It's a boy!

Hey girls, just a quick note to tell you all that baby #3 is a boy. We had the ultrasound yesterday and got some very good shots of him. Seth and Lilah and the our moms came in with us. So it was fun. Seth thought it was pretty neat getting to see the baby on the screen. He kept insisting that the baby was coming out and asking why the lady was putting sunscreen on my belly. (The ultrasound jelly). So now we have to pick a boy name and start getting things organized for the baby. I have to pull out all of Seth's old clothes and stuff and start getting rid of Lilah's stuff, since we're thinking we're probably done. Although I will probably hold onto her cutest things just in case we spring for a fourth and it happens to be a girl. =) Josh is excited it's a boy and I'm happy too. It will be fun. Well, I gotta go take the kids to a playgroup thing. I'll catch you girls later! Love ya!

New haircut

Ok, girls, so I've got this new haircut and I need some feedback. I tried to upload pics but it didn't work. So the back is long-ish while the front is short -- it's a shag cut, apparently. It's actually quite a difference in length, which I'm not used to. Adam likes it, but as long as I'm not taking away the lovin' he would like me with any haircut.

And (I already told Angie and Julie this, so sorry, but it's just so darn cool), the guy who cut my hair also cuts hair for Faith Hill, Charlize Theron, Christina Applegate, and a couple other stars that I can't remember. He works in Bev Hills in a salon but also in Santa Monica at this walk-in place that Adam and I happened into. Adam's hair looks like David Cook's, by the way, which is so hot. Anyway, despite living out here, I very rarely come close to brushing with anyone famous or cool, so I was pretty darn excited about this. Apparently, Faith Hill was just given this cut a few days ago.

Ok, back to the real world.

Love you girls!

Special day

Hey girls, I just have to share my day with you all. It was a special day because it the first time Lilah and I got to spend the whole day together by ourselves since she was a newborn. Vicki took Seth overnight and kept him for the day. Josh is working of course, so Lilah and I had our very first mommy/daughter day. I was surprised at how much she got into it because she's only 21 months. But she really seemed to enjoy the undivided attention and one on one time. We had a lot of fun together. First of all, without Seth here to wake us all up at the crack of dawn, it turns out Lilah sleeps until 10am. So she and I slept in and then got up and shared a bowl of fruit loops in the living room while we watched an episode of Jon and Kate Plus Eight. (It was funny how Lilah was really captivated by the show, I think she liked all the kids) Then we got dressed and ready for the day. We packed our purses and put on our lipstick. Lilah insisted on carrying her purse with her everywhere she went after that. We went to the mall and shopped around a little bit. Lilah played for a while at this really nice indoor play area that she loves. Then we went to Build a Bear and Lilah built her own little bear, complete with outfit and accessories. She picked out this pink camoflauge outfit that says "Girls Rule." and then she put bows on the bear's ears. She named her Lulu and has not put her down since we "adopted" her. She loved it and now she loves her bear. Then we went to the food court and shared a steak hoagie and fries. It was special for Lilah because I let her have her own ketchup for her fries, which we don't usually do. It was funny because she is normally really messy and disgusting when she eats, but today she was clearly going out of her way to be clean and ladylike in the way that she ate. She was very into being a "big girl" with mommy. Now we're at home and Lilah's taking a nap. I bought a pink princess cookie for her for after her nap. We're going to have "tea" and eat our cookies. It's been a nice day. It's amazing how her little personality comes out when she's alone with us. She was definitely calmer and more cooperative today than usual and I think it's just because she was getting all the attention she needed. She didn't need to act out over anything to stand out from Seth (he can be a bit of an attention hog.) It was good for us both and we're going to do our best to make sure each of the kids get that special one on one time with me and Josh more often. Especially with baby number 3 coming. I think that might help the transition to a bigger family go a little smoother. Anyways, just thought I'd share. Particularly for you girls who already have little girls or have little girls on the way. There is a very special bond between mothers and daughters and it's amazing how you can start to enjoy it even when they are still babies or little toddlers. We all have so much to look forward to with our little 2nd generation Sapphires!

Another update

Hey girls!
Thanks for praying for my aunt and her family. Things are getting better by the minute, so far. Apparently the docs keep saying how amazed they are at Cindy's recovery. She has had some minor (and temporary) short term memory loss, but that seems to be improving already, too. That's really about it. She hasn't had any major deficits from the aneurysms or the surgery. She really is a miracle - she was even up walking around a bit yesterday. They say she still has a long road ahead and she will still be in the hospital for a couple of weeks, but she's had a pretty positive start so far.

Thanks again for the prayers - they're working! I hope this finds all of you well! :-) Love you!

Update

Hi ladies - below is an update I got from my mom earlier this morning. After I received this, she sent another saying that Cindy's surgery was postponed until between 2 pm and 3 pm due to the surgery before hers being more complicated. Thanks again for all your prayers! As you read this, you'll totally see how God has been at work here!


Some of you you already know some of this, but I am including all the info for those who don't ...
Greg's sister Cindy collapsed at work (in Duluth) was taken to the hospital there, and then airlifted to St. Mary's in Rochester yesterday afternoon.
She underwent angioplasty and they found 4 aneurysms in different locations in her brain.
They are going to do surgery today...scheduled for around 10 or 11 this morning to repair two of them. The other two are very small and located in areas that they won't be operating. One is very large and is probably the one that leaked into her brain. It is in the front ...behind her forehead but deep in. She has a great amount of blood on her brain. Some of it will be washed out (in the area that they are operating), the rest will have to dissipate in time. The second one that they will repair is behind her left eye.
The surgery will last 5-6 hours and she will be in ICU for at least a week. This is because of the blood on the brain that can't be washed out. This causes "vasospasm" which in turn can cause stroke. About 80% of people in her situation have at least minor problems with stroke. She is already being given a calcium channel blocker to try to prevent that from happening. Then she will be in the hospital for at least one more week, possibly two more.
As far as her condition goes, we all believe it is a miracle that the aneurysm didn't actually burst. After it leaked, by the grace of God it clotted on its own, keeping her from having any deficiencies in any part of her body (and that after taking aspirin daily for some time!) Yesterday she was alert, talking and making witty comments, which the doctors all agree is amazing.
We are also very grateful to God that she was at work and in a meeting with other people. Normally she would have been alone in her office, or it could have even happened when she was at home alone. As it happened there were emergency personnel in her building that could help before the actual paramedics arrived.
Cindy's coworkers reached Ben in the early afternoon, and Nicci was reached by a friend's mom later...around 3:30. So neither of them could get there before she had the angioplasty, but were there when she came back to her room. They will be staying with us as long as they need to. Greg and I got over there about 1/2 hour before the procedure so we got to visit with her for a short time. Her spirits are good....I don't think she realized how critical the situation was. After the procedure she said she was nervous about it. We were grateful also that she had no deficiencies...all of the neuro-type tests were normal. She has a teeny bit of short term memory loss that they think is due to the morphine she is receiving for the pain.
We are praying for God's hand to be continually upon her and for Him to guide the surgeons hands as well as all the other staff involved with her care. Also for Him to be noticably present for Nicci and Ben, for His comfort and peace to get them all through this challenge.

PRAYERS PLEASE!

Hi girls! I had a great time seeing all of you last week! And Jamie, we missed having you there SOO much! I will be sure to share my pictures soon!

The reason for writing today is that I have an URGENT prayer request! My aunt (Dad’s sister – only 56 years old) collapsed today in a meeting at work. Long story short, they think she had a brain aneurysm, and now her brain is hemorrhaging. She’s in Duluth, MN but they don’t have the technology that they need up there so she may be air lifted to Rochester, MN to the Mayo facilities there. She has no history of any medical problems and this is obviously completely out of the blue. She has 2 kids (Nicci is 25 and Ben is 22), and she lost her husband to liver cancer about 6 years ago. So…I would really appreciate any prayers for healing and restoration, peace and comfort for her and our family! I’ll keep you guys posted on what happens. Thanks for the prayers!