Good Morning

On Sunday, we awoke to the sound of Baby C growling in his crib. Then we went to get Graham up and found that he had taken a pair of metal barbecue tongs to bed with him.

Hanging In By a Thread

We had a doctor's appointment yesterday and little Sprout is still growing, literally hanging in by a thread. She's right on target and everything looks fine developmentally. And by the way, the thing on her belly is the umbilical cord, not a misshapen hand.



Last week, our friend Abbie, her daughter Saya, and her sister Anna came over to help us out. She spoiled us with meals and cleaning, and they did a great job entertaining Graham so I could rest. Graham and Saya played really well together, although Graham clocked Saya in the head a few times. Saya fell in love with Baby C and wanted to hold him constantly. Graham fell in love with pushing Saya in the stroller. Will and I fell in love with chicken tenders rolled in goldfish crackers. But I digress...



They even went to the park together.





Graham's chiclet teeth...



Thank you, Abbie and Anna, for all of your help!!

Updates

We have been so blessed by all the help from our family and friends over the past few weeks! My mom stayed until last weekend to help with the boys, and Will's mom came in to help over the past week. It's hard to sit back and watch everyone else do all the work I usually do, but it has been kind of nice to not have to cook or do dishes. :D Plus, on the good doctor's orders we bought a recliner, and I can kick anyone out of it when I want to sit down.

Graham has had a rough time adjusting to all changes, especially when he gets hurt and I can't pick him up, but he's coming around. He has suddenly started talking a lot more, so I think it's been good to have so many new people around. Interestingly, his new words all include fancy shoulder movements. He has recently discovered his nostrils and likes to explore them at the dinner table. Yesterday, he learned to juggle, which involves rolling a ball in his hands and then dropping it. He got to go to the zoo again yesterday and an orangutan came right up to him at the glass.



Baby C has been rolling over and scooting with wild abandon, but mostly in his crib where he gets stuck in the corner. He got his first two teeth this week and it was a little tough on him for awhile, but hopefully he can stop gnawing on his hands now that they're through. He did prove it is possible to get 9 fingers in his mouth at once.

Will has been a trouper and never stops from the time he gets up in the morning until he goes to bed at night. We just keep reminding ourselves that this is only temporary... But we also haven't hit green bean canning season yet. Some friends of ours are coming to help over the next week, and we're looking forward to seeing Abbie and Cyprus.

My family also received the heartbreaking news that our friend and cousin Kathie passed away very unexpectedly after knee surgery. She had a way of brightening up a room with her smile, and she will be missed very much.

Bright spots in a very long week.

Graham has been having a good time with Grammie while she's staying here to help us out. Here he is, helping her roll out noodles. After dinner, Grammie announced that he had slobbered all over them.



This is a VBS sign in the yard next to us. Up close you can see that it reads, "STUDIO Game Show". From the road, however, it looks like "STUPID Game Show". Try squinting if you can't see it.



Lately we are trying to find anything we can to make us laugh. :)

A Very Long Week

The past week has been a very difficult one for us, and we appreciate all the prayers and support from our friends and family.

I went in Monday morning for my first routine doctor's appointment and she quickly discovered that I was already dilated and effaced, and the membranes surrounding the baby were visible. After some quick ultrasounds, the doctor told me to immediately get over to the university hospital downtown. We called one of our friends who happened to have the day off, called my parents to see if they could drop everything to come stay with the boys, then headed over to the hospital.

Once there, we were given pretty depressing news. Basically we were told that if we did nothing, odds were stacked way against the baby's survival. If they tried to perform a cerclage (where they stitch the cervix closed), the odds were high that they would rupture the membranes in the process. They let us go home for 24 hours and think about it, which gave the doctors a chance to evaluate me later and see how things were progressing.

I went back Tuesday night for antibiotics before the surgery. Wednesday morning, I went in for the surgery and they found that the membranes were actually protruding. He asked me if I wanted to go ahead despite the even higher risks now, and I didn't know what to say. He replied with, "Hey, we'll give it a shot!" Not really something you want to hear right before surgery. My spinal anesthesia didn't take effect right away so I got some Ketamine, during which I had a conversation with the ceiling. I was awake by the end of the surgery to hear that everything went well and the cerclage was in place.

After 24 hours of observation, I went home on Thursday only to return on Friday because of some leakage. The doctors were concerned that the bag of waters had ruptured during the surgery, but then determined that everything was fine. PHEW!

Now we're all home and I'm on a modified bedrest where I'm supposed to take it easy and I'm not allowed to pick up Graham. Hopefully that is the last time we'll be in the hospital until the baby is ready to be born.

It's a Girl!

Will and I went in for an ultrasound this morning and found out that we're almost 17 weeks along with a baby girl!



Here she is, looking up...



And here's a little hand.

Quick Updates

First of all, congratulations to Ben & Tabatha on the birth of their first son (a redhead) named Logan James. Congratulations also to Matt, Leigh Ann, & Kaelyn on the birth of Evie Wren. Fun times!

Will has been working feverishly in the garden and yard, and we've had a bumper strawberry crop this year. Unfortunately some deer got in the garden and ate a bunch of the green beans, corn, and squash. Probably no bumpers there.

Today was the first day that Cristian went to daycare, so I have enjoyed having one less mouth to feed and diaper to change. Graham is currently not cooperating on the napping thing, so that part hasn't been as nice as I had hoped.

Graham's been finding a plethora of new toys in the kitchen. Today it was a box of cream cheese that I was thawing. Yesterday it was a bottle of Worcestershire sauce and a jar of molasses. He helps Will in the garden by picking and eating the green strawberries, as well as some dirt and mulch. He has also enjoyed playing with the exersaucer that we got out for Baby C. Luckily, we rescued Baby C before he got to it.



Baby C rolled over for the first time yesterday, so he'll be all over the place before too long.

We also made another trip to the zoo recently. This picture cracks me up because there's a huge ray right next to him, but Graham is totally missing it.