Check Up

Lyla's check up today went well.  She is now 1o lbs 10 oz!  What a whopper!  She also got 3 shots which she took like a trooper, but she's a little fussy tonight.  Please continue to pray for her muscle tone and development--she's a little behind in that area, but the doctor said that she is really exceeding expectations considering she has Trisomy 18!  We told her that Jesus keeps working on her!  Thanks for all your thoughts, prayers, and love.  Enjoy the pics of the peanut.

Lyla's first sink bath. :)

Smiley girl

What a snuggler

Road Trip!

Last weekend we took Lyla on her first out-of-town trip.  We went to Marshfield (where I grew up) for the weekend to visit friends and family.  Lyla did exceptionally well the whole weekend--she was a trooper.  We just stopped once on the hour and 45 min ride up to feed her.  Jerry & Nancy Petcher opened their home to us for the weekend, which was just perfect.  Lyla slept in a pack n play both nights and did great!  She slept from 9 pm to 4:30 am both nights and then went back to sleep after we fed her until 8-8:30.  What an angel!  We arrived on Friday night, then on Saturday morning Joel spent the day with my friend Tanya's husband, Tim, collecting maple sap.  He has a maple syrup business and on that day they collected 700 gallons of sap!  It was a gorgeously warm day and Tim said that was the most he's ever collected in a single day!  It was neat to see how the whole operation works and just fun for them to be outside in the beautiful weather.   While they were doing that, Tanya and her kids Haley and Jack, and Lyla and I went visiting.  It was a very busy but very fun day!  I was just sorry that I didn't get any pics of Joel and Tim and the maple syrup operation or any of Rhoda and Lyla--maybe next time. :)

My friend Tanya's daughter, Haley, with Lyla.  Haley liked pretending that Lyla was her little sister. :)

We went to visit our good friends Paul and Shelly and their two boys Andrew and Colin.  This is Paul with Little L.  We forgot to get pics with Shelly before she went to work.  Doy!

Haley with Andrew--they were instant buddies. :)

This is the youngest Petcher girl, Tammy.  We got to visit her and her fiance Eric.

Eric, Tammy, and Lyla--they're getting married November 7th!

This is the eldest Petcher girl (now Ferge), Tara--she's holding Lyla and I'm holding her daughter Abigale who just turned one.  They came from Manitowoc to visit her family and us. :)

Lyla in her Sunday dress--we went to Tim & Tanya's church.

Jenny, Lyla, Tanya

And onto my Uncle Russ and Aunt Vicki's house.  Here is my cousin Nicole with Lyla.

Lyla was giving lots of smiles to Nicole with her girls Makenna and Avery.  I tried to get a pic of Lyla with my aunt Vicki but my camera's batteries died before I could get it.  :(

PS--We're sorry that we weren't able to visit more family and friends while in Marshfield--there just wasn't enough time!  Next time (maybe summer?) we'll try to visit those we didn't get to see this trip. :)

4 Months

The birthday girl in her Sunday dress. :)

Well, yesterday was Lyla Jane's 4 month birthday!  It was a very busy day for us so I wasn't able to post anything, but one day late ain't so bad, right?  :)  

She is still smiling a lot, and talking a lot.  Sometimes she likes to smile and talk during feeding time so it takes a little longer to eat. :)  I'm guessing she's close to 10 1/2 lbs now--she has a doctor's appt on Tuesday so we'll find out for sure then.  She's been eating more and more--I think she's not afraid to eat more now because she doesn't have the gagging/choking episodes as often or as severely as she used to.  All in all, she just continues to be an absolute joy.  She makes us smile and laugh and give thanks every day. 

Friends

Recently we went to visit our friends Joel and Cari and their three little ones Soren, Gunnar, and Freja.  They are truly a busy little family, and very much a blessing to us. :)

This one was actually taken before Christmas when Joel came to our house to drop off a meal for us--I think it's a neat pic.

This is Freja--look at those blue eyes!  She's about 3 months older than Lyla.

Soren, Gunnar, Joel and Freja--they love their daddy. :)

Cari and Lyla 

(Cari made an amazing Chinese meal for us--she's quite a cook.)

Patty-Cake

Beaver Creek

The weather was so beautiful here the other day that Joel and I wanted to take advantage of it, so we decided to take a little excursion to one of our favorite places in the world, Beaver Creek.  It's a little Minnesota state park about 40 minutes away from home.  Beaver Creek holds a lot of sentimental value for Joel and I.  It is where we went on our first date and it is where, on January 16th, 2005, we became engaged.  It is a beautiful and peaceful place that we never get tired of visiting.  And we realized the other day that we have visited Beaver Creek during every season, each with its own special beauty.  We just love to go there and marvel at God's creation.  There is a hiking path which runs alongside an amazingly clear creek--and there are lots of trout in it which Joel always likes to point out.  I don't know how he can see them but he always does--it's those hunter's eyes I guess. :)  It was fun for us to think about how, when we were on our first date there, we never would have imagined that we would be back in that same place some day with our baby daughter, Lyla Jane.

If you listen closely you can hear Lyla snoring. :)

Lyla in her cozy wrap (from Auntie Abby)

She slept the whole time. :)

On one of our excursions to Beaver Creek a few years ago, it happened to be one of those mornings when the fog and mist was rising off the creek and the sun was shining down on it just perfectly--it was so neat, like a post card or something.  Well, Joel and I were walking along the trail admiring the beauty of the mist on the water with the sun streaming through it, and there in the middle of the creek stood a deer.  We got all excited because it was an absolute perfect photo opportunity.  I mean it could win awards.  Well, it turned out that our camera focused on the branches in the foreground rather than the deer in the mist, and by the time we figured out how to get the shot the deer had heard us and run away.  Anyway, all this to say that it reminded us of the song "As the Deer" taken from Psalm 42:1  "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul thirsts after you, O God."   

The beauty of His creation is a reflection of God and it does make us thirst for Him.  We're so thankful that we are able to enjoy it with our little Lyla.

Talkin'

Visitors :)

Well, yesterday Lyla and I received the special blessing of getting a visit from the Petchers. Jerry & Nancy are my adopted parents (they live in Marshfield) for when I'm missing my real parents who are all the way out in Arizona! They have been friends with my parents since before I was born. We were talking about how they have even changed a few of my diapers when I was a baby! Tanya is their middle daughter who has been my dear friend since birth. (We've also been tennis partners since about age 8 and intend to be until about age 98!) :) And she brought her youngest--handsome little Jack. It was such a blessing to have them here--they are just like family. And of course they came bearing gifts and delicious food for lunch, which Nancy whipped up, including her world-famous cereal bars. Yum! What a treat. Good food, fellowship, fun, and lots of Lyla love--what could be better? :)

Nancy and Lyla

Tanya and Lyla

Jack snuck in this one!

Jenny, Lyla, Tanya, Jack

PS--I did get some cute pics of Jerry and Lyla, but I suspect he sneakily went in and deleted them.  It was so sweet to see how when Lyla was fussing, he held her and walked with her and sang to her until she was comfy and fast asleep.  Thanks "grandpa" Jerry!  :)  :)  :)

This verse reminds me of the Petchers, especially the living a life of love part--

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."  Ephesians 5:1

    

Smiley Girl

She brings so much joy to our lives.

 Just a little tiny hello.  :)

Praise Report

Well, today Lyla had her appointment at the clinic to get her weight and blood pressure checked. Good news--she gained 7 oz in one week! She now weighs 9 lbs 5 oz! Her increased calorie formula seems to be doing the trick. Also, her BP is in very normal range so she will not need to go on BP medication. Yay! And her renal labs came back normal which means her kidney is functioning just fine. God is so good! We are so thankful that our little trooper is doing so well. :) As always, thanks for your prayers. Enjoy the pics of our happy dappy Lyla.

She's been smiling so much lately!  

She wore that cute little dress to church.  It's from our friends Mark and Karn.  Too cute!