11-23-09

Wow. I don't even know where to begin!!! This post is a way for me to share the events of the day with anyone who is interested, but more than that, it will be a great way to remember Lillian's crazy arrival for years to come. Hang on...I think this will be a lengthy post!

Last night after church I was absolutely worn out, ready for bed at 9pm. After taking my trusty Tylenol PM, I headed off to dreamland, sure that nothing interesting would happen on the baby-front until Tuesday night with the induction. I ended up having a very realistic dream that I'd had Lillian and was holding her...it was so sweet...but clearly just my mind playing tricks on me. At about 6:15am, I woke up and realized I'd had a contraction. Sure that it was just more false labor, I laid there for the next 3 which came about 10 minutes apart. I still didn't think much of it, so I didn't bother to say anything to my parents (I've been staying at their house for the past week because it's much closer to the hospital than our house) and let them head off to work for the day. Slowly but surely the contractions started to come closer together, and they were feeling stronger than any I'd had in the last few weeks. My sister called to see what I was up to and I confessed that I'd been having contractions but hadn't told anyone else yet. She was going to get a few things done around the house and then take a shower a little later and come hang out with me, but I realized things were getting a bit more serious...and told her she should shower now and head over to mom & dad's.

In the meantime, I called Ed at work to give him a head's up just in case this baby stuff was for real. I took the opportunity to have a nice hot shower, and by the time I was getting dressed, the contractions were coming exactly 2 minutes apart. I began to wonder what the heck I was thinking when I sent mom and dad to work leaving me home alone!!! A quick call to Katie assured me that she was on her way - yes, it was time to go to the hospital. We loaded my bags in the car and took off, called Ed to meet us at the hospital, and called Grandma Mary to do the same. I can't remember exactly what time we got there, but maybe it was around 9am? In any case, I got checked in (thankfully had already filled out my paperwork) and was sent to triage. When the nurse did an exam, I was still only 2cm. Seriously?? What the heck was going on? She spoke to my doctor who wanted me to walk around - he really wanted to see some cervical change before actually admitting me to labor & delivery. So at 9:55am, the nurse told me to walk around the halls and come back at 10:45. Well, Ed and I started walking, but the contractions were getting more and more intense and even closer together. I was in so much pain during each one that I had to hang onto the wall rails for dear life. At 10:20 I told him there was no way I could keep going; we needed to get back to that room.

When the triage nurse checked me again, she had this strange, almost terrified look on her face. I was 5cm! Keep in mind that the entire time, I let the whole world know that I fully intended to get an epidural. Suddenly, the activity in my room went nuts. One nurse started the admission process while the other started an IV and drew blood for labwork. Ahhh, the infamous "labs." Over and over again I asked if there would be time for the epidural. My nurse assured me that yes, there was time, she just needed to get the labs back, which should only take 20 minutes. Famous last words.

A lot of the next hour was a blur of pain - crazy painful contractions, trying to breathe, moaning to get through each one, a lot of praying for God to give me strength, and not to mention a few times asking about the epidural. Each time they assured me that it was coming, we're just "waiting for your labs to come back." At some point, I started feeling pressure - the nurse checked me and I was 7cm. In that very moment, I KNEW the epidural was no longer a possibility - and I was NOT happy!!! I didn't think there was any way possible that I could actually give birth to a child without that pain medicine. But God had a different plan for me.

After just a few more contractions, the pressure was so incredibly intense I knew it was time to push. The nurse checked me and yes, I was "complete." She made me lay on my side because she knew that this baby was coming and the doctor hadn't arrived yet. By the time everyone was in place (yes, including the doctor), I was just about out of my mind. According to Ed, there were a ton of people in the room, but I had no idea because my eyes were shut the whole time, just focusing on staying alive. I'm not sure how many times I pushed, but maybe it was only 3 or 4 contractions? I've always been skeptical of this phrase because I didn't understand it, but the whole thing truly felt like an out of body experience. How I didn't split into a million pieces (or at least pass out) is beyond me. The moment Lillian was born was so incredible - I can close my eyes and picture it over and over again.

I don't even want to ruin the memories by trying to put them into words - just an absolute miracle straight from the hand of God.

Miss Lillian Grace Boso was born at 11:31 am, only a little over 5 hours after I had my first contraction. She was 8lbs 11 oz and 20 inches long with a set of lungs that could knock you over. She looks incredibly similar to Edwin when he was born, yet has her own distinct look. My husband was amazing through the whole process - I don't know what I would have done without him (sorry about almost breaking your hand honey!)

There's so much more to say, but I can save that for another post. Thanks to everyone (again) for all the prayers and encouragement. I pray that all who read this blog will stand with me in awe of our amazing Creator. To God ALONE be the glory!!!!

Thankful

The last few days have been interesting to say the least. I'm sure most people know by now that at 9:30pm Thursday night I started having contractions - again. They were pretty consistent until about 12 hours later when they got further apart. No matter how much walking I did (and I walked A LOT), no matter what else I tried, they eventually got further apart and even more sporadic. At my doctor's appointment at 3:20pm, I still held onto a tiny bit of hope that he would send me over to the hospital to give me a jump-start of pitocin and I'd be meeting my little girl in a matter of hours. Instead, I found out that there had been absolutely no change since Monday. Seriously?? Eighteen hours of contractions resulted in no change??? How could this be? I fought back tears as the scheduler gave me my "walking papers" and instructions to show up at the hospital on Tuesday night to begin a 2-day induction. Once I got in the car though, I couldn't hold back any longer and I just started crying.

Yes, there are waaaay worse things that could have happened. My baby is still healthy, I am still healthy, but I was emotionally and physically worn out. I think I deserved a few moments of crying. Don't judge.

After a much needed night of sleep (thanks to the makers of generic Tylenol PM), today has been much more enjoyable. I never thought I'd make it to my due date with Lillian, especially with three separate occasions of false labor. But here I am. It's after 9pm on November 21st, and she is showing absolutely no signs of wanting to make her appearance.

Like I said, today was much more enjoyable. Mom and I took Edwin to the mall and met Auntie Katie, Uncle Brian, and Anthony. We had lunch, the boys rode the carousel, and we walked around a lot. I was able to take a nap when Edwin did, my husband got off work early (always a bonus!), and my mom & sis kidnapped me for a few hours to get PEDICURES!!!! Seriously, if you are in need of a pick-me-up, a pedicure is the way to go for sure! After a relaxing foot rub and some neon-pink toenail polish, we went over to the fire station to have Lillian's new car seat safely installed in the mini-van. Then it was off to San Felipe for dinner with the whole fam. See? It was a great day!

I'm so thankful for my family and friends. So thankful for the encouraging words, the prayers, the interest in how I'm doing. Just know that if I don't answer your text message, if I don't pick up the phone, it's nothing personal. I'm just not up for talking about this over and over and over again. If and when things finally pick up again (either naturally or from the induction), you can be sure that there will be plenty of facebook updates and blog posts from my sis or my sis-in-law. In fact, Katie will be updating her blog a lot more often than I do, so you might want to head over there for info.

This was the brightest pink polish I could find in the entire place (in honor of my little girl)

Miracle of the Moment

I'm officially three days away from my due date (Saturday the 21st). I find myself alternating between calm acceptance that I'm still pregnant and frantic wondering of when she'll be here. Last night before bed, I was absolutely certain I would be in labor before the morning. I mean, if someone had wanted to put money on it, I would have jumped all over that bet. However, I woke up at 6:30am still very pregnant, and again wondering when the heck Lillian is going to get here.

On the way to work, I think God was trying to gently remind me who is really in control here. I heard a song on K-Love called "Miracle of the Moment." It was exactly what I needed to put things in perspective. Two years ago today I was baptized and surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. I professed in front of a huge room full of people that I was placing my trust in Jesus for EVERYTHING. Well, that includes pregnancy, doesn't it? So this morning, instead of being cranky and irritable, I'm choosing to be grateful for these last few days of pregnancy when I can have Lillian all to myself.

Here are the lyrics to that song (Miracle of the Moment by Steven Curtis Chapman)- and also a couple of pictures that Katie took of "The Belly" yesterday afternoon. Have a great day :)

It's time for letting go

All of our "if onlies"

Cause we don't have a time machine

And even if we did

Would we really want to use it

Would we really want to go change everything

Cause we are who and where and what we are for now

And this is the only moment we can do anything about

So breathe it in and breathe it out

And listen to your heartbeat

There's a wonder in the here and now

It's right there in front of you

And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment

There's only One who knows

What's really out there waiting

And all the moments yet to be

And all we need to know

Is He's out there waiting

To Him the future's history

And He has given us a treasure called right now

And this is the only moment we can do anything about

So breathe it in and breathe it out

And listen to your heartbeat

There's a wonder in the here and now

It's right there in front of you

And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment

And if it brings you tears

Then taste them as they fall

Let them soften your heart

And if it brings you laughter

Then throw your head back

And let it go

Let it go, yeah

You gotta let it go

And listen to your heartbeat

And breathe it in and breathe it out

And listen to your heartbeat

There's a wonder in the here and now

It's right there in front of you

And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment

And breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment

Waiting is SO HARD!

I thought I was doing really well.  After the whole bug-bite scare at 34 weeks, I had convinced myself that waiting until 40 weeks would be a piece of cake.  I was just fine all the up to 37 weeks… And now, I’m miserable. 

**Disclaimer:  I am grateful that Lillian and I are healthy and doing well.  I am grateful to be pregnant in the first place.  I KNOW that she will arrive in God’s time.  I get that.**

Yes, I’m miserable.  Last Thursday night/Friday morning between 2 and 4am, I had some pretty decent contractions.  Enough to wake me up and keep me up for two hours in the middle of the night.  But they never got stronger, and eventually stopped.

Last night beginning at 8:30pm, I starting having contractions again.  This time they were about 2 –3 minutes apart, strong enough to be uncomfortable, but not strong enough that I had to worry about them being so close together.  SIX HOURS LATER, they stopped.  I woke up this morning extremely tired, and yes, a bit cranky.  There’s just nothing quite like going to work on a Monday morning, hugely pregnant, hearing random people say “Oh, you’re still here?”  (It’s one thing if my friends say it, but it’s just downright annoying when it’s someone that doesn’t even know your name!) 

I had a doctor’s appointment this morning and found out that I’ve progressed to 1 1/2 cm dilated, and still 70% effaced.  What does that mean?  Well….nothing really.  I’ve heard stories of women walking around 3cm dilated and 100% effaced for two weeks without going into labor.  You just never know.

So there you have it.  I’m trying to enjoy these last few days (hours???) as a family of three and trying to pull my mood up out of the ditch.   Maybe this picture will help  :)

Trash + Bug bite = Hospital??

Last night was definitely one of the weirdest nights of my life. 

After Edwin’s bath, the boys were playing in the living room while I cleaned up the dinner dishes in the kitchen.  The trash needed to go out, so I bagged it up, and headed outside.  After throwing it away, I remembered that I had two gallon jugs of water in the trunk of my car and went to grab them.  After popping the trunk, I felt something bite my right foot.  Thinking nothing of it, I tried to brush it off with my left foot, but that didn’t work.  I actually had to bend down and swipe it off my foot with my hand.  Looking back, I guess whatever kind of bug it was felt on the small side.

When I got back in the house my foot stung a little so I rubbed on some Cortisone cream and went back to the dishes.  A few minutes later, I noticed an itchy white spot on the pinky of my left hand.  Thinking “oh, I must have gotten a mosquito bite outside too,” I put on some more Cortisone cream and again went back to the dishes.  Less than 5 minutes later, I saw another spot appear on my left ring finger.  Then I looked down at my right foot and realized it was really red and starting to swell.  I asked Ed to come into the kitchen to take a look…I was starting to get a little freaked out.  While he looked in the medicine cabinet for some Benadryl, I called the nurseline (at his suggestion).  While I was on the phone with the nurse, things got progressively worse right before my eyes.  The spots were spreading across my left hand, my foot was getting huge, my heart was racing and it was getting hard to breathe (although at that time, I figured it was just anxiety).  She told me to go to urgent care or call the OB office.  I tried to call my doc but was put on hold by the answering service.  In just those two minutes, I developed a ton of spots all over my chest!   Ok, time for the hospital.

Ed changed his clothes (he was in pjs) and got Edwin’s shoes on.  The whole time we were running around the house, Edwin kept saying “mommy got bug bite?  Go see doctor?”  Oh yeah, time to see a doctor!   We jumped in the car and headed for Brunswick Community Hospital which is thankfully less than 5 minutes away.  It was getting really hard to breathe…and yes, I was getting really scared.  I just kept praying that God would keep me conscious until we got to the ER.   Having been to that ER in the past (always for Edwin or Ed), I knew they had a red phone at the triage window that you’re only supposed to use if you’re having chest pains or difficulty breathing.  I IMMEDIATELY headed for the phone, told them I was having an allergic reaction and could barely breathe.  Amazing how quickly that door opened!   My blood pressure suddenly dropped and I almost passed out just walking to the exam room. 

Once in the room, they hooked me up to the monitors, got an IV going (the guy starting the IV asked me if I had a sunburn because my chest was beet red.  Nope, all part of the allergic reaction)  and the doctor came right in.  Unfortunately, I still couldn’t breathe!!!  They gave me (by IV) Benadryl, Zantac, and Solu-medrol, a steroid.  The nurse said she could see my color getting better almost immediately.  I was still having trouble breathing, so someone from Respiratory came down and did an albuterol treatment which made a HUGE difference. 

I had called my parents on the way to the hospital to see if they could come get Edwin.  So while I was in the ER, mom popped in to see how I was doing.  Then she and dad took Edwin home and then Ed was finally able to come back.  I’m sure it was a strange site…he’s usually the one in the hospital bed, not me!  I also had an oxygen mask on…

Since I’m 34 weeks pregnant, they had someone from the maternity department come hook me up to a fetal monitor.  Lillian’s heartbeat was perfectly normal, but sure enough, I was having contractions.  At first they were mostly on the the top of my belly and felt more like Braxton-Hicks contractions.  But as time went on, they gradually got lower and lower, and felt more like the real thing.  I was contracting every 2 1/2 minutes.  The ER doc was in constant contact with my OB doc up in Wilmington and they decided to transfer me to New Hanover for additional monitoring. 

Did you know that once you’re at a hospital and they want to transfer you to another hospital you have to go via ambulance?  Yup.  My first ride in an ambulance was thankfully uneventful.  The crew was awesome – and since I could finally breathe again, I was in a much better mood!   They got me settled in triage at the new Women & Children’s hospital at New Hanover.  Not 5 minutes after I arrived, my friend Rebecca showed up.  She had just gotten off of work (also works at the hospital), so she kept me company until Ed could get there about 15-20 minutes later.

The nurse hooked me up to the monitors and we just hung out watching Grey’s Anatomy.  I was still having contractions every 2 minutes, but they weren’t as strong as they had been earlier.  I really don’t remember the timing of everything, but eventually on my doctor’s orders, they gave me Stadol (pain medicine) and Phenergan (in case I got nauseous), turned out the lights and had me rest…they were trying to see if this would stop the contractions.  They didn’t stop completely, but enough that we were released from the hospital around 2am. 

There you have it.  Lillian and I are doing just fine.  My fingers and toes are still really tingly this morning (I’m assuming a leftover reaction from all the meds they gave me?) and I’m a little “itchy” but other than that, I feel fine.  Edwin was a good boy and loved spending the night at Pappy’s house.  Ed is still sleeping – I’m sure the hospital chair wasn’t very comfortable, plus he had to drive us home (45 minute drive) at 2 in the morning.  I slept the whole way because that Stadol knocked me out!   I took a few pictures with my new camera when Ed first got to New Hanover hospital…I only wish I had had it in the ambulance! haha.  Thanks for all of the prayers.  I’m grateful that this crazy experience is over and thanking God that I’m still pregnant this morning!

 

Lillian’s heart rate on the left (132) and the contraction number on the right (23). 

JUST LET ME BE MAD!

This afternoon, I learned of the new policy at New Hanover Regional Medical Center regarding visitors. Because of the stupid H1N1 virus, nobody under the age of 18 is allowed to visit (see their press release here). This means that when I have Lillian in roughly six weeks, Edwin will not be able to visit his brand new baby sister in the hospital.

I am upset. I had visions of Edwin coming to the hospital, maybe having a present with him for the new baby, being a little bit shy at first (yes, it is possible for Edwin to be shy), and then meeting his Lillian. I wish you could hear the sweet way he says her name. I imagined him climbing into the hospital bed with me as I held both of my kids, amazed that I have been blessed with two precious miracles. Katie would get some wonderful pictures that we could share with all of our family and friends…

Now those visions have changed. Yes, I know it will still be special no matter where Edwin is when he meets Lillian for the first time. But I wanted it to be at the hospital!! (Imagine me throwing a mini-tantrum right now…) I also don’t want to go two days without seeing my son and having him wonder where the heck mommy is. Again, go ahead and argue the other side. He’s only 2 and a half – will he really care where mommy is? Will he really care that he’s not stuck in a small hospital room being told you can’t touch that, leave that alone? Probably not. But my very first memory EVER is when my dad brought Katie and I to the hospital to meet David…and I was only 2 ½. Now Edwin won’t have that chance.

So instead of offering me comments like “well, it’s a pandemic” or “it won’t really matter” just be mad with me for a second. Understand that I am having a little pity party and just want a little bit of company… Yes, I’ll get over this. Yes, most likely after Lillian is born I’ll post on here that it wasn’t a big deal to have Edwin meet her at Pappy’s house. But for now, please just let me be mad.

What a Sweet Face!

This morning I had another ultrasound to make sure my fluid levels are staying in the normal range and Auntie Katie got to tag along for the show. The fluid checked out perfect and Miss Lillian is looking mighty healthy. In fact, she's measuring just ahead of schedule and is already 5 1/2 pounds!!!! That puts her in the 70th percentile for growth. We sure make some hardy kids. Haha. Anyway, I wanted to share the pictures from the 3D portion of the scan...and I included one from the day Edwin was born. I think our children definitely share the same nose and lips. So cute!!!! At my appointment with the doctor, he said my belly is measuring 33cm (perfect for 33 weeks of pregnancy) and Lillian's heartrate was 148. I go back in two weeks for another ultrasound and appointment, so hopefully there will be a few more photos. I am so grateful for a healthy checkup!

Eat More Chikin

This afternoon (well, late morning since it was 11:30), I decided I wanted Chick-fil-A for lunch. So I drove over to the one by Target and proceeded around the building to get in the drive-thru line. There was a guy in a truck entering the parking lot, so I thought I’d be nice and let him in the line ahead of me. Turns out he was going into the building, so no big deal. However, this rude lady in an SUV whipped through behind the guy in the truck and cut me off to get ahead of me in line. I was on the phone with my sister and even told her how rude the lady was!

(Are you bored yet? Just hang in there…)

I get to the speaker, order my yummy lunch, and the lady tells me it’ll be $5.68. I drove around to the window, and imagine my surprise when she says “you’re the 100^th customer today, so your meal is on us!” She rang a cowbell and all the employees inside started clapping. Um, seriously? I didn’t even know they did this sort of thing!!! So even though I tried to be nice to the guy in the truck and got cut off by a rude lady, my meal was FREE!!!!!!!

Long story for only $5.68, but it made my day!

A Whole Lotta Randomness

Wow, it’s been a LONG time since I made the effort to post on here.  It seems I’ve been saying something to that effect each time I finally drag myself back, but hey…it’s my blog and I can do what I want, right?  So if anybody out there (wherever there is) is even slightly interested, here’s some random updates:

Life :  Life has  been…um…a little crazy lately.  Well, crazy isn’t even the right word, but I don’t know how else to describe it.  Without going into details (those that need to know already know), the past month+ has probably been one of the most challenging times I’ve ever faced.  But you know what?  It was (and still is) probably the time of my life that I’ve seen God working SO CLEARLY.  There have been moments that have no other explanation than God’s divine plan for my life and the lives around me.   It’s like He has spun a miracle right around me.  Sorry if all that was vague, but just remember that God sovereignly uses EVERYTHING for His purposes.

Books:  Oh. My. Gosh.  I recently finished reading a series of books that totally BLEW MY MIND!!!!!  It was bittersweet at the end…I couldn’t wait to figure out how the books would end, but I was actually sad that they were done.  Now what?   The characters were just so real that I wanted to either be them, or at least be their friend!! haha.  And the strangest thing?  Even though I’m an avid reader, this series was totally not my usual preference for books.  I won’t keep you in suspense anymore…

 

It’s called The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers.  The books are set about 40-50 years after Jesus Christ rose from the dead – ancient Rome, slaves, gladiators…redemption, forgiveness, salvation… My simple words can’t even begin to describe the awesomeness!! (see, awesomeness shouldn’t even be allowed in the same blog post..haha)  Anyway, if you’re looking for a good read (or three) I can’t recommend these highlyenough.

Sales Pitch:  I’m selling my camera on Craigslist…anyone interested?  It’s still a great camera, I’m just wanting to upgrade before Lillian arrives. 

Funny Stuff:  The current series at church is all about humility.  Check out this video from The Meek Squad!!

Pregnancy:  Today I am 31 weeks, 2 days pregnant.  Whew!!  For the most part, I’m feeling pretty good,  just the standard fatigue of lugging around another person all the time :)  Or maybe that has to do with also chasing a 2-year old… In any case, I had a routine checkup today which went very well.  I had been concerned about my weight gain (at my previous appt, I had only gained a total of 8 lbs), but no worries.  I gained 6 lbs in the last three weeks!!!  Praise God for a good (healthy) appetite!  My belly is measuring exactly as it should (31cm for 31 weeks) and Lillian’s heartbeat was perfect.  At my last ultrasound, my fluid levels were completely normal, but just to be on the safe side, my doc ordered another ultrasound (aw, bummer! haha) to be sure.  So this coming Thursday, I get to see my baby girl again!!!!   Yes, I’ll post pictures. 

On Sunday the 13th, Mom, Jeanie (my mommy-in-law) and my awesome sister threw me a baby shower to celebrate Miss Lillian Grace.  If you haven’t already seen it on Katie’s blog, here’s a slideshow she put together of the pictures.  Isn’t she great??!!!  Click HERE to see the show.

Family:  Last week, Jeanie & Glenn came to visit from Ohio!!!!!!  They’re only able to make the trip once a year, so we’ve been anxiously awaiting their arrival.  Edwin knew that Mamaw Jeanie and Papaw Glenn were coming to see him (the names sound MUCH cuter when he says them) and he was super excited.  They arrived last Saturday and stayed for a week at Carolina Beach.  And to make things even more fun, Ed’s cousin Wavie (Glenn’s niece) and her man Ron made the trip as well.  Unfortunately, I didn’t take a single picture the whole time they were here.  But I know Jeanie took a ton, so it’s only a matter of time until she shares with me.   We had so much fun just spending quality time with Glenn and Jeanie – now if we could only convince them to move to NC!!!! 

The End:   I think I was going to add a few more updates, but now that I’m sitting at the computer, I can’t remember anything else!  So for now, I think that’s enough. 

26 and 30

What do these two numbers mean?  Well, I’m 26 weeks pregnant today and 30 years old. 

My day started off at 7am when a sleepy Edwin came wandering into our room.  My darling husband got up with him so that I could sleep in.  Hooray!!  Then at 9am, Edwin came back in with my birthday card…he had to open it for me of course! 

We eventually went to Home Depot to get paint for Lillian’s room.  I’ll have to post pictures later this week once Ed finishes the project – it’s going to be so cute!!  And now, Edwin is taking his nap while I play with my birthday present.   My new Dell laptop is a few weeks old, but it’s my birthday and Christmas presents for the next two years :)  Later this afternoon after Edwin wakes up, we’ll head over to mom & dad’s house.  Katie, Mom, and I are going to get pedicures and we’re having steaks for dinner.  YUMMY!!  Unfortunately Ed has to work, but at least he’s off tomorrow.

Since I haven’t posted new pictures in awhile, here are some funny ones from last week.  Edwin and Ed were playing outside one night after work and somehow they broke out the hose.  Check it out!

Catching Up

Sometimes I feel like there’s just nothing interesting to say on my blog – maybe it’s because I post silly updates on facebook all the time?   In any case, I thought I’d share some pictures from the last couple of weeks. 

I found this adorable bedding set on Walmart’s website (on CLEARANCE!!) and fell in love with it.  I just couldn’t resist putting the whole set together as soon as we brought it home…

    

We’re probably going to paint the walls a pale lavender and I want my talented hubby to paint some palm trees too.  (Sorry the pinks are a little off in the pictures, I took a couple with the flash and some without…clearly I am not the photographer in the family!)

And just because I can…here are some pictures of Lillian’s growing wardrobe.  I bought the first two outfits, a friend from work gave me the third, and my aunt Ann (in MN) bought the last two.  Aren’t they soooooo cute???!!

I think this post has enough girly stuff in it – time for some boy stuff!!!! 

   

My boys are soooo handsome!!! 

Stellan

Baby Stellan needs more prayers - click HERE to read his mom's blog or to follow her on Twitter.

Yay Daddy!!

Yay Daddy!  That’s what Edwin said today on our way to pick up Ed from the airport.  We were both very happy to have him home after he spent a week in Ohio.  Even now as I type this, Ed is taking care of bedtime duty which is soooo nice!!  I’ve slept on the air mattress all week, but I think we’re making some progress. 

Here’s a few pictures of the house that Ed helped build for his brother.  It’s eventually going to be a 3 story house with a walk-out basement…looks like they had a great start!