who could ask for anything more?

I have the best friends in the whole world. Unfortunately they don't all live close by. I haven't seen Mikayla in several years, and she had never even met Christian. I knew they would be fast friends, as she is willing to do things like play in the pouring rain and make fun messes. She went above and beyond the call of friendship when she offered to come spend a few days taking care of us now that Kyren is home and I am learning to juggle. It was like having your best friend, a nanny, a housekeeper, a roommate, and a confidant all in one! I love her so much, and it's impossible to put into words how grateful i am for our time together. Just to talk and laugh and relive old times, look at crazy college pictures, and stay up late -- unable to stop chatting. There is nothing like good quality girl time. nothing. my heart is full, friend-- thank you from the bottom of it :)

cute-da

Christian enjoying his new play table from eileen and emma (how can we thank u enough??)...

being his cute creative self...

and wearing his motorcycle hat, with great confidence.

he likes to add the sound 'da' to the end of words, and finds himself rather amusing ...

4 months apart

Welcome to the family, Samuel Wyatt Allison!

8 lbs 12 oz, 20 in. !
4 months to the hour after Kyren makes his appearance, Kelly goes into labor, and Wyatt is born on his exact due date. We are just so in awe of God's plan, and timing. We can look back over these months and say with confidence that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28)! We never imagined back in June that our announcement that we were both pregnant, due a week apart, would unfold the way that it has. But it is good! And we are so thankful to be rejoicing in the health of both babies! What a story they will have to tell--

the week in review

it's been a wonderful first week as a family of 4. a little sad that dave had to go back to work the very next day after kyren arrived home. but we've adjusted pretty well. christian is still doing fabulously as a big brother... i don't think we've really had one incident of jealousy yet! sometimes he wants me to hold him or play with him a little more than usual, but at the same time he's becoming more and more independent and using his imagination like crazy when he plays on his own. this morning he said his longest sentence yet while holding his stuffed snowman up to the window in our bedroom: "Christian and Frosty looking out the window at water truck" (which was completely imagined). he continues to delight my heart, and makes me laugh all day long.
kyren is growing like a weed-- and weighed in at 7 lbs 4 oz yesterday! Christian was 7 lbs 5 oz at birth. ...which kyren probably is today. Amazing! he turned 40 weeks officially on saturday, and is now our perfect little newborn! he has begun gazing intently at our faces, lifting his head off the ground and our shoulders, and staying awake for longer periods of time. tonight our friends came to visit and kyren stayed up for almost 3 hours, entertaining us with his wide eyed expressive face. what a joy to observe his every little milestone! and probably the best part has been just snuggling with him-- tube and wire free! it feels almost sacred to kiss his soft little chubby cheeks. he is a loud sleeper, grunts a lot, but seems to do pretty well in the dark and quiet of the nighttime, which the nurses said he might struggle with, having been used to the noisy NICU environment for so long. so even though i am up with him a couple of times per night, he is usually pretty good about going right back to sleep. Thank the Good Lord!!!
i added some pics to the slideshow of his first bath-- washing the hospital out of his hair-- and some pics of his first week of bonding. but more than taking pictures and documenting, we've just been ENJOYING this time as a family. it's been busy, and definitely a lot of work and not a lot of rest-- but not as hard as i thought it would be. the fact that he sleeps so much is God's way of easing us into having 2 so close together. and our hearts are so thankful, it'd be pretty hard to find anything to complain about right now. he's home, and he's thriving. and life is good...
it still feels a little surreal, and yet so normal at the same time. in a way, it's easy to start to forget that the past three and a half months even happened. they are becoming more like a dream, and this present reality is becoming more and more real. and this is an amazing feeling!

sweet

that's what the past 24 hours have been.
a sweet homecoming.
a sweet time of bonding.
a sweet little miracle joining our family... finally.
before we even left the hospital, there was a sweet surprise.
the day before, one of the nurses told me i needed to go out and buy a special kind of formula that the doctor would most likely be 'prescribing' to add to Kyren's bottles of breastmilk, to help him continue to gain weight. she left the NICU to go check with the doctor on duty, just to confirm that K would be needing it. When she left the room, i silently prayed for God to give the doctor a sudden change of 'heart', that when she asked him, he would just say, "naaah. he doesn't need that." (i really don't like formula!)
On sunday our pastor preached about praying with child-like faith to our Heavenly Father. i figured i would put that into practice and just see what He would do.
When the nurse returned a minute or 2 later and stated that the doctor said K would be going home on the added calories, i wasn't discouraged. i just figured that is what was best for him-- and God knows.
But the next morning, when the new doc on duty discharged our little 6lb 8oz'er, he looked at his chart, looked at us, and said, "Oh and by the way, he's gaining so well, let's just try him on straight breastmilk-- you don't need to add anything to it..."
The nurses, one by one, as they heard the news, marveled and gasped (literally), remarking that they'd never heard of a baby leaving the NICU without formula! EVER.
And just in case we didn't get the picture, this morning, when the visiting nurse came to our house to assess Kyren's progress, she too said, "I don't think I've ever visited a preemie just home from the hospital who wasn't on formula! This child is a miracle baby!"
she even teared up as she read his discharge summary papers, looked at me and said, "He is doing so incredibly well! I see so many babies who just... aren't. God is good. This is amazing..."
i didn't know what to say. i just kinda sat there and smiled, and tried to take in the sweetness of it all. And on top of all that, he was up to 6 lbs 11 oz when she weighed him.
Why, Lord? After all of the precious gifts you've given us-- you just want to keep on blessing us? There is something so very faith-building about answered prayer. even seemingly little prayers. And especially child-like prayers. Nothing fancy, just a heart's desire stated simply. God DOES know. And He delights in his children. EVERY good and perfect gift is from Him (James 1:17).
And speaking of perfect gifts-- one of the sweetest of all has been watching Christian (20 months old today) welcome his baby brother home. he and gramsy made a cake and brought it home for Kooey yesterday afternoon. And ever since, C has not stopped bringing his trucks and toys to K to "see"... it's just about the sweetest thing i've ever witnessed.
See slideshow for details :)
he imitates kyren's noises... says he sounds like a bear. so he walks around growling and snorting and running over to check on him every time he makes a noise from his bassinet. he has to stand on his tip toes to see over the edge of it... and it's a most precious sight to watch him eagerly approach and peer in to catch another glimpse of his future best friend.
my heart is full tonight... there are no words to accurately describe what this feels like.
but i know there are few things in life more sweet.

the big day!

it's finally here.
hard to believe, and yet a long time coming.
i could hardly sleep-- like Christmas, only different.
i was excited, but also filled with questions and a tinge of anxiety... not knowing what to expect. feeling like i haven't really prepared (emotionally, mentally, etc) or knowing what preparing actually looks like. it seems like deja vu to have the same bassinet that Christian slept in sitting by my bed, all of a sudden. little flashbacks, and feelings of "wait, how'd that get there?" and "it seems like yesterday he was in it", run through me.
i guess if i've learned one thing over this past year, it's been to 'go with the flow' of life. to be still and know that God is ...well... God. He's got a Master plan and every detail under control. and i obviously don't. a surprise pregnancy wasn't a surprise to Him. it was part of the plan. the fact that it was another boy? no surprise there. He formed him with great joy from the beginning of time and has a plan for his life. premature labor. yup, planned that too. i am convinced of it now more than ever. He has walked us through each moment of shock and surprise, comforting us with the knowledge of His sovereignty and goodness. reminding us that we are not alone, that He is going to work everything for our good, and bring Himself all the glory that is due Him. AND HE HAS!!!! And He will. And we are so thankful to be the recipients of His grace and mercy.
Kyren David Brown, you have become a testimony to your name! The Lord truly has shown mercy to His beloved! we feel privileged to be your parents, and to be walking this road with you. And we know that no matter where His mercy takes us in the coming days, months and year ahead... you will be our constant reminder of His love. It knows no bounds! Through your 15 weeks (107 days) in the hospital, you have taught us more than you could possibly imagine. i have learned to be more childlike, more helpless, more weak and lowly, less proud, less self-reliant, and less needy of sleep. you have helped to bring me to a place of dependence on God, and understanding His love for ME in a sweeter way than if you were still 4 days away from your due date (in my belly).
May you grow strong and healthy, and always be aware of the love that surrounded and carried you from day 1. May you never grow tired of hearing the miraculous story of your entrance into the world, and the countless people who will meet you and tell you that they prayed for you ...to live, breathe, and grow. May you walk in awe someday at the way God has loved you and brought you from frailty to strength, and may you seek after Him and His will for your life-- because He is worth it all, and because i'm pretty sure He's got something really special planned for you!
In just a few short hours we will be bringing you home to be part of our family -- a family that loves to laugh and sing and, lucky for you, play with trucks. lots and lots of trucks.
And...... i can't wait to give you a bath-- to wash away the smell of the hospital, forever, and hold your sweet smelling skin close to me. To cradle you near, in our own home, and to feel for the first time, that you're really mine.

39 weeks it is!

it's looking pretty definite that he'll be home by tomorrow or the next day! he's taking 100% of his milk by mouth, just 4 hrs apart instead of 3... and doing beautifully! he's getting his final shots and MRI, and being monitored as he sits up in his carseat for extended periods. he passed his hearing test and he has one more eye exam.
it's hard to believe -- i know they told us it would happen quickly-- but this was REALLY fast. we had our house cleaned by the Merry Maids yesterday, thanks to our dear and thoughtful friends-- and it is so nice to feel deep cleaned and ready for a fresh start!
In a lot of ways it will be easier than bringing home a newborn. We've had months to get to know him. He's pretty much on a schedule already, knows how to breastfeed AND bottle feed... he isn't freaked out by having just been born... and i am not recovering from having just given birth! And i guess it's a major plus that i've adjusted to an interrupted sleeping schedule.
Sooooo.... here we go!

a very happy new year!

Weighing in at just over 6 lbs. this morning, Kyren ushered us into the new year with flying colors! He has made it clear that he is perfectly capable of eating like a champ (as long as he's wide awake), and has convinced his nurses to allow him to sleep a little longer between his feedings, so that he actually eats MORE than he would on their strict 3 hr. schedule. So in good faith, they pulled his tube... his final tube... and he's been eating only by mouth all day long! What a wonderful start to a new year! We'll see if he can keep it up over the next few days-- he tends to do these heroic eating spurts, and then needs to hibernate for a few days. But they say that one of these days, he'll get it all together and not need the tube ever again. We're hoping these next few days become just that. He's doing well on the decreased diuretic dosage, and hopefully tomorrow will be able to wean off of it completely. It looks like he'll be able to come home without any monitors or medicine-- just the beautiful healthy face you see below...
and hopefully soon!

my how i've grown!