A Little Less Crazy

Red Shoes and Happy Feet are enjoying their new brother so much.  I believe they would tell you that life was pretty dull before he came along.  Let me tell you...no dullness here.  With three kids age 4 and below it's just a tad bit CRAZY!  With each day it seems like things get a little bit easier.  I'm not burning dinner as much, I'm yelling less, and the kids' behavior is getting better. 

Last night Swoosh finally slept much better.  Thus, so did his mom and everyone else in the house. 

Red Shoes is such a sweet big brother.  He's so gentle with Swoosh and he seems to relish brotherhood.  =)  Every night without me asking him he brings me a diaper, wipes and pj's for his brother.  Such a good helper!

Happy Feet is a pro at knowing when Swoosh needs his pacifier, and she's pretty good at giving it to him without making him gag.  She likes to hold him, but usually for just about 4 seconds and then she's off to the next thing.  So much to do when your two. 

This baby has to be feeling the love.   

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Introducing...Swoosh

I want to introduce you to Swoosh, the newest member of our family.  After trying to come up with a blog name for him, my mom came through for me.  Thanks Mom!

Swoosh has a grey streak or a grey "swoosh" in his hair.  It resembles the Nike Swoosh and keeping with the theme of Red Shoes and Happy Feet it seemed like the perfect name.

The streak is a family trait on my mom's side of the family.  Grandpa, mom, me, Happy Feet and now Swoosh all got it.  It was apparent on Happy Feet before she had much hair, but now it's not too noticeable unless her hair is parted just right. 

It's pretty cool little family marker, and my grandpa was so proud when I told him that Swoosh got it.

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Baby Bowen

From the blog, "Bowen's Heart" written by his father, Matt Hammitt...after almost losing his newborn son Bowen to a serious heart condition. 

"As I lovingly stared into Bowen’s eyes just before midnight, my face only inches from his chest, I thought, “this love is an awesome mess.” I know I’m not the first person to think or to say something like that. Many great works of art have titles that are reminiscent of those words. I believe it’s because tension is the place where the worst of life and the best of true hope meet to unveil our eyes to God’s artistic work of redemption. What a mighty and creatively loving God we serve. He allows us to know great pain, so that we can know the greater pleasure of trading it in for purpose."

Please check out this blog.  It is written by Matt Hammitt, singer for the Christian Band, Sanctus Real.  Matt and his wife Sarah just became parents to Bowen on September 9th.  They new early on in Sarah's pregnancy because of an ultrasound, that Bowen would be born with Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). This occurs when parts of the left side of the heart don't develop completely.

This blog follows Bowen and his parents as they make this journey.  Their faith is absolutely amazing. 

I don't know if it's because I just had a baby, or because I've been a parent sitting in that NICU full of uncertainty, but this story has really touched my heart.  Please pray for baby Bowen and his family. Pin It

Around Omaha

Some photos of our recent trip to Omaha...

Grabbed a little supper at Spaghetti Works in the Old Market

Running for the pool...

Finally...

Time to snuggle in for the night...

The next morning...

The new stadium that is being built...to be used for the College World Series

Time for lunch...the Czech in me wanted to try out the Bohemian Cafe...it was great!

Can you say FULL?  Happy Feet enjoyed it too!

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A Celebration of Love & Life

Over the weekend we traveled to Omaha, NE to attend a "Celebration of Love & Life". My husband and I encountered repeated miscarriages before Red Shoes, Happy Feet and Baby were born. It was through my next door neighbor that I learned about Dr. Hilgers, the director of the Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction in Omaha, NE.  He is a senior medical consultant in obstetrics, gynecology, reproductive medicine and surgery at Pope Paul VI Institute.  He's also an associate clinical professor at Creighton University School of Medicine in obstetrics and gynecology. 

To make a long story short (I'll save it for another blog entry) he discovered the reasons I kept having miscarriages.  I found his Institute so different from other medical practices I had visited.  Dr. Hilgers and his staff seemed to profoundly care about me and the losses that we had encountered. 

Fast forward about six years and we have three beautiful children that we love so deeply.  We will always be grateful to Dr. Hilgers and the wonderful staff at the Pope Paul VI Institute.  This Celebration of Love and Life was a celebration of the lives that have been touched by the work of the Institute and Dr. Hilgers and his staff.  There were all kinds of activities for the kids...pony rides, games, inflatables, etc. It was a "family reunion" of sorts.  We really wanted to be there to personally thank Dr. Hilgers and introduce him to our week old baby and the rest of the family. 

There was one moment during the morning that I just had to pull it together.  I was just thinking about how much our lives had changed in the last 6 years.  How my husband and I had gone from a couple who loved each other and desired so deeply to be able to have a family together, to walking around this reunion with our three children.  Walking beside them as they rode ponies, looked at emergency vehicles and played lots of games.  God is so good, and we are so blessed!  Here's some pictures from the day:

Dr. Hilgers and our family of five

Thank you Dr. Hilgers and Pope Paul VI Institute and Happy Anniversary!

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Welcome to the Family!

Ecclesiastes 11:5

As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

Our new baby has arrived.  He is such a miracle and blessing to our family.  After carrying him for 9 months I still can't believe that he is ours...that he was formed in my body...beyond my comprehension.  He was born on my my mom and dad's anniversary...one day before his due date. 

The delivery was surreal really.  I had been fretting over it for weeks. Wondering if I would make it to the hospital in time, wondering what I would do with Red Shoes and Happy Feet, and on and on and on!  God took care of everything like he always does.  My water broke around 3:45 a.m.  My husband called our neighbor and she and her daughter came over and stayed with the kids until my sister could get to our house.  So, we were able to get out the door quickly.  The hospital was about 45 minutes away.  We arrived around 4:30 a.m. and  had our baby by 5:12 a.m.!  It was so quick and I could feel the presence of God with me.  It was a very cool experience.  He's a big one...born at 8 pounds 13 ounces and 21 inches long. 

There's a feeling of completeness now, like everyone has finally arrived at the party!    Thank you God for this beautiful miracle. 

I'm working on coming up with a "blog name" for our baby.  Any ideas?  My brain is pretty foggy right now due to lack of sleep. 

Baby's first bath at home...it was a family affair.  Red Shoes and Happy Feet

 thought it was great fun!

Welcome to our family baby!  We love you!

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