Oh, if they'd only be this sweet to each other for the rest of their little lives.....


A little Dawg cheerleader in the making....she see's the Georgia "G" on the baby's pacifier and says, "sick 'em....woof, woof!" Her daddy and grandpa are training her well!


Our big boy gained almost a pound from Week 1 to Week 2, breaking the 8lb mark during that time. It's amazing how much babies change during the first weeks of life.

It's been a whirlwind week for us. Daryl went back to work full-time and is feeling good - praises! Because of his work schedule he's been doing "baby duty" at night, allowing me to get a good night's sleep...ahhh. And his wonderful mother blessed us by coming to help with the children for a few days, giving me some time to get groceries and catch up with "things" around the house. Our parents have so unselfishly given their time and energy to us many times this year -- we are deeply humbled and grateful for their unending love.

Unfortunately we've had friends and extended family facing the loss of loved ones this week, so we'll be attending two memorial services this weekend. While we celebrate new life, others are mourning and our hearts go out to them in their grief. Just a reminder for us to enjoy every moment we're given and to take nothing for granted...a lesson that I seem to too quickly forget amidst day-to-day duties that seem so all-consuming. We're supposed to be in for a cooler, dryer weekend - take advantage of it and savor a few special moments with friends and family.

Some Pictures for You

Enjoy!

Home At Last!

WARNING: Don't put a vase of flowers (which are supported with water) near a laptop at the hospital. People pushing baby carriers around might knock down said vase and spill water onto nearby laptop - flooding the keyboard and causing technical difficulties!

Sorry for the delayed news!
We came home on Saturday July 4th. The baby was allowed to leave the Transitional Nursery on July 3rd and our pediatrician thought he looked really good on Saturday so we all were released home.

The baby is in his "eat, sleep, poop" stage and he's mostly quiet and sleeping. Little Miss "C" has been fantastic with him and enjoys "holding" him in her lap, checking out all his parts and this morning trying to help with his bottle. Of course, she's inundated with attention from all of her Grandparents, so she's in heaven right now and not feeling at all de-throned (yet). Some dear friends even sent her a new baby doll that coos and sucks on a bottle and makes baby noises, so she's had her own baby to look after since yesterday.

Wendy's parents are here for the week to help us transition, and Daryl's dad Jerry & his wife Carolyn came up Saturday and were with us overnight too. We were blessed with two meals from friends yesterday, which we've thoroughly enjoyed - and which have eliminated the hassles of trying to cook AND settle everyone back in at the same time.

Can't wait to post new photos. Upon returning home and looking at our own newborn photos, the Baby is a spitting image of Wendy's newborn photo (without the 1960's requisite mohawk hairstyle). It's amazing how much we look alike - so world, watch out!!!

With Mom & Dad

Our boy has been released to stay with us! He is doing much better and has had a busy Friday morning so far, including a little "snip snip" if you know what I mean.

Little Miss "C" visited with little brother yesterday afternoon in the NICU briefly and she was so sweet. She wanted to kiss and hold him right away and enjoyed pointing out his nose, ears, eyes, etc. She'll be back this afternoon for another visit in our room and we'll probably be going home tomorrow.

Here are a few photos of our two kiddos together for the first time:

On a side note, as I sit here and type a lovely young lady (whom I used to babysit for starting when she was 6 months old) is on HER way to the hospital to give birth to her 1st child - a baby girl. Praying for her and must begin negotiations about an arranged marriage for our two little ones...ha, ha, ha!! Love you, Linds!

NICU Day #2

(It's Wendy typing this time...) "Here we go again"...it's the way that I feel right now! More blog posts about the ups and downs of days in a hospital. Is this my new calling in life?

Ben seemed to be doing very well today, so he came back to "live" in our room -but within 2 hours he was back in the NICU. I was nervous because the poor guy was breathing so quickly and "shallow" and his oxygen saturations were borderline again. Not being in the medical field, I wasn't sure how to handle it. Our wonderful nurse watched him closely and through great teamwork it was decided he would be better off with more one-on-one care tonight back in NICU. Hopefully he'll continue to strengthen and be back with us tomorrow.

So since I finally got to spend some time with Ben in NICU earlier in the day, Daryl was able to capture a few more photos for you.

We covet your prayers, as usual, and will post an update tomorrow!!!