Paperwork

Yahoo! We're just waiting on the paperwork to be completed, and we're on our way home!

Little Boy Blue

Long Story, Short

Ethan is still beautiful, but life is not.

In the wee hours of Monday morning, Ethan's billirubin levels shot up dramatically. Like, enough to wake his pediatritan in the dead of night and get him admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

His levels have stablized, thanks to constant light therapy. But they are still way too high, so although I have been discharged, I am rooming in with Ethan at the hospital.

His doctors are unsure of what caused such a rapid rise, but it is most likely a maternal blood incompatibilty issue or some kind of rare genetic thing. In any situation, the outcome is good, and we are thankful for that.

The hardest thing is that we cannot hold him, since he has to be under the lights contantly. Evie is home, while Chris and I are not. This is certainly not the way I imagined our family life would start out.

Everything should calm down in the next few days, and we hope to go home soon. Ethan will probably remain on 24/7 light therapy for awhile there, but at least we will all be together. And that will be the start of something very, very good.

More Photos of Ethan

Ethan Ambrose

Ethan arrived, after an easy delivery, at 6:37 PM this evening. He looks just like Chris, in miniature. He weighs 7 lbs, 5 oz and is 20 in long.

I am already in love.

More to come in the morning...

Sunday Morning

So right now, I'm sitting in a hospital bed, pitocin dripping into my veins. I'm comfortable. And so very excited.

I keep looking down toward my belly. Ethan must also be excited, because his movement is causing my gown to ripple and move. His heartbeat is a steady sound in the background, along with ESPN on television. Already Chris is immersing our baby boy in football!

The sun is shining through the blinds, and a ray of light has fallen on the baby bed Ethan will soon rest in. I keep looking over, imagining him there. Not much longer, but the anticipation is killing me!

All the struggles to have another baby are about to pay off. God provides His light in every difficult situation. So now we wait to meet our son. We wait for this next wonderful change to our lives. And we thank God, again, for answering our prayers.

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Zhu Zhu Pets

Zhu Zhu Hamsters from Jim Britton on Vimeo.

Have you heard of Zhu Zhu Pets? Picture cute, cuddly, energetic little hamsters - without the mess and fuss of a live pet. You can see them in action at our house in the video above.

A few months ago, Mom Select offered to send me a Zhu Zhu Pets party pack. It included eleven of the little hamsters, plus a hamster habitat. And what did I have to do in return? Host a party to give them away! So I happily agreed.

The enormous Box O' Hamsters arrived during nap time one day, but Evie and Chris tore into it when she woke up. Right away, Evie fell in love with her hamster. She squealed as it zoomed around the kitchen floor and yelled "Oh, no!" when it darted under the sofa. We met my family for dinner later in the evening, and she insisted on taking her new pet with us! And the next morning when we woke up, she headed into the living room and began playing with him again. Seriously, this little guy has kept her occupied way more than the average toy.

And the hamster habitat we received was cool, too. It included a funhouse, tunnel and wheel, ramp and spiral slide, adventure ball, surfboard and sleep dome, U-turn ramp and skateboard, and a hamster car and garage. Somehow, the hamsters know what room of the habitat they are in, and make appropriate noises - like snoring in the sleeping dome.

The entire habitat is easy to set up, but pretty large. We had to move our kitchen table to make room for it! But you can choose the pieces that work for you, creating a customized home for your Zhu Zhu pets. Everyone's favorite accessory seemed to be the car (kids and parents both flipped for this one.) I thought the adventure ball was the best. Watching Evie's pet zip around in it made me remember the hamster I had as a child. Plus, it stopped him from getting stuck under the couch!

The party was great! It was so much fun to watch the kids playing with the hamsters and habitat. Everyone took a pet home, and I've received great feedback. One of our little friends still sleeps with his hamster in a shoe box next to his bed! (Mental note: the pet bed and blanket would make a great Christmas gift for him!)

Since our party, my sister watched a news story that Zhu Zhu pets are going to be THE hot item this Christmas. And they're already among the top hot-selling toys on Amazon.com. After trying them ourselves, I know why!

Oh, and special thanks to my friend Jim Britton for shooting and editing the video of our party!