Growing Strong

Two weeks ago little Rebekah weighed 7 lb 6 oz and guess what?  Now she's a whopping 8 lb. 11 oz.!  Keep in mind she's 4 months old, but gestationally still about 7 weeks.  So she's still very much like a newborn and we are just soaking in the gift of the extra time with her so small and precious.  Each stage of babyhood has its charms, but there is simply nothing like holding that teeny-tiny little bundle of warmth on your chest.  Of course this also means we'll have a few extra months of nighttime feedings, and both Billy and I miss our sleep.  We have a pretty good system worked out where he takes care of Rebekah until 2 AM, when my shift starts.  At least it's not as bad as it was when the Wonder Twins were infants!  (Honestly, I don't even remember how we handled Daniel's and Mikea's simultaneous nighttime feedings - it's all a blur!)

If you've sat near us in church, you know that Rebekah's a noisy little girl.  She groans and grunts in her sleep - and not just when she's gassy.  She's spending more time awake and alert and blesses us with adorable smiles every so often.  She can also roll over - really, she does! - from her tummy to her back.

All of her check-ups have been good.  At the end of December she had her eyes checked for RoP (Retinopathy of Prematurity) and the ophthamologist saw no signs of damage.  The exam itself was simply awful.  Rebekah's eyes had to be held open with metal clamps while the dr. poked and prodded her eyes.  She cried like I'd never heard before and I was on the verge of tears myself. So so glad she doesn't have to go through that again.

Rebekah's case has been fast-tracked and the next court date should be the first week of February, but we're still waiting to find out for sure.  If everything happens according to plan, theoretically we could adopt her as soon as June!  Yes, even after all of the delays with Adrian's adoption (and Mikea's) I am still an optimist!

Bowling Day!

It's probably not hard for you to believe that this mama gets stir crazy every now and again.  My kind husband is always pushing me to get out of the house, but as difficult as it may be to believe, most of the time I hate leaving him and my children behind and would rather us all do something together.  Plus, the ordeal involved in getting everyone ready and out the door is just that, an ordeal.  But, if it means a change of scenery and a bit of fun for the family, we'll do what we gotta do to make it happen!
So, on a chilly, rainy day a couple of weeks ago we readied the children, loaded them up, and ventured out to the bowling alley...

These guys were ready to tear it up!  And their thoughtful Daddy made sure each child had their favorite color ball.

Even when you're using the ramp, it's all about technique!

We were fortunate to be near to a group of bowlers who didn't mind the large quantity of small children next to them.  Our kids did a great job waiting for their turns.  The only one who got antsy was Adrian, but wouldn't you if you were strapped in a stroller when everyone else was having fun?

 

Here's little Rebekah.  She snoozed the entire time.

And Adrian.  We took him out of the stroller after a while, but he wouldn't sit still in his chair.  All he wanted to do was climb, run, and play.  Imagine that!

We only go bowling once or twice a year, so maybe by the next time we go this little guy will be ready to have his own turn!

Happy New Year

So what's the latest with the 500 Babies?  Well, we've had a bit of rough going the past couple of weeks because the dreaded stomach bug made its way into our home and slowly took us down, one by one.  Everyone except Baby Rebekah was affected.  But I'm happy to report that it appears everyone is well again and that little chapter of our lives is through.  Good riddance.

We've been spending the first several days of this glorious new year enjoying Christmas gifts...

Playing dress-up...

Making bird feeders...

And dying sugar to decorate the Epiphany King Cake...

The funny thing about the King Cake was that I didn't have a plastic baby on hand and therefore needed to find an appropriate substitute.  I rooted around in our junk drawer and came up with a small plastic egg, a plastic beetle, a Little Person, and a fireman.  To me, the logical choice was the fireman because a fireman rescues people and who is our ultimate Rescuer...Jesus, of course! 

I'm not going to post a picture of the cake because although the green, yellow, and purple sugar appeared bright and brilliant in real life, the photo makes the cake look covered in toxic mold and who wants to see that?  What?  You DO?   Hmmm...ok, but I'll give those of you who aren't up for it a chance to bail.  If you really want to see the cake, scroll down..........

Ta-da!  (What a mess!)

We'll try to make it prettier next year.  Mikea gets to be my helper making it because she got the piece with the fireman inside!  And maybe we'll have a baby by then.  (The plastic kind, of course.)