The Intentional Life

Hannah is now four months old and we went for her doctor's appointment yesterday. She is 14 lbs 12 oz and 25 inches long. Her weight is in the 90th percentile : ) So I guess with all the puking she does, she somehow manages to put on the weight! : ) In regard to the pictures - this was Owen's first time eating corn on the cob - I think he enjoyed it : )

That is now what Reid weighs. He has broke the 3 lb mark! : ) And he continues to do well in other areas as well. They finally took the nasal cannula out of his nose and inserted the feeding tube there instead. So, now his mouth is free to work on eating. They have started giving him a bottle and they let him work on it for 30 minutes. The last that I heard is that he took in 17 mL on his own. They then feed him the remaining amount through the tube in his nose (he is up to 27 mL at a feeding). Reid's cord fell off so he now has a 'big boy belly button' : ). You can now see so much more of his face with the nasal cannula out, too. Here in these pictures he is kangarooing with Chet. Reid has been doing so well considering his age (or lack thereof). He's breathing well, eating well, putting on weight, even his lower intestines are working the way they should (if you know what I mean : ) Praise God for His providing hand on little Reid!

While Owen was taking a nap, I tried an outdoor 'photo session' with Hannah. These are just some of my favorites. It's hard to believe that Hannah will be 4 months on Sunday (and we'll have been married 6 years!) Time does go by fast. Owen is starting to say more and more words and he's counting: 1, 6, 7 : ) Today he correctly identified 10 letters - which made me so excited! It's amazing how much their little minds pick up (and a little scary) What I find is so sweet is that Owen likes to pray. We always pray before meals and bedtime, but Owen also wants to pray before naps, before he gets a drink of water, and before he gets a second helping of food. What a good reminder for me to "pray without ceasing." Even in the little and mundane things, God still wants us to talk to Him - whether we are at work, taking a walk, or getting a second helping of food : )

First, the update on Reid, since that is why most of you are checking this blog : ) ... He has gained another ounce and is now 2 lb 11 oz. He is taking 23 mL of milk every three hours. Chet and Amanda continue to "kangaroo hold" 3 times a day for 30 minutes. They are talking of discontinuing the Oxygen soon, but leaving the nasal canula in his nose just in case they need to start the O2 again. But they have discontinued and taken out the IV, so that is very good news. Little Reid is doing so well considering how young and small he is - thank you to all for your continued prayers! Now, today, my Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Troy and their 2 girls, Nolani and Mariah, came to visit at mom and dad's. I took the kids over there for the day to swim and see the Schnabels. Owen had a great time playing with Nolani in the kiddie pool and Jeanne had a great time being puked on by Hannah (yes, that is still a favorite past time of Hannah - spitting up) But Hannah is doing much better with ...

At the beginning of August, Paul's parents had a hog roast and invited friends and family. Here are a few pictures from the day. I had to take this picture of Owen because he is playing with this little girl, Bailey, and they are both sharing. Now, Owen is 22 months and Bailey is just over 2, so you can understand how big of an even this is, the fact that they are sharing and not fighting and no one had to tell them to share in the first place (this was a very proud moment for mommy). And I had to post a picture of the grandma's playing corn-hole : ) We had an absolutely gorgeous day for the hog roast and the baby shower for my sister in law. Everyone could be outside and there was no oppressive humidity to make everyone sluggish. Good food, great company, beautiful day - couldn't ask for more! : )

Today I was able to go up to the hospital and spend some sister time with Amanda. We had over an hour where we could just sit and catch up - so sweet : ) Reid's results came back from his brain scan and there is a little bruising on the left side of his brain, but he was cleared to be able to be picked up. So Amanda got to hold him today for the first time. He is so tiny he actually fits right inside Amanda's camisole (tubes and all!) The doctor wrote orders for Reid to be held 3 times a day for 30 minutes each. They will do another brain scan in a month to see if the bruise has disappeared. More good news - he has gained 4 oz! It's got to be the milk and all those prayers : ) He is getting 11 mL of milk every 3 hours - he started out at 2 mL on Sunday. For feedings now, they are having Amanda hold him and they gravity feed the milk through a syringe. I am glad to have such good news to report all around - please keep the prayers going as there will be more hurdles in the d...