....Rocky Balboa and Forget-me-not are expecting!
Forget-me-not has given birth to two of my very favorite grandchildren. But Blueberry was born three months before Lily's Sweet Pea, and Oxford was born just four weeks before Cambridge. Her boys were also born in tandem with their cousins on Rocky's side of the family.
But not so this time!
As you know, Myra is just a month old. Rocky's sister and sister-in-law had babies this summer. So, for the first time ever (drumroll please): Forget-me-not is pregnant all by her lonesome!
We can celebrate! Party! Shower! Boast!
It's. All. About. Forget-me-not. And that's the way it should be, you know?
(the baby is due June 28th, and we're hopin' for a girl.)
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Four hundred ninety-four years ago...
(okay, so my son pointed out that it is FIVE hundred ninety-four years ago...)
"This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say, 'Tomorrow is Saint Crispian.'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say, 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day,'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words--
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester--
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered--
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day."
William Shakespeare, Henry V.
If you have never read Henry V, I would encourage you to do so. When we studied it last year, we got the book version, and read-along-with an audio version. After we were finished, we "treated" ourselves with the BBC version on dvd.
Even though details of the Battle of Agincourt (October 25, 1415) were probably "enhanced" by Shakespeare, it is an excellent picture of battle during that time in history. I had never studied a lot of English history when I was in school (past the Magna Carta, 1215 doncha know), so it was quite a new experience for me.
Props to Violet (my masters-in-English daughter) for suggesting it for our homeschool!
"This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say, 'Tomorrow is Saint Crispian.'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say, 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day,'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words--
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester--
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered--
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day."
William Shakespeare, Henry V.
If you have never read Henry V, I would encourage you to do so. When we studied it last year, we got the book version, and read-along-with an audio version. After we were finished, we "treated" ourselves with the BBC version on dvd.
Even though details of the Battle of Agincourt (October 25, 1415) were probably "enhanced" by Shakespeare, it is an excellent picture of battle during that time in history. I had never studied a lot of English history when I was in school (past the Magna Carta, 1215 doncha know), so it was quite a new experience for me.
Props to Violet (my masters-in-English daughter) for suggesting it for our homeschool!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Baby Myra...
....is coming HOME to her family today!
...From a baby who was born not breathing and without a heartbeat (Apgar scores 0, 2, and 4), who at 30 hours of age had still not taken a breath on her own, kidneys and liver shutting down, doctors predicting that if she survived at all, she would be a vegetable, and counseling Johnny Tremain and Lily to disconnect the machines....
...to a baby, one day shy of a month old, going home fulltime breastfeeding, and without monitors or wires of any kind. Even three days ago, they trained Lily for a heart/apnea monitor to be used at home, and told her that Myra would get too tired nursing, without supplemental bottle feedings.
The doctors could sustain her life with equipment. But there was nothing they could do to revive her organs, or give her brain any function. ONLY GOD could do this work. It was not too big a job for Myra's Creator to re-Create.
To HIM be all the Glory!
"I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Romans 9:17
...From a baby who was born not breathing and without a heartbeat (Apgar scores 0, 2, and 4), who at 30 hours of age had still not taken a breath on her own, kidneys and liver shutting down, doctors predicting that if she survived at all, she would be a vegetable, and counseling Johnny Tremain and Lily to disconnect the machines....
...to a baby, one day shy of a month old, going home fulltime breastfeeding, and without monitors or wires of any kind. Even three days ago, they trained Lily for a heart/apnea monitor to be used at home, and told her that Myra would get too tired nursing, without supplemental bottle feedings.
The doctors could sustain her life with equipment. But there was nothing they could do to revive her organs, or give her brain any function. ONLY GOD could do this work. It was not too big a job for Myra's Creator to re-Create.
To HIM be all the Glory!
"I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Romans 9:17
Friday, October 09, 2009
Prayer Vigil for Baby Myra
Myra was two weeks old yesterday. She has done a whole lotta livin' in those two little weeks!
Myra makes little steps ahead every day. One of the five neonatologists always has a negative report. "She is very sure" that the tremors Myra has are seizures. The other four doctors are very sure they are NOT seizures. Lady Doctor was sure Myra is probably deaf, blind, or both. But, even with others talking around her, when Myra's Mommy talks to her, she opens her eyes and turns toward Her voice. Yesterday, Lady Doctor said, "Look at that. Myra is focusing on my face." (something every blind baby does, you know...)
A friend of Lily's has organized a prayer vigil for tonight. You can pray anytime between 9pm and midnight. Just take a few minutes to pray for these specific needs:
1) Myra's brain. No one knows yet what damage may have been done. We are BELIEVING that God will restore it to full function, as He has already done with her heart, kidneys, liver. Her "soft spot" seems to be closing faster than normal. Pray that her brain has room to grow. Add in a prayer for her eyes and ears.
2) Please pray also for her suck/swallow reflex. The nurses tell Lily that Myra won't suck on a pacifier. Lily is there for Hours every day. The nurses try to get her to suck every time they "assess"--every few hours. They always try to make Myra suck when she is asleep. However, when she is awake, Lily sticks the paci in, and Myra sucks away.
A beautiful thing is happening. When they feed Myra breast milk through her feeding tube, Myra settles down. She LIKES milk in her tummy! And, since they are feeding her every three hours, Lily is noticing that Myra is waking 10-15 minutes before feeding time. She is learning what "hungry" feels like, and is anticipating food. Sounds pretty normal to me!
3) related to number 2: If she shows sucking and swallowing, she will not have to go home with a feeding tube. Not a deal-breaker, (she can go home if other things are in order) but we want her Whole!
I want to share a couple of verses that have spoken to Lily in the past few days. She has been *living* in 1 and 2 Corinthians.
from Myra's perspective:
1 Corinthians 10:15 "but by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect."
and look at this one:
2 Corinthians 1:8b-11 "We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many."
Here is a link to the facebook page for the prayer vigil. There are photos and a video of Myra posted there, as well:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1017373734&v=info&ref=nf#/event.php?eid=150752002330&ref=nf
I hope you can join us this evening as we pray for Myra's full recovery. Thank you so much!
Myra makes little steps ahead every day. One of the five neonatologists always has a negative report. "She is very sure" that the tremors Myra has are seizures. The other four doctors are very sure they are NOT seizures. Lady Doctor was sure Myra is probably deaf, blind, or both. But, even with others talking around her, when Myra's Mommy talks to her, she opens her eyes and turns toward Her voice. Yesterday, Lady Doctor said, "Look at that. Myra is focusing on my face." (something every blind baby does, you know...)
A friend of Lily's has organized a prayer vigil for tonight. You can pray anytime between 9pm and midnight. Just take a few minutes to pray for these specific needs:
1) Myra's brain. No one knows yet what damage may have been done. We are BELIEVING that God will restore it to full function, as He has already done with her heart, kidneys, liver. Her "soft spot" seems to be closing faster than normal. Pray that her brain has room to grow. Add in a prayer for her eyes and ears.
2) Please pray also for her suck/swallow reflex. The nurses tell Lily that Myra won't suck on a pacifier. Lily is there for Hours every day. The nurses try to get her to suck every time they "assess"--every few hours. They always try to make Myra suck when she is asleep. However, when she is awake, Lily sticks the paci in, and Myra sucks away.
A beautiful thing is happening. When they feed Myra breast milk through her feeding tube, Myra settles down. She LIKES milk in her tummy! And, since they are feeding her every three hours, Lily is noticing that Myra is waking 10-15 minutes before feeding time. She is learning what "hungry" feels like, and is anticipating food. Sounds pretty normal to me!
3) related to number 2: If she shows sucking and swallowing, she will not have to go home with a feeding tube. Not a deal-breaker, (she can go home if other things are in order) but we want her Whole!
I want to share a couple of verses that have spoken to Lily in the past few days. She has been *living* in 1 and 2 Corinthians.
from Myra's perspective:
1 Corinthians 10:15 "but by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect."
and look at this one:
2 Corinthians 1:8b-11 "We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many."
Here is a link to the facebook page for the prayer vigil. There are photos and a video of Myra posted there, as well:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1017373734&v=info&ref=nf#/event.php?eid=150752002330&ref=nf
I hope you can join us this evening as we pray for Myra's full recovery. Thank you so much!
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Myra...
...is one week old today.
...had bre*st milk for the first time yesterday.
...is off the ventilator, which means...
Lily and Johnny Tremain can hold her today!
...(and, hopefully, Grandma!)
...had bre*st milk for the first time yesterday.
...is off the ventilator, which means...
Lily and Johnny Tremain can hold her today!
...(and, hopefully, Grandma!)
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