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!