Happy Birthday to >>>Patrick!!!!

Who are these cuties? No, not Daisy or Powell! It's Patrick! (on his Christening Day!).Isn't he adorable?! And, he's STILL adorable!  Yes, yesterday (DEC.30) was Patrick's 24th birthday! he was born on one of the coldest days we've ever had in B'ham and I remember I didn't even have a coat to fit me that morning when we went to the hospital! ( was hu-mongous!) It was FREEZING that day. I remember riding up the hill to Baptist Medical Center-Montclair (now known as Trinty Hospital) and seeing the Christmas lights on the hill and thinking, "I'm fixing to have my 4th child!" It was weird! I remember telling Terry ,(KNOW IT ALL Terry!), that he was taking me the wrong way to the Labor Suites and he said, "I'm up here all the time for jobs, I know EXACTLY where you go!" Well, guess who was right?! Yep, not HIM, ME! I had to walk about 5 miles (it seemed) out of the way! Stopping every minute to hold on his arm huffing and puffing! HAHAHA! Lewis Patrick Fry arrived around 1 (I think, hey! I have 5 kids, I can't remember all the tiny details!) but I DO remember his WEIGHT!! 9 pounds 7 12/ ounces! A HUGE baby boy! I told Dr. Parnell, "He'll be small and have black hair, like the others"! WRONG! I had a HUGE baby boy with blondeish hair. To this day Bobbie asks me, "Are you sure there's something you never told me?!" HAHA! Yes, our blonde baby boy was born Dec.30,1983 (our little tax deduction)! He was perfectly beautiful and the best baby! He would have to be! Around 8 months, his hair really started coming in thick and WHITE! Yes, God gave me a blonde child and I loved it! Still love it, even though he shaves that hair now!!!! I wish I had a dime for everytime people would comment, "where did he get that BLONDE hair?!" We were blessed to have such a sweet boy who loved his brothers and sisters and who loved being outside and loved fishing, especially when we had the boat in Destin! That boy could (can!) fish! He was around 6 and landed a huge sailfish! To this day he loves being on a boat, fishing, or just standing on the bank, FISHING. When we first moved to Lake Cyrus, we were moving in and I looked up to see Patrick , grinning, fishing in our backyard! ....Happy Birthday Pat Pat! I know this is the year that all things will work out for you! (and that you'll find that special girl that God has just for YOU!) We all love you so very  very much!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, PATRICK (and happy birthday)!

Our BIG gift in a SMALL package!

Our very big gift in such a  small package! here is our last stop on Christmas afternoon! We had a great time with our little angel. NO WIRES ATTACHED!! Just him, tiny little Powell. He was soooooo precious and cute! He loves his little pacifier! He started sucking his thumb and rachel ran and got his passy they gave him in the hospital, he loves it! (since that night, I have gotten one for Daisy and she loves it too!!!!). Anyway, had a great visit with them. Cathie (Rachel's mom) a nd Jay (her brother) were also there. Charles fixed dinner. Awesome. Risotto and steak and Cathie had a delicious chocolate cake for dessert! YUMMO (as Rachel Ray says!). Charles is a great cook!!!....We held Powell and opened gifts and just hung around till quite late. We hated giving him back but after the long day , us old folks had to go home and get some shut eye! All in all a WONDERFUL and blessed Christmas Day being with all the grands !Oh yeah, enjoyed being with the kids, too! HAHAHA

next Christmas Day stop: Natalie/Brads!

Here's the world's newest BAND guy! DRUMMER KEMP HORNE! Oh my goodness! All Kemp talked about for days was "I want a drum set from Santa"! Well, he got it! After about 30 "concert minutes" Natalie looked at us and said, "What was I thinking?!" HAHAHAHA! Patrick said, "Natalie, you can't SAY A WORD!" HA! Bless his heart, he LOVES the drums!! At SonDay Live after worship service each Sunday, the thing he wants to do is get on stage and SEE THE DRUM SET! He has always been fascinated by the drums!!! Terry said, on CHristmas, "I can tell he has musical ability!" I had to laugh! He probably DOES but you sure can't tell it hearing him beat the heaven out of those drums! HAHAHA....It was fun talking to Ashley on the phone, it was Dec.26th in Australia, of course, and Kristy's birthday! I told her I got Brad some scone mix and she laughed at my prononciation and kept saying, "SAY SKAAAAAAANE, not scone!" hahaha! Brad enjoyed chatting with her for a good while as well as Kristy, later on. We had fun opening MORE prezzies and what a surprise to get my beautiful lamp from Diane Baker's shop! It's gorgeous! And those beautiful p.j.'s she carries there! Of course, Nat/Brad gave us WAY too much but we loved each thing .I think they felt likewise! Pat enjoyed hanging with the fam and he looked so cute and was so excited over the clothes Katie got him from American Eagle!.....Miss Daisy was the cutest thing ever on Christmas. I had gotten her that antique Feltman-like dress that was stamped with a tiny wreath that said "NOEL" on it. She had on a tiny little bracelet with her name on it and, of course, a barrette. She looked every bit the part of the Christmas angel! Great afternoon with our sweet Horne Family!

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Christmas Day continued (at Lily's!)

Here we are on Christmas Day on St. Charles Street in Homewood! Yes, Miss Lily's house was our first stop of the day! We were met with the aroma of delicious food as we walked in! cheese grits; ham; fruit trays; cheeses; muffins; cinnamon rolls; YUMMY!!! We TRIED to eat but Lily had already spied the gifts! She said, "GRANJAN, that spells L-I-L-Y!" She was right of course! Most of the gifts were, indeed, for LILY! She couldn't WAIT to start tearing into them, squealing the whole time! She was so proud of her new baby doll crib and loved putting her new baby from Aunt Cutie in it too. We had fun watching her feed her baby and change her diaper. Big T asked her, "What's your baby's name?" and she said, of COURSE, "DAISY!" haha! Soon enough, Daisy, herself arrived along with her mommy, daddy, brother and Uncle Pat. They nibbled on the delicious food and then, before we knew it, we smelled soup and cornbread! That Kadie! She's a magician in the kitchen! Kadie's mom and dad , step sister and grandmother also were also there. (Lily's "NONNA and PAPA" and "Memaw")! We had a wonderful time and I wasn't the only one behind the lens of my camera, Michael was shooting the whole time with the video camera! All in all a wonderful morning!........(Tomorrow's entry will be at Nat/Brad's opening gifts)!

 

P.S. for all of you who have e-mailed me or called about Nat/Katie>>> Katie has STREP. She went to the doctor this morning and she said Dr. Marshall said, "Oh my gosh! Those tonsils look PAINFUL!" He thought she might have mono b/c they were soooo enlarged, but she had "only" strep . She and Jon are gonig tomorrow to Gatlinburg, so glad she got meds first. Her tonsils are so swollen he also gave her a prescription of prednisone as well as antibiotics for the strep. Already the tonsils have gone down some. She had a high fever all night/this morning but finally it is MUCH better.... Now on Natalie! Natalie feels fine during the day but at night her tummy continues to hurt. "Doctor" GranJan wonders, "could it be gall bladder?" I told her she better start filling up some bottles with breast milk soon just in case GranJan has to take over!!!!!!!! haha Seriously,  Hopefully, tonight she will feel better but if it continues, she promises us ,(me and Brad and her dad), she WILL go back to her doctor. next week. (She did go last week but he thought she was o.k., no fever to think it could be an infection or anything). Besides, Dr. Sharp is out of town right now but will be back next week so if she continues to wake up nauseous and sick, she'll go back to the doctor. Maybe she'll feel better  in the next couple of days and won't even have to go..... I just hate it that BOTH MY GIRLS HAVE BEEN SICK! I hate seeing them feeling bad  and I'm ready for them to GET WELL!!!!!!!!

Twas the day after Christmas>>>>>>!

 

Surprise! Our baby got to come home for Christmas, in a stocking! The best "stocking stuffer" Charles has ever gotten, that's for SURE! .......We had a wonderful Christmas day, it was great seeing all the kids/grandkids and for the first time in about 35 years,  we got to leave home and visit around with the kids! Before we left to "make our rounds", we had our own "last Christmas" with Katie! WAAA! It was bittersweet! Santa brought Katie/Cutie a  JUICY purse (she collects them! HAHA).Then, Jon came and they exchanged their gifts>! Katie got some DIAMOND EARRINGS and JON got a Wii!

 

 First stop: Kadie/Michael's. we had fun watching Miss Lily rip into her gifts and show us her new "doll crib" she was so proud of. Kadie's mom/dad/grandmother and sister were there until the Hornes arrived. We had some delicious food! I DIDN'T  HAVE TO FIX ANYHING!!!! Whoopee! Kadie had a wonderful brunch with all kinds of good things to eat, my favorite being the cheese grits she kept warming in her crock pot. Yes and then we "grazed like cows" till lunch and had some good home made soup. Katie was feeling a little "under the weather" but made it to M/K's and then she and Jon drove to Clanton to see his dad. Nat, Brad, Kemp, Daisy and Pat came to M/K's for awhile and then we headed to nat/Brad's where we opened gifts with them. Kemp was overwhelmed , like Lily was, with so many toys but his favorite being his remote control cars from JonJon and Cutie and his Drum SET Santa brought him!  After visiting there for a few hours, we headed to see our little ELF!  Yes, we got to finally see Powell with NO wires or feeding tubes ! Hurrah !he is doing GREAT! Cathie, Rachel's mom and Jay, her brother, were there too. Charles fixed us Risotto and steak and Cathie made us a delicious chocolate sheet cake! I was about STUFFED after eating so much all day! All in all, we had the most glorious day/night!!!!! terry and i overwhelmed with joy and happiness! the only "small" chink in the day, when we got back, Katie was sick in bed and Natalie still feeling a tad under the weather as well. this afternoon (Dec.26) Katie is finally feeling better as is Natalie !  wonderful day and another wonderful Christmas Day! WAY too many gifts to tell about, just suffice it to say, I got over and beyond what I should have received. I am a blessed woman/wife and mother!

* I am going to post pix from yesterday over the next 3 days. First pix batch comes from here, our last (boo hoo!) Christmas with our baby girl and also some with Jon when he got here. See how PEAKED Katie is? She was starting to get sick then!

 

 

 

Twas the afternoon before Christmas......!

This pix says it all! MIMI was sooooooo excited to see her newest great-grandchild!!!! AND, she loved hearing our other GREAT NEWS !!! YES, you guessed it!! POWELL GOT TO GO HOME LAST NIGHT! Our little elf is home with his mommy and daddy! We are thrilled and can't WAIT to see him tomorrow! B/C he is still considered "a preemie", he can't get around people at a time, and of course, no one who is sick. We are going to see them tomorrow night for dinner. Terry is well now, but another day will make sure he's able to get around our little man! ......

 Now, if you want a chuckle, read about our day so far! We had such a wonderful time with Mimi today !(Poor Patrick, he couldn't go and was very bummed, he has to work until 7:00 P.M. tonight! But, I told him just he and I would go see MIMI later on when things settle down!).  Anyway, Michael/Kadie/Lily were there when we arrived at Mimi's and then we , Terry/Natalie/Daisy/Kemp and I arrived (Brad has to be at ADVENT, of course, the biggest day of the year!) so he couldn't go and Katie and JonJon. HOWEVER, since Brad didn't get to come he did call her and he did leave the church long enough to meet us at the CHEESECAKE FACTORY for lunch after our visit with Mimi. it was ALMOST a disaster, Kemp ran into a huge planter there and busted his chin (Natalie said she was sure we were headed to the emergency room!) and he cried for awhile but recovered enough to eat a Grill Cheese Sandwich! Suddenly, Katie began to shake and put her coat on and started tearing up! SHE IS SICK! Suddenly, out of the clear blue, she gets sick! couldn't even touch her lunch! Poor Jon had to gobble his down and stop by CVS and get her some meds. She is asleep now! Poor baby!!! O.k., what else? Well, Terry missed a package he was waiting for (????) from the Fed Ex man so he's been on the phone tracking the package. It is due to the Fed Ex place at 5:30. we've got to go pick it up and then rush back and get ready for Holy Apostles Holy Communion! (I like the Episcopal Christmas Eve services better than the Methodist ones! shh! Don't tell Jim Savage!). After THAT, we're heading to Nat's to help Santa put outKemp's toys!!!! Brad won't be home till the WEE hours b/c he has to stay till the midnight Christmas Eve service is over, plus, he has to make sure everything is o.k. at the church before leaving! So, we hate leaving Nat alone the whole night! So, guess we'll hang with them awhile! At least Pat Pat will be there, he loves helping Santa! So does JON but he might be BABYSITTING a sick Katie! Poor Katie, praying she will feel better when she wakes up!........All in all, a typical  crazy Christmas Eve . What can one expect with so many in a family? There HAS to be some mishaps or we wouldn't have anything to laugh about in the coming year! HAHHAHA!.....MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope to post again before bedtime! Tomorrow our schedule looks like this:

CHRISTMAS DAY 2007:

Christmas early morning: Open gifts with Terry and Katie!

Christmas mid morning: Brunch with Kadie/Michael and Lily (and whoever else shows up!_

Christmas lunch; Still at M/K's? open gifts with them!

Christmas afternoon: Open gifts with Pat Pat (who will just have gotten up!) and have Christmas with Nat/Brad/Kemp/Daisy

Christmas dinner: Eat with Charles/Michael and get to see POWELL!

SOUNDS LIKE A BUSY DAY AHEAD TOMORROW Guess I'd better go take a nap like BIG T is doing right now! I hear him SNORING! HAHAHAHAHA

Miss Claus and her ELF!

Is this Miss Claus a doll or what? Natalie brought Daisy by and I babysat while she ran to WalMart to do some last minute "stocking stuffers"! (th pix of Nat opening a gift are from my friend, Becky, in Fla. who sent her the most adorable dress for next year! )....Anyway, the kids were great (Kemp actually spent the night prior b/c he has the "fever virus" and we're trying to keep him from getting around the baby) and Daisy slept THE ENTIRE TIME , despite Aunt Cutie fooling with her and kissing her the whole time!!!! She didn't make a peep. Guess she was dreaming of SUGAR PLUMS dancing in her head!

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It's beginning to look a LOT like Christmas!

WOW, is it already Dec. 20? I should say Dec.21, because in 30 minutes it will be! I'm still up, trying to wrap last minute gifts and "checking my list, TWICE"!! I came back from Natalie's this afternoon and did a few things around here and then Katie called and said, "Would you want to go to the mall with me tonight?"! Of course, I said "YES!" and we finished our Christmas shopping. I am so glad I'm finished! I had to go to Wally World (WalMart!), and get my CF cards cleared so that I can make MORE pix of those precious babies (and grands!) and get a few "stocking stuffers".  I just keep thinking I've forgotten someone!!! And, No I haven't forgotten  about my "big" grandkids: Lily and Kemp! They were so cute this morning and played so well and are SOOOO excited about Santa coming!  Here they are this morning at Natalie's. Kadie made some food for Nat and came to visit and even ran to CVS for us! SO SWEET! Kemp has had a fever or he would've gone home to play with Lily but he just wasn't feeling up to par. Hopefully, it's just the sniffles and he'll feel better tomorrow! Natalie still wasn't feeling her perky self either, so hopefully, she will feel better tomorrow too! DAISY, however, was feeling GREAT! She POSED for me today and let me take her pictures over and over and just stared at me while her mommy and brother were napping! It was hilarious! I still can't get over what a sweetie she is! SOOOOOOO sweet!And did I mention: BEAUTIFUL? Oh yeah, I think I did! HAHAHAHA..... And what about our little ELF??? Oh, how I wish he were home! I can't wait to hold him without wires and tubes! Yes we all hope/pray that Powell can get home VERY SOON! Maybe Christmas????

Katie/Daisy>>>?!?!?!!

Which is which??? Which pix do you think is Katie and which do you think is Daisy?! Weird, huh?! Natalie kept telling me she thought Daisy reminded her of  how Katie looked when Katie was first born, well, she was right! I searched for Katie's baby album when I was home checking on Buddy and brought it over this afternoon and we all freaked out at the resemblence! Natalie told me, "that's why I wanted to name her Katherine, b/c I hope she looks Katie!" So sweet! Well, I think she favors both Natalie AND  Katie (AND Brad!) And, HEY,  maybe even she favors GranJan,too! HAHAHAHA

I know it's not Easter, but we found Kemp's old bunny hat and just had to stick it on Daisy's head. How cute is she?!!!! She, (DAISY), is so patient with us, letting us dress her like a Mdme. Alexander Doll all day long! I'm still waiting for her to explode with a crying jag, but so far, she continues to be the perfect baby! She doesn't even "freak out" at mealtimes, just nurses daintily and calmly. Unreal! She stayed awake the longest time, last night, since her arrival. Looked all around and suddenly Natalie squealed and Daisy laughed, right out loud. It was the MOST PRECIOUS thing. Her whole face lit up and she, well, she CHUCKLED! Those angels she was talking to, they must have really had a funny story for her! HAHAHA.

...Katie stayed away as long as she could ,(she's had a cold) ,but spent the night again with us, too. She brought Kemp a "Santa Key" so that Santa could come into the house next week to bring Kemp's toys! He loved that! Sweet little Kemp!!! He's been the best big brother ever!  "I like my sister, Daisy!" he told me yesterday! .....I took him home with me after Playschool and he enjoyed playing with his trains and watched some "NOGGIN" . Tried to get him to take a nap but he wouldn't. So, back home (before the the traffic snarl began!) and I "fixed" dinner for everyone. FIXED, as in two of Natalie's friends brought dinner and I put it in the oven!! IT WAS DELICIOUS! (and more good food tonight from another friend! HURRAH)... Pat, Katie, Nat, Brad, Kemp and I ate (Natalie still hasn't had much of an appetite but did eat a few bites of that delicious meal last night!). All Except Terry who is in Daphne (which is a good thing since he has  cold!). Pat entertained us with stories of  Christmas shoppers and Katie's stories of  the huge SALE at Lara! Funny stuff!  A fun dinner. BTW, It took me 25+ minutes to get to Riverchase UMC from my house to pick up Kemp from my house yesterday, AT 1:00!!! Traffic in front of the Galleria is HORRIBLE!!! Like Laura says (every single year!), "I'll be glad when Christmas comes and goes!" Hahaha!). Since I've been busy with helping Natalie, I have had time to THINK, (and pray!), on the way there and back sometimes (Especially when Kemp snoozes in the backseat!) and believe it or not, despite being so busy my head is often SPINNING, I have  gotten into the "Christmas Spirit" much more this year! I'm talking about the SPIRITUAL part vs the  gift-giving part!  Helpingme with that is  the best little book ever. It's called : JESUS ,BE IN MY CHRISTMAS.  (I know, I know I 've mentioned the book before! But, it's soooooo great!). It has devotionals for morning and evening during Advent. It's awesome. Sure, I've missed some days (o.k., MOST DAYS!), but that's o.k., at least  when I CAN read it, I can have my own devotional time. In addition to that, By looking into the faces of Powell and Daisy and Lily and Kemp, I feel I see the real Christmas season!! For in those innocent faces, I can certainly feel the innocence of baby Jesus so many times! So, while I want Christmas to "come and go" as far as the "hustle/bustle" and traffic  and gift giving goes, I never want to LET GO of the feelings I have during this awesome season of ADVENT. Advent. The COMING of the baby. (In our case, BABIES!). As I hold these wee ones, I feel like I am like Mary's MOTHER, Jesus' grandmother!( I bet she held baby Jesus a lot, too)! And I just bet Anna, (Mary's mother , or so tradition says is her name!), loved every minute of getting to spend time diapering and loving on baby Jesus when Mary was resting just like I'm getting to do right now! What an awesome thought!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Angel Feather

Here's our little miracle boy! Isn't he precious?! We got to hold him night before last. I left Nat's after holding Daisy and went over to St. Vincent's and picked up the "little feather". Yes, he's like holding an angel feather! SO SO SO precious. I even got to hear his little cry! Like a little kitten!!! Charles did so great with him, changing his diaper, amid all the wires, etc, and then fed him like a pro! I'm impressed!!!....Grow strong little angel feather!

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Daisy Cakes

Just look at that little doll! Can you tell which is Natalie's old dolls and which is DAISY??? She really is a doll baby! And I know she probably hasn't "waked up yet" but she is the sweetest , most content little baby I've ever seen.She never has screaming fits, she will cry, but a dainty and , yes, SWEET little cry. She's an angel. ANd she has that ANGEL FACE, too. She looks somewhat like Kemp, but Natalie thinks she looks a lot like Katie did! I do , too ...Yes, GranJan is still @ Nat's. She hasn't felt so perky so I'm helping out awhile longer doing some things she's not up to yet , like taking Kemp to Playschool and washing at my house (since their washing machine QUIT yesterday! GO FIGURE!) and fixing some meals. Some of her friends are fixing dinner for the next few nights, so that's good!! Today Katie picked up Kemp and I picked up Lily and they played at my house so Nat and Daisy could just chill out by themselves. They (K/L) were so good, played and kept looking under the tree for their presents! HAHA! (Lily asked, "is that ONE for me? Is THAT one?") . I can't believe Christmas is next week and my Christmas cards are "in production"!!!! HAHAHA! They might not even make it out till New Year's at the rate I'm going right now!!!!!!!!!! .....We went to see Powell last night (Terry , Charles and I) and he was doing great, too. Charles fed him and changed him like a pro. I guess being the oldest of 5 kids had it's advantages!

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Visiting Powell

Terry and I got to visit with our other little "ELF" a couple of nights ago. The big news, we got to HOLD him! he is like holding a feather! So tiny and yet so perfect. I love looking at his tiny  and minute but perfect fingers. He has the sweetest little face. Of course, he can't be unwrapped so I couldn't see his tiny toes that night. Now he is in an isolette where they hope he can maintain his weight and also he is taking a bottle now for a couple of feedings. He has changed in the times since I saw him last! I couldn't get clear pix b/c I didn't want to use the flash too much. There are so many preemies in there and I don't want the flash to startle them (or their parents!).( I THINK I got a pix of him that will be o.k. for my Christmas card, tho. I've been so busy I really haven't had to try to do a Christmas Card yet! I'm working on it, tho). Powell is doing really well, but in the NICU things go slowly and each time he gains a gram, even, it's time to celebrate. Keep him in your prayers, I so want our angel to go home for Christmas!

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More from Daisy's BIRTH-day

Here are the pix of Daisy having her first bath! Aunt KADIE asked Natalie (and the staff, of course!), if she could do the honors!* All the nurses up there know Kadie and in fact, she teaches up there so she knows all of them and they love Kadie! Also, ALL  the nurses love Rachel and talked about what a great patient she was for those LONG six weeks she was there, too. (Strange, the ties we have to St. Vincent's!)*.Anyway, Daisy's BIRTH -DAY was so special! It was a great day, so special, such a family affair where we shared in the joy of Daisy's birth! It was awesome, and just like the births of  Lily, Kemp and Powell---there are no days better than days when babies are born!....More pix to come, OF COURSE!

Daisy Katherine Horne arrives!

Dec. 10, 2007@ 12:44 A.M. our world was rocked!  Our little DAISY KATHERINE arrived!!!! (Yes, Iwas relieved to hear it really was a GIRL since we had painted her room PINK! HAHA). After a quick labor and delivery, we were blessed beyond belief to see our little black haired baby girl!!!!  SHE IS A DOLL BABY!!!!!!  And has a head full of BLACK hair!.....As you can tell, I have been VERRRRRY busy for the past week helping out with BIG BROTHER Kemp ! I'm doing my journaling FINALLY tonight at Nat/Brad's house. I have been helping out with some washing/taking Kemp to school/fixing meals. It's been like a big SLUMBER PARTY for Katie and me!!! (Big T comes to eat dinner and hold the baby but then he heads home to babysit the cats and dog)!.....Last night Terry and I went to visit Powell during "grandparent's hour". GUESS WHAT???? We got to hold him!!!! It was so wonderful to hold that little fella! he looked absolutely adorable in his little elf hat! Guess who has one just like it??? yes, his "younger" cousin, Daisy!!!! Both of them got these adorable red and white striped "elf hats" from St. Vincent's Hospital! Terry and I sure have had lots of time logged in at St. Vincent's lately! I just hope it won't be long until our little POWELL will be home with his mommy and daddy!...ALSO, Miss Daisy's bilirubin is a little high so we have to go back to the Pediatrician tomorrow morning. We went this morning and Dr. Hamm told us to put her in a sunny window (go figure, it was cloudy today!)  and to bring her back again tomorrow morning for another heel prick and see if it has gone down. I imgaine it has the way that little girl has been nursing! She's a champ at it!......gotta go, Kemp is going to bed and I promised I would sleep with him tonight! he is calling me "Come sleep with me, GranJan"! I GUESS I can sleep on bunk beds!hahahaha......

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Visiting our (newest!) grandson!

Here are 3 of my favorite males!!!!  AND,  one of those is our first FRY Grandson! (can you guess which one?! HAHA) Finally, we can carry on the FRY name!!!!.......We obviously went to see Powell tonight! We enjoyed every minute we were with him! Some of the pix are NOT black and white, (as they appear!), but it is b/c Powell is under the heat lamp. I sneaked a few with a flash, but most are off color b/c of the lights.........Before we went to the hospital we stopped by Charles and Rachel's house b/c we (Terry and I) had gone out to eat and had about an hour before NICU visiting hour.So, we dropped in on C/R. Rachel looks great! And she's getting around great , too! And she had a C-Section!I almost forget b/c she is so active and looks so good!!! Anyway, off to the hospital!  Since only 3 can go in at a time we took turns. Actually, I just thought about it, I stayed in the ENTIRE time!! HAHA! It was H-O-T in there! WHEW! We all almost had a heat stroke! haha! Seriously, it was some more HOT in that room. Like a little hothouse full of baby tomatoes! HAHA! ......Powell is doing GREAT! Believe it or not, he has gained an ounce or two! That's awesome! He is tolerating his mama's milk very well! Hurrah!!!.....Had a wonderful time visiting our newest little angel! hard to believe next week we'll be up there visiting not only Powell, but DAISY as well!...I called Natalie after we left visiting Powell,  on our way home, and told her that we had just left St. Vincent's and asked her, "Dad doesn't need to turn around at the Summit and go back to St. Vincent's, do we??!" She said, "NO". So, unless something happens during the night, maybe I'll get a good night's sleep tonight! >>>?!

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Rachel (FINALLY) gets to go HOME!

Rachel FINALLY, after 6 weeks of being in Room #309 , Rachel gets to GO HOME!!!!!!!!! The only sad part is that, of course, Powell will be staying. How long? Anybody's guess. But, we hope not TOO long! ......Rachel sent these last night titled: "Powell gets a sun tan"! I might retire my photo taking! Charles and Rachel, both, are great photographers! WOW, they have some GREAT ONES already of Powell!!!!......Speaking of J.P./Powell, he is doing so good. And he has such a beautiful little face! Everyone says the same thing: He has an ANGEL FACE!

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Here's our little angel! Charles made this pix and Rachel sent it to us last night! Isn't it precious? I love it! we're so thankful Powell is OFF THE VENTILATOR! ....I had a new experience yesterday, going  into NICU! I've never been in one before! First we go in and scrub up. Signs everyhere: "WASH!" then Charles has to sign in. 2 plus a parent can go in at once. once inside, it looks a lot like a Intensive Care Unit for adults, only there are little babies under warming lights and hooked up to machines, etc. You can't help but look around. Lots of babies (and twins) under lights, etc.  It's amazing, these wee folk in those little beds under lights, growing almost before your very eyes! Compared to the little ONE POUNDERS, Powell almost looks big. HE IS NOT , tho! He is still tiny. .You would have to see him next to a full term baby to see how small he actually is. But, having said that, his legs look long and his hands look big to me on such a small little fella. So, I think he'll be tall! Rachel's dad was tall  (and very handsome!!!!) and, of course, so is Charles! So , I really think he does look a lot like JIM!!! Blackish/brown hair (of course, it will probably lighten up) but those dark eyebrows, especially look like Jim and Jay (Rachel's brother). TERRY thinks he looks a lot like Charles, I guess every person will see him differently and you can see BOTH Charles and Rachel in his face.But , he definitely doesn't look like Charles looked when he was born, tho! Not at all! The one thing that DOES look like Charles, for sure  tho, is his hair! YEP, i do believe Powell's hair might end up curly! It swirls JUST LIKE Charles' hair did! HAHA! And, of course, Rachel has curly hair too! I hope so ! I love curls! ...I just have a feeling Powell won't be staying in the NICU for very long! Of course, he'll lose a little weight, even full term babies do that (except PATRICK!I think he went home added a few! haha! FYI, Patrick weighed 9 pounds 7 oz when he came!). This time next year we'll be saying, "I can't believe THIS BABY ever spent time in the NICU!" haha.....he is our little angel, our Christmas Miracle and we are so thankful to God for him and for every pound he will gain in the coming days!!!!!!

JAMES POWELL FRY arrives!

HERE HE IS!!!! Powell is here! He was born last night  via emergency C-Section @ 10:34 P.M. weighing in at 4 pounds and 2 oz. He is 17" long.  We were hoping he'd hold off until midnight, then he would've been born on Daddy's birthday! But, he was ready to see his mama and daddy!!! He is such a little DOLL! He has some dark hair and eyebrows and is so adorable! And what a beautiful little face he has! His face is about the size of the inside of your palm is the best way to describe his size. He's tiny but fiesty! and you can tell, he will be a big boy one day! For now, He is in the NICU until he gains some weight. After all, he wasn't due to arrive until Jan. 22, 2008!!!!!!! Instead, we got an early Christmas Present!!!! Rachel and Charles are soooooooo excited and I loved watching Charles watching his new little son! Terry and I went in with Charles first; then Terry let Katie go in . I , however, would not leave! HAHA!  Only 3 at a time can go in (with one parent). First you have to go and scrub up. Then you walk into the NICU where all the babies are lined up. What an experience to see him the first time!!! So tiny and yet so perfect! He is such a little angel and we are beside ourselves with Joy and THANKFULNESS that he is doing so well!!! Check out the picture of Charles' hand next to him to get an idea of his size. I didn't want to leave him and it was all I could do not to touch him!! He is just perfect and now all he needs is some extra weight so that I can hold him (and as Terry told them when we left, "LET HIM SPEND THE NIGHT!!!!" Hahahaha). Thank You, God, for our newest gift from heaven!

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My devotional read for today! UNREAL

 I was shocked to read this today so I had to go back and put in another journal entry! God is so good ! I'm going to read this to Natalie on the way to the doctor this morning! God is with us in everything!  Even doctor's visits!

From my favorite Advent book:

JESUS, BE IN MY CHRISTMAS by SarahHornsby

 

Jesus, be in my Expectation (Luke 1:44-45)

 

What a miracle it seems, though it is a daily occurrence in the earth, for new life to be generated within a human body!The child is guarded, nourished within the soft, warm walls of the mother's womb until the moment of readiness.Both the mother and child seem united in the desire to come forth. The mother prepares and yearns for this moment, though she knows there will be excruciating pain.

 

Father God,

So Your Spirit yearns over me to be born and to grow in Jesus' kind of love in this earthly body. You formed me within my mother's womb. You birthed in my heart this Creator who pours out love insatiably on all creation. Jesus, be in my expectation.

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Christmas Lily

She's our little Christmas Flower, Lily Belle! (That's what Big T calls her, "BELLE"!). When we picked her up from PlaySchool yesterday ,(Katie was with me), she just lit up the car (and McDonald's!) with her cheery personality! She chatters like a little monkey, non-stop! She is a hoot! We stopped in at McDonald's b/c Katie was hungry and she wanted a kid's meal. We didn't think she'd eat it (she had lunch at school!) but she ATE IT ALL!  After we shopped for a bit, we came back here and she loved watching "Wonder Pets Save the Reindeer" video I had bought for the little ones. When they started to leave to go home, Michael asked Lily if she wanted to show me her new DVD player in their new car. She has HEAD PHONES and LOVES it! (Don't you LOVE her adorable outfit >>?!).........Also here's a few shots from this morning's sunrise over our lake! WOW! Beautiful! B/c the water is warmer than the air, the steam rises in the mornings now and it's so beautifully eerie looking! Like a fairy tale!.........YES, for you who are reading to see how Natalie is, her doctor app't is today. I'm meeting her, as usual, at RUMC and we're heading to St. Vincent's and her visit to Dr. Sharp. One of her friends, whose app't is right before Nat's is having her baby today, her  4th.  She had FERTILITY problems 10 years ago and is now having baby number 4! God certainly has a sense of humor!  We'll drop in on Rachel, of course, as well. MAYBE today I'll have some baby news  to report on my next entry???? If I miss several days, you might ASSUME the baby has arrived! I'll try to post ASAP  when the babies arrive but who knows what the next week or so looks like~?! I am trying to stay close to home ,(cell phones charged), as time passes on!  

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Rachel, starting week FIVE in St. Vincent's!

Here's Rachel last night ! I wonder if she will miss being HOOKED UP to a fetal monitor 24/7 when Powell comes?! I think not! BLESS HER HEART, she is starting WEEK FIVE at St. Vincent's Hospital!!!  I know she is sooooooo anxious to get her life back to NORMAL again. She is such a trooper and always is smiling despite being a HOSTAGE in Room 309! HAHA! She had some pretty strong contractions yesterday afternoon and Charles must have texted her 5 times while we were there! HAHA! But, I haven't heard anything from them since so guess they went away. We are still praying for another 2 weeks. So, it looks like Rachel will have spent almost 2 months at St. Vincent's by the time it's all over! Halloween; Thanksgiving; Alabama/Auburn game! She says her friends have certainly been there for her to help keep her entertained, I'm so thankful for that! That, and she has a HUGE nice room! If you have to be stuck in a room for 5 weeks, at least it's a good sized one with a great view of downtown B'ham!......We are on "pins and needles" with both babies ready to come any minute!

Breakfast with Santa!

Elves and Santa! Almost to much to take in all at once so early in the morning!! And top that with BREAKFAST with SANTA? All before 8:00 A.M.! Yes, the highlight of the wee people: seeing Santa up close and personal. And at your church! That's what happened yesterday morning! Katie and I tumbled out of bed early so that we could see Kemp with Santa! Glad we didn't go to CHICK FIL-A like Katie wanted to before, because, YES, we had CHICK-FIL-A there! (Also they had all KINDS of cereals and fruits and cheeses!). Kemp could hardly eat (dry cheerios, well, who would want to eat that?! haha)! Santa was sitting up on the STAGE in a beautiful setting alongside his ELVES!!! Also, there was THE ELF (see photo) that gave TATOOS! WHOOPEE! THAT might have been Kemp's favorite! It certainly wasn't SANTA! Look at the pix! HAHA! He looks like he is fixing to slither onto the floor! HAHAHAHA..........(and, no, the EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA didn't work. Natalie is still here. And pregnant! HA!)

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Well>>>>?! Did it work?

Well, she ATE it! EGGPLANT Parmisianga! At Johnny Carina's last night!! We had a great dinner and Natalie decided to give the eggplant a whirl! O..K., it's Saturday morning and so far, no luck! HAHA! We just left Riverchase UMC "Breakfast with Santa" ! those pix to come later! Gotta go Brad is here fixing Katie's snowmen and Natalie is taking a nap! (>>>? maybe the eggplant IS working!) hahahahaha.They are on the way to a birthday party and stopped by for a little while. Gotta go, I need Brad to pull out my Christmas Moose!

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