Surrounded

It seems unbelievable that Will has been home for over a month already! Without sounding corny, it's been the happiest six weeks of my life. I know they won't all be like this but it's nice to experience one or two like it in a lifetime! Life will settle in, other challenges will arise... the winter will come. But we have had a great August and I am so thankful I've had the privilege of being a stay-at-home mom (even on those days when I don't act like it!).
Grandparents are the best! My two sets of grandparents were great examples to my parents about how to love and spoil grandchildren. As a result, my parents do that to my children! Andrew's grandparents were also this type of doting people and his parents know how to show our children the love and attention only grandparents are capable of.

I've just had the privilege of having my dad's parents with us for two weeks. It was very special to not only spend time with them, but to see them with my children. Libby and Grandpa are good friends as she loves to play in her broom, broom (car) and grandpa, or JimPa as we were calling him, loves to push her! Grandma and Will were fast friends since she was great at snuggling him and he loves to be snuggled. She fed him a million bottles, napped with him and freed up my hands to do things I would never have accomplished had she not been here.

On top of all the attention they showed the kiddies, they also treated us to amazing dinners, homemade cobblers, baskets and baskets of folded laundry, an empty kitchen sink every night, and freshly planted mums in the garden. For a new mom of two, these gifts can never be repaid! Grandpa and Grandma also accompanied me to the doctor for Will's second weight check. He was 10 pounds, 1 ounce gaining a steady 1 ounce a day. Although I know he's been eating well, it is a relief to see proof of his success. Dr. McRaven also looked at his legs and arms and was pleased that they still appear normal. We are celebrating every day that he kicks and stretches using those precious little limbs and building his musclesWill is really working on keeping his head up. He does not like to be laying down when he's awake. He wants to be up on someone's shoulder so he can crane his neck to see what's going on . Most of the time he can keep it up but then he has the occasional smack on a collarbone when he had to rest. I made his first appointment for the Developmental Clinic at Children's Hospital which will be in November. It will be here before we know it!
Libby is a very good big sister. She sweet to "bay-bee" (very drawn out) but she is expressing her frustration with the change by testing every boundary possible with mommy. It makes for a very busy day and we've had to start time out. She'll sit on the bottom stair for one minute and then hug mommy when she's done. She really does not like to be isolated on the stair for a WHOLE minute even though I am standing right there. I am hoping that this phase will pass because it is hard to be constantly disciplining when I know she's just trying to work out all of the newness. I just keep praying for strength for today and wisdom as a mom. I think it's been very helpful to have grandparents living so close. My parents come by to help with bathtime and bedtime and Grandma Lyn and Libby have a standing date every Thursday for one-on-one time that is priceless! Andrew has been working a lot which is exactly what an attorney wants-- billable hours! We were very thankful that this summer his schedule was flexible so that during the craziness of traveling back and forth to the hospital he was able to be with Libby if I needed to spend the night. Now to find a balance between the two extremes... We have been able to see more friends and family-- Andrew's sister and youngest son, Andrew's aunt and uncle, an honorary auntie our longtime friends from Parkside-- their son was born on the same day as Will and is almost 17 pounds now, friends from church, Andrew's godparents, and even one of Will's NICU nurses stopped by. Although we try to stay home a lot, we've also ventured to outdoor concerts in Hudson and eaten at restaurants with outdoor seating. Once winter comes, the gallivanting stops! Normal is settling in, but I am honestly fearful sometimes of how wonderful life is right now. In the back of my mind, I am reserving strength for the time when we're back in the midst of a crisis: we miss a milestone or see changes that are indications of Will's PVL or something else unrelated to Will challenges us again. That is the cycle of life, though. If you're not in the middle of the crisis, then you're enjoying the peace before the next one comes. My prayer is for continued trust in the Lord. His plan for Will is perfect as is His plan for my family. He has been so faithful to us every day for the last three and a half months and I do reflect on that when fear settles in. I am reminded of His faithfulness even re-reading portions of the blog. He continues to be an ever-present strength to me but I am still learning what it means to trust Him with the future. He promises strength for today, He promises that He knows the future, and He promises to never leave us.Thank you for the encouraging and hopeful stories many of you have related. We're thankful to be surrounded by that love and encouragement as we keep putting one foot in front of the other.