From Easter to Encounter - and all the miracles that go with it...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  3 years, 1 month, and 17 days

Family,


And a good afternoon to you from the Queen City, where the Bull is well north of a month kicking off the fourth volume of this adventure.  I have so much material that I barely know where to start, so let's get amongst it, shall we!  We'll resume just before Easter Sunday and move through April - yikes, I've got a lot of ground to cover!

Shot of the Munchkin captured by Pastor Penny on Easter Sunday.
Just...simply...perfect.  

3/23 - This was K's Easter Egg hunt at pre-school, and she was quite the cutie.  I mean, this girl ended up having something like 4 Easter Egg hunts by the time it was all said and done, all of them ending with copious amounts of chocolate added to our stash!  But the good news - we had plenty of treats for when she went potty!  Ah, every cloud has a silver lining...

3/25 - This was a big day, as K had a GREAT swim lesson.  She even swam to JT for the first time ever WITHOUT THE NOODLE!  As we'd had a few ups and downs with lessons prior to that (which is tough at $25 a pop), this was great news and definitely encouraging.  It was with this lesson that I think her bond with Ms. Sarah (the instructor) started to gel, as she always recognizes her when she goes to NOMAD now (and is still with her, as I'll get to later).

Seriously - STOP THE CUTENESS!!!

Also on this day - we started more chores with K.  We introduced some basic concepts like "don't throw your bib," "clean the bonus room before we'll let you watch a show," and "set your plate at the sink before you watch a Bible Adventure" (I got the last one about the plate from my life group).  While K was quite resistant out of the gate (especially with the bib), I've actually seen a herculean turn on this.  Speaking more than a month out, she's now GREAT about the bib and ALWAYS hands it to us.  She's also great to clean her room or whatever area we need her to focus on.  Given that she's outside a lot of the time now, we actually haven't been in the bonus room much (and hence haven't had a need to clean it), but she's been great about cleaning up her room at night when asked.  Looking back over my notes from last month, I noted that I was "worried about towing the line so as not to stifle creativity."  Judging by the fact that she's running around with a ribbon in her hair acting like she's Rapunzel, I think we're probably in the clear. :-)

3/26 - This was the big Easter Saturday blowout at Freedom House, and K had fun (most of the time, at least).  There were slides, a petting zoo, a food truck, good music, and a 10K easter egg hunt!  K was again super cute in her approach.  Rather than grabbing as many eggs as she could, she would instead grab one, walk it over to us, open it, inspect to confirm chocolate, and then either a) ask for the chocolate or b) try to open it herself.  It was truly work to get that girl back into the fray to collect more eggs!  Too cute - the difference between boys and girls...


The Prosperity Pre-School Egg Hunt Highlights:

JACKPOT!

"See these, mama?  This is chocolate for my next 12 poopies."

"High Five, Moo Moo!"

And now the Freedom House Easter Festivities:

When all else fails, just dunk the bean bag.

10 THOUSAND EASTER EGGS.  Seriously.

K sharing her Bible - too sweet.

Two tough moments from this day.  The first is that, while watching the older kids do their Easter egg hunt, K started running down our very steep hill.  She did fall, which scared her (and hurt her a bit).  I felt like a TERRIBLE parent in that moment, as I really should have been down in front of her from the outset.  I know that a part of me was wanting to ensure I didn't get injured right before my race, which basically kept me from sprinting down that Hill to catch K.  Bad form!  Luckily, all was well.

Also, as we were adjusting the curtains in her room, K accidentally fell on the case for the electric screwdriver, slicing her foot open.  I didn't realize this until we noticed blood on the curtains and the carpet!  Luckily, JT swooped her up and got her into the bathroom, where we could clean the wound and get K to calm down.  And while it was a tough 20 or so minutes, she soon was thrilled with the reality that she got to wear not one but TWO bandaids!  Seriously - she would NOT take these off for love nor money over the coming days.  We basically had to bribe her to switch them out!

Happy Easter!!!! (and yes - that's K in an apron).

3/27 - EASTER Sunday.  Given the effect that Freedom House has had on us and our lives, Easter means so much more to us now (and has really both last year and this year) than in year's past (I am speaking of my own experience, at least).  With that context, I can say that not only was it the best Easter ever from a spiritual perspective, but it was also the best Easter ever from a family perspective.  For starters, the Easter Bunny showered the munchkin with gifts...and SUGAR.  Holy Moly this kid ate well - bunny cake at lunch with Nole Nana and Grandpa, her very first full-size Cadbury egg (also courtesy of Jenny's folks - K LOVED IT), donuts at church (K was fixated once we selected one and would have done anything we asked - we're talking climb Everest without O2 on command - to secure a bite (she got several :-)).    Add in the mini Easter egg hunt in the Bonus Room (courtesy of the Easter Bunny), all the sugar she got a church, and the other presents, and K likely thought it was the best day ever.  Oh, and mom & Steve sent her an apron and some bunny ears - she wore the apron all day!  It was adorable.  No, seriously - adorable.

One thing I have to record on this day.  Multiple folks told us that K was an angel in daycare on this day, but aside from being proud that our daughter behaved, we didn't think much of it.  Fast forward to the middle of the week, when JT got a text from a friend.  One of our senior pastors had posted a picture of K on her instagram account, saying:  "This is why we do what we do."  Sure enough, there was K (in black and white), eyes closed and hands folded, praying to Jesus.  Honestly, readers - it was just about the sweetest thing I've ever seen.  AMAZING (in so many ways).

4/1 - we drove to TN this day, as Sammy the Bull was Knoxville bound to slay a dragon:  the Knoxville Covenant Health marathon.  This race had been staring me in the face, taunting me like Goliath for several years, and so several months ago I resolved that I was going to concur both the Charlotte and the Knoxville marathons within the calendar year.  To that end we left Friday morning, rolling to TN in about 5 hours.  K was good, and we went over and crashed at Nanny's after seeing moments new addition to the house.  Benny, Kay, and Charlie came over that night, and we all had pasta (Kay was running a half marathon at Bays Mountain the next day).  I have to say - Charlie was AMAZING playing with Kaitlyn.  That kid is so sweet, and he was great dancing with her, running up and down the halls with her, and just generally being really sweet.  Simply put - he's a much better kid than I was at that age.  Full marks to him.


Side note here - Kaitlyn LOVES NANNY'S HALLWAY.  Why is this important?  Because SAMMY LOVED NANNY'S HALLWAY as a kid.  Seriously - JUST LIKE ME - that girl ran up and down that hallway for the better part of 3 days.  It was like looking in the mirror watching her go up and back.  And then Charlie taught her how to bear crawl, which was even cuter.  Hilarious!

4/2 - This was Vol Nana's birthday, but like any good son, I abandoned my mother on her birthday to drive to Knoxville.  Taking it one step further, I not only abandoned mom, but I also asked her to keep Kaitlyn.  I know, I know - all class.  Jenny and I did get to see the Rice clan that night, which was great.  I had pasta, and they had steak (which was AMAZING - I had a taste).  I was also having an AFD, and Rice looked at me with utter disgust. :-)

That's right, K.  Remember that your dad was (semi) cool once.

4/3 - For the record - Sammy the Bull ran a 3:54:39, beating my expected time of 4:03 or so.  It was perfect weather, and I had a great race.  I felt strong the entire time, and finishing as part of the marathon was WAY better than finishing as part of the half, as there was no one to push you off the field after you finished.  I actually got to lay down in the end zone for about 20 minutes, just stretching, looking up at the sky, and thanking the Holy Spirit for powering me through and thanking God for the opportunity to run the race.  It was then down to Calhoun's (I had to walk about a mile), where I met JT and the Rice's for a celebratory lunch.  Talk about a perfect day!  All was well until we got back to Nanny's.  K was thrilled to see us, but as soon as she took off to run, she tripped on purse straps and fell in the kitchen.  This sent her into a dizzy that led to THE BIGGEST MELTDOWN we have ever been party to.  We are talking TWO HOURS STRAIGHT, and she was absolutely inconsolable.  It really affected Nanny, so much so that at one point mom had to give her a valium.

K with Baby James in ATL.

Looking back, I have to think it was a combination of exhaustion and fatigue (we'd been traveling for the last month), no nap that day, being away from home, being embarrassed at the fall, fighting a cold, and just the general protests that come from being a toddler.  We spanked her 4 times, put her in timeout twice, and tried honestly everything we could think of to first discipline her, and then later just calm her down.  Ultimately, she went to bed without a bath, as we knew we wouldn't be able to control her in that tub.  Mom's quote (and the look on her face) said it all:  "Wow.  You were never like that." :-)

4/4 - The drive home was actually really uneventful.  K was great - it was like the day before hadn't happened.  The cutest moment (which has continued to this day, and it's May 1 as I type this) - that night during prayer time, K requested prayer for her friends Emmi and Marlowe.  Two things to note: a) she also requests prayer for mommy, daddy, and TT, and b) lately she will pray the standard prayer ("Now I lay me down to sleep") with her eyes closed and hands folded.  However, when we start doing the prayers for her friends, she starts crawling around all over the place.  And then, when we finish, she always says, "Will you say a prayer for me?"  We consistently remind her that we just did, at which point she climbs into bed and all is well. :-)

Side note here:  lately K has refused to pray during meals.  She won't even hold our hands or fold her hands?  So we have started "laying on hands."  I peeked and notice that, while she is sitting still, she actually won't say a word and has her eyes open.  It's a rather interesting protest, and for now I'm trying to not make a big deal of it.

The next week was largely a blur, as I was in VEGAS, BABY and JT went down to Atlanta to visit Kim and James.  Bob and Jan went down with her, and by all accounts everyone had a good time (even if the sleeping arrangements weren't ideal).


4/11 - K's 3 year appointment:  I am happy to report that K got a GREAT eval from Dr. Knutson.  It was a little rocky getting into the doctor's office, as K went BESERK in the parking lot - I had to stripe her THREE TIMES between the car and the doctor's office!  The staff was great and tried to get her to smile - ultimately the bribe of a sticker helped calm her down.

She doing it by the numbers:

1.  Weight - 38 pounds (90th percentile)

2.  Height 3 feet, 8 inches high (75th percentile)

3.  BMI - 85th percentile (DIESEL, BABY)

4.  Blood Pressure - 100/52 (it was adorable to watch them take it).  And while I know it's early, I was THRILLED to see those kind of numbers in my child!  I hope and pray she gets Jenny's BP!

Now the qualitative - Dr. Knutson said that she was doing great and was very healthy.  K was shy and didn't answer many of her questions (which is hilarious because she'd already answered all of them with Jenny beforehand), but Dr. Knutson knew how to get her to do certain things to confirm learning, aptitude, and overall health.  The funniest part of the whole thing - they asked K to get undressed and offered her a gown.  However, since she didn't want to wear it, she just took off her clothes and was naked when Dr. Knutson came in.  Her response:  "You can wear panties if you want." :-)  Guess we didn't need her to be a jaybird.  :-)

One interesting piece of advice from Dr. Knutson as we talked about discipline - let her win on occasion.  Discipline has obviously been a recurring theme in recent posts, and I'm even reading a book and participating in a life group about how to be the best parent possible in terms of disciplining and teaching K how to behave.  This advice resonated with me, as coming into that moment a) K had been really tough to deal with lately, and b) I had been feeling a lot like a dictator in the house.  Walking out of there, I did soften my stance a bit, and I will say that the last 3 or so weeks have been much better.  I am trying to give K a bit more freedom, capitulate on issues/items that don't really matter, and make her feel that she does have more influence and control on her life.  Now she's been tough today and yesterday, so perhaps that's starting to backfire.  Only time will tell. :-)

In looking at some of my other notes, I saw another reference to 4/11 that I'll record her - I said, "It's like a switch has flipped, and my daughter is very sweet again."  Another thing that I noticed around this time (and am still noticing) is that K's coordination has improved markedly.  She's becoming a much better jumper, and her hand-eye coordination seems really fantastic (much like both of her grandfathers).  K does a really good job catching balloons and balls, but she is LIGHTS OUT good at catching animals in her room at night. I usually through 5 or 6 at her in the evenings (some lofted, some quick, etc), and she catches almost all of them on the first go-around.  And if she does miss one, she throws it back to me - with her LEFT hand!  At this point, I'm pretty sure she's a lefty, as she uses that to eat, throw, etc.  Oh yeah, baby!

Going beyond coordination, K is using bigger words now and actually starting to have real conversations.  She's eating more at meal times, she's smiling a lot more.  It's just as if she's matured overnight!  And the favorite game (of which I have some terrific video) - K will ride in her cozy coupe while JT rides the joybay.  They race down the cul de sac, and they hit some hilarious bumps along the way!  The first couple of times it really stressed me out, as I was afraid K was going to go flying.  However, knowing that she needs to cultivate that sense of adventure, I tried to just let it all happen.  I'm pleased to report that all is still well and all body parts are still intact.  Plus, the racing game is really, REALLY cute. :-)

4/12 - The morning started great with a dry diaper, but she went into meltdown .00000007 seconds later because the pee she'd left in froggy potty the night before was no longer there (JT had rightly dumped it the night before).  Side note on this - it's AMAZING to watch that kid's memory in action. Before she goes to sleep, she always says, "Can we (insert whatever book or activity you want here) after I wake up?"  We will say yes, and even if it's nighttime and she sleeps 12 hours, it will be THE FIRST THING she asks for upon waking.  Truly incredible!

So other things to note that really kicked off on this day:

1.  "Watch this, dada."  So K is now saying this ALL THE TIME.  I'd always noticed other kids saying it (usually older than her), but she's now joined the club.  Consequently, Jenny and I have had to start saying, "I will sweetheart, but mommy and daddy are talking."  I view this as a good thing, as it gives us an opportunity to teach her about the importance of not interrupting.  The biggest thing K likes for me to watch?  Her taking a cup in the bath and turning it into a "waterfall."  Too cute - have I mentioned how much I love this kid?

2.  "Why?"  That's right, sports fans - THIS HAS STARTED.

4/13 - I had this written down as "The end of Ducky Potty?", as K pretty much only uses the adult toilet these days.  It's amazing, as she's now tall enough to shimmy onto the seat and do her business. Now granted, she still LOVES froggy potty, but Ducky Potty is a bit hit or miss and is now more often used as the stool for the sink in the powder room.  That being said, he's still around (was used twice today, in fact).

This day was amazing because, for the first time ever, I basically watched K do the entire bathroom ritual herself.  She used her chin to hold her dress, allowing her to get her pants all the way down (I had to turn her since she as already on the stool, but that was it).

The highlight on this day was after she poopied downstairs.  Her quote:  "I'm steamer dropping in the boom boom room!"  LOVE THAT KID!


Group Lesson Highlights:

Ms. Sarah taking her out to practice kicks.

The noodle, baby!

K learning to float.

4/14 - This was K's first group swim lesson, and I'm pleased to report that she did GREAT!  She was able to enroll with the same person who did her individual lesson, which I think was a big help.  Through in the fact that Ms. Sarah a) has stickers, b) has stamps, and c) that K now has a Sharky kick board, and you've got an aqua devil in training!  Seriously - it was a hit.  There is obviously some waiting around, but by and large it was great for K, as she got some water time AND learned about kicking by watching other kids.

4/15 - ENCOUNTER.  Ok, so I want you to prepare for this section.  If you're not sitting down (can't think of why you wouldn't be), then please do, as I'm about to switch out of historian mode and share something much more emotional - my testimony.  As we've alluded to earlier, Freedom House has changed this home and our lives in ways beyond imagination or description (Volume III was dedicated to them).  This day marked the next moment in that miraculous (truly) journey.  I have jotted down the notes in my "Encounter Journal," which is where I have started recording moments where I've experienced God.  And while there have been many encounters, this one must be recorded for posterity.

So to set the scene:  last year Jenny and I started going to Freedom House and in the summer agreed to give 10% of our income to charity.  We did NOT at the time plan to give 10% to the church, but rather a mixture of the church  and the charities we support.  Less than a month after that decision, I got a new job and a 10% raise.  To quote Pastor Troy:  But God.

At the start of 2016, we decided to tithe 10% directly to the church.  At the time, the church was doing something called the "90 day tithe challenge."  The premise was this - you tithe for 90 days, and if you don't see a miracle in your life, the church will refund your entire tithe.  We didn't sign up for this, as I personally didn't like the idea of anyone (especially God) thinking that my tithe was conditional upon him giving me something (as we are already blessed beyond measure).  However, after THE FIRST TITHE, I received my bonus letter, and it was the biggest incentive I'd ever received.  But God.

Fast forward through our second tithe - we completed our taxes, and the refund was THE BIGGEST ONE WE'D EVER RECEIVED.  Again - the money given away continued to find its way back to us. But God.

And while all that was amazing, it was nothing - NOTHING - compared to what happened next.

Fast forward to April 15 - this was the 90th day from our 1st tithe (we tithed auto-draft on the 15th of
every month), and it was also the night of evening worship at our church called Encounter.  It was also supposed to be the day Jenny got her period...but it never came.   That's right, sports fans - I will record it more going forward back in the chronology, but I needed it said here for everyone to see:  GOD HAS BLESSED US WITH ANOTHER BABY!!!!!!!  Three miscarriages, all the efforts trying to do it on our own, but ultimately we just needed to realize that you have to step back and give it all to God.  As James says:  "Every good and perfect gift is from above."  We went to church that night hopeful - oh, so hopeful.  And as each day has passed, it has become more and more amazing.  I could go on and on and on here, but let me continue with the story, as it just gets better and better.

4/16 - stepping back into the day to day, K climbed onto our potty today and went!  It was another day of great conversation, and you can tell that her imagination is really starting to come to life.  It's funny, when we don't have something available or we tell her she can't do something, she'll usually say, "Can we pretend (insert whatever here)?"  I actually read to her for 90 minutes today, so we had some GREAT father/daughter bonding time.    Also, today we decided to start the new game of "not sucking our thumb," and Jenny mentioned that there could be prizes involved should she break free.  Truth be told, I've seen a HUGE change so far - she's not sucking her thumb watching TV anymore, which is DEFINITELY a step in the right direction.  I even watched her start sucking her thumb once but then quickly take it out, and now I'm seeing that, if you mention it to her when she's doing it, she instantly quits (unless she's trying to be obstinate, at which point she just looks at you :-)).  More to come, but as I type this I give Jenny a TON of credit for moving the dial so quickly on this one. And the other big activity today (other than the first ever food truck rally over by Bi-Lo) - K actually opened the fridge by herself!  It's amazing to see how strong this kid's getting.  At night when we are cleaning her room, it is hilarious to watch her carry mountains of books.  And some nights she'll carry a basket full of stuff that weighs more than she does - too cute!

Stepping into the miraculous on this day, Jenny did a pregnancy test.  And again - it was something out of a movie.  She did the test, but nothing appeared. We were surprised, but simply put we REFUSED to believe that she wasn't pregnant.  Sure enough - JT went back upstairs a bit later to do something else, and...wait for it....wait for it....THERE WERE FAINT DOUBLE LINES!!!!  It should be noted that JT has since tried it again, and the lines were DARK.  Amazing.  Simply.  Just.  Amazing.

4/17 - The day started with church, and after service we went to meet Carrie Griffin (she'd emailed us another another topic, and we said we'd introduce ourselves).  Side note on this - Mike and Carrie Griffin are FH leaders, and I view them as role models for me and Jenny.  Mike actually works at Bank of America, so his ability to be such a leader in the church and in business is truly inspiring, and suffice it to say we hold them in very high esteem.  Well, Carrie had asked for stories about tithing, and Jenny had replied with the new job and the bonus check stories. However, that day, as we were talking about it with her, I just felt the Lord tell me, "Tell Carrie about the baby."  And so, throwing caution to the wind, I did.  At that point the dam just broke - Jenny was crying, I was fighting it back, and all the emotion just spilled out.  Carrie (who really is amazing), gave us some very practical advice:  "Just start praying right now - speak life over your wife and your baby."  And readers - that's what Jenny and I have tried to do.  Ever since that moment, we have tried to be positive and speak only life, remembering the words of James when he says "the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much" (5:16).  Carrie added us to her prayer list, and I can't tell you what a lift that gave us - knowing that people whom you hold in high regard are praying for you and for the miracle for which you are believing.

On the K side, I got to see her swim that afternoon, and she was a ROCK STAR!  Seriously - that girl is treading water like a beast and even went 50 yards by herself with her kick board!  One thing that's been cute to watch (I jotted it down this day) - whenever she gets home, she instantly takes off her shoes and says, "Can you 'mell my 'tinky feet?"  We then bend over and smell each of them, yelling "PEEEE-YEW!!!!!!" as we smell each one.  She loves it!

K reciting "Disney Frozen" - in plank.  Standard.

Also, she can now recite THE ENTIRE FROZEN BOOK from Aunt Kim - AMAZING.  We've got it on video, and it's just the cutest thing ever - especially her pronunciation of "king and queen."

4/20 - the creation of the prayer team:  So I'd had life group the night before, and when folks asked about prayer, I mentioned Jenny, but only in the capacity of being confident in her testimony and when praying for others in Peru.  Lindsey (one of the life group leaders) said that she definitely wanted to talk to Jenny, as she had some ideas that she thought might help.  Knowing that Jenny would absolutely welcome counsel, I told her to text her whenever.  The next day (4/20), Lindsey texted her and invited her over, and they had a bit of a play date.

During that session (at the duck pond), Jenny told Lindsey about the pregnancy.  Lindsey suggested that she tell just a small group who would pray for her.  I am now calling this group (which is about 8 deep plus me and Jenny) the pray warriors, as there is NO DOUBT that their love and prayers are helping us right now.  I mean, Jenny's belly is growing, she's got the little hard spot, and she's sneezing all the time (which apparently comes from increased levels of estrogen and progesterone).  All good signs!  Plus she's been whipped lately (as have I), which everyone says happens with number 2!

4/21 - I actually went to the swim lesson this time, and it was AMAZING to watch how much she's improved.  the instructor said that, if she can get her face in the water and blow bubbles, she'll move up to the next level (she's currently a rubber ducky, questing after the title of little froggy).  Best of all, K seems to really, really like it.  That does my heart good, as it's such good exercise, is low impact, and is something that she can carry with her all her days.

4/22 - this was the next pregnancy test, and those lines were DARK, BABY!!!!!  BOOYAH!!!!

4/23 - I was in Wild, Wonderful West VA with dad and Pattie this weekend, but Jenny and K went down to Mindy and Craig's to hang out.  It was K's first sleepover, and the girls LOVED IT!  Seriously -the photos were just too cute, and Jenny said it was a riot.  She said the first night the girls just kept talking to each other and laughing, and then the second night they were jumping on the bed and just screeching with excitement about getting to sleep in the same bed and same room.  They played on slides, in pools, went to bakeries, had a cookout - I mean, it was EPIC!  Jenny also had to refuse wine, which meant that two more prayer warriors got added to the team!

Sleepover Highlights:

First Sleepover!!!!

Someone's excited...

I mean...WHO IS SUPERVISING THESE KIDS?!?!?!

CANNONBAAAAAAAAALL!!!!!

Hayden's ride is a little fancier than our cozy coupe.

4/25 - JT went down for blood work at the Bradford clinic on this day.  The original plan was to test her for both progesterone and check her HCG levels, but we decided against the second test.  Honestly, HCG levels do nothing but stress a person out (at least that's been our experience), and truth be told we knew that we didn't need to inspect it.  God has blessed us with a miracle, and we are speaking life into this child.  As part of the removal of self doubt, we declined the test.  I am SO HAPPY we made that decision.

4/28 - K had a great swim lesson today.  So good in fact, that SHE TESTED OUT!!!  That's right, sports fans - our girl is no longer a rugby ducky.  She's now a little froggy!  BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE!!!!  The bad news is that she'll no longer be with Ms. Sarah, but the good news is that she's progressing and seems really excited about the next level.  She'll start with Mr. Ryan on her next lesson (tomorrow!).  Not sure if I mentioned it above, but it's been really cute watching her figure out about all the different levels.  There's a huge sign when you enter NOMAD showing all the levels, and lately she's been asking Jenny if she's going to move up and go through all those levels.  She was genuinely excited about the prospect of testing out, and you could tell in our last swim before the group lesson that she was really trying hard to get her stroke down, put her face in the water, and all that jazz.  Exciting!

Test out time, Dada!

Just like Michael Phelps - game face on, listening to L'il Wayne.

Guess who just tested out of Rubber Duckies!!!!
I'm so proud of my Little Froggy!!!!

Side note - K started to push some of her boundaries again this day.  We've let things slide a bit lately, but I fear it's time to start holding firm on the limits again.  She's been given some additional power and freedom, and you can tell that she's starting to try and flex her muscle.  Oh well, that's part of it, right? :-)

4/27 - "Excellent."  This single word was what Dr. Bowles used to describe JT's progesterone levels when they sent us the results back.  JT was not only in the normal range but was very high in the normal range, and Dr. Bowles sent us only that single word in her comments.  AMAZING!!!!!  That was HUGE news for Jenny and a HUGE MIRACLE (as it all has been), as the relief on her face was palpable.   Following on from here - the change in Jenny has been incredible since this news.  Not just physically (which is very noticeable already at this point), but she really has cast self-doubt aside.  She is embracing the joy and the miracle, and her excitement is infectious.  Add in how well training has gone for my race and all the funds that Jenny has raised for Peru (in addition to a million other miracles), and you've got a recipe for one seriously happy family.

Also, the night before we had prayed again about speaking life into our little miracle.  Well, not only were the test results the answer to a prayer, but Jenny also started having uterus cramps again (a sign of expansion).  Jenny had started to get worried about a lack of symptoms, and so this was another blessing.

The last week has been a lot of fun, even if challenging at times.  K's definitely fighting an infection (the snot's been green), but by and large she's been able to stay very active.  She's starting to paint more and really enjoying that (she LOVES to pain the characters from Rapunzel - especially the "mean mother").  She's also playing with the play-doh more and getting better at making shapes, squeezing stuff through one of the apparatuses, and just handling the putty in general.

And since her hand eye coordination has been improving, we actually started playing a little "baseball" in the driveway on May Day.  Now, when I say baseball, I mean we threw a beach ball to her, and she used a toy broom as a bat.  That being said, she still seemed to enjoy it. :-)

Oh, and tonight's prayer request was one for the ages:  "Can we pray for Emmi and Marlowe and Mommy and TT and Daddy and this bed?"  I mean, at least I came before the bed.  That's worth something...

K at Liberty 2016.

Thinking about the month in general, it's been miraculous to say the least!  On the K front, she's starting to brush her teeth a lot better, is getting more creative, and seems to be responding to the increased freedom positively for the most part (i.e. she likes running up the stairs when we get home and playing by herself for a bit).  She is LOVING Rapunzel right now - we basically watch it every night before dinner, starting at the "boat scene" where they send the lanterns in the air.  We then dance to the song at the end as a family - it's pretty darn cute (and I need to learn the words).  Oh, and another sign of her creativity - she's got a pink ribbon that she holds to her head all the time and pretends is her seventy feet of Rapunzel's hair - too cute!  But more than that on the imagination front, she's doing a lot of "can we pretend this is... (insert whatever here)?"  LOVE THAT KID!

And on the Baby T front - I mean, what more is there to say?  A. MIRACLE. HAS. HAPPENED.  We are just so blessed and so amazed and so thankful right now.  I'm trying to take in every second - with Jenny, with the pregnancy, and with the Munchkin.  The house is just on fire with life and energy right now, and I've never felt better.

Okay - MAN, it feels good to get all that committed to the server.  That's all the news that's fit to print.  Chat soon!

Love,

Sam and Jenny