Babies Galore

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Connor Robert 2 lbs 13 ozs
Alexander Wesley "Zander" 3 lbs

It has been crazy around here STILL people! I can't seem to catch up.

But I am having a chance to serve my dear friends The Childress' and The Balts. You know the Childress' story but I haven't told you about the Balts yet. Kim was pregnant with twins too, boys this time. On Saturday morning she was having cramping that got severe. Tim took her to the hospital and to make a long story short, she went in for an emergency c-section. Turns out her uterus ruptured! Now as an OB nurse I can assure you this is the emergency that sends us all running and praying. It is one of the worst. Baby and mom can die very easily with this. But our merciful God saw fit to bless us by preserving the lives of Kim, Zander, and Connor on Saturday morning!!!! Thank you God!!! The boys were 29 weeks and are doing well. They are at CMC University in the NICU. So very precious and perfect in every way:) Kim is healing and doing great I think. Please pray for them when you think of it. They are going through many of the feelings Joe and Lori have. Leaving their babies in the hospital, not being able to hold them yet, and all the unknowns. They both have holes in their hearts which close normally in full term babies. They will be getting meds to help them close. Zander is doing great, breathing with just a little oxygen via nasal cannula and Connor is improving too. He is still on the vent but should be off soon.

Pray for Ellie too, big sister can't see the twins because she is too young to go into the NICU. They are relying on pictures to help her see her brothers. She knows which one is which:) Isn't that fun:) They look really different.

If you want to read more about them they both (the Childress' and the Balts) have caringbridge sites. These are wonderful sites where you get updates and you can leave them encouragement in the guestbook. Here are the links:

For Jessie http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/faithofachild

For the Balts: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/zanderandconnorbalts.

Addie!!

Addison Grace
Big Sister Macy:)

Hey All,

I had the privilege of going to Lori and Joe's yesterday to help Lori for a little bit. And I got a few pics of Addie:) Thought you would enjoy them. And since she and Jessie are identical you can see what Jessie looks like too.

They are doing okay. I was just so overwhelmed seeing what they have to do on a daily basis. You have to rely on the Lord to even get out of bed in the mornings! We all do, but so much more the Childress' do!

Please keep praying for them. Jessie is healing slowly but surely. She will have another barium flush in two weeks. That means no eating (she's just getting IV fluids, still chest tubes, no holding her for that long. They think they may have her pain under better control. That gives her mommy and daddy much comfort:)

New Year's Part 2

Holleman in the left corner vs Moore in the right corner
Look at em go!
Danny vs Tim

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year

Tennis
Just hangin out-but don't let Lisa fool you, she's a mean Wii player:)
Obviously, Stephen had a victory!
Couples tennis
Does she look like a boxer to you? I didn't think so. She beat Jess and Jeremy!!! It was hilarious watching them too.

Here are our New Year Celebration pictures. Wii had a ball!! Several families celebrated with us and wii stayed up till the wii hours of the morning playing the Wii and dutch blitz (yes, we gave Jess the pleasure of killing us). It was so funny, three of girls got Nikons for Christmas. So we were snapping away.

Happy Anniversary Buddy!

I have been trying to send this all day but image upload is down, it still is soooo...


My Love,

Happy Anniversary!! Nine years ago today we were wed! I was laying in bed last night with Gracie and she said, "Mommy, why did Daddy marry you?" I had to assure her that you trusted in God!

I am so glad you did marry me:) That you trusted the Lord to bring us together, though we are very different. I am so grateful to the Lord for placing us both at ECU at just the right time. It's pretty neat to ponder all the circumstances that He orchestrated to get us there at the same time. You are certainly the perfect man for me, in every way.

I would like to honor you this year for your diligence. It means "constant and persistent attention to one's work." I can't think of a better word to describe you over this past year. You have been so diligent. Of course you have been diligent at your full time job, but I am really talking about all the other hats that you wear, your other responsibilities. First of all, to our land development. I can't believe the time and attention you have had to devote to it. Much of the work has been added to you from other sources. Yet you have risen to the occasion and been so diligent to cross every "T" and dot every "I." I can say with confidence there is noone else I would trust to build my home! I know I'm biased but I know many would agree with me:) Then you also have another side job that you have worked very hard with. So much so that he keeps giving you more work! Just at a time when we needed it to make ends meet. Praise God that you were sensitive to the need to do this job. Yet with all this work you have been doing, we as a family haven't felt it as much as one would think. You have continued to help me with the girls and around the house, almost as much as you normally would. Thank you!!! This leads me to my final example of your diligence and one of the most important-your commitment to our family. Thank you for continuing to lead us and care for us. Your care has increased substantially as I have been in bed so much with migraines. I never hear you complain and I can tell that the girls absolutely love the time you spend with them. It is so hard for me to lay in bed and know that you have so much to do. Yet you make it easier for me by releasing me. And thank you for being diligent to help me follow the Drs orders even when I don't want to:)

So Buddy, you are my hero. I love you more and more every day and I thank God for you as often. Please know how grateful I am for you and your desire to serve the Lord in this difficult season that He has kindly placed us in. I love you TONS!!!!!

Christmas Pics, a week late

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy BDay to Jesus...
Ooohhhh! A medical kit
Gracie's new robe
Everybody got jerseys. Yes me included, but I got mine last year:) Hubby takes good care of me!

I realized I haven't posted any Christmas Pictures. We've been so busy, can you relate?!

We had lots of fun. Christmas Eve is spent at my mom and dad's. That morning we get together with the Murphys. A family we have been friends with since I was two! Then we have Christmas with my immediate family-mom, dad, Lauren, Ab, etc... Then it's off to church for the Christmas Eve service.

On Christmas morning we wake up and have Christmas with our little family. Jeremy did a great job talking to the girls about Jesus' birth. We sang to Jesus and read the Christmas story. It was a sweet time. Then in the afternoon it was back to Mom and Dad's for dad's side of the family. Ron and Wanda met us there. Then from Mom and Dad's we go to Mimi's, moms mom's for dinner. Whew! I can't imagine it any other way! It's crazy though. I've wondered what it would be like to have a quiet day at home with just Jeremy, Gracie, Piper, and I but that just wouldn't seem like Christmas to us. The day after Christmas we open presents with Ron and Wanda. Just can't seem to fit it in on the actual day. Hmmm wonder why?

Usually we go to Angier on Christmas afternoon. But we decided to stay home this year and give the girls a little more time to play. It was nice not having to pack and run around crazy Christmas morning trying to get ready to leave. It was so great for Ron and Wanda to come and stay with us for a couple of days. We always enjoy their company.

So that's us and our celebrations!

Childress Update

Hey! There were big praises yesterday in the Childress home, (and in many of ours:)) Jessie is off the ventilator!!!!! Huge progress for this little one! Thank you Lord!! Pain is under better control and she is improving!! Wednesday she is scheduled for the barium flush to see if the surgery worked. Please pray that it did.
And Lori asked that we pray for Addie as well, the other twin. She has terrible reflux and she is screaming for hours at a time. Joe and Lori are having such a hard time watching both of their babies struggle with pain. She said it's almost more than they can bare.
God is working!!! As always:)