Christian's Favorite Things

I love watching Christian sleep. He looks just like an angel. Lately he takes brief "power naps" throughout the day and then sleeps all through the night. Just like a big boy!

Christian's favorite things right now are:

1. His Turkey which he loves to sleep with. It's really soft and he likes to hold the wings in his hands.

2. His excersaucer that he likes to go wild in. He moves all around and pounds on the buttons that play music. He is very musical these days!

3. His pacifier or "binki-wink" is what it's called in our house.

4. His Daddy (doing anything) but this last weekend Christian wanted nothing more than to help daddy "win" his xbox game by helping him push the buttons. :)

5. Bath Time. Christian absolutely LOVES his bath! I put in his rubber ducky but he is hardly interested in it. He is more about laying back and enjoying his soak!

Christian on the 4th of July

This was Christian's first 4th of July and we spent the afternoon at a BBQ with some friends and then we played at home till it was bedtime. We did not go to any fireworks show this year as Christian goes to bed before it gets dark but we will go next year.

Here are a few pics of Christian showing how much he is proud to be an "All American Boy!" (courtesy of his aunt Tami, of course)

Jason wanted to show a little patriotism as well....

Christian is 8 months old!

I can't believe my little guy is 8 months old. This morning he weighed in at 12 pounds 5 ounces and last Wednesday he was 23 inches long. He has come such a long way from the 1 pound 12 ounce, 13 inch baby that I gave birth to just 8 months ago.

Christian is living proof that our God is a God of MIRACLES!

Thank you Lord for blessing us with such a magnificent child. He brings joy to so many people, some who we will never even meet face to face. Our hearts are spilling over with love and happiness. We see you, Lord, in every smile, feel you in every breath, and praise you, Lord, everyday of our lives. Thank you for giving us strength to make it through the difficult times. Thank you for choosing us to be Christian's parents. Thank you for being such a loving and graceful God....a God of miracles. Amen.

Here are some pictures of Christian just a few days old:

Here are some pictures of our sweet boy now:

I've Been Tagged...I think.

This is a funny little blog "tag" game....I was tagged and now you are it!

Self Portrait: Can you say cheesy???

What are your kids doing right now? Christian is napping on the floor after tummy time wore him out. Yes, he sometimes sleeps with his eyes open. :)

Your kitchen sink:

Your favorite room: My favorite room would have to be my bedroom. I love my bedroom set and I think it has a really "romantic" feel to it.

Your favorite pair of shoes: I LOVE my black flip flops. I wear them all the time and they are so comfy! As you can see my footprints are permanently embedded in them.

Your refridgerator door:

What's inside your fridge?

Your laundry room:

How Preemie Moms Are Chosen

I found this excerpt today and thought it was lovely.

The Special Mother

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures and a couple by habit. This year thousands of mothers will give birth to a premature baby. Did you ever wonder how mothers of preemies are chosen?

Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting His instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As He observes, He instructs His angels to make notes in a giant ledger.
“Armstrong, Beth, son. Patron saint, Matthew."
“Forest, Majorie, daughter. Patron saint, Ceceila."
“Rutledge, Carrie, twins. Patron saint... give her Gerard. He’s used to profanity."

Finally, He passes a name to an angel and smiles, “Give her a premature baby.”

The angel is curious. “Why this one, God? She’s so happy.”

"Exactly, " smiles God. “Could I give a premature baby a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel.”

“But does she have patience?” asks the angel.

“I don’t want her to have too much patience, or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she’ll handle it. I watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence that are so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I’m going to give her has his own world. She has to make it live in her world and that’s not going to be easy.”

“But, Lord, I don’t think she even believes in you.”

God smiles, “No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness.”

The angel gasps, “Selfishness? Is that a virtue?”

God nods. “If she can’t separate herself from the child occasionally, she’ll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child who comes in a less than perfect way. She does not realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says ‘Mommy’ for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it. I will permit her to see clearly the things I see - ignorance, cruelty, prejudice - and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side.”

“And what about her patron saint?” asks the angel, the pen poised in mid-air.

God smiles. “A mirror will suffice.”

-Adapted fromErma Bombeck
Motherhood The Second Oldest Profession

Nursery Time

We brought Christian home from the hospital on March 11, 2008. At that time he was 4 and 1/2 months old and weighed 7 pounds 15 ounces. My family had been working so diligently, while Christian and I were in Portland , putting together the nursery. They knew how important it was to me to have the nursery ready for Christian to come home to. Decorating the nursery was one of the things I was really excited about. With Christian arriving so early all of MY plans went out the window and life as I knew it became a whirlwind. The hospital was our home for 5 months.

We have had Christian's bassinet set up in the living room, along with his medical equipment since we have been home. He only uses the equipment during the night. Every night, either Jason or I, would sleep on the sofa in the living room in case Christian needed suctioning or O2. Tami would come over and spend Sunday nights with Christian so that Jason and I would have one night to go to sleep together in our bed. This was such a blessing because it was one night that I could get a good rest without waking up. Over the past few weeks Christian has been sleeping pretty much through the entire night. He wakes up one time to eat and then goes right back to sleep. So this weekend we bought a baby monitor and set up Christian's equipment in his nursery. I am proud to say that Christian has slept the last 3 nights in his nursery and I have slept in my bed!! This may seem like no big deal to some of you but trust me, it is HUGE. We took pictures before bedtime of Christian in his crib to mark the occasion.

Happiness...

Emry & Cleo

I just love these pictures of Emry and Cleo. Emry is taking an afternoon nap with his paws over his eyes and Cleo is standing guard on the sofa. These two are quite the pair. Emry likes to hide down the hall and bop Cleo on the head as she runs by. It is so cute how they play together. We love our pets!

Our little Turkey

I started calling Christian my "little turkey" right after he was born. He is also my "turkey-lurky", "turkey-love", "turkey-bug", "turkish", "sweet potato", "little chachi-boom-bachi", "luvabug".........the list goes on and on. Isn't it amazing how the love and joy of having a child changes you in so many wonderful ways? It makes you say silly things and make weird faces, just to see that beautiful smile once more. We are blessed to see Christian's smile countless times everyday. Each time he smiles our hearts melt all over again. What a wonderful process!

Our Trip to OHSU

Christian waiting for the Doc.....what a good patient!

Christian was able to visit with his nurse Cynthia. They share a special bond.

We had to stop on the way to Portland so Christian could eat. One of his MOST favorite things to do. I love this picture. His bib says "Got Milk?"