Updates and video

Greg caught this fun moment on video yesterday. Notice the new muscle on mom's right arm from carrying around our 22 pounder!!


We have a praise too...our friends (that heard the bad news about their pregnancy) had their ultrasound this afternoon, and the concerns were not validated. As it turns out, their child is developing perfectly...and it's a girl!! They are thrilled, and thank you for their prayers!

Charisse has still not gone into labor. She is now 2 days past her due date. Please continue to pray for her.

No update on Rhyer as of today.

Love,
Matthew and the gang

Prayer requests and updates

Hey there friends...We have some prayer requests for those that are willing to pray with us. First and foremost...our friend Rhyer needs your urgent prayers as he approaches three months old, we ask for him to get healthy and home before they need to go back for his second open heart surgery. The latest is that Rhyer had a scope on Friday where they found something they call an erosion...mostly it's an abrasion on the wall of the colon that probably occurred when he initially had NEC...due to poor blood flow to the bowels. So, the good news is they are 90% sure they have found the source for his bloody stools. But they are still not out of the water, mostly because it will take a very long time for this erosion to heal. In fact, the night after the scope, Rhyer started bleeding very heavily and he needed 2 blood transfusions. Then they needed to do another scope to try to stop the source of bleeding...which ended up being the erosion, and the scope most likely had irritated it. A feeding plan will probably be put into place this week. If he does start bleeding heavily again, they will probably need to do surgery on this spot in his colon. Please pray that this does not need to happen.

Then, we have some friends that just got some hard news about their pregnancy that will require full trust in God and a faith walk that will try and test them. Please pray for their peace, joy and faith that God is in control and can certainly turn around any situation. I know they are a bit down and discouraged, and it's a hard place to be in. They seek answers now, and they may not get them for a while, so please pray with them that their fears turn out to be for nothing. (I've seen doctors be wrong before, after all...they are only human right?)

Also, please pray for our friend Charisse. Her baby is due tomorrow, and she has been sick her entire pregnancy. We are hoping for a fast and problem free delivery with as little pain and trauma as possible. (I've heard of some incredible women that have delivered in under 20 minutes, so I know it's possible!!)

Finally, we have a praise!! Baby Grant just had a lung test and they said his lungs almost look like that of a perfectly healthy normal boy!! Yeah! Thanks for praying. It's cold season, so he will likely have to stay in the house and away from all other kiddos until spring, but his parents finally got some good news! (PS: Grant is the cutie pie in the photo here.)


Thanks for praying for our friends!

Brushing his teeth for the first time

Now that he has 6 teeth, they have to be brushed twice a day. He seems to love it though. (Don't worry, I brush them for him before I let him try :-)

Matthew's favorite toy

Just when we thought we child-proofed everything, Matthew decided to make the door-stop his new favorite toy. In the time it took me to turn and grab the camera, he had it unscrewed and was ready to chew on it. We really have to be on our toes these days.

Matthew is learning sign language

Greg and I have been using some basic sign language with Matthew that will help him to communicate his needs before he understands how to use his words. The signs he sees most often are "all done" and "more please." Here is a video of the first time Matthew tried to communicate "all done" to Greg by using sign language.

Now... while Matthew made up a brand new sign of his own to get his point across, we think he gets that he can make motions to communicate. It's really cool to see the light bulb come on as he learns new things!

More Posts On The Way...

I plan to update the blog no later than this weekend with new photos and stories, but in the meantime, please enjoy a laugh on us by clicking on the link below. It is well worth the time to take a peek.

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1261483398

Love,
Michelle