Pictures from Day #2

Baby Ethan during "care time" (I'll explain that later)

Ethan after care time.

Alex all snuggled and cuddled.

Grant getting ready for care time.

Profile view of Grant

Daddy ready to do care time on Grant

Daddy cleaning out Grant's mouth.

Daddy's namesake little boy, Grant William.

A little explaining should do here. The diaper on the left is a normal Pamper's Swaddlers premie small diaper. Basicly, the smallest you can buy in stores. With both Alex and Grant, who are wearing these diapers, they have to fold them down and roll them a bit so they aren't too big. The diaper on the right is the diaper that Ethan wears right now. They are Pampers "Wee Wetters" and you can't buy them in stores. Hospitals keep hese around for little guys like Ethan. These too have to be folded over to fit correctly. Check out the dry erase marker in the middle of them. :) That gives you an estimate size. So does the large paperclip.

Confessional Time

I feel that I need to put this out there for a couple of people to know. There are a lot of reasons that I am living and doing the things I am doing, and here is one of them.

For the past year and a couple of months, James and I have been attempting to get pregnant. So far no luck. Here is why...

I have a condition that is called Polycystic Ovary Syndrom (PCOS) or Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD). (here is the link to the info on my doc's website) Whatever you call it, it is where your ovaries have cysts on them and they do not, at least in my case, allow me to ovulate. My hormone levels are out of wack because of this, or because my hormones are out of wack I have PCOS. It's a "catch-22." There is also a possibility that my Thyroid could be causing some of this too. My doctor wants to check that again here in a couple of months.

Anyway, my doctor has encouraged me to lose weight. Losing weight can help with the PCOS and the possible thyroid issue. However, in another "catch-22" the PCOS can prevent me from losing weight, as can the possible thyroid issue. I find this all very frustrating.

My doctor has put me on the medication Metformin. She started me on a 500mg dose and said in 6 weeks if things are not getting back to normal in my body she will up the dosage. I have a call in to her right now to see if we are going to up to dosage.

Well, I figured I would put this all out there to let you all know. I know, where does privacy go these days. But, if I am going to be continually asked when we are going to have kids, I might as well have some place to point people to.

I would also like to ask for your prayers for us. We hope God blesses us and makes us parents sometime soon, but as you know, it is all in His timing. So your prayers would be appreciated. Thanks.

Happy Easter! (3 days late)

Happy Easter to all!

Christ is risen!

He died so you can have life!

Be thankful for all your blessings in your life.

This is our family pic for the Spring, however, we couldn't get Jet to sit still so it's just James and I!

Here are a couple of pictures of Jet on his Easter egg hunt. We bought some plastic Easter eggs and filled them with puppy treats. He then ran around the house and the back yard finding them. It was sooo cute.

Here is Jet with his Easter bunny. He was cuddling with it on the stairs. He had a long day.

Love lives and thrives on the vibrant, fresh edge of life.

James and I went to a marriage seminar called "Marriage - How to Make a Good One Better" the other day and we really, really liked it. It gave us a lot of valuable information and has made us understand each other so much better.

Rev. Dr. Ray Lincoln was speaker at the seminar. The words that I am going to put here are his, and something I suggest everyone who is married take to heart. I must suggest if you ever have a chance to take one of Dr. Lincoln's seminars, you should do it!

Nutrients to Grow Your Love-
The Way to a Better Relationship
The growing edge of your mind is the exciting frontier of your own world. It is where ideas are born and love is kept fresh and new. So, keep mentally fresh; learn more about yourself, your spouse, your world, and God. Read; study; get informed; explore! Fill your inner life with a lot of joy-passion and/or excitement-and it will change the nature of your outer world, keeping love vibrant. Live on the edge!

Dull people are never good lovers. Dull minds are poor meeting grounds for hungry souls starved by the routine boredom of daily grind. Freshen up the cutting edge of your life. Put some thrill back into living. Do exciting things; explore the vast unknown world out there that holds the power to renew your spirit and your mind. God gave it to us for this very purpose and we pay a price when we neglect to enjoy God's gifts. Love is not an emotion to be protected lest it be lost. It is a living, fragile dynamic to be risked in the thrills and bumps of life.

Grow your life and love; the alternative is deadly! Don't get so caught up in the demands of living and working that life itself passes you by and routine causes you to lose life's sparkle.

Learning is the potent wind of change that blows over our lives stimulating us all to new things - making us fresh and exciting in all we do. Stop learning and the edges of your life begin to shrink and the green leaves turn brown as you fade into a long autumn of diminishing motivation. In this context it is not without meaning that this withering is called "fall." The learning edge of life is where our attention must be focused if we are to achieve a refreshingly exciting love.

One more important thought. Love is a life force. Any life force that is not nurtured and fed with atrophy and die. For loves ultimate health feed it a variety of nutrients.

Those nutrients are:

• Joy
• Hope
• Peace
• Kindness
• Patience
• Understanding
• Longsuffering (This smooths out the rough places. God's health packet contains a supply of it for emergencies)
• Goodness
• Loads of appreciation and love shown in what we do, and always in our words, is dessert for the human spirit.

Other nutrients are found in the Bible!

• 1 Corinthians 13
• Romans 12
• Philippians 4

Prayer to My God in Heaven Above

My heart fills with love for You
my life is filled and made so new
You died up there just for me
You died just to set me free
free form all I have done wrong
free to let me sing Your song
praises I send You now
never asking why or how
You knw my hear, my soul, my mind
and when I talk to you I un-wind
from all the days joys and woes
to than You for all, only You know
You bless me in every way
that is why I say what I say
please bless me now in my own life
and help me make my decisions right
Your will is what I hope for me
not mine, but Yours, forever will be
please help me find what you know is true
let it only and honestly glorify You
You are my only rock and prayer
You know my every though, action, and hair
I ask you to forgive me for all I have done
Thank you Lord, the battle is won!