Thanksgiving

Father, today, in this moment, I thank You that:

1. There are beautifully colored fall leaves covering our yard and the weather is perfect
2. My sweet, handsome, loving husband is blowing the leaves into the mulch - because he wants to
3. It rained last night
4. I have two precious, sweet little girls swinging, laughing and playing outside
5. We got the best surprise ever - a perfect little boy, sleeping away in a borrowed bouncy seat
6. I'm barely 31, am healthy and have a healthy family of five
7. We ate yummy turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, green beans, macaroni and sweet potatoes as a family
8. The Christmas season starts tomorrow
9. The Carolina/Clemson game is on Saturday and Carolina didn't lose last weekend (it was our off week)
10. We're getting a Christmas tree tonight - if it doesn't rain, and if it does, thank You for the rain

5 Short Years

Five years ago today Stephen and I became parents. It has been such a short but joyful journey! I loved every stage, every age as much as the first. Abby has turned into a very kind, helpful, loving little girl and we are truly blessed to have been chosen to be her parents. Thank you, Lord, for our beautiful daughter - in every sense of the word.

Here are pictures I took today of the kids in our red chair. We take the kids' picture in it from the time they are itty-bitties until today so we can see how much they've grown.

Abby's 5 year pic

Sydney's 2-1/2 year pic

Brody's 1-month pic

Good News - Bad News

BAD NEWS:
- Brody has been crying inconsolably since Sunday (rarely cried before that - crying right now, in fact)
- He wanted to eat every hour so I fed him...every hour (growth spurt??!?!)
- Stephen was out of town Mon-Wed
- Yesterday the pediatrician said Brody has bronchiolitis, acid reflux or colic
- Acid reflux, colic and gassiness all peak at 4 weeks
- Yesterday the OB said I have mastititis

GOOD NEWS:
- Stephen made it home safely from Orlando
- Brody took his first bottle on Wednesday and took it like a champ
- Molly Burns watched the girls yesterday
- Brody did go through a growth spurt and now weighst 10 lbs (4 weeks old)
- Bronchiolitis is temporary
- Dr. Bass gave us Zantac to try for the reflux
- Colic goes away after 3 months
- Brody slept well last night with the humidifier on and in his carrier
- I slept well and so did Stephen
- We have a beautiful baby boy, two sweet little girls and a Heavenly Father who loves us more than we know

Happy Pumpkin WEEK

So what is more fun than trick-or-treating at your Daddy's office, trunk-or-treating at your church and then getting to trick-or-treat with your daddy and best friends in your neighborhood?

When I asked Abby what her favorite part of Halloween was she replied honestly, "Getting all that candy - my pumpkin was so "heaby" (heavy) I couldn't even carry it!"

Sydney loves the candy too. We call her "close talker" now because when she wants to ask for it she gets in your face and asks as politely as she knows how if she can have a "sucker" please.

Brody is just happy to be fed when he's hungry...doubt he can taste all the candy I've eaten! And the orange outfit is a halloween outfit - don't think we've gone soft on the garnet/black just because we've been losing!

Sydney (Syd-na-rella), Brody (baby in halloween outfit), Abby (Snow White)

Stephen in his costume as a "stick-figure warrior"

Bye-Bye Bili Blanket

I am thrilled to announce that Brody's bilirubin level was only 6.9 at his appointment yesterday. Since it was well below 11 we are able to be D-O-N-E with the bili blanket. I cannot wait for the Apria Healthcare representative to pick it up!

Last night Brody slept in his crib for the first time and I actually got to swaddle him. He slept so much better and so did I!

When I got home from the appointment I immediately changed him into a sweet little gown and left it on him until it was dirty. That was so fun to have a clothed little boy! I also held him a ton and both the girls held him today. I feel like we have our normal baby back and could not be more excited.

Thank you so much for all the prayers and calls. We feel very loved!

Brody's Circumcision

Brody was circumcised this morning and didn't cry during the whole procedure - the nurse told the doctor he was a really good baby - then he started wailing as they walked him down the hall to us because he was hungry! He is a little trooper.

His bilirubin level was 13 today so we do have to continue with the bili blanket. We're trying to decide if we want to go back on Monday or wait for his 2 week on Wednesday. We'd love to be done with the phototherapy all together but don't want to go prematurely, either. We'll see what happens.

Marsha Mays stayed with the girls while we went to the doctor. They played dress-up and watched a Christmas Dora video. They are loving all of the fun activities and visitors they've had during the last few weeks. They both want to hold Brody all the time, which is why I would love to be done with the bili blanket. It's all in God's hands, though, and ultimately this is not that big of a deal!

Bilirubin is Coming Down

My mom and I took Brody back to Dr. Chea today for another bilirubin check. It registered 17 on the Children's Medical Center machine (she it would probably be 16 on the GHS machine).

Dr. Chea also explained why babies have neonatal jaundice. When they are in the womb they need lots of red blood cells to pull oxygen from the placenta. Once they are born and start pulling oxygen on their own, the body starts to kill the red blood cells. These dead red blood cells are called bilirubin and they sometimes overload the liver, causing jaundice. The UV light helps the liver break down the bilirubin faster. That's why with low bilirubin levels, sunlight is enough, but with higher ones, the phototherapy is necessary.

Brody will be circumcised on Friday at 11:45 and afterwards they'll check his bilirubin levels again. We're hoping for an 11, so we can send that bili blanket back!