My funny husband...

I think having a baby really makes my husband ponder some of the simpler things in life...

The other day Shane decides to dress Isaiah in this cute little jumper outfit! I think this outfit is so adorable and of course Shane really likes it because its got a dog and a basketball on it. (Thanks, Erin for such a cute Christmas present!) Anyway, the next words out of my dear husband's mouth..."Why don't we ever wear clothes like this?" He went on to explain that they seem so practical, just having one piece of clothing to pick out, etc. I died laughing, just imagining Shane in a one piece jumper outfit!

6 Weeks!

So our little boy is 6 weeks old...how can that be!?!

(Yes, my pants look like capris...my mommy is in denial that I'm getting so big)

It's been such a roller coaster the past 6 weeks, and our life has forever changed. As I sit here, I can't stop thinking about the fact that I'm going to have to leave him for a whole day on Monday. And not just Monday...but Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, AND Thursday! Ouch...I don't want to think about it...but it's all that is on my mind.

Don't get me wrong, I want to go back to work - I just don't want to leave him. I don't even want to THINK about leaving him. I just want to capture these moments when I get to see him every second of the day. I want him to know how much I love him and how do you do that when you can't be with him!?! I want to make sure that he's comforted when he's upset. I want to know that I'm doing everything in my power to make his life the best it can be. And I know that by going back to work, I will be a better mom for him. I will be fulfilled in challenging myself and getting out of the house. I will be refreshed when I get home to see him at the end of the day. I will miss him so much, that I will be ready to play and rock and cuddle him every evening. I know that God will watch out for our little Isaiah while we are not with him, it's just hard to let go of control sometimes.

I'm grateful for the time we did get to spend together and although we won't be spending our days together next week, I look forward to him getting excited to see me when I do get home. And making the most of our family time. I look forward to not taking a one single moment for granted.

I'm blessed to have a job that I enjoy and look forward to each day. I'm blessed that I get to take an extra day off each week to spend with my baby boy. I'm blessed to have a husband that supports my decision to go back to work, and supports my decision to work part time. I'm so blessed to have the option to choose.

One thing that I've pondered since the time I became a parent is how much being a parent can teach you about God's love. Between the doctor's appointments, having to prick the heal of my baby boy twice a week, to the nonstop screaming most evenings...what a feeling to know that this is what God must feel like sometimes. That he is always trying to do what is best for us. Always trying to comfort us. And when we are going through such struggles His heart is absolutely breaking. It's amazing to have this realization as a parent. When your child struggles, you struggle. When your child hurts, you hurt. When your child is happy, you are happy. And although we sometimes can't understand that while we are going through the pain and frustrations of life, He understands and knows what is best. And knowing this is enough to get us through.

A few of my favorite things...

Isaiah is really starting to show us what he likes and doesn't like...what works for him and what things he'd rather do without...right now, he's really into...

His wrap...this calms him down when he's really upset and he usually ends up falling asleep...and this helps mommy get a few more things done during the day, all the while getting to have him close to me!

His Bumbo! We just got this, and he loves sitting up and being able to see things! He can hold his head up really well too! (don't mind his middle finger...he really doesn't mean it) :)

His DADDY! He loves his daddy...this is an old picture, but the only one I could find with just the two of them. They like hanging out after daddy gets home from work. Usually watching Sports Center, the Lakers or the Vikings...yes, Isaiah only is a month old, but Shane already talks to him about what's going on during the games. Very cute! I think this will be something they do together for years to come!

Iowa City

Isaiah had another appointment in Iowa City today.

We really didn't find out a whole lot. These days we are thankful for the "no news is good news" appointments! They basically wanted to see him to monitor his growth and make sure he is a thriving little boy. Which praise God, he is! And "little" is hardly how I would describe him...he weighs 10 lbs 1 oz!

The doctor did tell us that they ran the test to rule out Tetrahydrobiopterin. This is a very rare disorder that sometimes presents itself as PKU initially, and can be very serious. So, we are thankful that it's just PKU.

We are still waiting to find out about the results of his DNA test. This will tell us more about the severity of his case of PKU. We spoke with the doctor and dietitian about where Isaiah is compared to other cases they've seen. They told us that he's actually probably taking a little bit less of the formula than most babies, but it's really too soon to tell.

If he continues to tolerate more Phe, then this will most likely mean that he has a less severe case. If this is true he will most likely be able to eat some normal grains! We are praying this is the case! He will still be unable to eat any meat, dairy, nuts, beans, etc. Basically the dietitian told us that he will be able to eat any fruits he wants - since they are so low in protein. A lot of vegetables - some we will have to monitor. And some grains - again we will monitor these. We will order the rest of his food from a special distributor that makes low protein food. They actually have a lot of options, like hamburgers (veggie burger), pizzas, and other kid friendly foods. Of course this is where the extraordinary cost comes in. Even so, Shane and I are dedicated to making it work and helping our little boy be everything he is meant to be!

So, we go back to Iowa City again in about a month. And at that time we will be meeting with his doctor about his thyroid too. Hopefully we will get another good report from all the doctors!

Thanks for everyone's continued support and concern. We are blessed with a lot of great friends and family!

Happy 1 Month Birthday Isaiah!

Happy 1 Month Birthday Isaiah!

I've learned so much over the past month!

I never knew how much you could fall in love with your child and just stare at them and wonder how they are able to stir up emotions and feelings you never knew you had.

I've learned how much you can worry about your child and how your heart can break with just one phone call from a doctor.

I've learned how you really can function on little or no sleep!

I've learned how you can fall in love with your husband all over again, just by watching him become a dad.

I've learned patience is a quality anyone can acquire after the 4th or 5th straight hour of a crying baby.

I've learned that becoming a parent can turn your world upside down and things that used to matter, just don't anymore.

I've learned that sacrifices are so much easier to make, when it is what is best for your baby.

I've learned that God won't give us more than we can handle...but we need Him to help us handle what He has given us.

4 Weeks Old!

Here is our little man at 4 weeks old! :)

A present for Isaiah!

I've been meaning to post this for awhile now, but kept forgetting to take a picture of this awesome present given to Isaiah.

Our friend Bailey (along with her husband Matt) recently started her photography business. You might remember them from the maternity pictures they took of us. They gave us this awesome wall hanging with ISAIAH's name spelled out. Can you see all the letters? The neatest thing about it...all these pictures were taken at UNI - where Shane and I met! This was seriously one of the most thoughtful, handmade gifts ever!

She also took the pictures from our new blog title - you can see more of sweet Isaiah's pictures on her blog or website.

Thanks Bailey & Matt for everything!! :)

Something to think about!

I recently ran across this quote and thought it was worth sharing! A great reminder to be grateful for those in our life. :)

"What if you woke up in the morning with only the things that you expressed gratitude for in your prayers the night before? What would you have?"

3 Weeks Old!

I can't believe Isaiah's been here for 3 weeks!

This week Isaiah's been breaking me into my new mommy role! We've filled our days with blow out diapers, sleepless nights (and days), lots of spit up...causing a full change of clothes AND baths for both Isaiah and mommy, and crying...this activity includes both of us too! :) Even with all the craziness, I wouldn't trade a second of it for life without our baby boy. He's so sweet and we are slowly getting our act together!

He's sleeping soundly on my lap right now and it's one of the best feelings ever! :)

2 weeks old!

Ok...I'm a little late posting this - but I took this picture when he really was 2 weeks old. He's almost 3 weeks old now...wow! He's had quite an exciting life for less than 3 weeks into it!

I'm thrilled to report that things have been getting better for little Isaiah. We actually had our last (at least for now) visit from our "home nurse" today. He's finally back up to his birth weight - 8lbs 12 oz.! I think he's going to start growing like a weed now!

Shane and I have both taken blood samples and we both feel pretty confident that we can handle this. We've gotten some results back from Iowa City and things are looking good! For a little background, Isaiah PKU levels started out at 6 for his first test when we were in the hospital. A normal person's level is less than 1. The second test came back at a 12...this is when Iowa City contacted us to let us know we needed to come see them. When then tested him in Iowa City it actually went down to 8.8 on it's own before he got on his formula...this was great news that it didn't continue to increase. Then after being on the formula for 14 hours or so it went down to a 3. And a couple days after that it was at 1.9. So things are looking good. We still have 2 blood tests we are waiting for the results back, but hopefully this means he will have a less severe case of PKU than we originally thought. In the next few weeks we should get the DNA test back from Iowa City and if I understand it correctly that will give us more of an idea of the severity of his PKU.

As far as Isaiah's thyroid - we received good news on that too. His medicine has been lowered to 37.5 micrograms rather than the 50 he was on previously. We have to go into the hospital for blood draws for the next 3 weeks to see how his levels are on this. Dr. Norris in Iowa City believes that the 37.5 will be what he stays at, but we have to do all the tests to make sure.

We also may be visiting our family doctor a couple more times before Isaiah's regular checkup due to his weight. They've been a little concerned with him gaining so slowly, but all the doctors think that it is just because he's been switching formula and amounts, etc. Since he's finally back at his birth weight hopefully he'll keep on gaining!

That's about all the updates I have right now. Thank you to everyone for the continued prayers. We're starting to get the hang of being parents and adjusting to the lack of sleep. :)