Things Are Looking Up

Grandpa is still in ICU; however, he is off the ventilator and awake. He is no longer on permanent dialysis but now goes 3 times a week to the dialysis floor to have it done. He has lost 63 pounds since he has been in the hospital and is extremely weak. He is having a lot of anxiety since he's been awake and gets agitated easily. The doctors said that his body was septic and that's why he had the multiple organ failure. They are doing tests to see if he is still septic or if the antibiotics took care of it. Although a lot of things could still happen and he's not "out of the woods" yet, I feel as though everything is going to be all right. I am grateful for all your prayers and love, and I know that Grandma and Grandpa have felt those prayers. I have no doubt in my mind that the Lord has a purpose for Grandpa and his life, and I truly believe that he still has work to do here on this earth.

Noah is now 7 weeks old and is growing like a weed! He is so much bigger than Mya was at his age--I just can't get over it! :) He is such a sweet little thing, and I love having him as part of our family. I can't wait to see how he and Mya will play together and to find out if they have similar interests and personalities or if they will be completely different. I absolutely LOVE being a mom! Those first couple of weeks were pretty rough, but we were able to get through it. And now we are all having a blast together. Here are a few little things that I have started to notice about Noah: He absolutely hates to have a dirty diaper and tells me very loudly that he needs it changed. (Side note: I never seemed to be able to tell with Mya, but I can actually tell a difference in Noah's cries. Is that normal? ;) He loves to be in motion--most of the time. If he's in his carseat, he prefers to be moving. I swear he even knows when the car is stopped. He has a very particular spot on my shoulder where he prefers to be held more often than not; he does not like to be cradled. He also isn't too fond of swaddling, but then again, neither was Mya. Oh! He has started smiling and will occasionally try to mimic my facial expressions. He is quite loud, which I don't remember Mya being like that--not until recently that is. Now, she's a squealing, screeching, yelling and crazy little girl. You know, the typical 2 year old. :)

Mya is still just as petite as ever and has the most beautiful eyes! She has these intense dark, thick, long eyelashes that surround very playfully blue-green-gray hazel eyes. In case you haven't noticed, I absolutely adore them! She is still about a size behind her age when it comes to clothes, but don't let her size fool you. She has about as much energy as a couple of monkeys. She talks like most three year olds I know. And, I think we're on the verge of getting really serious into potty training. She has gone on the potty a few times this week. She understands the routine of going potty and likes to sit on the potty seat. She also knows when she goes number 1and 2 in her diaper. I think she is starting to understand when she needs to go. And, the biggest reason I feel it is getting closer (well, maybe the biggest reason why I want her trained) is that she keeps taking off her diaper after she has peed or pooped as long as it is accessible. This drives me crazy! :) She has gotten better about being gentle with her brother and still loves him. She likes to say Noah Tobias; it's super-cute. Other cute things she says: I love you bunches; I love you very much. She loves to read and knows the majority of her books quite well--impressive considering how many she has. She loves Dora the Explorer and has never seen a single episode--I always wondered how that was possible, and now I know. Her cousin has a couple Dora dolls that Mya started to play with and now Mya wants everything Dora. She is getting really good at pretending. She pretends to talk on the phone and she pretends that her ice cubes are cars. It's really entertaining to watch her play. Oh! her newest love--Chuck E. Cheese. We went there for her little cousin's first birthday. I thought she might be afraid of him since she has a hard time adjusting to new people, but she loved him! She almost started to cry when he had to leave. Now, anytime she sees him on anything she says, "Chuck E. Cheese--I love him! I just love to watch her learn and grow!

Toby goes in on Monday to have reconstructive surgery on his left shoulder. It will make for a very uneventful week off, but we're excited for him to be able to do things, like sleep, without feeling like his shoulder is going to pop out. We would appreciate a few extra prayers for him for everything to go smoothly and recover quickly. As for me, I'm doing pretty well. I do have a couple things I need to get looked at but that hasn't quite happened yet. As always, we'll keep you posted. Oh! I did get my hair cut--that was pretty fun. I will post pictures when we actually take some. :) Well, I guess that about covers everything for now.