Fun Weekend Planned and Ethan Update

This coming weekend, Dan, Ethan and I are planning a trip down to Columbia, SC to visit my sister (Ethan's Aunt Jenny), as well as a few other friends - including one of our heart friends that we only know through their blog. If you have been following us and our heart friends then you may have guessed it already! That's right, we're planning to meet Angel Annabelle's family - Scott, Rebecca and Wyatt! We know it will be a busy weekend but it will be a great time to get away. We haven't traveled anywhere as a family since May when we went to Myrtle Beach with my family, so we're really looking forward to getting away! Please pray for safe travel for us as we leave early Friday and return Sunday night.

And I guess since this blog was originally created to update you on Ethan's health and life, I guess I should mention that he continues to do extremely well. We don't see the cardiologist again until the end of January so life has just been pretty normal for us lately. Ethan's got 4 more teeth that he's cutting so that's been our biggest challenge lately. He is still not walking independently yet but is very close. He has given up his bottle, just using sippy cups, and has almost given up his paci too - we just use it at night now. It's hard to believe our little guy is growing up so fast - he'll be 15 months old in a few weeks (Nov. 11).

Ethan also loves electronics - remotes, phones, laptops, etc. He drives us crazy "typing" on the laptop and teaches us short cuts we never knew about. He has recently learned that my cell phone does not have a number lock so he's started using the speed dial to call various family members. So for all family reading this - now you know why you may have received calls lately from me with nobody talking on our end or hanging up quickly after the call's been made. He even managed to text a message to his Aunt Amanda, saying "Please call." I don't know how that happened - I don't do the texting thing. She called us back to make sure we were OK and we both laughed about the incident! What a smart kid - just like his Daddy!

Ok, well speaking of this kid and electronics - I better run because he keeps trying to take over the laptop as I type - pulling the screen back so I can't see what I'm typing!

Another update on Mimi

So much has happened since my last update. Ethan, Dan and I went over Friday night to spend time with my grandma and take her some dinner. Mimi (my mom) didn't get discharged until lunch time on Sunday. She's doing a little better now that she's back home, but still has a drainage tube that she should be having removed tomorrow (Thursday). My grandma left yesterday (Tuesday) and is now back home in Chattanooga, TN. Thank you to everyone who has been lifting my mom up in prayers. With her mono and then this appendectomy - her recovery is slower than normal but we're praying that this surgery will help her body to be able to allow her body to heal faster from the mono now.

Update on Mimi

Thank you to anyone out there that read my last post about my mom (Mimi). She's still hospitalized and having to work on getting up and walking around before her doc will let her leave. We were hoping and praying for a Friday discharge (today) but now they're saying it will probably be tomorrow. So please, everyone, be praying that the docs will either change their mind and let her go today or else let her go home tomorrow at the latest. Anyone who's ever stayed in a hospital knows that it's hard to get any decent amount of sleep and also the longer you're there, the more chance you have of catching some kind of illness going around the hospital.

Urgent Prayer Request for Mimi

Ethan's doing well right now, but his Mimi (Julie's mom) is not. Mimi (real name Rhonda) had sharp stomach pains all day yesterday so last night around 5pm Pop-Pop (real name Mike/Julie's dad) took her to one of the nearby satellite hospitals. They did a cat scan and determined her appendix was about to rupture. So they rushed her in an ambulance, across town to the main hospital campus (WakeMed - same campus we take Ethan for his cardiology appointments for those of you out of town folks). Around 3am they did an appendectomy surgery and during the surgery her appendix did rupture but everything was successfully removed.

Please pray for Mimi to get lots of rest today and to be able to come home by the weekend since she's got her mom (Julie's grandma/Ethan's great-grandma) in town until Tuesday from Chattanooga, TN. Also pray for Pop-Pop as he is sleep deprived today from the overnight surgery. He went home to get a short nap and change of clothes and get some work done and now he's headed back to the hospital for the day.

Oh, and in other news - Ethan's going to have another little cousin! Aunt Jessica and Uncle Brandon found out on Monday that they're having a girl! So we're super excited for them!

More Pictures and Prayer Request

Here are some more pictures that I wasn't able to put in my last post. Most of these are just random pictures I found on our camera's memory card. You'll find that this kid loves his food and makes a mess of it (what kid his age doesn't?)! Also, please be in prayer for this little guy as he's still teething - I can actually start to see where 2 of his 4 next teeth have broke through the gums but he's still feeling miserable. He was inconsolable all day yesterday - crying pretty much any time he wasn't eating or asleep. He also can't seem to get rid of this runny nose and he was also running a slight fever last night and this morning. If his fever doesn't end by tomorrow morning then I think I'll take him in to the pediatrician to make sure he doesn't have any kind of infection. Thanks for checkin in on us and keeping us in your prayers as Ethan tries to get over his fever this week.

Guilty as charged! Ethan loves to play around on the laptop, just like his Daddy!

Ethan's other hobby (again, just like his Daddy!)

One of Ethan's favorite places to play - under his Exersaucer!

Did I mention he enjoys piano? :-)

Pop-Pop and Mimi getting some Ethan sugar!

Just chillin' after a meal

Another meal time - we're not feeding him fast enough!

Ok, finally to the peanut butter pictures!

Yum, peanut butter!

Makin' a mess!

Here you go - want some?

First Haircut!

Ok, so we've put off the inevitable long enough! Last Saturday (10/4/08) Ethan had his first haircut. No more cute curls :-( and (hopefully) no more strangers calling him such a "beautiful girl" for now! Ethan's Mimi (Julie's mom) has a wonderful hairstylist that she uses named Rachel and she's known and been praying for Ethan all along - Rachel even has one of our blue "Pray for Ethan" wristbands that we distributed during my pregnancy last year. Dan will probably be the official hair cutter for Ethan most of the time, but we wanted to give Rachel the honors of being the first one to cut it and give it some style so that Dan will just have to trim it. Below are some pictures of the momentous event!

Waiting in the lobby for our appointment

One last close-up of the curls

Rachel begins cutting - bye-bye curls

Trying to keep Ethan distracted with toys and baggie of his clipped hair!

Toy distraction not working, trying food!

Ta-Da! All done!

Oh and another first - Ethan tried peanut butter today and loved it (like there isn't a food yet that this kid doesn't enjoy!) Blogger's taking too long to upload those pictures so I'll try to post again tomorrow.

Baby Gracie update

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for baby Gracie after hearing about it on my site (or theirs). It is with a heavy heart to post that Gracie went home to be with the Lord at 8:08 this morning. She was a strong little fighter for the 7 months here on Earth and God finally decided to call her home to heal her heart for eternity. Please continue to lift up her parents, Todd & Amanda, as well as her 3 year old brother, Haddon at this time.