Thank You

Just wanted to say thanks to the person who took our blog pictures and put together a small photo book through Snapfish. We just got six of them in the mail and were excited to have something small to carry around in a purse/wallet/briefcase. There was no indication of who put these together for us, so if you want us to know, please tell us...otherwise, thanks to the currently anonymous gift giver.
~Rachel

Happy Thanksgiving!

5lb 60z Christopher takes on a 12lb bird...and sleeps to tell about it.

Ahhh...thanksgiving. The holiday that is about giving thanks, and we have a lot to be thankful for indeed. We had a bit of a scaled back holiday, all things considered, so that we could still celebrate but not be overwhelmed. Grandpa D. came down along with Auntie Meg, and somehow we managed to cook enough food for about 35 people. It was a great and relaxing weekend. I'm not really used to the slow pace of weekends/holidays now that Christopher is home. It basically entails sleeping in as long as possible because we're exhausted, and then chilling out all day long, passing him back and forth while he sleeps on people and feeding him every 3 hours. He's eating really well now, just so fast that we have to pace him or he throws up. Good problem to have, I guess.

Starting about 4 days ago, Christoper started to "wake up", staying alert and interacting with us for longer periods of time. Before then, he would wake up to eat and then just go back to sleep until his next feeding. His doctor said that as he nears his due date (still December 9th!) this will be more and more the case. It's fun to be able to interact with him more and to see him start to hit some developmental milestones. It's a bit confusing in some ways, because some 2 month old milestones he's hitting (tracking objects with his eyes, waving his arms around like he wants your attention) while others he's behind on (smiling, etc.) because he's technically not supposed to be born yet. Everyone says that he'll catch up right around 2 years old. I disagree with them; I'm pretty sure that he'll be way ahead of the curve by then =).

















Being held for the first time by Grandpa Didyk. He was so proud! And he also took the opportunity to inform me of a Didyk tradition that I was not aware of: Grandpas don't change diapers.















Auntie Meg holds her first nephew. They had fun together mumbling and watching football. We even let Megan warm up leftover Turkey with gravy by herself!
















Our first Thanksgiving family picture. I'm confident that every dish we made weighed more than our son.


















I almost forgot to mention this, but my brother Tony and I kicked off the holiday on Thursday with a rare get-together to play some Axis and Allies D-day. For those of you who aren't giant nerds, Axis and Allies is a series of strategy board games based on the historic events of World War II. Because each game takes between 4-7 hours to play, Tony and I don't get to play that often. This was a nice break from routine and you'll be relieved to know that in the first game the Allies indeed defeated Nazi Germany. However, the second game ended at a draw due to time.

Christopher gets another shot on December 7th that will help with his fragile immune system. Maybe after that we'll get the green light to relax things a little around here...I'm tired of inadvertently eating hand sanitizer =). He hasn't had an apnea spell in a couple of days now, so that's some good progress, too.

Happy Turkey Day, and here's to Christmas!!!!!

Love,

Andy

Christopher with his stuffed animals from Grandma Steury and the big elephant from Aunt Anna and Aunt SaraBeth. Mommy's having fun taking pictures today. We're waiting to celebrate Thanksgiving until Grandpa Didyk and Auntie Meg arrive on Friday. Today we're just relaxing and hanging out with Uncle Tony - playing board games and eating cookies. It's fun!

Precious Times

Daddy and Christopher enjoy snuggling before bedtime. It's such a joy and a blessing to have these precious moments with him after so many days of leaving him in the hospital. He is a delight and we are thankful for each day spent caring for him.















Secure in Daddy's love - our precious miracle.



Christopher has had a rough couple days, poor little guy. Yesterday he had to have his eyes examined again. They take some wires and pry his eyes open and hold them in that position while using another instrument to move his eyeball all around to look at it. He was slightly unhappy about that. The doctor said his eyes are still not fully developed, but they are progressing as they should - no signs of retinopathy of prematurity yet - PTL! His eyes are a little bloodshot today, but don't seem to bother him much. Then this morning he took another trip to the pediatrician for a check up, where he had to get his 2-month-old shots. Four of them! Again...slightly unhappy. Needless to say, he's been a little more sleepy and fussy yesterday evening and today, but better than I thought he would be doing. No spells - so that's wonderful. He now weighs 5 lbs. 4 oz.! Thanks for your continued prayers. Sleep-deprived Daddy and Mommy still need them.

~Rachel

Brrr...

It's 41 degrees outside, and Christopher just went for his first walk. We took a picture of him in his carseat/stroller unit, but unfortunately I can't get it to upload. Oh well...we'll take another picture next time - He did look pretty cute all bundled up and covered with a warm blanket in his little seat. We just went around the block for today - it was nice to get some fresh air.

Today was our first day alone since Christopher came home from the hospital. My wonderful mother and sister stayed with us for a week, helping around the house and caring for Christopher on Friday when I had to go to school. They were a tremendous blessing as we tried to settle into some sort of routine. (no routine yet! :) )

Christopher continues to do well. He's had a few apnea/brady spells, so we've been thankful for the monitor, but only one of them even required us to do anything. All the other times, the loud beeping startled him enough that he was fine.

Thanks for your continued prayers.

Love,
Rachel


Aunt SaraBeth came for a visit. After spending the day with me at school,
she was happy to reach our house Friday night and hold her nephew.
Doesn't she look proud?

Firsts

My first bath. I liked sitting in water, and I really like getting my head scrubbed.















My first look at my new crib. (Ok, so I was sleeping and not really paying attention, but I was there.) Thanks Gramma and Grampa Sobota.















My first dance with Babu. For those of you who know my Babu, don't worry - it wasn't one of his crazy dances! =)





















My first trip to the doctor's office. Lucky for Daddy and Mommy, it's just at the entrance to our subdivision, only 3-5 minutes away. Thanks to Babu and Nana for my nice carseat.





















My first photo session. Daddy set up a studio in our living room. I let him take a few pictures...















...before I told him I was cold, tired and hungry.















My first kiss...uh...no...but I still liked it.














Daddy and Mommy say thanks for praying for them...I'm doing a good job wearing them out, but they love me lots and are very glad I'm home. Me too.

Love,
Christopher

50 Days, 11 Hours, 44 Minutes, 2 Pounds, 4 Ounces, And Then...

...CHRISTOPHER CAME HOME!
Though it wasn't a very nice day outside - cold and wet - Christopher was content in his carseat and didn't fuss the whole way home.


He was welcomed home by:















Aunt Anna Leigh,






















Uncle Silas,






















and Nana (who promptly cuddled him close and sang him a lullaby).
















After Daddy gave Christopher a tour of the house, Daddy, Mommy and Christopher rested on the couch.
















Weighing in at 4lbs 12 oz, Christopher tried out Daddy and Mommy's bed...















...but decided his was a better fit.


Praise the Lord that the first part of this journey has come to an end. We're so thankful to all of you for the hours you have spent in prayer for us and our little man. God has blessed us with wonderful family and friends who have been a tremendous support over the last two months. As Christopher continues to grow, please keep him in your prayers. He came home on an apnea monitor and had two spells during his first afternoon home, but we've been clear since then. He has to have 30 days without a spell before we can send the machine back. As long as we're watching him during the day, he doesn't have to be hooked up to it - so mainly he's wearing it at night. The only time he's been put down was for the few hours he slept last night. We're trying hard to spoil him after all that time in a sterile box! :)

We love you all and will continue to keep you updated.

~Rachel