Our Growing Family

The love of his life

2010-07-07T19:34:00.000-07:00

Veggie Chips!

2010-07-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

I just remembered this page

2010-07-07T19:14:00.000-07:00

It was fun to read what the kids were up to a year ago. I can't believe how much they've grown in body and ability since then.

Jack's talking is escalating quickly. Just tonight he said "batteries" and "Buzz" and "Woody". He calls juice "Doe" for some reason. He says "kank cou" and "bwess u" without prompting though he needs reminders for "please". Jack is so so snuggly and sweet. He likes to nuzzle and rock for long stretches. He also says, "Hi Mommy, Bye Mommy (or Daddy or Bea)" repeatedly while opening and closing the door.

Ethanael is so creative in his play. I love watching him make up stories for his Thomas train characters. He also finds toys to play the parts of the Toy Story characters that he doesn't have. Grandma bought him and Jack matching Buzz Lightyear velcro tennies today. They light up. He got so upset when they got a little wet in the backyard while I was watering the vegetable garden.

My sweeties

2009-10-22T05:21:00.000-07:00

"Peanut butter and sandwich" - E
"Where did my eyebrows go?" - E
"I love you" - J
" e-i-e-i-o" - J

An Accident Free day & a breakthrough

2009-06-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

There is so much to write about, but the most exciting is that Ethanael spent a day at the zoo today with me, Jack, Jess and Lindsay and he kept his underwear dry. They stayed dry at home too, he wanted to pee standing up, and he finally broke his few month long unwillingness to poop on the potty. His reward, which just motivated him enough all of a sudden was a squishy, life-like frog toy that he saw at Walgreens a two weeks ago. Who knows if the zoo frogs inspired him, or if it was my pleasant attitude catching him at just the right time, or if it was that he now feels in control of his life since our move is a couple weeks behind us. He proceeded to name his frog Pat, then Sarah, then Sally. He and I dialoged extensively with her. She told him how she had been crying waiting for him to poop so they could play. She danced, she climbed trees, she told me she has a big boy bed and pajamas. Sally also said she missed the lizard and I told her that he could come to live with us when Ethanael went poop a few more times on the potty and that we'd make a chart tomorrow. Ethanael just told me that the lizard's name is Pat.

He is a hilarious sweetheart. Ethanael says, "last morning", which makes perfect sense because you say "last night" and you don't say "this night".

Jack was 29lbs and 29inches long at his year well visit last week. He's doing great. He scoots around in an army crawl style. Jack is responding a bit to "no touch" training on the stereo. He is all about the table food and has been packing it away. To my amazement and quick horror, when we arrived at the zoo today he had knawed through 3/4 an apple that Ethanael had given him (without permission). The skin and half the core were gone. Jack is also a screetcher and has been having fits the past few weeks

My list is getting long...

2009-04-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

The list of all the cute things the kids are doing and saying, that is.

Just tonight, Ethanael left the table after dinner and went up to the office while we continued to visit. When we asked what he was doing he answered "Nuh-sin', Mama, nuh-sin'". When we asked again he said "Just checkin' my e-mail."

This afternoon while he and Jack were buckled into the backseat, Ethanael started to say "no, no touch Jack", I asked what Jack was touching and Ethanael answered "I being patient".

We had a conversation a couple weeks ago about what his loved one's first names are: Patricia, Steve, Nancy, Peter, Michael, Karen, etc. Since then when in a crowded place or when I'm talking and not paying attention, Ethanael has called out "Karen!".

A few weeks ago when it was warm out we started an adventure game where Ethanael ran up behind the bushes along the top of the retaining wall. He went around and around and then started to feed me my lines in the drama, "Where my little boy go?"

He sings Veggie Tales while eating his green beans and stacks them up.

He refers to Sesame Street as sesamestreet.org or pbskids.org.

He calls helicopters, happycopters and dinosaurs, dinosaurauses.

Jack is all of a sudden full of personality. His teradactyl screech has turned into primal yells full of dramatic flair. He and Ethanael like to yell back and forth at each other. Ethanael makes him crack up by saying "a-boo-boo".

He's not crawling yet, but is starting to get bored staying in one place. It makes him pretty cranky, but maybe it will motivate him sometime soon. Jack's starting to understand sign language and "no". We had our first "no touch" training with the Easter egg tree, and it's refreshing to see his responsive little conscience.

Jack taught himself to clap in front of us about a week ago. Now he does it on demand.

Jack got his seventh tooth a couple days ago.

Ethanael has started to call his brother "Jackie" of his own accord.

Papstick and Pupcakes

2009-01-19T16:17:00.000-08:00

In December Ethanael had the need and opportunity to use chapstick and to eat cupcakes. The title of this post shows how he referred to them. Another new phrase that we hear from him is "I can't like it." Usually used with regard to food that he doesn't want to try though he's most likely eaten it before, or at least all the ingredients in a different arrangement.

Trains are Ethanael's newest fascination. He discovered Thomas and Friends through a library video and was quickly a huge fan. He received his favorite engine, Percy for Christmas. He's also a fan of Gordon, James and of course Thomas. He spent the entire time we shared with Kelly, Josh and Luke Cairo in Holland playing with Josh's Thomas and James trains. He's watching a new sing-a-long Thomas DVD narrated by Pierce Brosnan as I write. He's also enjoying putting together his geotrax train set. I like to play with it too which is nice.

We got a dog just before Thanksgiving. He was a stray that I found near I-94 on my way to church. Rufus (named by Michael) is a yorkshire terrier that is about 3 years old. He is house trained and is a nice lapdog. He had done a good job getting used to the children and is beginning to play a bit more. Ethanael loves dogs and is happy to have one on site.

Jack just finished his first full serving of a baby food. He's had bites of rice cereal before, but hasn't really taken to the spoon yet and hasn't been opening his mouth for cereal. I let him suck on some sweet potato from my plate tonight and then to my surprise he eagerly lapped up the cup of them that I had waiting in the cupboard.

Poor little Jack is a touch more restless lately. I think he's getting bored with being stationary, but he's not quite sitting yet, let alone crawling. He does like to roll though and to stand. I'm a bit disappointed that this crankiness is aligning itself with the coming month and a half of packing and painting that's ahead of me. We close on our first home this Friday, January 23rd. It is at 23128 Brookdale, St. Clair Shores, MI 48082.

Ethanael with a play dough mustache.

There was a little phase where this was the most hilarious thing to do. The insides of Ethanael's ears were red, green, yellow, etc. for a couple weeks. The next Steve Martin?
Jack with uncle Jeff on his first Thanksgiving. They look a lot alike to those of us acquainted with Jeff's baby pictures. Do you see it?

Jack with Daddy on his first Christmas Eve.

Ethanael mastered playing papa Wittstock's horn over the 2008 Christmas Season.

Rufus in his Christmas bomber jacket.

October Pictures

2008-11-06T04:54:00.000-08:00

Jack's getting bigger

2008-09-22T17:15:00.000-07:00

Signs of growth that the charts don't show are when the baby can't lie in your lap without his head falling back over your knees because he pushes off your chest with his feet. He likes to stand up with support under the arms too. Jack also seems to be ready for a faster flow bottle nipple. Finally, he has now slept through the night from 10pm-7am without waking up for four days in a row, starting last Thursday the 19th. Unfortunately, I'm still feeling sleepy at nap time.

Ethanael is in a new phase of movie watching and instead of Finding Nemo, he prefers "tales" - Jonah specifically. Still aquatic, but a welcome change. He is also more interested in the story of the three little pigs. He's liked it for awhile, but now frequently says "huff, puff" and then rasberries all over people. Other frequent phrases are thank you, hugs and kisses and sorry. It's sad that I'm getting a little annoyed by these wonderful words. I especially feel badly that I've passed on the bad habit of saying sorry when I haven't done anything wrong. He's picked up other expressions of mine too, like "let's see"

nicknames and skills

2008-09-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

I realized this morning that I call Jack different terms of endearment than I used with Ethanael. I think I used to call Ethanael "peanut", "sweet pea", and "cutie petutie". I call Jack "my pooka poo" and "bitty" or "bitty baby", as in itty bitty. Jack is such a smiley, content baby. It's such a blessing to me. He was diagnosed with an ear infection a week ago Friday after an uncharacteristic night of being inconsolable and a day of sleeping and fever. Since the fever broke though, he's been back to his old self all week during his antibiotic treatment.

Ethanael is seeming so much older. He had a conversation with Michael last night on the phone. This week he's been putting together some sentences such as "Where Buddy is?" and "Mommy (or whoever) do it." He's learning to play and look at books in his room for longer periods of time and I found him counting in there. He can count from do 1-13 or so but usually forgets 5. He also can identify some letters including "E". He recently started saying his name too, which sounds like "Han-yo". Michael taught him his middle and last names yesterday.

Some New Things

2008-08-25T07:55:00.000-07:00

Jack is still sleeping through some nights, but mostly gets up once, which is completely fine. His thrush is gone and we've finally gotten the hang of breastfeeding and are doing that instead of pumping. That was a huge load off. Jack outgrew his blocked tear duct a week or so ago and no longer has a goopey right eye. He discovered his feet a couple days ago while sitting on Michael's chest, which was fun to see. He looked completely perplexed and intrigued as he watched his bare toes move. He's starting to coo some too.

Ethanael is doing well too. He is growing into quite a big boy despite a decreased appetite. Unfortunately he's been a really picky eater lately. His favorite foods of mozarella string cheese and chicken are no longer a draw and he now just asks for "warm", which means microwaved milk. This excessive drinking has led to more accidents during the night and naptime. On the big boy front, Ethanael is becoming adept at putting together pretty difficult wooden puzzles from my childhood. He has also learned to jump with two feet at the same time, which I'm sure is a delight for our downstairs neighbors.

my big boys

2008-08-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

Jack slept through the night Thursday 11pm to 6:30am! Ethanael has started calling me mom instead of mama tis week.

Oops

2008-08-04T22:36:00.000-07:00

Password to the photo link is "morrish072008"

Up-to-Date Pictures

2008-08-04T22:09:00.000-07:00

For another week you can see the results of our photo shoot with Amy Kimball on 07-10-08. Go to http://amykimballphotography.printroom.com/ choose our link and use the password Morrish082007

Here are some of my unprofessional snapshots:

The boys playing together with daddy.
Ethanael had a great time playing with Anthony Davis when he was in town for his grandpa's funeral.

Jack chillin' on daddy's chest.
Jack sunning himself on his due date 07-23-08 - actually trying desperately to stay cool enough in the shade while Ethanael played in the pool and nearly stepped on him repeatedly.
Brothers.

Not Keeping Up So Well, Huh?

2008-08-04T21:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay for those of you checking in. I'm still adjusting to being a mother of two. I'm up way too late tonight because I took a nap earlier and got sucked into a horror movie after Ethanael finally stayed in bed long enough to fall asleep at 10pm. Tomorrow I will pay.

Though I felt pretty good today, I've been stressed and teary generally. Breastfeeding has been an emotional topic. Though Jack is getting stronger and improving at staying on and getting milk, his latch is painful because he doesn't open his mouth wide enough and/or narrows as he sucks. I got some help last week to keep my supply up with a drug called Reglan, which has given me some rest from the anxiety and frustration of being tied to the clock and pump what could seem endlessly. I've wanted to give up most days, but am persevering with help from La Leche League, the Nurturing Nook at St. John's and the support of Mike, friends and family.

I wish I could figure out how to post a video because I have some great footage of Ethanael dancing to "I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy" and periodically saying, "where?". He finger painted today for the first time and enjoyed it. Yesterday, he jumped off the diving board repeatedly at the Eaton's pool with Papa (Mike's dad). Ethanael is enjoying Jack more and more. He likes to play with Jack's hands and feet, in addition to rubbing the hair on his head, and he asks to hold him sometimes.

Jack is chubbing up. He was 9lbs. on Wednesday 07-30-08. His cheeks are bigger and his little tush has some cush now. He's been smiling more too, which warms my heart. Haven't got it on camera yet. I think his thrush is finally cleared up (after 3 rounds of Nystatin) since I'm on a medication now too that comes through the milk. His right eye still gets goopy, but the opthomologist isn't concerned and says he should outgrow it.

recent pics

2008-07-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

Ethanael's 2nd Birthday!

2008-07-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

Monday was the day, but our party was Saturday. It was great! Highlights include a blow-up cookie monster, yummy mac n cheese and chicken gyros, homemade hats, Ethanael rolling on the floor trying to see the shark on the back of his new swim trunks, and a family game of t-ball. He has recently impressed me by proclaiming while listening to a CD that it's guitar and associating his green beans at dinner time with Veggie Tales. Ethanael loves splashing in the sprinkler, playing in the sink, coloring and listening to music. He's also likes reading books and praying in which he whispers the key words after us. Unfortunately, he's been bonking his head a lot lately (frequently in relation to water play). In a span of two days he thunked and cut the back of his head, face planted biting his lip, and flipped of a couch onto the floor where he hit his head.

Jack's doing well. Saturday will be 4 weeks that he's been home. At his doctor's apt. Wednesday, he weighed 7lbs. 1oz. and was 20inches long . His cheeks and thighs are chubbing up a bit. Ethanael was born 12 days before his due date, which for Jack would've been Friday. He's perking up for longer periods and crying more, but is still a laid back baby who is very patient while I tend to his big brother.

The pictures aren't uploading and I need to get to bed. I'll try again tomorrow - hopefully.

Settling In

2008-06-30T11:56:00.001-07:00

So, it's been a touch over a week and here are some snapshots. Jack is getting chubbier cheeks, but still has froggy legs :) Ethanael is struggling with jealousy and misbehaving, but is also giving Jack hugs and kisses and looks for him when he's crying (Ethanael says "noise", "loud"). The marker play was authorized since he was buckled in and they're washable. Jack's nights and days were a bit switched for awhile, but mostly he sleeps all the time. On the rare occasion that he stays awake, his beautiful eyes entrance everyone around. As you can see, we've all been doing a lot of sleeping.

Jack's Home!!!!

2008-06-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

He chowed down like a trouper over night Friday, so Mike and I came for him Saturday and weren't disappointed. We missed being there for his hospital photo and I don't like it much, but we have some snapshots I love. After having our car seat instruction and trial, Jack made his first pilgrimage into the open air - of course it had recently hailed and was unexpectedly pouring, but we made it. After Mike and I ate, Jack woke up, so we did a diaper change, snipped off all his tags and oiled the probes of his chest. Mike had some of his own kangarooing time while I picked Ethanael up from Tom and Mary's where he'd had a great day taste-testing at Costco and hunting their jungle cat Shawnee. Then our family was finally all together. Ethanael was kind but reserved with his little brother at first and wanted to hold me and have his paci. We had our little party and presents. A couple hours later Ethanael was warming up to Jack more and giving him hugs and kisses. Mike had continued holding Jack while I managed Ethanael and dinner. When I picked Jack up around Ethanael's bedtime, he kind of freaked out, but he was tired. Though he wouldn't let Mike read to him and was having a little fit, he fell asleep quickly. Jack and I have been kangarooing in our new Moby carrier for a couple hours and enjoy it. We'll see how the night goes. I should be sleeping, but for some reason am waiting for Jack to wake up. How will I sleep then?

Full face

2008-06-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

Mike and I got to see Jack today for the first time without a tube or tape on his face. He has only had a feeding tube for the last few days, but he pulled it out last night and they left it out planning only to put it back in if he couldn't eat enough from the bottle. It was still out tonight when I left at 10:45pm. Jack has a beautiful face and it's great to see it.

Jack'll probably be circumcised tomorrow or Friday and we were told he might be ready to be discharged Friday or Saturday. We'll see...

A Procedure

2008-06-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

Two days ago I happened to visit Jack right when a doctor and nurse practitioner were checking his eyes. The right had been swollen with yellow discharge and the left had a hard purplish knot on the bridge of the nose. They said they would let the opthamologist diagnose and treat it on Tuesday. I came yesterday afternoon and was thankful that the opthamologist was on his way and I would be there for his visit. Dr. O'Mally was terrific - very pleasant, knowledgeable, family-centered, etc. He said Jack had a double plugged tear duct/cyst (there was a more scientific name) and drew me a picture and explained why it was good to treat it by probing through the eye to open the blockage and drain the infection. I wanted to call Mike before signing consent and he offered to talk with him too. The doctor carried Jack to the procedure room and they were back within a half hour delivering him into my arms. His nose and eye looked great - the bridge of the nose is defined now. He has the same drops for the right eye and now different drops for the left that he gets four times a day for two weeks when he'll see doctor O'Mally again.

3 days of kangarooing

2008-06-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling much better. There's been no more drama with the nurses and I hope it's going to stay that way in this new phase 2 room and that I didn't just happen to get a couple supportive ones the last few days. Jack is warmer and eats better after the times I hold him for a few hours. He's still getting chilly sometimes but hasn't gone back into an incubator. He is still fed some or part of his feedings by tube instead of the nipple. Jack is also still on oxygen, but is down to 1/32. They think it's taking longer to ween him off because there is excess fluid in his system, so they gave him a medication to expel it through urine and hope that will help. He has some drainage from his right eye that they took a culture off. So far it is not growing anything, but they're giving him drops anyway. Jack also has had a rash on his bottom for a few days. The nurse thought it looked like a yeast infection, so she ordered Nystatin cream to help.

I just checked in by phone to ask them not to circumcise tomorrow like they were planning and found out that they took Jack off the oxygen after I left this afternoon and he is doing well. He weighed 5lbs 5 1/2oz. today.

New Pics with Mama and Daddy

2008-06-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

A Rollercoaster

2008-06-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I was able to hold Jack for a couple hours even though there was a lot of confusion in the room with the scheduling of another baby's procedure. In the evening I asked if he could come out for my mother-in-law to hold him for awhile (because she hasn't gotten to yet) and was told he had already been held a lot. The nurse's tone and non-verbals made me feel like I was being told that I had done something wrong. That's hard for me anyway, but especially because there are 20 hours of each day at least that I can't hold him. After going home I was alone for the first time since having Jack and felt sad. I went to the women's ministry night at our church. During worship I heard my friend Zena's 2-month-old whimpering and wanted to hold and comfort a baby. Thankfully she and Nora agreed and I just held her and cried until I could smile. It was really healing.

Jack had a good weekend. He came out of the incubator and went into the crib on Sunday. He also came off the billiblanket because his level was a 7 (13 and up means being on the lights). The nurse said that I could bring our own clothes and blankets the next day if I wanted and could start giving Jack his baths. On Monday we spent a lot of time together and Jack breastfed pretty well. The lactation consultant suggested they try cue-based feeding (otherwise known as "on demand"). That evening Jack moved to the level 2 room, which is an improvement. He had also gained good weight and was 5lbs1.5oz. He had also passed his hearing test.

Unfortunately, on Tuesday we were told that overnight Jack didn't wake up on his own to eat and was switched back to scheduled feedings. He got cold and was in danger of going back into the incubator. Jack also D-stat-ed, which means that the oxygen saturation of his blood dropped too low. They put him on 50% oxygen. We were told that Jack had probably just been pushed too far and was telling us to slow down. I was really emotional getting this news and couldn't seem to help crying. I was disappointed. I also felt like the insinuation was that my holding and feeding him was what was too much, which made me feel like his regressions were my fault. I'm being pretty sensitive. I don't mind if Jack's going to be there for awhile (even an undetermined amount of time), but not knowing what's expected of me or when advocating for our attachment is necessary is stressful to me.

Today we kangarooed for the second time. Jack is down to 1/16 oxygen. He's still in the crib and nippled his 3,6 and 9am feedings. His lung x-rays were clear and he doesn't have pneumonia. He'll have another blood test to check for billiruben tomorrow because on Monday his level had gone up to 8.5.

Sorry if this post is more jumbled than the others. I'm tired and covering a lot of days at once.

A Plateau

2008-06-06T17:53:00.000-07:00

Is what it feels like to me. Jack is still on the billiblanket, which has made him very sleepy the last two days. They'll check the level again tomorrow morning. He hasn't been drinking from a bottle or nursing because he's not waking up at meal times, but he's still gaining weight and is at about 4lbs12oz. Jack is still in the incubator, but it is set at the coolest setting and he isn't getting cold. He'll probably have to maintain that for a couple days before they'll try to put him in a crib. Today Jack's oxygen level and respiration rate were dropping periodically. The nurses didn't say what the cause would be, but will be watching it. That was unnerving and made me kind of anxious, which I haven't felt yet about his health. Please keep praying.

Amusement by Ethanael

2008-06-04T18:59:00.000-07:00

Our first son is still a cutie pie of course and makes us laugh regularly. When he saw me pumping milk for the first time he looked puzzled, then pointed and laughed and said, "funny" repeatedly. When I finished he unzipped his jammies and asked me to put the pumps on his "tummy". He did this again this morning.

On Sunday we had a family drive together down Lakeshore Drive in daddy's new fast car. Ethanael said "whee" and put his arms in the air and shook his head when the wind from the sunroof blew in his face. He also sang his favorite songs, "EIEIO", "Happy" (birthday), and "Jesus" (loves me). We took him to TCBY for the third ice cream of his life. He didn't remember having it before. I gave him the first bit of his vanilla yogurt and he said "Like it" and "mummy" (yummy). He continued to say this after most bites and then tried licking it out of the cup and got it on his nose.

Little set back + many strides

2008-06-04T18:54:00.000-07:00

Jack is up to his 39oz of milk for each feeding and did great trying to breastfeed today for the first time. His jaundice came back, so he needed to be back on the billiblanket today, which meant no hours of cuddling like I want, but I'm sure it will go down again soon. He's still working on staying warm, but one of the nurse's said he may be able to come home in a week or so!

Jack's doing so great!

2008-06-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

His jaundice is cleared up. He is not using a blender or any other breathing aid. It's so nice to see more of his face without all the contraptions - it's so delicate and peaceful. He drank 10ccs of my milk from a bottle last night with the nurse and today at 2:30pm I fed him 15 of his 29 ccs from the bottle. Their goal is for him to drink 39 ccs in a feeding. He is currently 4lbs.9oz. I've gotten to hold him for 2 hour chunks the last few days, which has been wonderful. We kangarooed for the first time yesterday. He should be able to go to the breast in the next couple days. Today he is working on staying warm without his incubator. His temperature is at the borderline level with a hat, long sleeve shirt and blanket on. Thank you for your prayers and help. Ethanael's caregivers have done a huge service to me and I so appreciate having people he knows and I trust to care for him while I go to the hospital. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Bea's Request

2008-05-31T19:35:00.001-07:00

Vignettes

2008-05-31T19:18:00.000-07:00

Here are close-ups of our beautiful boy. I got to hold him for two hours today and it was heaven.

Update

2008-05-31T19:09:00.000-07:00

Jack's bilirubin level is down to 11.3, so he doesn't need the lights and biliblanket anymore. They also decreased the air pressure in his blender from 1.5 to 1. When they weigh him tonight they'll increase his milk intake. He is doing great sucking on a pacifier and was licking his lips a half hour before each feeding today.

Jack's Medical Equipment Progression

2008-05-31T18:54:00.000-07:00

An Update

2008-05-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

Jack is doing great. He is no longer on antibiotics because his blood work came back after 72 hours without any infections. He is no longer on a C.P.A.P. (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) to help him breathe, but just a blender (no oxygen, just a little flow into the nose). As his lungs develop and strengthen, his retractions (pulling in of his chest when he inhales) will diminish and they'll do trials without the blender.

Jack lost a little weight after birth like most newborns and is now 4lbs8oz. He is tolerating his feedings of my milk well and they've increased from 6 to 18 cc's over the past two days. He is being fed through a tube through his nose into his stomach now, but I can't remember why right now. When he can be held for longer periods by me, we'll try to help him learn to nurse through Kangarooing (skin to skin contact on the chest - good for temp, and hearing heart beat too).

The main issue now apart from developing lungs and being able to tolerate room temperature is that Jack has Jaundice (liver not mature enough to rid the blood of bilirubin - the breakup of old red blood cells). Ethanael did too. Jack is receiving phototherapy of two overhead florescent lights and lies on a glowing biliblanket. Being hydrated with breastmilk and passing stools (he needed a suppository) also helps decrease bilirubin levels. Jack's level dropped from 17 to 14.3 in the last day. We'll be able to hold him more when he doesn't need to stay under the lights.

I have some great pictures that I'll post soon. Jack looks like he's in a tanning booth because Jaundice makes your skin orange and he's in an incubator with lights on and a little mask that has sunglasses printed on it. He was very alert when they took his mask off for a bit this morning, and now that his eyes aren't puffy from the C.P.A.P., he was opening them wide and looking around.

Jack David Morrish

2008-05-29T12:09:00.000-07:00

God is Gracious, Beloved

Here's our first picture of our new little guy. Jack came quite quickly and unexpectedly on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008 at 4:09pm. He weighed 4lbs 13oz. and was 18 in. long. This is good size for being under 32 weeks old.

I'm thankful for the so many ways God seemed to have his hand on this situation. Though my doctor and I can't understand physically why Jack was born prematurely, Mike and I feel we have some spiritual insights. Jack's umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck and arm at birth. This could have caused serious complications if he had been full term, especially since everyone's guessing he might have been around 10lbs. on July 23rd when he was due. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes a couple weeks ago, which I didn't have with Ethanael. Maybe it was Jesus' way of fattening him up to safely be born early and saved from physical and mental disabilities. The day after he was born the Holy Spirit brought part of a scripture verse to mind in Psalm 91. I think the whole thing is encouraging and a promise for Jack's life. Look it up :)

Fishies

2008-05-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

Ethanael's enjoyment of all things aquatic is growing. It includes and is encouraged by Papa Peter's fish tank, my aquarium D.V.D. that makes our large screen T.V. into a virtual tank, our visit to Sea World, numerous viewings of Finding Nemo, and various books like Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea. He particularly likes to talk about the sharks. Today while I was getting him dressed he repeatedly and with some upset said, "clothes", "fishies". I opened his drawer and he pulled out a navy shirt with a brightly colored iguana on it (he thinks it's a fishie). It's crazy to me that he's old enough to have a favorite shirt and tell me when he wants to wear it. He received a compliment from the doctor about it at his check-up. During our errands we went to Pet Smart and bought our own first fishie - a little crown fin Beta. He's bluish teal with burgundy fins. Ethanael is very happy watching him swim. So am I, as a matter of fact. He doesn't have a name yet. Any ideas?

when the weather outside is frightful

2006-12-31T11:18:00.000-08:00

I just placed an order for the Columbia "Cosmic Pile" parka. This was supposed to be last year's Christmas present, but when I found out I was pregnant I decided it wouldn't fit anyway and we needed the money to move out of Mike's grandma's house. Now thanks to that grandma, Mike's parents and my parents I have the money to get it. I hope it doesn't get dirty too easily. I remember that I was so overwhelmed last year shopping for one and am grateful that it was better this year. http://www.campmor.com was a great help. They had sales on a variety of brands and since it was closeout, lack of availability helped me be decisive. It sounds silly, but this is one of maybe one big purchases I've made by myself and it felt good.

I'm back

2006-12-31T11:10:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been almost a year and I haven't blogged. Oh well. I can see that I was pretty somber when I started and am glad I don't feel as morose now. That word (morose) and my uncertainty at how to spell it reminds me that I recently learned to play speed scrabble and really like it. I like the speed, independence and freedom it provides in contrast to regular scrabble. Who wants to work for points to keep score when you could work for words.

New Obsession

2006-01-24T14:32:00.000-08:00

I don't know if this is necesarily an obsession, but I want to read and look at children's books. I like good illustrations. I get jealous of my teacher friends who have kid library's. However, I already have 6 boxes of books I don't read and only one bookshelf. My dad has a trunk with some of my children's books and it seems like a treasure chest to me because I don't remember what's in there and imagine it will be full of memories. I like memories. Actually memory aids. I'm not good at remembering on my own. That's probably one of the reasons I like pictures and photo album / scrap books.

Healing Pregnancy

2006-01-21T21:10:00.000-08:00

My baby is helping me cry again. Or at least the hormones are. I cried for the first time after replacing children in a new foster home a couple weeks ago. I teared up today at an instructional video I show in my foster and adoptive parenting class. I've seen it at least 10 times with no such urges. While it's good for a training video, it isn't award winning or anything. But I was sad for a child again. I was also personally saddened and offended when someone judged birthmothers placing their babies for adoption.

I'm experiencing some awe again too. Hearing our heartbeat brought some tears. I actually felt amazed that there is someone living in there. I didn't just think that I should feel that way. And yesterday, I laid on a hard floor on my tummy and swear it felt like I was lying on a baseball though I don't know if that's possible as I'm just coming to the end of my 14th week. But again, someone is in there!