Christmas 2008

We had such a wonderful Christmas this year. Last year was so difficult to enjoy, even as we tried to keep things as normal and exciting for Ethan. We knew that this Christmas would be so special as we got to celebrate it as a family of four! On Christmas Eve morning (Santa came to our house early this year), we opened gifts as a family and enjoyed the day playing and eating together. Below is a picture of what Ethan and Bennett woke up to! It was so much fun:)

Each of the boys got a new "baby" as Ethan calls them. That was the first thing he went and grabbed when he saw his gifts.

On Christmas day we drove to Charles City and spent time with Adam's side of the family. We had a very busy, but enjoyable day, I found myself thinking about last year and how we were in so much pain and thanking God for the wonderful family and friends that we are surrounded with. Bennett got to have his first Christmas, praise God!!!!

The following day we went to my side of the family in Cedar Falls. It was a fantastic time!

Bennett's Blood Work

We got Bennett's iron and thyroid tested again on December 20th. In November the ferritin level in his blood was a 6, with normal levels being between 24 and 36. I have been educating myself on all this of course...the ferritin level in the blood tells us how much iron Bennett has stored in his system. Anything below a 12 basically means that the blood is depleted of all iron stores.

In November his hemoglobin level was a 8.5, with normal being between 11 and 14. The hemoglobin level is the measure of the iron that is actually in the blood. They did not re-test the ferritin level...obviously, the blood has to have enough iron in it before it can store anything, but his hemoglobin level is now a 10.5. We have really noticed a change in Bennett since giving him the supplements. He is more active and alert, has more strength and doesn't sleep as much...hardly at all actually!:) I am so thankful that his body can absorb iron, that the level actually went up. He will never cease to amaze us. I am also glad our pediatrician is so on top of things. We will have it re-checked at his next appointment on February 2nd.

Our Monkey

Well, it is official. Ethan is going to need a new bed. He climbed out of his crib on Christmas Eve for the first time. Adam was downstairs on the computer (I was at the store), and he said, all of the sudden Ethan was standing behind him! He climbed out of his crib and came all of the way downstairs...without making a peep, and said, "Dada, what are you doing?" Adam nearly had a heart attack. Since then, he has climbed out of it twice more. Once successfully, and another time, not so gracefully...he had the mark on his face to prove it. So now the question is...do we transition him to a toddler bed or just go straight to a big bed? I don't really look forward to him being able to come and go from his bed as he pleases, but I know it is time. My monkey is growing up!

7 Yards of Ribbon and 450 Pins Later...

My ornament for the exchange is done! I just finished it tonight. Nothing like last minute. I had to share it...I'm proud of the way it turned out. It took forever, and my fingers are raw from pushing in literally, over 450 sequin pins, but I think it was worth it!

Here is Adam's ornament. Ribbon wrapped over a paper-mache ornament. I think it turned out very pretty as well. The ribbon is sparkly too, which adds a nice touch:)
Ta-da!

We Love Christmas Break!

Ethan was "mowing" our living room the other day. He was cracking me up so I had to take a couple of pictures. He insists on wearing my ear warmer and strawberry hat around the house every day right now.



Bennett looks so sweet in this picture! He has been rolling a lot more lately, and uses rolling to get to items that he wants.

"Wurd Up, dog." :)

Ethan's First Thilges Family Ornament

It is a Thilges Family tradition to make and exchange an ornament each Christmas. They have been doing it for over 10 years now. This is the first year Ethan is making one to exchange. I just bought a simple sun catcher for him to stain. He loves cars and trucks, so I thought a truck would be appropriate. It looks really neat hanging on the tree as the Christmas lights shine behind it.

My little creative artist!

More Snow!

Ethan is officially our snow-bunny. At one point he fell face first into it and it didn't even phase him!:) He had fun shoveling with daddy.

Mr. Rosy Cheeks

"Mama Ethan Stuck!"

Yes, that is a glimmering booger you're looking at. :) Ready for some hot chocolate and a long nap.

Daycare Friends

Leia sent these pictures to me a couple of days ago and I just had to share them. It is so comforting to know that my kids are so loved at daycare and have so much fun.

Here are most of the boys' daycare friends- Cael, Arabella (one of Leia's daughters), Katie, Lauren, and Lindsay. There are also Jaeden and Leia's oldest daughter, Delphina who started school this year.

Thank you for sharing these pictures, Leia. We love you!

My First December Post...Yikes!

Yes, I'm behind...I haven't even posted about Thanksgiving! I don't have any pictures from that day because, even though we brought nearly our entire house for a one-night-stay in Chuck Town, we forgot it. We had a lovely Thanksgiving. The boys were tired after our travels, but it was great to hang out with all of Adam's family again. His parents' dog got hit by a car and killed right before Thanksgiving, so it was a little different to not have Precious greet us when we got to Vicki and Michael's house. She was a great dog for them, and she is missed very much. I added a picture of our dog, Maia. Isn't she the cutest pit-bull ever?

***DON'T MISS THE NEW POSTS I PUT BELOW!!!!***

Bennett Turned 8 Months Old

Adam and I both feel that we have noticed a change in Bennett since he started taking the iron supplements. He seems like he is stronger, more active, and wants to eat more. We will go on Saturday to have his blood taken again to see what his iron level is at right now. He is such a joy! I noticed for the first time tonight that I can hold him really easily on my hip. That may be silly, but I've been waiting for that!

Another bumbo shot...look at those legs hangin' out!:)

He knows he's hot stuff.

Here is where the 8-month shots get good...notice Elmo isn't sitting where he should be.

Whoa! There went the "I'm 8 months old today!!" sign!

Here is what happened when I took it away from him to have Ethan hold it for me....(first time he has cried when I have taken something from him)

A battered sign, a battered Elmo, and a cute 8-month old.

Christmas Letter and Pictures

I thought I would copy and paste our Christmas letter on the blog. I didn't make enough copies of it and we couldn't afford to send a card to everyone we wanted to this year. I also added the pictures from our Christmas card, plus some.

Dear Family and Friends,

This year brought our family many challenges and the greatest joys. Starting at Christmas time last year, we found out that our unborn baby boy was not growing as he should, which sent us on a whirlwind of appointments, testing, and the agony of waiting. We decided to name him Bennett, which means “Little Blessed One” and started sharing his story and praying for him by name. Throughout the rest of the pregnancy we heard words like lethal dwarfism, low amniotic fluid, femur-to-abdomen ratio, inter-uterine growth restriction, frontal bossing, fluid ultrasounds, growth ultrasounds…endless ultrasounds where we waited for measurements and were consistently dismayed. The day of Bennett’s birth we were told that it was very likely that he would enter the world in respiratory distress. There was no room for modesty as my delivery room was full of doctors and nurses- and little did they know what they would witness that day.
God answered our prayers on April 17, 2008. Bennett came into this world breathing on his own, crying, and beautiful. A month later we were told by a doctor who specializes in dwarfism that Bennett is a healthy boy with no signs of a disorder. Bennett is a miracle from God, there is no denying that. He continues to amaze us each day and is a source of joy and hope.
Ethan has grown so much over the course of the last year. He became a little boy where my little baby once stood the day he came to meet his little brother in the hospital. Some of his favorite things to do right now are sing and dance, help in the kitchen, do ANYTHING outside, draw pictures, and play with cars and trucks. He is sweet, sensitive, goofy, and creative. We catch him giving Bennett kisses, patting him on the head, and giving him his toys to slobber on. What a great big brother!
We learned so much this year about love. God showed us love through the constant praying, encouragement and support that our cherished family and friends showed us through Bennett’s pregnancy and beyond. God reminded us of His unfailing love as He taught us to wait and rest in Him. Our faith grew like mountains and He comforted us when our despair seemed to be impossible to survive. We will never stop thanking him for the miracle He did in Bennett. He has great plans for him. He has great plans for each one of us if we trust in Him and let Him work in our lives.
Merry Christmas to each of you. We are so excited to see what 2009 will bring!

With love,
Emily, Adam, Ethan, and Bennett
2008

Reading and Dancing

That's just what we do! Here is Ethan laying out some moves...

Bennett learning about T-Rex!