Birthday Wishes and Hope Update

Before I start on updating about Hope, I am behind in my birthday wishes for my family, so here goes:

Happy Birthday Dad (November 8th)

Happy Birthday Avaleana (born November 9th to Robin and Jerome)

Happy Birthday Mom (November 10th)

Happy 4th Birthday Jerry...my big boy (November 11th)

Check out the cat...she loves sleeping with Hope!

Check out the kids...the boys love spending time with Hope and she loves to spend time with the boys!

Life has gotten a little busy around here, so the blog updating has been a little late in coming.  I wish I could update every day, but the only time I get a few minutes to update is when everyone is asleep and then all I want to do is go to sleep too.  Hope has really enjoyed being home and has decided that she doesn't want to be fed through the NG tube anymore.  She took it out last week and we haven't put it back in.  No problems with eating and I know we all enjoy life a little more with it gone.  I have to thank a fellow 'heart mom' for her wonderful suggestion on using the bottle nipple to give her medicine.  The syringes are not so easy to use and I felt like she was spitting out some of her medicine and that worried me.  Anne's daughter Avery and Hope were born on the same day and Anne shared her little secret with me...thank you a million times over!

We are still trying to get Hope to gain some weight.  It is slow going, but I know she will get there.  Babies with heart problems seem to have more problems with weight gain than other babies, so I am not too worried.  She is not losing weight, so that is good news.  No appointments this week and that is also good news.  It is such a pain to pack up everything and make the trip to the Clinic and watch Hope get poked and prodded for over an hour.  

The weather here has been great so we have been spending time outside.  Of course, Hope is dressed in many layers so she doesn't get cold at all, but it is such a miracle that she is able to get outside at all.  I prayed a lot before she was born that she would be able to see our beautiful yard...God answered my prayers.  She loves to watch the few leaves that are left on the trees and she stares at the blue sky and clouds.  I remember sitting outside when I was pregnant thinking about spending time with her and the boys out by the swing set and words can't even describe how wonderful it feels to be able to do just that.  God is GREAT!

Quick story because I am going to post pictures of this too...my wonderful husband decided to try and trap the muskrat that has been running through our yard and tearing up the lake.  He set the traps and little Jerry has been checking them every day.  Yesterday he was so happy...'daddy caught it'.  I ran to the door and looked.  Sure enough, daddy caught something...a SKUNK.  I was rolling on the floor laughing (well not really, but it was the funniest thing because I was picturing how he was going to release it without getting sprayed).  Surprising enough he was able to get it freed without getting sprayed, but the skunk did spray and the yard still smells.