo to mean something to me. It needed to be a reminder of something significant. So, after my son was born I knew exactly what I wanted and it shows in the picture above. It's on my left arm, just below the shoulder.

The letters "ADS" are my initials (Aaron David Sexton) and they are also the initials of my son (Andrew David Sexton). Psalm 127:3-5 states: "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man who's quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate."

This tattoo is and will be a constant reminder of my deep, unconditional love for my son Andrew. And it also represents just how incredibly blessed I am to have Andrew for a son. What's interesting is that I got the tattoo just a few days before my son had to have surgery on his stomach. It definitely served it's purpose right away.

And I've already been asked the question, "what happens when you have another kid"? Well, that's what the other arm is for.

Any comments or thoughts? I'd love to hear them.

So, where to begin.

Tuesday evening, Andrew began throwing up after every feeding. Wednesday alone, Julie had to change his clothes 5 times because he threw up all over them. And this wasn't just a little spit-up. This was projectile vomit. So we thought he maybe just had a little cold and his sinuses were running down his throat and that was causing him to cough or gag and thus vomit. Thursday, he would throw up most of the time after eating, but not all the time. But, we noticed that he wasn't wetting or pooping his diapers (as of right now he hasn't had a poopy diaper since probably Wednesday). So, I had Friday off of work. He threw up his morning bottle (he could have put out a fire).

So, we took Andrew to the doctor and had him checked. When Julie was a baby she had a condition called Pyloric Stenosis. Basically, the valve that empties your stomach doesn't relax and open to allow food to get into the intestines. The checked Andrew and then sent us to get an ultrasound on him. The ultrasound confirmed that Andrew had it too. It runs in the family. Julie had it, Julie's dad and uncle had it. So, the pediatrician sent us to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak for surgery.

Andrew went into surgery at 10:45am and was out by 11:30am. They made a small incision on his abdomen, pulled his stomach out and made a small incision in the pyloric muscle to release it. Right now he's doing good and sleeping in Julie's arms. He'll have no lasting memory of this and the only physical sign will be a small scar on his abdomen.

Please continue to pray for his recovery as he begins to eat again (when they begin feeding him again he'll have not eaten in 24 hours - amazingly he's been great the whole time and even slept completely through last night). Julie and I are doing well. We have maintained our faith and hope in Christ throughout this ordeal. I will update later.

This week has been a peculiar one. Today, my aunt threw Julie a post-birth baby shower (or a "welcome to the world" party for Andrew). It was a celebration of a new life - a new start. It was an incredible blessing that my family bestowed upon us. We were richly blessed to day with everything that we received. And having Andrew and this new life has reminded me of just how awesome and precious life is.

But as we geared up for this party and celebration, I was also reminded of how short and fleeting life is as 4 people that I have a connection to passed away this last week. First, the head usher at my church and a very dear friend to so many passed away of a brain tumor that was only discovered a week prior. Second, old friends of my parents and people I currently go to church with lost their son-in-law. I don't know anymore details other than he just collapsed on a cruise and died. Thirdly, a friend and co-worker of mine lost his sister to a long, long battle with cancer. She had been recovering, but took a turn for the worse last week and died on Thursday morning. And lastly, my wife's uncle and my mother-in-laws only brother died after a month long battle with cancer. It's crazy to think that he was only diagnosed at the beginning of January .

For some of these, I truly believe that their death is a celebration as they pass into eternal glory. For some, I pray for the mercy and grace that only God can give. Judgment is not mine to pass and I truly pray of each family to be able to cope and have peace in these troubled times.

All this simply reminds me of what James 4:14 in the Bible says, "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." We are guaranteed nothing. We must cherish the very breath that God grants us.

The News Herald in Southgate, MI published a story about my son Andrew and my dad sharing a Christmas birthday. The reporter heard about us from a friend of my parents and thought it would be a good story. She came to our house last Saturday to interview all of us. Pretty cool experience. Check out the story here.

I LOVE BEING A DAD! I have wanted to be a lot of different things in my life. I've wanted to be a policeman, Air Force pilot, lawyer, a neurosurgeon, a chiropractor, and a pastor. But above all, I've wanted to be a dad for as long as I can remember.

I never knew I could love my son like I do. He's always the first thing I think of when I wake up (usually because it's 4:30am and he's hungry) and he's the last thought before I fall asleep. I look at his pictures all the time at work because I miss him. I hate being away from him for so long during the day. I feel like I miss so much (even though Julie says he just sleeps most of the day).

Andrew is a miracle. He's half me and half Julie. He's our flesh and blood. He's so adorable and cute. I love the faces he makes and the noises he makes. I love his round little head and his tiny fingers and toes.

Andrew is everything I've prayed and hoped for. I love my son!