Hi-Ho Hi-Ho A Camping We Will Go

So, we got a new tent as we are hoping to go camping sometime soon. Of course, out here in Cali where EVERYONE likes to camp you have to make reservations months in advance.

Happy 3rd Birthday O

So, Ocean's bday was actually last weekend but we sadly had to cancel due to the girls getting a cold. But I still wanted to take this opportunity to brag a little about my girl.

Things I love about Ocean:
1. She is always happy in the morning.
2. She yells hello to so many people off the porch - AND knows ALL of their names.
3. She has an amazing memory.
4. She has an incredible vocabulary.
5. She is never afraid to ask questions - and keep asking if she doesn't quite get it - and keep asking - and keep asking =)
6. She can legitimately pump her legs when swinging.
7. She is not afraid to get messy.
8. She LOVES her friends.
9. She never holds a grudge.
*10. She spent many hours in the hospital lobby not even getting to visit her new baby sister due to a cold and never complained - she just wanted to be with her family- YOU ROCK MY WORLD O!

(secret #11 - I would never tell her this - but my girl can burp on command...something I remember everyone doing in the six grade and never being able to do it.)
The best part is that I don't even know how she learned most of what she knows. She just does it.

Happy Three Months Selah!!!!!

Wow! Where has the time gone. It seems like only yesterday we were driving back and forth to the hospital to visit this little baby we hardly even knew. And today Selah turns 3 months. You know, the more and more I get to know this little girl, and the more I think back to what she went through the more my heart begins to break for her. At the time of all this craziness, we hadn't even begun to bond with her and now I can't imagine going through it at this point. I still think of the mother who was at the hospital with her 3 month old when we were there... she had it way harder than us. Having that bond makes all the difference. Perhaps we wouldn't have been so calm and trusting...yet again, the Lord working things out.
After some hard first months and MANY days filled with ALOT of crying and NO sleep for Selah, we now have this amazing little baby who blesses me with soooooo many smiles. My heart leaps just thinking about it. Today, I couldn't even concentrate at a meeting because Selah was so smiley. I even kept distracting my friends into looking at her with me. What a Joy in my life!!!

Thank you Father, for the many ways you have blessed our family - for trusting us with your children - for allowing us to be apart of something bigger than ourselves and continuing to see us through. May we never forget...

What's in a bag?

One thing I love, is to find a bag or purse that Ocean has been playing with and see what she has packed inside it. What makes a child choose what they do to put in there?
Whenever Josh and I are preparing to go out of town, we make a list to make sure we don't forget anything. Ocean on the other hand has a separate "list" of her own in packing "her suitcase". Of course we all need a sippy cup without a lid, a pair of socks, a gaudy necklace, crayons, and stickers, and a pen for any trip we take.

Quick Flashback

I was looking through the picture folder on our computer the other day- looking for old pics of O and comparing them to Selah - and ran across the last picture before I delivered a few months ago. I couldn't stop looking at just how HUGE I was. I turned to Josh and said, "I know this sounds crazy since I was just there a few months ago, but that is INSANE!" I still can't take my eyes off it.

The Good, The Bad, and the Tired

THE GOOD
So, Friday morning myself and the girls hopped on a plane with my sister to come back east for a visit while my sister was here from Japan and my mom was on Spring Break. We arrived at the airport with more luggage and kids than we had arms for, but managed to make it to the ticket counter. I explained to the ticket man that we wanted to see about getting seats near each other so my sister could help with the kids. As we walked to our gate, I noticed that my two year old had been placed on the row in front of me and my sister was several seats down from me leaving my little girl by herself. I ask my sister, "what was he thinking when he did this..." So at the crowded gate and with a screaming baby, I walked up to the the lady at the counter to see what she wanted me to do. She proceeded to put us all on the same row - not only that but once we got on the plane we realized we were in bulkhead which gave us more room to allow Ocean to play on the floor if needed. The verse "All things worked together for good for those who love the Lord," was screaming in my ear. Here I was frustrated with this ticket man for putting us in crazy seats and yet the Lord totally set that up to give us AMAZING seating. What a reminder for me to stop complaining and expect great things!

THE BAD
After our first flight, we had to book it to the next flight for our last leg. We made it just in time to sit on the airplane for over an hour for a flight that is only 30 minutes. From the time we boarded the plane to the time we took off, Selah cried or rather screamed. Then Ocean had to go to the bathroom and after telling her I couldn't take her to the bathroom I told her to go in her pull-up. Of course, she went poopy as well and now I had to call the flight attendant back to tell him I really needed to change her. Now I had a screaming baby AND we had just stunk up the back of the tiny little plane we were on. Oh, and did I mention that there was NO air- conditioning on the plane while we were waiting. AAAHHHHH!!!

THE TIRED
We arrived at our destination after 10pm to find our luggage did not make it. So, after talking to the airline people we set off around 11pm to find food and then headed off to walmart to get the things we needed for the night. There we met the rest of the town (that's were everyone goes at midnight in the south) and stood in line FOREVER, before finally arriving to my parents house where I then had to get down two kids. I finally crashed around 2am. Sometimes I wonder why I keep doing this to myself. But hey, that's what we do for family!!

Hangin with my Mom...and Smiling!!!

For weeks now, I have been constantly crying and fussing at my mom ALL DAY LONG (without sleeping). I kept trying to tell her I had a rough start, but it seemed to get lost in translation. Anyway, a few days ago I decided enough was enough, and now I only do it now and then like a "normal" baby does. Not only do I hang out without making a fuss, but I even manage to smile at my mom once and awhile. My mom keeps telling me I "have arrived" - arrived at what I'm not sure. All I know is that if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

A little Fun on the Floor

Sleep in Heavenly Peace...

Sorry we haven't updated in a while. Life around here is crazy. I do believe these last few weeks home from the hospital have been harder than the first ones in the NICU. Selah has a hard time sleeping between the hours of 12 noon and 4-8pm. I guess the good part is that after that she sleeps really well at night. (that's my silver lining...) Today (in this picture) I actually got her to sleep for an hour and a half. Most days she bats her eyes for about five minutes and then throws them open as if to say, "I will not go to sleep... I will not go to sleep..." and she does this for HOURS!! I know - "it's a season."

Big Sis and Lil Sis!!

Happy Valentine's Day

We are happy to be home and all under the same roof. Selah has been doing well and we cherish every hour that we have getting to know her. What an amazingly strong little girl she is. I feel like this whole journey has been so good for me as I am learning to trust in the Lord in new and exciting ways.
For weeks I have been looking forward to the time when we would get to look back and really see the many amazing ways the Lord has taken care of us and Selah over the past nine months. Many of you may not know, but we actually thought Selah was going to be a miscarriage (our third)After going into the doctor for an ultrasound and seeing no baby, the doctor had us return in one week for another ultrasound to double check - the doctor said "there is still hope." I didn't want to be disappointed so I prepared myself for the worst. Before seeing the second ultrasound, we went to church that Saturday night and I was overwhelmed during the singing as the service started up. By overwhelmed, I mean crying uncontrolably... I felt the Lord confirm to me that this baby was to be. We went in that Tuesday and saw a little butter bean with a strong heart beat. God is so good to us!! Everytime things have come up during this pregnancy, the Lord has continued to quiet me with His words, "Just REST in my promise." And that is where SELAH's name came from. Her name means "to rest and listen" "to pause and reflect."
Many people have said to me, "your faith has been so amazing during this time..." All I can tell you is that it is because of this WHOLE journey that I stand where I do today. I am thankful for all the Lord has brought us through and wouldn't change a thing.
I was talking with a woman in the hospital whose baby had the surgery Selah had. I was telling her how thankful we were that the space they had to fix in Selah's esophagus was minimal (we have heard of babies who had to wait months and year's for their esophagus to grow before they could do the surgery). She works at a hospital and made the comment that is was due to them being full term. I cannot tell you how many times I begged the Lord to let me have Selah early because of how uncomfortable I was...and now I find out that going full term allowed her to be in the best possible position she could have been in under the circumstances. I am so thankful that the Lord knows better than me!!!! These are the wonderful details the Lord loves to orchestrate for his people!!!

Welcome Home Selah!!

Big sister Ocean (in her "I'm the Big Sister" shirt) went with us to pick up our beautiful baby girl from the hospital. She was so excited about her new baby sister that she told everyone we passed in the halls (including the construction workers) "this is my baby sister, Selah." She talked the WHOLE way home and finally crashed at the end. We are currently enjoy the quiet of both girls as they are napping. Josh keeps asking me, "what do we do now." It was very weird leaving the hospital after being there for 12 days. But, we are glad to all be under one roof together. Thank you all for your prayers and support!!! We are overwhelmed and truly blessed!!

There are no Strings on Me...And My Belly is Full!

Well, almost! Just a few monitor wires and one PIC line remain. We arrived yesterday at the hospital with a wonderful surprise. The dye test that was to be preformed on Monday had already been done that morning and they saw no leaks!! Apparently, the took pity on her during rounds that morning since she was so hungry and so inconsolable. They said they pleaded to radiology to try to find a spot for her that morning and were successful. Sooooooo, yesterday they took out her feeding tube and started feeding her breast milk (with a bottle) starting with 10 ml and increasing 10ml every 3 hours. She sucked it down as fast as she could. As of 9am this morning, she was up to 70ml which was the goal of a full belly. We are waiting to hear from the surgeons for the go ahead to begin nursing. I keep thinking of the verse of how God uses ALL things for good... including what we thought was a set back (blocked feeding tube) and here it has put her in an even better place. Thank you, Father, for your faithfulness!!

Eveyone meet Elton

This is Elton. Elton lives at the hospital with Selah. He is going to be narrating our blog from here until he comes home with Selah.

(Hey, this entire situation has been way to heavy and we think it is time to have some fun! Work with us)

She has been freed from the heat lamp

The billy ruben counts are down and they have moved her out from under the heat lamp! YAHHOOOO! We are now allowed to hold her as much as we want. We are also allowed to pick her up without a nurses assistance. They have taken another IV out, so she is down to one IV in her foot and one tube in her nose. She seems much happier now that she can be swaddled and rocked.

Wendsday's daily update

The Doctors started out the day with an ex-ray that determined that the drain tube from surgery could be removed. They also pulled out one of the three remaining Iv's. We are excited to see any of the tubes and wires go away. Her billy ruben levels were down (which is good) but she still is going to have to be under the heat lamp for another day or two. Robyn got to hold her for the first time today since the surgery on Monday. We cant wait for her levels to come down low enough that the heat lamp can go away and we can hold that beautiful little girl as much as we want! They tried to feed her through the feeding tube tonight but it was not working for some reason. They are going to have to wait for the surgeons to do there rounds in the morning, for them to determined what is wrong with the tube. When they get it working they will be giving her 5cc every three hours. Please continue to pray for a speedy recovery and that she would continue to impress the Doctors with how well she is recovering. We are trying to give God the Glory with every conversation we have with all the medical professionals.

Surgery went Great

Selah was in surgery from 1:30 pm to 6:00pm on Monday. She was a real trooper! The piece missing from the esophagus was minimal so the repair went well. In fact, they were able to do the surgery laproscopicly minimizing scaring and tissue damage. She is recovering and resting well. The expected breathing tube was removed shortly after the surgery putting her ahead of the game-LETS HEAR IT FOR OUR OVER ACHIEVER! In one week, we will test for leaks in the esophagus and if all goes well, we will begin the nursing process. Thanks for all of your prayers and support. Please continue to pray for a speedy recovery. We are waiting with anticipation to bring her home and be a true family of four!

Welcome to the World Selah!

Selah Brynn Anderson

January 31

7.7lbs, 20 inches long

10:05 pm

After giving birth to Selah late Thursday night, we discovered a condition with her that will not allow her to get food to her stomach (this was the cause of all the extra amniotic fluid I carried) Within six hours, she was transported to another hospital about an hour away where she waits for surgery. (see below for more info) She is a strong girl and doing very well. We look forward to bringing her home in the next week or two.

We chose the name Selah (found in the book of psalms) because it is said to mean "rest" or "pause and reflect". From the beginning, this pregnancy has proven to be a gift from the Lord. We began, thinking this was to be another miscarriage and before even seeing the heartbeat, I felt a confirmation from the Lord that this baby was going to be. Every time something else would come along and make me question if all was well, the Lord would remind us to "rest in his promise". Even now I feel the Lord whispering for us to keep "resting in Him" as he works out His mighty plans before us. We are very much at peace with all that is going on! Thank you Father that your plans are greater than ours will every be!!

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance MUST FINSIH ITS WORK. So that you may be mature and complete, not lacking ANYTHING! James 1:2-4

Visiting Selah

Today we took Big Sister Ocean to see Selah. She wanted so badly to hold her and was kissing her so cutely!! I can't wait to bring Selah home so they can really start getting to know each other. oh, yeah - Ocean's baby (that was in her belly) is now out and also has an "owie" in her throat too.

Proud Moo Moo!!