American Idol Here She Comes...

Bella loves this song and she knows practically every word! This is her being shy as she sings it because when the camera isn't on, she REALLY sings it.

Handsome Boy

Not much to say about this picture except, what a handsome boy, huh! Ez is now at 5 pounds 9 ounces and doing well. We continue to have good and bad days (the bad being that he throws up A LOT). We still aren't sleeping much but somehow I am functioning better during the day...probably the coke zero!

We know that we have so much to be grateful for. We are thankful for all of your thoughts, prayers, phone calls, visits, emails, and blog comments, all of which has let us know how much you care. We are grateful for all of the gifts, meals, hand me down clothes, play dates for Bella and for all of your love, concern and support. We have the best friends and family and we are so blessed!

Sleep Deprivation

I don't want to sound like a complainer...but, boy are we tired! Ez is up all night and sleeps all day. (Any help on how to reverse this?) I took this picture of Blaine this morning. He had taken Ez downstairs sometime when it was still dark so that I could get a few hours of uninterrrupted sleep. This is sleep deprivation at its finest. But, I'll take the sleepless nights over not having him or having him in the hospital. He's worth it, even though I feel more like a zombie most days than a normal person.












This must be love...Bella is sharing her favorite blankie with Ez.



























A not so happy little guy...just wanted to get a picture of him next to Bella's small doll so you could see how big he is.





And here is my pointer finger next to Ezra's arm...yep, that's right...my finger and his arm are about the same size.

National Adoption Month

November is national adoption month and Saturday the 17th is national adoption day. We just wanted to share a piece of our hearts with this video and to thank all of the birthparents, birthgrandparents, birth aunts and uncles, birth siblings, etc. in the world for their selfless gift to their children and to the families that are blessed enough to raise them. Specifically, we want to thank our children's birthfamilies for their unparalleled gift of love. We are eternally grateful and we love you!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Adoption...It's about love.

Home Sweet Home

Today Ezra turned 5 weeks old and we got to take him home!!! We can hardly believe that he is actually here with us and that we get to spend every minute with him now and with out the daily hour and a half round trip commute. Life is GOOD!!!

Doesn't he look so small in his big car seat? He is 5 pounds now.

First family photo...we'll get a better one someday when we aren't so exhausted...wait, that's never going to happen! :)

Big Sister holding Baby Brother. Bella is so thrilled that he is home.

Bella kissing Ezra.

Grandma, Ezra, Bella, and all of the Colorado cousins very eager to meet their new cousin.

Not home yet but close...

This week has had plenty of ups and downs...literally! Ez lost some weight and got down to 4 pounds 12 ounces. Even though it was to be expected, it was still stressful watching it happen. Without the TPN and lipids pumped directly into his blood stream, we had to rely just on his feedings for his weight gain. And, with him throwing up 1/3 of everything that he ate, he lost weight quickly. But, we have switched formula, he is now on prevacid, and we have tried a different, slower flow bottle nipple and it seems to be the winning combination. He is throwing up less and gaining again. He is back to 4 pounds 15 ounces and looking at coming home soon. We can't wait to have our little guy home with us. Even though we see him every day, we miss him during all of the rest of the hours that we aren't with him. We can't wait for Bella to understand what it really means to have a baby brother. We know we will have lots of adjustments to deal with when he comes home but we are ready. So, bring on the poopy diapers, the late night feedings, the spitting up all of the couches and carpets, and even Bella's temper tantrums she is bound to have when she is de-throned. We are ready!

4 Weeks Old Today and...Homeward Bound!

Well, today marks 4 weeks of life for our little Ez and, of course, 4 weeks since his surgery, too. I can't even explain what an emotional rollercoaster ride we've been on with this little guy but we know one thing for sure...he is worth it!
Today during our visit, they dropped the "D" word...yep, that's right...DISCHARGE!!! They said that he may be going home this weekend since he is doing so well. They will take him completely off of his TPN and lipids tonight and rely soley on bottle feeds. He will most likely lose some weight initially (he is already to 5 pounds, by the way) but then he should start to gain weight. Once that happens, they will send him home. We are so excited but trying to curb our excitement with a bit of caution as we know things can change from minute to minute. But, we at least feel like there is finally light at the end of this tunnel.