Fly on the Wall

Sometimes I just wish I could be a fly on the wall in the boys' bedroom...it would be interesting to see just how long it takes them to clear the bookshelves of all books, how on earth a child can get stuck on a shelf in the closet, why their laundry hamper is always full (do they just dump drawers of clothes in the hamper, or do they really make that many clothing changes?), and whatever do they talk about?...

I got a glimpse this evening. As I was upstairs hanging up laundry to dry unbeknownst to the kids, I overheard Davis and Hendrick (Burke, amazingly, must have been asleep):

D: "Henish, I like you"
H: "I like Burke, he's funny"
D: "Henish, I like you"
H: "I like everybody"
D: "Henish, do you like me?"
H: "I like you Davis"
D: "Henish, I like you too...I like that book"
H: "I'll read it to you."

At which point I heard them jumping in bed, pages turning, and lots of giggling as Hendrick proceeded to read the book to his brother.

It is our prayer that our kids will always "like" each other...and that they will always be close.

A is for Apple

This weekend, we enjoyed beautiful weather and special outings with Grandpa (Mike's Dad)... and, our outings took full advantage of the gorgeous weather (sunshine, blue skies, comfortable breezes, and 70 to 80-degree temperatures).
Saturday, we traveled to Memphis for a day at the Zoo followed by a delicious Ethiopian meal at Abyssinia. Sunday, we spent the day in Nashville: Zoo trip, Greek food, and Apple picking at Breeden's Orchard.
We were truly blessed with a beautiful weekend and so thankful for time with Grandpa.

The Lineup

One Month

At one-month-old, Kolpin...
is nursing exclusively (Amy is thrilled to be done pumping!), is wearing cloth diapers, keeps a very regular 3-hour around-the-clock eating schedule (those NICU babies are well trained), is filling out in his face, cries very loudly when it's time to eat (5th babies have to make themselves heard), belches (they're too loud to be called "burps"), loves to be carried in the pouch sling, sleeps swaddled on his side, is very calm and quiet but very alert, sucks his fingers and pacifier, opens his eyes wider each day.
We love you Kolpin!

Fingering

All of our kids have developed different ways to self-sooth. Hendrick fingers his clothing tags, Burke chews on stuffed animals...Davis and Maegli suck...Maegli prefers her middle and ring fingers, Davis prefers his thumb.

Player

Fall is just around the corner...which means SOCCER SEASON! We have enjoyed cheering on Hendrick at his weekly practices and look forward to his first game this Saturday. Hendrick is the big man on his U6 soccer team. His ball handling skills are greatly improved from last season and he plows through the other players with ease (he knocks them down). He is about a head taller than his teammates and one of only two boys on a team of girls - his playing field will never be this bountiful!

Our Good Friend

Couldn't resist posting this picture of our good friend Eme. She is a sweetie!

3-month-old Eme, along with her brother and mommy, "hung out" with the kids several times during Kolpin's hospital stay - she was at our house to greet Kolpin at his homecoming. Eme and Kolpin share the special bond of being delivered into the loving arms of the same midwife.

Walk On

Maegli has impeccable timing - since the birth of her baby brother, she has been consistently WALKING!!! She is very careful (slow) and deliberate with her steps, and has really enjoyed her new found freedom: she can now carry objects around the house and fully enjoy the playground!
We are so proud of our big girl and have really enjoyed cheering her on!

Close Encounters

One of our favorite outings is a visit to the Zoo - we thoroughly enjoy our memberships at the Nashville and Memphis zoos. Saturday we made the trek to Nashville and took in the wildlife at Grassmere. It has a distinct feeling - where Memphis is very compact, Nashville is spread out with a ton of acreage for the animals. Afterward we did some shopping at Opry Mills and we got to endure even more stares at our gaggle! It was wonderful to have some time alone with our whole family outside the house.

40 Weeks

Today is our little man's due date...he is 3 weeks and 3 days old - Today, we celebrate 2 weeks home!
We are enjoying Kolpin's presence - He is a beautiful addition to our family. Our huge achievement: we have successfully transitioned from bottle feeding to nursing exclusively - he proved his excellent ability with a 12 oz. weight gain in just 6 days!

On Our Own

We have been blessed with 2 weeks of help from Amy's parents (they split their time: we had Gramma for a week and then Grandpa for a week)...we are so thankful for the food they provided, the fun activities that kept the big kids busy, the bonding time we had with Kolpin, and the naps they enabled Amy to enjoy. We just said our goodbye's to Grandpa...they will be missed.

Now we are excited and anxious to work on finding our "new normal" as a family of SEVEN!!!Grandpa and Kolpin...and Hendrick's portrait of Grandpa!

Big Kids

Prayer

This is what the LORD says:
"Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength... "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD...

Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed... for you are the one I praise.
(from Jeremiah 17:5-14)

We have dear friends facing an unimaginable family drama. They have been keeping a constant vigil at the bedside of their young son in the ICU at Vanderbilt. He was rushed to the hospital after an accident at home caused him to stop breathing Thursday evening, September 10. We are praying for Micah - we are praying our LORD, the Great Physician and Miracle Maker, will bring full restoration and healing to this precious child. We pray he will wake soon and will make a full recovery. The doctors reports are worrisome, but we know our God, who knit this boy together, can heal his brain and make him whole again. We pray for strength and peace for his dear parents and his beautiful family. LORD, hold them in the cup of your hand. This accident did not surprise our LORD - we trust in His plan. We praise our God.
We believe in the power of prayer...we ask for your prayers for Micah and his family.

How We Roll

We enjoyed our first BIG outing as a family of SEVEN! We are keeping our world small to protect our young son, so we are limiting ourselves to outdoor excursions (to keep contact with people/germs to a minimum). But we so still need to get out...especially the four other kiddos. So, Saturday, we introduced Kolpin to the Memphis Zoo and Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant - he seemed to enjoy this adventure...and we were thrilled all five car seats fit in our minivan! We achieved our goal...we managed to wear out all five kiddos!

Announcement

Peanut

We are so thrilled to have our boy home...we think he is too - Kolpin is thriving!!! We have hardly put him down these past 6 days - we're still making up for lost time :) We are thankful for a help this week from Gramma (Amy's mom), who is keeping our home running (with Mike back at work), giving special attention to the big brothers and big sister, and allowing us to have special bonding time with the baby. The kids have been wonderful with their new little brother - we have lots of hands helping with bottles, lots of toys dropped in the bassinet, and lots of kisses! Special K is loved!
Our big project this week: transitioning from bottle feeding to nursing - Go Kolpin Go!
We are all enamored with this peanut - he is the perfect addition to our family.

Big Sister

Maegli is fascinated with the baby in our home and is embracing her new role as "big sister". She loves to help with Kolpin's bottles, pats his back to burp, watches over him in the bassinet, and is very "hands on". We are so amazed to watch our 19-month-old transition from baby to "little mama".

Party of Five!

Bloomed - 38 Weeks

Home Free

For nothing is impossible with God Luke 1:37

10 Days

It's hard to believe it has been 10 days since the birth of our son...and it's hard to believe Kolpin is still in the hospital - we never anticipated our NICU journey would be so long...we never anticipated a hospital stay. We trust that God has a plan in all of this. We pray that the Lord will give Kolpin exactly what he needs at this time. We also pray God will protect our hearts and grant us peace and patience as we struggle through this temporary separation from our precious son. We miss him and we long for him to be home! We pray this will happen soon. We look forward to giving our son the nurturing touch he has been lacking during his time in the hospital.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13*Kolpin is working hard, chugging along on his bottles. He has been taking 4 of his 8 daily feedings by bottle (every other) since Monday, and has successfully transitioned to 6 of 8 by bottle. He needs to be able to take all 8 feedings by bottle before he can move home. We have been at the hospital to feed Kolpin every bottle (around the clock) - this has been so important for us and we want to help our son!

Not Normal

We have been working hard to keep our kids' world as normal as possible in this incredibly not normal time. This week we have "tag-teamed" during the days - one of us visiting Kolpin and the other parenting kids at home. We are worn-out from traveling back and forth to the hospital but are pleased we have been able to achieve a relatively normal week at home.
It is hard for the kids to understand why their baby brother isn't home...they've enjoyed looking at pictures and readying our house for the "welcome home" party (hopefully that won't be too far off). We look forward to finding our "new normal" in our home with the addition of Kolpin.

Prayer

Our gracious Father, thank you for this precious child that you have give our family. Lord, we know that you never leave or forsake us. We call upon your name for comfort in our hour of need, for you are our strength, and we seek your peace in this time of uncertainty. Lord, you are the Great Healer. We ask that you pour out your great healing power on this precious little lamb of yours.
Bless Kolpin and keep him surrounded with your abundant love and mercy. Amen

Baby Bottle

We appreciate your prayers...Kolpin is very close to coming home: his chest tube is out and his lungs look wonderful, his breathing is steady and he no longer needs extra oxygen, he has been weened off his IV, his bilirubin count has gone down and he no longer needs the biliblanket...
The ONLY thing we're waiting to check-off is EATING!!! He is a very strong boy and is acting very hungry (rooting around and sucking on anything he can find!)...the issue is that he gobbles down the first part of his bottle and then decides he is no longer starving and would rather sleep! Please pray for strength and energy for our boy so that he can quickly make progress, complete his bottle feedings, and get the okay to come home. We are so ready for Kolpin to come home!!!

Our World

We are so thankful for all of the help and prayers from our family and friends. We are truly blessed to be surrounded by so much love and support.

Our world this past week:

• AT HOME: The kids have had fun visiting friends and having many visitors (babysitters) which has allowed Mom and Dad to spend time together with Kolpin at the hospital. We also "tag-team" a lot, to try to keep our home as "normal" as possible in a very abnormal time. It's hard having our family separated...all of our kids need Mommy and Daddy!
  
• AT THE HOSPITAL: We have been spending about 8 hours each day at the NICU. We are fortunate to have a "private room" at the hospital (since Kolpin is considered to be a "dirty baby"- having been born outside the hospital - funny really). Our room is separated from the rest of the NICU, giving us privacy with our son; and is very comfortable with a couch, rocking chairs, and a window to the outside. During our visits, we spend time talking and singing to Kolpin, praying over him, reading Psalms, playing music (Bach, Mozart, etc.). We also sit and just watch our precious baby (Amy has been sewing Christmas ornaments and Mike reads). Amy finished a knit bear for Kolpin and we make sure to snuggle with the bear so that when we leave, we are leaving our scent behind. Hearing and Smell are Kolpin's strongest senses right now.

Each time we return home, the boys ask: "Do you have baby Kolpin? Oh, baby Kolpin still in the hospital?" They have been real troopers through this ordeal and are very excited to have their baby brother home again soon.

Maps!

Hendrick's history lesson was on explorers today - so we decided to do some hands-on learning. Since we learned that today's maps are compilations of the original explorers drawing what they saw, Hendrick made a map of our backyard. See if you can spot the lake with fish, our plastic swimming pool, and the playground.