Friday, December 26, 2008

Christmas '08





We started Christmas out with Joshua waiting up for Santa. He decided he wasn't going to go to bed from 3:30am to after 6:00am. Once we finally got him to sleep, Noah woke up around 6:45am very ready to open presents. He was so excited to see that Santa had eaten the cookies and drank the Diet Coke that he left out for him. Santa left him a bell on the plate. (Reference "The Polar Express") He opened his gifts and started playing with them immediately. We went to my brother and sister-in-law's (Jon and Jené) house for lunch. It was so nice to have my parents and Grammy and her new husband, Glenn, there also. The kids played and we had a really nice time there. The best part was initiating Glenn into our family tradition of "dollar gifts." This is so much fun for us as a family. Over all, we had a really good day and I think Joshua had a fabulous "first Christmas". We are gearing up for the new year. We are so thankful and blessed for everything this year. We love y'all and wish you the happiest of New Years. We pray that you are richly blessed. Thank you Lord for your many gifts and especially for the blessing of Joshua.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Merry Christmas!!!






Hello all. We are so ready for this week. Not only is it Joshua's first Christmas but our sweet Grammy is going to be here in a couple days. Noah is so excited about the presents sitting under the tree. He asks daily if he can open them. This past Wednesday, we took Joshua, Noah and Garrison to the mall to take pictures with Santa. We think this came out SO WELL!!! Garrison is such a sweet boy. He just sat there while we waited for Noah to smile. Well... Joshua is now two months old! I can't believe it. Time is just flying by. He loves to swing but needs his bear to keep him company and help hold his binky in place.
We are praying that everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! God bless and thank you Lord for your Son.
Happy Birthday Jesus!

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Santa!!!!


It has been a while since my last post and I am sorry. Things are going well. We are gearing up for Christmas. Noah had his Christmas program at school this past Wednesday. He did great! He actually sang and did all the motions, it was really cute. Joshua had to go so we could take this picture with Santa. There will be more to come after the church's Christmas pageant. Joshua is now almost 12 pounds and is, for the most part, a really sweet baby. He definitely eats A LOT!!! Noah is still completely in love with Joshua. Noah was gone for about a week and a half for Grammy's wedding. We missed him for Thanksgiving but we are really glad that everyone got to see and enjoy him in Oklahoma. Plus... He got to see Elisha, which was really good. Elisha will not be able to make it down here for Christmas and we will miss him terribly, but we know that money is tight and can't wait to see him for Summer '09. I had my 29th birthday this past week and am so thankful and blessed. Well... That's about it for now. More updates to come. Merry Christmas everyone!!! We love y'all. Remember...
"Jesus is the reason for this season."

Monday, November 24, 2008

Out at Rancho Blanco








We spent Saturday out at Rancho Blanco which is the Keller's ranch. We were celebrating Caden Keller's 3rd birthday and had a really good time. Noah really enjoyed going on the hay rides, tractor rides and loved riding on the four-wheeler with his Daddy. (Mainly because Daddy drove really fast.) Joshua had a great time sleeping through it all. We are looking forward to going back out to the ranch for Thanksgiving. We wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving and hope your bellies and hearts are full and hope for some great times with your families. We love y'all. God bless.


Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Update on Joshua and the Family



Well... Sorry it's been so long since our last post. Joshua is doing much, much better. He has been to the doctor twice since he came home and they say he is a "healthy" baby. He is gaining weight and is now 6 lbs 7 oz and 19 3/4" long. Noah just absolutely loves his little brother and doesn't want to leave him alone. Noah went to the fall festival last week at First Presbyterian and had a blast. He went as "Noah's Ark" and had fun with his cousin, Garrison, who went as Elmo. All the kids thought he was the real Elmo. Griff has been interviewing with Kinko's/FedEx and he has been offered the position. Praise the Lord! Although it will be hard for him to work two full time positions, we are thankful for the opportunity. Thank you Lord for our many blessings.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Joshua's Homecoming





Joshua was discharged from the hospital around 3:00 yesterday afternoon. He is still having some issues with rapid respirations and we are believing that the Lord will slow it down to a normal rate. We surprised Nana, Papa, and Noah with his homecoming. Noah is completely in love with Joshua. He constantly wants to hold him, pat him, and kiss him. It is really sweet to see his love for his little brother. We had a okay night, as most first nights with a new baby go. We know they only get better from here. We are so happy to finally have him home and are praying everything goes well with his doctor's appointment today. Thank you Lord for all your blessings.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Joshua - Day 6


Hey y'all. Sorry it's been a couple of days. Joshua is doing much better today. They took him off the "Billy" light on Friday but had to put him back under it yesterday. They have now taken him back off of it for good. They also have taken the IV off, removed the oxygen tubes, and are getting him ready to discharge him. They are saying maybe Tuesday or Wednesday. He is doing everything he needs to do, which is eat, sleep and poop. He has lost a little more weight, which is normal. He is now 5 lbs 13 oz. He is such a sweet little guy and I have really enjoyed being able to spend time with him. Can't wait to post when he gets discharged. The pics will be great. Hope all is well with all of you and thank you again for your prayers. God is good!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Joshua's 4th Day






Today was a really good day. We got to the hospital this morning to find that they have taken Joshua off the CPAP. They have also reduced his oxygen intake percentage to 25.1% and are beginning to wean him off the oxygen and get him down to 21%. I FINALLY got to hold him. He has a lot of hair, as you can see in the picture. They have also taken him out from under the "Billy" light and are putting him in a regular crib. They have also begun to feed him, and trust me, he was a hungry little guy. Praise God for His promises and miracles. Possibly 3 or 4 more days and he might get to come home then. I am so ready to introduce Joshua to his big brother. Thank you Lord!!!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Joshua's Update (Day 3)

Well... Joshua is now almost 72 hours old and is still in the NICU. He is doing a little bit better. His jaundice level has gone up a little bit, which was expected, and I imagine that it might go up a little bit more. He is still on an IV and cannot be fed yet. They are hoping that he will be able to eat tomorrow. So please be praying for that. BUT... In order for that to happen, he needs to be off of the oxygen they have had him on. His oxygen percentage is set at 25.8% and he needs to come down to 21% (which is considered "room air".) His blood gas has come down from 60% yesterday to 49% today. Praise the Lord!!! He is getting better and is being healed. The Lord is the ultimate physician and we are so thankful for all the prayers that have been lifted up in Joshua's honor. Thank you also for the prayers for my family. We are relying on the strength that has been given to us from our Savior. He is our rock. Joshua is still fighting and we can't wait for everyone to meet him. Thank you again Lord for your great works.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Joshua's Here!!!









Joshua Lloyd Griffith arrived on Monday, October 20, 2008 at 11:49 PM. He was 19 1/2" long and was 6 lbs 5 oz. He did great at first but was having some breathing problems. These issues continued to get worse while in the nursery, so the pediatrician decided to admit him into the NICU at Rio Grande Regional hospital. He has a CPAP and is on an antibiotic. He also has an IV because they cannot feed him while he is having respiratory difficulty. His condition has been up and down over the past, almost, two days. He now has jaundice and is under the "Billy" light. This should help. Everything is up to how hard Joshua fights and how his body responds to treatment. We are praying VERY HARD against any infection or additional problems. He IS a fighter and will be a wonderful, healthy little boy. We can't wait to bring him home to finally and properly meet his big brother, Noah. We want to thank everyone for their well wishes and prayers. We love y'all. Thank you Lord for the wonderful gift that Joshua is and will be.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Only 36 Weeks!!!

Okay... Here is a quick update on what is going now. The doctor has now put me on straight bed rest. He is seeing signs of possible preeclampsia. (Higher than normal blood pressure and higher protein levels in my urine.) He wants to see me again on Monday morning. He will then have the results of the blood work that was drawn today to determine if it is, in fact, preeclampsia and he will also check me to see if these contractions have done anything to start the labor process. He said that if nothing has changed by Monday, he will probably induce me on Monday or Tuesday. He said that delivery would be the safest way to go at that point. So please be praying that Joshua will be healthy enough for delivery next week. I know that he will most likely go to the NICU but I am just praying that I still might be able to take him home with me when I am discharged from the hospital. I know that the Lord has everything planned out and I am trusting Him to lead us through this. Thank you, oh Lord, for the strength that I get from my friends and family.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Three Weeks & Counting

Hello all.

Just a quick update as to what is going on as this pregnancy winds down. I started having pretty strong contractions on Thursday afternoon. I went in to see the doctor on Friday and he hooked me up to the NST monitor. He said that my contractions were coming about three minutes apart but he wasn't completely sure it was early labor or not. He did a test called a fetal fibronectin test to determine if it was actual labor or Braxton Hicks contractions. Well... It isn't early labor. He prescribed some meds to stop the contractions and he said that should help. So the date for the induction is still set for Nov. 2nd. We want to say "thank you" for all your prayers. We love y'all.