Pray for Penn

My heart is sad right now as I type this. My sweet baby nephew Penn River is not doing amazingly well. He's doing okay, but his pedi is concerned that he might need to have his heart surgery at age one month--the earliest they allow the surgery to take place, and the time they least like to see the babies have to undergo it. He is gaining weight just fine right now on 100% breastmilk, so that is a big praise, but I am now going to up my prayers more, continuing to ask God for Penn's healing. I want his heart to be healed. And if not healed then at least for him to be older when he has his surgery so his tiny body can handle it better. Will you pray with me about this? Thank you.

Here is my precious brother with his precious baby....

Is There Anything Cuter....

than a naked baby?   :)    I don't think so!!!!!!

Finally Home

My brother and his wife finally got to take their new baby home. Little Penn is doing well, and I should get to see him in person this weekend. I am so excited! Please keep praying for him. Those of you who want to know specifics:

1) Pray that his feeds would go well, so that he can gain sufficient weight to be prepared for heart surgery coming up soon

2) Feel free to pray that God would heal his heart and he wouldn't even have to have the surgery!

3) For Brad and Tanya to have wisdom and patience as they parent this sweet tiny thing who struggles even to eat, because of his Down Syndrome issues

4) For them to lay hold of Eternal Hope through this all

Here's a beautiful picture of my baby brother holding his baby boy.  :)

Future Tennis Player?

Today Wunk 2 was cracking me up. Lately, as he's been walking everywhere, he enjoys having something in each hand to make himself feel more balanced and secure. Today, what he chose to grab were the two tennis rackets Wunk 1 and I had out. He's such a cutie. Good walking, baby boy!  :)

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

I am so glad to have two boys! Most people are surprised and probably question my honesty in making that statement, but it's true. I will never forget how frustrating it was to me to have people respond after my "gender unveiling" ultrasound with words like, "Oh, are you sad?" and "I'm sorry," and "Oh, well that's okay." Those sorts of comments pretty much nauseated me, especially since I actually WANTED a second boy! In our weird country where it's deemed crazy to have more than two children, people think you should have one boy and one girl, and that's it! People pity those who have two back to back of the same gender. It's very odd to me, and quite sad! Anyway, enough of my ranting.....

All of the above is the background to my saying that I am so happy that we have two little boys. My little precious bruisers are so much fun. And once in a while they actually act like they adore each other! I think growing up they will be best friends and worst enemies at the same time. It's so great to have them so close in age and enjoying the same sorts of things. This is precisely why I was delighted to find out that I was having a second boy. We could not be any happier! :)

Of course, this is not to say that I never want to have a girl. Quite the contrary! I hope the Lord gives us a sweet, bow-headed, pink-wearing delicate little female baby someday. But I tell you what....I think in the future I'm probably going to wait until the end of the pregnancy to find out the gender. I've already heard enough of "Oh, are you okay with that?" Really and truly, if we had a whole little clan full of Hamilton boys we would not be sad. Okay, we might be a tiny bit disappointed to not ever experience a girl, but our boys are so dear to our heart that there's no way we could do anything but rejoice in God's amazing grace.

In case you are wondering, no, I am not pregnant! I'm only talking about this because I have so delighted in watching my boys do things together the last day or so. Yesterday, Wunk 2 climbed up on the loveseat with Wunk1 during video time and put his arm around him. Today, Wunk 1 grabbed Wunk 2's hand, and said, "Let's walk," and they walked around the house and outside together holding hands. It's so adorable!!! See for yourself.....

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A Game of Tag

Okay, I’m in too. Here are the rules:

No obligation, but you’ve been “tagged.” Read the info below and join in on the fun on your blog if you want:
1. Each tagged “player” starts with 8 random facts/habits about him- or herself.
2. A tagged person must write a blog entry about his or her 8 things and post these rules.
3. At the end of the blog, the tagged person must include 8 people to get tagged, and list their names.
4. Leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

I don't know whom else I can "tag" since I don' t know any other girls who have blogs, really. But I'll contribute my eight random facts for those who might be interested. It was fun to think of them!

Eight Random Facts About Moi 

1. I have a bad habit of losing things. I am known around the house for saying, "Honey, do you know where my _________ is?"  Usually it' s my glasses, but sometimes my shoes or keys. Those are my main things. It's frustrating!!!

2. I grind my teeth at night when I sleep. Does that make me a stressball?  :)  I have worn a night guard for years to prevent damage to my teeth!

3. I also wear earplugs when I sleep at night. Okay, go ahead and tell me how much of a nerd I am! Night guard AND earplugs! I started the earplug thing in the dorm in college, when I'd try to sleep hours before everyone else was done playing.

4. I had Radial Keratotomy surgery about 12 or 13 years ago. It corrected my vision for a while, but now I'm back in glasses and have astygmatism too!

5. I have begun a recent new bad habit. After lunch every day, I chow down on chocolate chips! Yes, straight out of the bag. They are delicious, and they're a fantastic little midday pick-me-up to keep me going for those boys!  :)

6. I wear tennis shoes from morning to night inside and outside the house. I started this about a year ago, upon the recommendation of the Fly Lady, and it's GREAT. It makes me so much more efficient and productive. I always just feel "ready to go!"

7. I love the scent of gardenias. My mama turned me onto the smell as a little girl, and ever since then, I have been infatuated! I don't do well with keeping the plants alive, unfortunately, but I do relish their fragrance when I find them!

8. My dream vacation is a trip to New England at the peak of autumn leaf color. I would be in paradise to go to New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Boston, etc. when the trees are ablaze, and the air is chilly and invigorating! Maybe someday I'll get there.

S, thanks for inviting me to participate. I honestly don't know another person with whom to keep this going, so it might die with me. Love ya, girlie! 

A Mother's Day Gift

Welcome with me to the world my precious first nephew on my side of the family! My brother and his wife had their first baby on Mother's Day. What a gift! Little Penn River is adorable, isn't he? He is in the NICU right now because he has Down Syndrome as well as a heart problem for which he has to undergo surgery. Please pray for my family during this time. My brother and his wife, as well as my parents would do well to receive prayer right now for strengthening. Thanks so much.

Newfound Hobby

Mommy has finally gotten it together and started brushing baby's teeth twice a day, like I'm supposed to do. :) The little redhead loves this new ritual and especially derives pleasure from the time that Mommy hands him the toothbrush after she's finished his teeth and moved onto brushing Big Brother's teeth.

Do You Hate Dusting?

I sure do....until now!  :)  For Mother's Day I gave myself a treat. I purchased a feather duster from the FlyLady website. It claims to be wonderful, so I thought I'd try it out. So far, I'm very pleased! Not only is it beautiful and therefore is more fun to use, it fits quite nicely into nooks and crannies, unlike the other one I have. Check out the flylady website anyway, because it's so great! www.flylady.net  Happy dusting!

Movie Star Baby

Boy 1 likes to put sunglasses on Boy 2 lately!  :)  I just think this is a fun pic!

D starts with Daddy

Lately Baby 1 has taken to thinking through the spelling of words. He can oftentimes tell you what letter certain words start with just by listening to the word. I'm so proud! The other day we were in the car, and I started saying, Okay, J, tell me a word that starts with the letter B, for example, and he could do it--through the entire alphabet! Way to go, little learner! It's cute, though, because he sometimes switches the order of things and says, "D starts with Daddy," instead of the other way around. :)

Makes a Mommy Feel Loved

Last night we were out at a Mexican restaurant with a friend for dinner. Daddy dutifully took our firstborn to the potty when he announced his need. When they returned, Hubby told me that our sweet child had said, "I miss Mommy." Naturally, Hubby said, "What?" Again, sweet boy said, "I miss Mommy when I'm not with her." Wow. So, though Wunk 1 had been out of my presence for a mere minute or so, he actually had the thought that he missed his mama during that time! That's pretty unbelievable, but hey--I kinda like it! I hope that our precious children always love to be around us. :) We sure do love being with them!

Captetizer

Captetizer. I think that's how you spell it. I'm the Captetizer, so our firstborn says. But so is the latest creation of his Legos. He calls it the Captetizer too. I think he might also refer to himself as the Captetizer as well. So there's some confusion even within himself as to what the Captetizer is! :)  Our sweet first boy loves lately to make up silly words and entertain himself as well as the household with his creativity! We delight in his humor and fun! The Captetizer is signing off now!

Go Away, Puppy Dog!

Yesterday I was in the kitchen, with Boy1  playing outside in the backyard, when I heard those words. "No, puppy dog, no! Go away! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I thought, "Hmm....that's not how he normally talks to Spurgeon (our dog), but how could he be talking to another dog in our backyard?" Well, he was. A skinny little terrier-type dog had weaseled his way through our gate and made herself at home in our backyard, greeting everyone with sniffs and wags of the tail. She was happy as could be, although a bit intimidated by our big black canine. I waited a moment before going out to see what was happening. When I got to J, he was crying so hard that he stopped breathing and his lips were turning blue (he does this when he gets really upset). I carried him inside, and before I got him through the door, the doggie slipped in before us. So this, of course, only added to the stress of the situation for Jake, and he started freaking out that the dog was in the house. I assured him it was okay, and we would put the doggie out. Poor kid. He was truly scared to death of this 20-pound nothing, all the while our enormous lab/chow 100-pounder lives in our yard! Oh, we love you, son!

Recent pics

Baby Book Entry

Okay, so I guess my blog might sorta serve as a baby book also. So be it! Today my baby took 23 steps! That's right! Twenty three! He went from eleven a few days ago to this. Let's hear it for the boy!

Song or Restaurant?

Son 1 keeps me smiling with his little word confusions. A few times recently, he has remarked as we drive past Mc Donald's, "There's Old Mc Donald's!" :)
I know that's nothing much really to post about, but I just want to remember these small and precious jewels of my children's early years!