3 weeks old and THREE pounds!

hooray!!!!!

::the best gift::

today, on his birthday, ryan got to hold crosby for the first time.

the perfect gift.

happy birthday!

happy happy birthday, ryan!

with every passing year, my love for you has grown...and i am always amazed that i could love you even more.  

as we have walked through the trials of this past winter, i have fallen in love with you all over again.  you have weathered this storm with so much grace, courage and strength and you have been such a solid foundation for me to lean on.  you have given me so much hope and have helped me walk through some of the darkest hours.  i truly could not love you more.

so, on this birthday, i apologize that we are not as able to focus on celebrating you as much as  in some years past.  but, please know that i celebrate our love and what an incredible husband you are more than ever.  i adore you.  

happy 31st.

with all my love,

c

our little guy today...notice the chunk he is gaining!

::this week::

we have been told that the NICU course is one of 

ups and downs.  and even though we knew this going in, it doesn't make it less emotional.

crosby is doing well, but we have had a few days of setbacks that i think have almost been harder for me than for him.  it is just so hard to see someone you love so much not doing as well as you would like to see.  

thankfully, today has been a better day and he seems more comfortable and many of our concerns from this week have been alleviated.  we are abundantly thankful.

"for i know the plans i have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

-jeremiah 29:11

my parents have pictures of duke as he grew next to a duck stuffed animal.  i remember being amazed by how tiny that duck was and that duke was even smaller.  i thought it would be fun to track crosby's growth in reference to this bear...ryan thinks he is going to open his eyes in his isolette and be frightened. :)

peace.

tucked in and cozy.

thank you all for your love and support.  we have been so humbled and overwhelmed by how overflowing the generosity and love of our friends and family has been.

thank you.

::two weeks old::

and already a butler fan!

two nights ago we called the NICU when we were going to bed to check on crosby.

the unit coordinator patched me through to crosby's nurse.

i said, "hey, this is courtney.  i just wanted to check on crosby."

and she said, "you will NEVER believe it!  you will NEVER believe it!  she is such a princess!!  she is just such a princess!"

and i said, "crosby?  she??"

and she said, "yes!  she is just such a princess!"

and i said, "well, crosby is a boy."

and she said in a very flustered voice, "i am so sorry.  i am so sorry.  i thought you were mrs. lewis."

yikes.

i guess we have to be able to find the humor in it all, right? :)

::thankful::

crosby is finishing up the last of his 48 hour workup.  so far, he seems healthy and we are hoping everything comes back negative today and he will be able to resume feeds.  

lily loves peeking in on her new brother!

and because we haven't entirely neglected lily and finn...

::our love::

our sweet boy is on bowel rest for the next 48 hours as he had a few signs of a possible infection.

thankfully, he seems really comfortable and his vitals are stable.  we are praying the workup will show no problems and he will be back to getting milk in no time.  his nurses say he is a little grouchy not to be fed...he is seeming to take after his big brother! :)

happy one week birthday, crosby!

this week has been an emotional roller coaster, but our sweet little guy has brought so many bright spots to the ups and downs.

he is one week old today and we give all the glory to God.  he is far exceeding all of our expectations.

we cannot thank you all enough for your prayers and support.

under the bili lights.

having a nasal cannula trial.

holding him for the first time 3 days ago...heaven!

oh how we love our sweet little guy!

::welcome::

introuducing:

Crosby Dunkin Smith

born on March 7, 2011

weighing 2 lbs 6 oz

"Crosby" means "at the cross" and we truly feel like we have spent this pregnancy at the foot of the cross knowing that our trust had to be in the Lord.  through all of the trials, we have felt so surrounded in His love and felt that it fit him perfectly.

and "Dunkin" is a family name that both my dad and my brother duke have as middle names.  Duke was born 3 1/2 months early and is an absolute miracle...we are praying Crosby takes after him in his strength and toughness.

we cannot thank you all enough for your support, love and prayers.  we truly would not have made it through these last 2 months and especially the last 5 days without all of you.  we could never tell you enough how thankful and indebted we are to you all.

we can't wait for you to meet our little miracle.

Friends-
As many of you know, Court was admitted to the hospital on Friday. Her OB monitored her for a while there, but there were some disconcerting fetal heart tracings while she was there and so she was transferred to the bigger hospital in our town. She is on medication to prevent her from contracting, but she is still bleeding and requiring transfusions. They are pushing us towards C-section but she is only 27 weeks which brings about a lot of potential complications for the baby. We just ask for your prayers in this time of uncertainty-specifically for Court and the baby's safety. Especially we are just praying that if any way possible, the bleeding and contractions would stop and that she would be able to go home with the baby safe and sound.
Love,
Ry, Court, Lily, Finn and the Baby

::awesome::

this isn't the sort of thing i would normally endorse.  but it is just so funny.

plus, this video is pretty much what it is like eating with finn nowadays.  except this baby is a bit quieter.

last night i tried to get him to eat pasta with a fork...let's just say the fork was on the floor and pasta sauce covered every inch of his visible skin.

this is the type of thing you should watch more than once...it gets funnier!

welcome!

my handsome boys...sometime last year.

ryan has long claimed that march is the best month of the year.

i used to dispute this claim vehemently.  i mean, c'mon, the months that you are deeper into spring are just glorious.  and what's not to love about the summer months?  delicious!

but, he always had good reasons why he loved march.
one of which, was of course, his birthday.
followed by march madness.
then spring break.
and the weather warming up.

i must say, he makes a good case for the month.

and this month, we are praying our baby makes it to it's 30th week, all sweetly tucked in.  and that will feel like a huge victory.

and, as much as i love the other spring and summer months, i am someone who loves delayed gratification and the promise of good things on the horizon.

so, march this year is feeling like it might be one of the best months.

welcome march!