first weekend away from my baby

So in case I didn't mention it already, Dan had his first time away from Ethan 2 weeks ago. He was out of town all week for work. Now it's my turn. Over this past weekend (Friday and Saturday), I went on a trip with my mom and two sisters to Indianapolis for our cousin's wedding. We were only gone about 36 hours but it was still hard being away from my boys (Dan & Ethan)! Dan's mom came over for the weekend to help him out and they all seemed to have a fun time together.

Our whirlwind trip was fun and definitely a memory-maker. It was filled with late nights and action-packed days. It was great getting to see all of my mom's side of the family again (we all met up a few days before Christmas in Knoxville, TN except the bride-to-be) Besides the fun of the wedding, I also really enjoyed the plane ride. It's been nearly 6 years since I've had a reason to fly anywhere (last time was our honeymoon) and I love being up in the sky and looking out at the world below.

We will try to get some more pictures of Ethan up soon. His 2nd tooth has come through and we think more are on the way because he's been fussy today and still gnawing down on everything in sight (he especially likes my hair today for some reason). We'll try to see if we can get a good picture showing off his teeth but that's a rare sight. Usually if he's got his mouth open wide enough to see them, he inevitably sticks his tongue out!

Tricia's Discharge!

Our friend's blog, Nate & Tricia, just posted that Tricia's finally getting discharged today from Duke Hospital! She'll still be an outpatient for a few more weeks for some therapy and treatment. By the time that's over, their sweet little girl, Gwyneth Rose should be about up to an acceptable weight and also be discharged! Please continue to keep this family in your prayers with all the adjustments they'll be going through! Thanks.

First tooth!

Our suspicions were correct, Ethan cut his first tooth on Saturday! I thought I saw it starting to break through but once he grabbed a hold of my finger and jammed it in his mouth and bit down, I felt it and knew for sure! We keep trying to get a good look at it but everytime we try to open his mouth, he sticks out his tongue so we have a hard time seeing it.

In other news, Dan's out of town for work all week. This is his first time to be away since Ethan was born. Fortunately, his company only makes him do overnight travel once a year (for this conference) so this will not be a common occurence. I'm having lots of fun getting Ethan all to my self this week, yet, at the same time trying not to kill our dog (a mini dachsund) since she doesn't have Dan around to play with her at night!

I'm doing my best to stay busy and get out of the house some this week while Dan's gone before I go stir-crazy! Tomorrow, we go over to UNC Hospital to visit one of our heart buddies - Shelby. She's the little girl that we saw a couple of weeks ago for her first birthday party. You can keep her in your prayers as she is over there to get her tear ducts unblocked (eye surgery). I'll give an update when I have one.

Well thanks as always for checking in on us and our crazy life! We are so blessed to have so many people who care about us and are praying for us. God has been so good to us through all your prayers and has kept Ethan as healthy (heart and otherwise) as possible and we continue to praise God daily for his goodness to us. To God be all the Glory!

8 months old!

Ethan turned 8 months old today! We are so thankful that God has given us so much time with our little guy and do our best to not take a single day for granted, since we have no idea how many days or years he may be with us. Thank you to everyone, as always, for checking on us, praying for us, and encouraging us through our journey thus far!

A few new things to update with Ethan's development. He is getting better at sitting up on his own and he's started rolling over from back to stomach much more this week. For the past 2 days, every time I go to get him out of his crib (in the morning and during both his daytime naps) I find him on his tummy and fussing because he hasn't quite mastered how to roll back over yet! We also think he is teething since he chews on EVERYTHING and has been a lot fussier than normal this week. Oh, and one more new accomplishment - Ethan managed to pull his jeans off today while he was lying on the floor!

Well that's all for tonight, it's bedtime!

last RSV shot!

I nearly forgot about the appointment until about 30 minutes beforehand, but we did make it to the peds for Ethan's last RSV shot of the season! We won't have to do this again until October or November so that will be a nice break! Ethan's weight is looking good, he weighed in at 18lb. 11 1/4 oz. (8.5 kg) today so I'm pleased!

As always, thanks for checking in on us. Things are going so well that we haven't had too much to report lately. We praise God for Ethan's continued good health and continue to pray for comfort and strength for baby Annabelle's family as they grieve her loss. We also ask for prayer for baby Julianne as she goes for her swallow study tomorrow. She's been on a feeding tube her entire life and if she doesn't pass, then the doctors are talking about surgically placing a G-tube button on her stomach for feeding so she doesn't have to have a tube down her nose any more. Please pray God's will to be accomplished for her tomorrow. I know her parents desperately want her to pass but, more importantly, are trusting God for whatever the outcome!

Tricia's new lungs!

A few weeks ago I posted a message entitled "For Tricia". Tricia is a special lady about my age at Duke that has Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and has been awaiting a double lung transplant for over 3 months, ever since she gave birth very prematurely (24 weeks gestation) to her little girl Gwyneth. Well tonight is the big night that Tricia is going to receive her new set of lungs. What an answer to prayer for this family! It is also her husband's birthday today so that makes today even more special for them all. Please keep this family in your prayers, Tricia went into surgery around 7:30pm and the surgery is expected to last about 7-9 hours. Also be in prayer for the donor family, because they are grieving the loss of their loved one in order or Tricia to get her new set of lungs. For more information on this family, visit their blog: http://www.cfhusband.blogspot.com/.

update and pictures!

Sorry for the delay in any posting lately. Things have been going great and we haven't had any doctors appointments lately so not really anything to update. Ethan continues to do well sleeping at night - sleeping on average, 12-13 hours a night, plus several long naps throughout the day.

We are continuing to work on getting him used to non-thickened bottles by doing one bottle of regular formula when he is most alert (usually first thing in the morning or after a long nap). He is also enjoying trying new baby foods like pears, carrots, and even chicken (all pureed thanks to Gerber!).

Ethan's still not sitting up on his own, but we're almost there. He can finally roll over and has started doing it nearly every time he's on his changing table so we have to keep a close eye on him!

We had our first little "accident" with him last Wednesday. We decided to go for a family walk after dinner but somehow forgot to buckle him in the stroller. Next thing I knew, the stroller felt a little lighter and I looked down, and there was our son - face down on the road! What a scary sight for all, but fortunately Ethan came away without a scratch! After a brief moment of cuddling with mommy, Ethan calmed right down from his screaming and we put him back in the stroller and continued on with our walk. We've put Ethan in his stroller several times since then and he hasn't seemed to be traumatized by the even, so that's good!

Below are some recent pictures of life in the past couple of weeks for you to enjoy!

Tipping over!

Mommy propping me back up.

Mommy & me watching the jellyfish at the aquarium.

Are we done yet?

my tongue...

Easter at Grammy's - my first taste of mulch!

Playing in my highchair (notice the massive amounts
of drool covering my shirt!)

Playing in my Exersaucer!