...loving life's joys...

Silas AND Hamlet!!

2009-09-20T09:57:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we had the honor and blessing of meeting Silas Yegermal Wing! Jason picked Phil, Amber, and Silas up from the Columbus airport while the rest of the family waited at Phil and Amber's house for their arrival. Phil and Amber requested Gibson and Maya be on the front porch waiting for them to pull up with baby Silas in tow! After the family of five reunited in the front yard, we were able to greet them as they walked into their home with sweet Silas. Phil's parents were there, as well as Amber's parents, sister and her family, and the Zeunes joined us later. It's so neat to see how the Zeunes have walked through this entire process with Phil and Amber as they have a 16 month old son, Mathios, who is recently adopted as well and was only 4 beds away from Silas back in the transition home in Ethiopia. How great is that! Best friends adopting together and their babies growing up together. The cousins played together for a while then we had a fantastic dinner which consisted of my favorite, Marco's pizza, and lots of desserts. The carrot cake and chocolate chip cookie bars were delightful. Silas was tuckered out and went to sleep at 6:30, just before we decided to leave and give the new family of 5 a much needed break and some space.

I'm such a proud aunt of Silas AND....baby Hamilton, too!). Yep-you heard it right...I'm going to be an aunt to Mike and Maggie's baby due April 2! :) Maggie is just over 11 weeks pregnant. Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of babies!!

Good News

2009-09-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

We had our meeting with the neurosurgeon today and it was great! Here's what we know: Gideon has a Chiari (kee-AR-ee) malformation near the base of his brain. Basically, his big, smart brain is too big for his skull and his cerebellar tonsils (yes, we have tonsils in the base of our brain) hang into his spinal column. This means there's a potential for blockage of his spinal fluid but right now we're in the clear! He'll need to be seen in three months to do another checkup. He won't need another MRI unless his check up goes poorly. But I was amazed by how well Gideon was doing today with each test the doctor performed. He's such a trooper! After his next appointment, if all goes well, he'll be seen six months after that, then yearly. We are such relieved parents. Thank you, again, for your prayers and encouraging words. We're so thankful for you all. God has heard our many prayers to Him!

(hope you don't mind, I copy and pasted this from an email I sent out earlier)

Praise the Lord for His sovereign hands and great doctors!

The Latest Lesson

2009-09-12T09:26:00.001-07:00

Just thought I'd give an update on our sweet Gideon. I've not posted on his health situation so I thought I'd better get to it! Before I get to typing please know that your prayers are needed and appreciated in regards to little Gid.

At Gideon's 6 month check up I asked our pediatrician if his head looked OK to her. She said it looked a little wider and asymmetrical in the back. Deb, our pediatrician, thought it may be best to have it looked at it further. Gideon had an ultrasound done and the results weren't perfect. So we were encouraged to have an MRI set up for Gideon, which was last Wednesday. We got the results on Thursday and it looks like he has enlarged ventricles, which are areas where spinal fluid flows in and out of the brain and spinal column. It looks like there is some sort of blockage, resulting in Gideon's head growing at a much faster rate than the rest of his body. This speedy growth in his head size (from 50th to 90th percentile in 6 months) was the kicker for us thinking there may be a problem. So now we wait and we are scheduled to see a neurosurgeon, Dr. Kleiner, at Children's on Tuesday at 4:00.

Please pray for us as we discuss options for Gideon. Surgery seems to be the most ideal option from all the information we have. But as many of you know, no parent loves the idea of their baby being put under and having surgery.

Our hearts are heavy. The Lord is certainly growing Jason and I as we wait on Him and have to trust in His perfect plan. I was just telling Jason a few weeks ago that I'm so reluctant to confess my fears to the Lord because I know He'll test me (to grow me, not harm me). Sure enough, when I surrendered my fears and areas of worries to the Lord, Gideon's brain/ventricle issue was brought to our attention.

Gideon is a wonderful little boy who can melt any one's heart. Brain problems or not, he's the best son any parent could ask for. I'll keep you updated after Tuesday's appointment.

Obedience is so cute

2009-08-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

As soon as you walk in our home you'll be greeted by a pile of shoes on the floor to your left. There's a mental plan for a more organized system but I haven't quite reached that chore on my list of to-do's yet. Anyways, this morning as Reagan was helping me tidy up our living room, I asked her to put her shoes by the door. Bless her sweet little heart. She did just that.

Mommy Fix It

2009-08-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

So this story makes my heart smile...

Last week Jason took Reagan for a hike so I could have some girl time. The ladies from my house church came over so we could re-divide into smaller quads. It's always very helpful when Jason and Reagan go on their daddy daughter date on the nights I have quads or a night out to myself, or what have you.

Anyways--Jason and Reagan went on a 3 mile hike rather than a 3/4 mile hike (thanks to his color blind issue, he couldn't see which trail was which color, thus the longer hike than planned.) Jason pointed out all the trees that had fallen down in the woods and her response was priceless...

"Mommy fix it."

Ahh, it's nice to know she thinks so highly of me. :)

Emotions

2009-07-09T19:29:00.001-07:00

Well this is aweful. Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I'm on Facebook a lot so my blogging life has taken quite the hit. I need to get better at this, I'll just add it to my to-do list...thanks for understanding!

Now that both babies are asleep and I have time to digest some thoughts, I'm realizing how emotional this past month has been for our family. With my dad having crazy things happen with his job, Phil and Amber having ups and downs with the adoption of Silas, and discipline issues with Reagan coming up, it's been rough! But we know God is sovereign in all things and He's not surprised by our family troubles.

You could pray for peace as Phil and Amber wait on a second court date. The Ethiopian courts usually close during rainy season and we're praying they remain open so families waiting to get their sons and daughters through adoption aren't held up even more. (Also, a good friend of the family, the Zeunes, are going to get their son, Mathios, in 8 days. Mathios hasn't been on the greatest eating-streak since he's joined the transition home and the Zeunes could use prayer as they prepare to travel, meet, and parent little Mathios in only 8 days!)

There's a lot more to share but I'm tired and since I've promised to be better at updating my blog, I can share it in a few days! :)

Spring Pics

2009-06-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

This Spring (almost Summer) has been so great! God has blessed us with wonderful weather and we've enjoyed being outside A LOT! Mom and Dad had a pool put in last Fall and now that the weather is oh-so-warm, we're visiting their pool about 4 times a week. Mom, Dad, and Becca have put up with me and the kids and we're thankful for their hospitality, food, and pool! Below are pics of Jason and Reagan playing at a park, Memorial day fun with our cousins from Columbus, a visit from Aunt Maggie, and a summer night in Grammy and Pops' back yard. And some of the best news of the Spring (which unfortunately we can't post pics of, yet) is the news that Phil and Amber got their referral and are waiting for their seven month old son to join them from Ethiopia! Once he's officially their baby I'll post pics of him and let you know his name and all that. Praise the Lord for growing our family!

Fantastic Recipe

2009-05-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

Here's a recipe that's delicious! Get ready, tastebuds.

Grilled Lime Chicken
Prep: 15 min. + marinating
Grill: 10 min.

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
6 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley OR 1 Tbsp. dried parsley
3 Tbsp. grated lime peel
1-1/2 tsp. minced garlic
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. dried thyme
3/4 tsp. marjoram
3/4 tsp. pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

In a small bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Pour 1/3 cup marinade into a large resealable plastic bag OR tupperware container with lid. Seal and turn to coat; refrigerate for up to one hour. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.

Drain and discard marinade. Grill chicken, covered over medium heat for 5-8 minutes per side. Baste occasionally with remaining marinade.

**to get the most lime juice, microwave limes for 30 seconds before slicing in half and squeezing. A juicer (electric or hand) is helpful but not necessary.

Springy Wingys

2009-05-05T09:58:00.000-07:00

Spring is finally here! With all the wonderful weather lately we've had lots of trips to the park behind Grammy and Pops' house. Swinging is one of Reagan's favorite things to do. She'll ask if she can go on the, "WEE!" Then she'll ask for the "sly?" (slide). There's lots of fun to be had these days. And Gideon is really growing up, too! This morning he reached out and grabbed the toy cow that's attached to his jungle gym mat. Definitely a first and worthy of posting. Thanks, Lord, for a wonderful family and two kids who are growing up too fast.

Recent Pics

2009-04-20T13:30:00.001-07:00

Jason is 32!

2009-04-10T12:47:00.001-07:00

My handsome husband turned 32 yesterday! We had a wonderful day celebrating...here's what went down: Every Thursday Jason spends the majority of his day at Dayton Christian since it's chapel day. (If you didn't know this already, Jason is working part-time at DC to coordinate chapels and do some counseling for male students.) And since Dayton Christian is on Spring break, Jason didn't have to go in to DC yesterday. He requested to sleep in on his bday and he certainly did! He wanted to watch an episode of The West Wing and then go for a jog. He needed to work at Apex for a few hours and have a couple meetings, so afterwards we met up and got straight to celebrating! Spontaneity was the word of the day! We decided it would be fun to just do whatever we wanted...the kids were with my parents, I had extra milk for Gideon all ready to go so we could be gone for a while. And we were runnin' round town like we did when we were dating and had not a care in the world. Jason thought it would be fun to go to BW3s for an appetizer, the tastiness of Southwest Dippers is indescribable. Then we went to Chipotle for dinner, his steak fajita burrito was quite the sight! And then we went to UDF for his favorite thing lately, a rootbeer float. Then back to my parent's house to get the kids! Reagan was a tired little lady but was still fun to play and talk with. And Gideon looked at Jason for a long time, just staring away at his great daddy. When we came home and the kids were asleep, we ended the day with another episode of The West Wing. It was a fun day, I know he enjoyed it. And the best part is he got what he's been asking for for over a year now. His very own UFC zip up hoodie. Happy Birthday, J! You're a hot 32.

My cutie pie

2009-04-07T18:24:00.000-07:00

Reagan is always into something these days. She loves to talk up a storm if someone's around to listen or not. Being a big sister is right up her alley, too! So in honor of my first-born being so grown-up and such a helper to me since Gideon's arrival, here is a blog of pics which feature only her. (I'm trying to upload a video but I can't get anything to work properly.)

And more pictures!

2009-03-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of us in the hospital before Gideon's arrival, during our stay, and after we came home. We've been busy but the adjustment has been so much better than I imagined. God has answered my prayers and has taken away the fears of being a mom of two so close in age. Of course, Gideon sleeping 22 hours a day has a lot to do with how easy things are. But still...He has answered.

Some Pics of Gideon

2009-03-06T14:31:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics that Amy took of Gideon last week. She's doing new stuff with profiles, I'd say I'm a fan!

On Our Way

2009-02-25T07:32:00.000-08:00

Today is the day! Gideon Justus will be born around 1:00 and we couldn't be happier!

...Pics will be posted soon...

Nesting and To Do's

2009-02-22T06:39:00.001-08:00

Well as the ticker on the left so clearly informs me, only three more days till Gideon arrives! We're so excited about the big day. And with all the excitement comes the stress of finishing things up around the house so that when he arrives it's smooth sailing. Here is a list of things I have yet to do that I want to get done:

oil change, air filter change, and battery replacement in the Lumina
finish putting all Gideon's clothes away
put the cradle in our room and the changing table in his
wash the car seat cover and bouncy seat cover in baby detergent
clean out basement refrigerator
fix leaks in the basement sink and pipe
deep clean living room carpet
change furnace filter
finish thank you notes from the baby shower
put porch furniture where it belongs...on the porch rather than back yard
(not really thinking Gideon will care about above task)
re-install both car seats in lumina
pay Jason's MRI bill
reorganize our medical/bill file folder to prepare for the plethora of new bills coming
clean fans in all rooms
grocery shopping
regular daily chores/housekeeping
pack a hospital bag for myself, Jason, and Gideon
pack a stay-at-Grammy and Pops' house bag for Reagan

Since this list is on my mind all the time, I thought I'd blog about it...seems like I'll keep myself more accountable now that it's out there for all to read. More in the days to come!

The Haunted Tree

2009-02-14T05:48:00.000-08:00

We have this tree in our backyard that is wonderful in the Spring and Summer! It blocks out lots of sunlight, which in turn reduces our electric bill thanks to the AC not running as much. It has beautiful leaves which makes any seasonally-depressed Ohio resident smile. However, when there's a storm like last September's wind storm, or an ice storm, or any sort of weather bearing winds over 10mph, we start to worry. This old tree is so tall and has so many branches that other branches grow from...and to summarize, it becomes a danger when wind is involved. All that to say with the wind storm we had a few days ago, some big limbs snapped and landed in Kendall's back yard (again) and on our garage. I called the City of Dayton to say one of their trees has landed on private property and to please come fix it. (I didn't know it was a City of Dayton tree, but Dad advised me to just say it to get them out here quicker. And within two hours they were here with a crane and cherry-picker!) Here are pics from the big event!

Our Comedian

2009-01-29T06:47:00.000-08:00

There's just no explaination for this cutie...

The kids!

2009-01-26T19:31:00.000-08:00

News, news, news!

Little Reagan does indeed have another double ear infection. This is her fifth one since August. I took her in today and she's on antibiotics again and our nurse was as caring and concerned as always. She mentioned that if Reagan has another ear infection within 6-8 weeks we should see an ENT specialist to discuss options for her, i.e. tubes. She's doing much better now that she has motrin in her...hopefully she'll feel the healing effects of the antibiotics in another day or so.

And sir Gideon's due date will officially be Feb. 25. Dr. Sanford is willing to do it even though he'll be just hours shy of 39 weeks old. It will be different this time around for sure because Reagan was late and he'll be early--I'm interested to see the difference between a late baby and an early baby.

Jason and I will celebrate three years of marriage on Wednesday! And to top it off, we're supposed to have lots of snow by Wed. morning--snow day for us, perfect timing. :) Thanks for reading and keeping up with us.

Week-at-a-glance and very much randomness

2009-01-23T13:27:00.000-08:00

This week has been eventful! Sorta. Jason took off for Orlando Wednesday afternoon so Reagan and I have been staying at my parents home. We went to HC at the Bailey's and when that was over we took off to the Hamilton household. Since we've been here, a small cold has turned into a full-blown cold. But thankfully I'm starting to get over it. And Reagan just sneezed green 10 minutes ago...so it's now in her little system. By Monday or Tuesday it will have developed into a double ear infection, so a Dr. visit is inevitable for early next week. It's so amazing how the Lord lets moms in on the secrets about their kids' immune systems. "Always trust your gut when it comes to their health and safety", is a phrase I heard the most while pregnant with Reagan. And it's a phrase I'll tell every new parent because it's true. Anyways, on from that tangent...

Jason comes back tonight so we'll be picking him up from the airport and I'm so very excited to see him. Reagan's been walking around they house saying, "Da-ee", holding up her hands like she's asking a question. It's really cute!

Wednesday will be our three year anniversary! Can't believe it's been three years already. God has definitely grown us and I'm so thankful. We'll be spending Wednesday night at Apex for a discipleship event, so we'll be celebrating our anniversary on Friday and Saturday...looking forward to some alone time, especially since Gideon will be joining us soon. :)

There's really no cohesion to this blog, sorry for that. It's been such a blessing to be at mom and dad's while Jason's been away. I don't know what I'd do if we lived far from them.

Update on Gideon

2009-01-19T10:08:00.001-08:00

Wow...two blogs posts in one day! This morning I had a Dr. appt. with my OB, whom I love dearly, and we discussed some things. Turns out the date of Gideon's c-section (Feb. 25) puts Gideon at 38 weeks and 6 days gestation. Miami Valley Hospital has a rule against doing C-sections before a baby is officially 39 weeks old. So, in order to avoid a possible repromand, we may push the C-section back a day to the 26th. However, since Dr. Sanford leaves for vacation that day, I may be with a different OB from the practice. And I'm ok with that, but my preference would be to have Dr. Sanford do it since she did such a great job with Reagan. And she's a perfectionist...just the type of person I want doing anything surgical on me. Ya know?

So as of now his arrival date is still the 25th. Also, according to his last ultrasound taken two weeks ago, his measurments bump his due date up from March 5 (orignal due date) to Feb. 23! He's a big, big boy! And if the theories prove correctly in that daughters usually take after their mother's birth patterns, Gideon will be born early. For example--I was born 7 days late and my brother was born 12 days early. Reagan was born 5 days late, maybe Gideon will be born early?

Although there are lots of unknowns right now, I have to say I'm very excited. Gideon's room has been cleaned out, his crib is up (still need to buy a mattress for him), and painting is next. Reagan has been such a joy this week--a little babbler who tells you what she thinks anytime you ask her, or don't ask her, all with a very serious look on her face. :) My children are a blessing, I can't wait to hold them both at the same time...and that will be Feb. 25th or 26th. And either day is perfect.

Obama: abortion-supporter/enabler

2009-01-19T05:36:00.000-08:00

Hello to all reading this post!

If you've not heard of the Freedom of Choice Act, please visit this website and educate yourself. Then, if your heart leads, please sign the petition. Our president-elect is misguided for allowing partial-birth abortions to be considered again, as well as allowing babies born due to botched abortions to be cast aside until they die. Read on and sign.

www.fightfoca.com

Let's Grow, Reagan, Let's Grow!

2009-01-16T11:06:00.001-08:00

Reagan had her 15 month well-baby check up today. She's doing great!

Her verbal/communication skills continue to be ahead of the game...which is great--I'm conversing with a one year old!

Her weight however, is seriously lacking. She continues to decline in the percentiles...only in the 5th percentile this time. But I was encouraged to add Pediasure to her selection of daily beverages as well as no more whole milk mixed with chocolate. It's all whole milk with chocolate syrup from now on to increase her calorie intake. She's supposed to eat high calorie meals like mac & cheese, but she already does that. I guess now that she's walking she's "workin' out" a lot more than I expected...so up goes the calorie count. Her height is fine, a little under the 50th percentile, and you guessed it--her head is still above the 90th percentile.

Reagan was breech for a long time in utero...which we're discovering could pose some major problems for her down the road. Because she was breech for a while her hip sockets may not have developed properly, so she'll be getting an x-ray done next week just to make sure everything looks ok. If anything does go wrong, I'm sure we can work on it now rather than prepare her for hip replacements when she's 35 or 40. Geesh, who knew breech positioning could be so complicated?? All of this came to light because she's had a hard time learning how to lay down. She just learned two nights ago...we're not sure why the delay, so Deb, our nurse practitioner, suggested said x-rays. I'm sure it will all work out! And to top off the Dr. visit, she got four immunizations today. Poor baby!

Say a prayer for us, we're having car troubles--Lina the Lumina won't start. Battery's great, but maybe the alternator's busted? Jason was awesome and transfered the carseat to his car (in zero degree weather). He may be bumming rides for a while so I can have the car with the car seat. Always something with the cars...at least we have cars!

I'll end on a good note: praise God for the 150 people who survived yesterday's landing in the Hudson River, for good friends going to Zambia to serve the Lord, for friends coming over for fellowship tonight, a wonderful family, for a great and healthy marriage that gets better with each new challenge, for a warm home, and a comfy bed, a son joining us in 40 days, and finally, for a good cup of coffee.

Ge--EE

2009-01-12T06:17:00.000-08:00

We had spaghetti for dinner last night and Reagan loved loved loved it! We prompted her to say the daunting "spaghetti" word for a while and finally she said, "ge-EE...yum, yum,".

Our Little Man, Gideon!

2009-01-06T12:46:00.000-08:00

We had a second ultrasound today to check out Gideon's heart, brain, and spine. We didn't get a good look the first time because he was too active. Today we learned he definitely is a boy and are proud to announce some of his statistics!

Due Date: March 5
Date of C-section: February 25
Starts his 33rd week inside Mommy tomorrow (Wed.)
Estimated weight as of today's ultrasound: 4lbs. 8oz.
Growth percentile as of today: 62nd
Heart rate: 145 beats per minute
Head down, face down...prime positioning for a normal birth, but no chance! :)
And unlike his big sister, he'll have hair when he's born!

Sucking his thumb

Pointing his warrior-like left index finger