Time Flies

KIM: As we sit here in NICU it hit us that our son is a week old tomorrow. Can't believe how fast the time goes. We spend about every waking moment possible with him and are having fun getting to know his little personality. We go home long enough to sleep for a few hours and shower then it's back here to breastfeed and love on our son. I don't know if we are neurotic, but there are about 8 other babies here and yet we are the only parents here sometimes. I hate the fact that he is here without us at all, but can't imagine him being here for hours on end and not seeing us. Some of these precious little ones have been here for weeks - we have been here for a little less than one and have only seen the other parents a few times. We know we are blessed to be able to take the time that we have with Aiden so far. Many parents don't have the ability to take the time off if they have preemies that need to be here for weeks or months even. It's heartbreaking and I so feel for them.

Aiden is doing so much better. All of his test results indicate that he is becoming the strong little guy that we knew he was. Yesterday they needed to change out his IV and we decided to leave the room and the nurse warned us that when we come back the IV may be in his head if they couldn't find another spot. We walked the hall for a minute and came back to find that not only did she not have to put the IV in Aiden's head, but he didn't even cry. This kid is remarkable. He gets poked and stuck and pricked daily and never makes a peep. They take blood from his heel everyday and it doesn't phase him that much at all. He is such a good baby.

We are doing our best to try to stick to a schedule while we are here that we can carry on at home but it's tough. With all of his test and medication schedules, it's been interesting but something that we are determined to do to make life as easy and routine for him as possible.

Like we mentioned before, Aiden will be quarantined for 6 weeks once we bring him home. His little immune system is shot and can't take much more at this point. The doctor said that we can't have him around other kids and especially ones in daycare which is hard because that means that Avery and PJ can't be around him for 6 whole weeks. He also can't be passed around to different adults as well.

From the sound of it, he will be ready to come home on Thursday morning so please keep that in your prayers. Sorry for the long rambling message, but there are so many random thoughts and concerns running through our heads that it's nice to be able to get them out somehow.

DREW: I have used the last few days to read a really fantastic book recommended to me by my dad. It is "Quiet Strength" by Tony Dungy. If you like football, you will love this book. If you like leadership training, you will love this book. If you like biographies or auto-biographies you will love this book. If you like to read, you will love this book. I finished it in 2 days. Granted I have time on my hands, I fully plan n reading it again with a highlighter and marking up everything I found worth remembering. Bottom line is, Tony Dungy knows how to balance life and work, how to be a leader and how to be a man of God. Fantastic book.

Some of you know that when Kim went on disability, I found a day job to supplement our income as it had dropped with Kim going on maternity leave. My work with Primerica was/is doing very well, but not well enough to fully support us yet, give me 9-12 more months and it will be. What most of you don't know is that the Friday before Aiden was born, I was laid off from my job. It was a tough pill to swallow, more because of the timing than anything. But it did allow me to witness to my boss, and it gave me the time I have now to be with my wife and son. So I continue to build my business through Primerica, but I am also on the job hunt again.

A social worker came in and talked to us today. She wanted to see how we were handling the whole scenario of emergency c-section, paired with NICU every day. We told her that we were doing well, and here is why...

We know that God has a plan for our lives. We don't know what that plan is right now, but we fully submit to it and walk down the path He has set before us happily giving Him praise all the way. We still do everything that we can do, but realize that all you can do is all you can do. And we know that if we continue to do all we can do, and do it for the glory of God, He will not only provide for us, but bless us in ways we didn't know were possible. We thank God for the surgery, for Aiden's sickness, and for the opportunity to raise a child in the way of the Lord. I have always wanted to be a dad and have a family. That is what I wanted to be when I grew up, a dad. Now I am, and I can't thank God enough. We have been reading Psalm 139 to Aiden, along with 1 Sam 2 (thanks Gabby! what a wonderful gift!) and even if he can't express it or understand it, our child will know that he is loved by his family, and his God.

Thank you to everybody for your prayers, they are felt everyday! We hope that in 3-4 days we will be bringing the most beautiful child into the most loving home ever. He is already the best looking of the three of us.

More to come tomorrow after we get results from the latest set of labs.