Power Shower

Okay, so I've decided quick updates are better than no updates at all.

We had Christopher's Lexington baby shower today, and it was a ton of fun. Special thanks to Ann, Amy, and Lizbeth for putting that on. For those of you who stuck around for the impromptu "after-party," thanks, that was a lot of fun, too =).

Wow, a lot has happened in the 5 days since we last posted an update, but a lot has stayed the same. Christopher is now almost 3 pounds, and he continues to have fewer Apnea and Bradycardia spells, although he's still had a couple each day over the weekend. We hate those so much, and each one he has makes it seem like we'll be even more and more nervous about taking him home.

An update on that, we're being told that it may be another month before we can get him home. It's not that he's progressing slowly-far from it-it's that no one should have told us 3-4 weeks to begin with =). When I was getting ready for the shower, I was going through some pictures and looked at the ones when he had a chest tube and stuff. That really makes me realize how far we've come. Now Christopher is so alert, opens his eyes and looks around at you when you talk to him. He looks so smart!

I've been having some trouble lately posting pictures, so I'm going to look into installing some new software on the site that will handle that more easily. Plus, I'll probably keep my wife much happier that way since she gets so mad at the computer when the pictures don't upload!

I think this every day, so I want to say, "thank you" to everyone that has done anything to help us so far. The hundreds of small kindnesses that we receive throughout the week make a big difference every time, and add up to a huge weight off of our shoulders. Gift cards in the mail, presents for Christopher at our door, food in our freezer (our freezer for that matter), meals with friends, kind emails and phone calls, and of course the prayers. I had a good conversation with someone that I work with who has spent a lot of time in the NICU before, and he reminded me that very few people have the opportunity to experience the love of God and of his body on earth unless they have this kind of need. To that I say, "amen." Having thousands of people praying for you really is something that you can feel. It's a buoyancy that gets us through each day, and an extra set of arms that holds us as we comfort one another. This experience has already given me a lot of compassion for anyone else who has to go through something similar.

Speaking of, one of my co-workers at Cre8tive Group is going through something similar. He and his wife had a baby boy last week who was born with transposition of the great arteries, and now they are spending several weeks in the NICU at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital while he has surgery for this rare but treatable condition. Our hearts and prayers go out to them. When you work in an office of only 12 people, everyone is pretty close.

Well, I thought I would post as long as Rachel was pumping, but it appears as if she's outlasting me. Time for bed. Blessings to all of you!

--Andy