I am praying that our May excursion isn’t our only trip up to the Island this year! Things are so busy right now it is looking like it’ll be August before we can even attempt trip #2! Anyway, here’s some pictures!

May 29th – Arrival at the island! This is Nina’s first trip! Ian looks sad, but I’m not always willing to bribe him with candy for a smile. See this image larger.

And I love you, little girl! See this image larger.

*Hi Gramma Marcia!* See this image larger.

*Hi Grampa Dave!* See this image larger.

Grampa Dave has been framed! See this image larger.

Look at the satisfaction in that little smile… I don’t think wild horses could tear Ian away from this lap and book. See this image larger.

This shot originally came in quite dark, and I didn’t think much of it until I lightened it up, and could really see everybody’s faces. So cute! See this image larger.

*cough cough* (Important to catch all these moments, don’t you think?) See this image larger.

May 8th – Surprise! See this image larger.

I read on the internet that if you simply turn your normal lens around on an SLR style camera, you can get a cheap macro lens. This is Nina’s eye up-close and personal! See this image larger.

And here’s Nina at a decidedly more comfortable distance. See this image larger.

May 9th… here’s what Nina’s mouth looks like without a zooey in it! See this image larger.

And in goes the thumb! See this image larger.

Ian’s first viewing of “Jaws” did not go as planned. (I’m kidding.) See this image larger.

May 10th – A rare-ish picture of Nina and Daddy! See this image larger.

May 12th – Ian is rewarded with candy for good bathroom etiquette… blue M&M’s in this case, which gave him this creepy azure grin! See this image larger.

And then we brushed his teeth! See this image larger.

Nina bids you adieu for now. See this image larger.

About a month ago:
“I press the popcorn button the buh-mote.” (The remote has a button with a DVD and popcorn on it for “play DVD.” He knows his way around on the remote enough to start a movie, and to start the next episode of Dora.)

Ian’s three, and I realize that’s young, but I guess I’ve still been using this phrase regularly enough with him that he shot it back at me last week: “How many times I hafta tell you?”

I threw something across the room and Ian used a raspy voice to say “Now you’ll NEVER find it!!!” (This is a line from “Swiper the Fox” on Dora the Explorer.)

I’ve also got a fun little quote he said when he woke up this May 25th, but it basically isn’t suitable for a family blog. Well, alright if you’re still reading then you must not care, here’s a clue: Suffice to say some of his plumbing wasn’t being cooperative in the aiming department due to a gravity-defying issue. “It won’t go down!”

Here’s another one that might be considered less family-friendly. File this under “he meant what he said.” Melissa walked around the corner to find Ian holding on to his diaper. “I went poop.” She checked him out, he was fine, and clean. Off to daycare he went. A couple hours later my co-worker and friend Brandon showed up for work at the Rockford office (Melissa and I’s house) and when he went to use our facilities, he found that Ian had in fact left him a present in the potty, without flushing. I’m still incredibly proud of him for being so good about the potty. He’s been brilliant!

Nina had her 5 month cardiologist appointment on the 26th… Melissa beat me to the punch on writing down how it went, so I’m going to take advantage of her handiwork and copy/paste that update here:

Nina had her regularly scheduled cardiology appointment today. This visit included the standard EKG and check-up by the physician, but also a repeat echocardiogram to see if any progress (i.e. improvements) have been made with regards to the holes. I am so proud (and humbly thankful) to report that the two small holes in the wall separating the lower chambers of Nina’s heart have closed! This is such incredibly good news and an answer to many prayers. Praises to God! The large hole between the upper chambers remains, and unless God intervenes with a miracle it is not likely to close on its own. However, because the lower holes have closed, our cardiologist was very encouraged and said that the surgery wouldn’t need to occur until spring or summer of next year. He is also very pleased with how well Nina is gaining weight… he even commented that she’s pudgy. 🙂 Nina’s weight today was 13 pounds 14 ounces, so she is now just over twice her birth weight. Amazing. And the final piece of good news from the cardiologist is that our next appointment isn’t until October. That seems so far away and such a nice change of pace from the frequency we’ve been used to!

Other Updates
Nina is still recovering from her cold that started last week. We are almost through the 10 day antibiotic cycle and she is sleeping much better, however, she is still very congested. Nina also woke up on Tuesday morning at 5 a.m. and vomited repeatedly for two hours. I was worried that she was having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic, but thankfully that doesn’t seem to be the case. I think she must have just swallowed so much mucus overnight that it made her sick. Once she got all the nasty stuff out of her system she seemed fine. She nursed well the rest of the day without any more throwing up and has been fine ever since. Hoping all the cold/sickness is almost out of her system.

Final Nina update is that we still haven’t heard anything regarding scheduling for her neck therapy. I’ve followed up twice, but the office is still working on the paperwork. Hopefully we’ll be able to get things moving here shortly.

Finally, I just want to say thanks again to everyone who has been following Nina’s journey on this CarePage, for all the messages and words of encouragements we have received, and especially for all of the prayers that have been lifted on behalf of our entire family. We are so blessed to have such an incredible and far-reaching support network. Thank You!

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

For I am the Lord, who heals you. Exodus 15:26

Glorify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. Psalm 34:3

So Ian’s accident-free streak lasted a little over a week. He woke up Monday morning in a big puddle, and Tuesday after I asked him three times if he needed to go (met with a “no!”) he suddenly said “I’m PEEING!” And I discovered I can still move pretty quickly. I won the race against my opponents “gravity” and “wicking.” But anyway, back to the topic at hand… A week of no accidents after only really being at it for a few days, I figure that’s pretty awesome! Even on those days where he has had an accident, it has been ONE accident… that means somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-10 successes for that day. Go kiddo!

Nina now has a cold, and has been taken to the doctor by Melissa. She already seems to be doing a little better, but we’ll see. Nothing too big to worry about yet, we’re keeping a careful eye on her.

And that’s pretty much the news, let’s see some pics!

May 3rd, and Mommy has brought Nina to the dinner table so she can see what’s going on. And what is going on? Well, it turns out we’re a bunch of goofballs, more or less. See this image larger.

Melissa and I have both started noticing Nina’s appreciation for solid food. She hasn’t had any yet, but she keeps looking at it with a great deal of desire. Might be time to start her on it… soon. See this image larger.

Beauty rest! (You’ll want to click on this link to make this image big -> ) See this image larger.