I love my boy

Noah had a weight check this week and now weighs in at 14 lb 5 oz. What a big boy! His length is up for debate, due to the fact that he is never still long enough to get a really accurate measurement. Maybe I should do it while he is sleeping. :) At the doctor last week they said 24 1/4 inches, and when our County Health nurse came out on Tuesday she got 25 inches. Either way, he is doing a good job growing.

Hey look, I can almost fit my fist in my mouth!

He also laughed this week for the first time! Talk about a happy mommy moment! I don't think I have ever heard anything more wonderful in my whole life. It was the cutest giggle in the history of giggling. He has gotten close before and smiles a lot, but this was a full out belly laugh kind of giggle. Ah, I love being his mommy.

(No, I didn't get the actual laugh on film. But this is a very cute picture of our happy boy.)

It's a . . . mutant rodent

Yup, I saw that every day for three months. Not a part of the NICU I miss.
This is a conversation that happened more than a couple times.
Me: "That thing is creepy. What is it?"
Corey: "It is a mouse."
Me: "It is NOT a mouse; it doesn't have a tail."
Corey: "Its tail is hiding. It is a mouse. Just stop looking at it."
But it is not a mouse. Here are the other guesses I have heard: gerbil, guinea pig, otter, prairie dog, beaver, apple mole. Nope, nope, nope.
The closest thing I ever got to an answer at MeritCare was in a conversation with a PICU nurse who overheard me commenting on it. She agreed that it is not the most welcoming looking animal and when I asked her what it is supposed to be, she said that it is a combination of two animals, but she couldn't remember what. My response was, "so it's a mutant rodent?" She said, "yes, I suppose it is." So there you go.
Of course, you can find the answer to anything on the Internet, and the MeritCare page actually gave me a full answer. (Why I didn't think of that when I was looking at it every day for three months, I don't know. My brain wasn't functioning normally.) So here you go, from "Alfunz" (yes, that is his name) himself: "I was born in the mountains past the Willow Windmill. My mother is a Pika and my father is a Dormouse… so I'm kind of a Peeka-Door, but I just like to think of myself as tan and fuzzy."
A pika and a dormouse, why didn't I think of that. . .
There is your NICU trivia for the day.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

We love you!

What is it?

This is the sight you are greeted with when you get off the elevators to the Children's Hospital:
Apparently it is supposed to be cute and welcoming. And apparently it is a MeritCare mascot because there is a kid version of it in the PICU and posters of it all over the hospital. (I even saw one in Bemidji; it is following me.) Personally I think it is creepy.
But here is the big question: what is it?
I had three long months to think about this and ask lots of people, and now it is your turn to cast your vote.
(I'll give an answer in a few days, but I'll warn you, it is not a complete answer.)

7 month pictures

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our official 7 month photo shoot. How is it possible that he just keeps getting cuter?










(That is a special puppy because Noah got it from his first girlfriend, Stella, for Valentine's Day. She was only 12 ounces when she was born and is a very special girl! Her mommy and daddy stayed at the Ronald McDonald House too. We miss them.)

Here is his first picture with his puppy:
He has grown just a little bit.

Here it is!

Considering we have a healthy, happy, 14 pound baby, I decided it was time to bid our CaringBridge days farewell. But I also realized I don't want to stop "updating." I really enjoy writing and sharing about our little miracle and how God continues to be faithful to our family. And if someone cares enough about us to check up on us, I think that is pretty valuable and special. So here I am, officially reentering the blogging world. I had to think of some clever "blog-y" title and Embracing the Ordinary is what I came up with. Here's why.

In the age of Blogger, Facebook, MySpace and so on, apparently we must be ready to explain who we are in a succinct "about me" paragraph. (which is kind of strange when you really think about it...) Let's see, I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a wife and a mom. A description that applies to countless women, which is why you could say it falls under the category of "ordinary." But the things "about me" that are my very favorite, that give me indescribable joy and satisfaction, are being a follower of Jesus Christ, a wife and a mom.

I always thought I wanted to get married, but I never imagined I would love being a wife this much. And I always thought I wanted to have a child, but I never imagined I would love being a mom this much. Ordinary? Perhaps. But I embrace that ordinary and consider each day it brings a blessing.

As for being a follower of Jesus, how can you put into words the blessing, privilege and responsibility of being loved and redeemed by the One who knows you the best and has the best to give you? Jesus gave his life for "ordinary" people. And he offers the most extraordinary life--here & now and forever. I embrace that truth and the promises of my Savior to this ordinary sinner wholeheartedly.

Jesus' first followers Peter and John were closely watched. Acts 4:13 describes how people saw their character and courage, saw that they were just "ordinary men" and so "took note that they had been with Jesus." I can only hope that others look at me, ordinary me, and take note that I have been with Jesus.


Here is another reason why I embrace the ordinary:
Our precious baby boy was born three months early and weighed 1 lb 14 oz. After experiencing 87 days in the NICU, some filled to the brim with out of the ordinary and exciting things, the ordinary and boring days feel pretty good.