Christmas in Review...

MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone! I know, it's a little late, but I have never been known to be on time--just ask Tommy. We had a very busy Christmas here at home. Nana (Tommy's mom) came to visit and we had a great time. To say that this was the most difficult Christmas we have faced would be an understatement. Of course we missed our angel Luke so much. This time last year, we were filled with hope, expecting another baby girl (note: if you recall, Luke was a "girl" for TWO ultrasounds), and looking forward to 2008. Little did we know that we not only had a boy on our hands, but a boy who was quite sick (but also very strong). As we have said throughout this journey, Luke brought so much love and strength to our family. We would not be the same without him. This Christmas, we are once again filled with hope, expecting another one of God's miracles, and looking forward to the year ahead. Tommy and I were eager to welcome 2009 and all of the blessings it will bring. We had our good friends, Jacque and Rich, and their three kiddos visit for the New Year. Rich and Jacque introduced us, so we are very thankful to have them as friends. We had fun doing "old people" things like playing board games and reminiscing about high school and college. I even pulled out our old yearbooks! Here are some pictures of the past few weeks:

Emily and Matthew before Mass on Christmas Eve

Me and Tommy before Mass

Tommy and Nana before Mass

I know it's a dark video, but I thought the kids looked cute throwing out reindeer food for Rudolph and his friends. We mixed oatmeal and sugar crystals so that the reindeer could see the food from the sky. This is a tradition that the kids love!

We took Nana to see the ducks at The Peabody Hotel in Memphis. It was a fun time!

These are a few new pics of Sweet Baby James at 30 weeks, 2 days. James is still growing well and is at the 46% for size. We are feeling so thankful and so blessed that he is doing so well with his growth. Although the omphalocele is staying stable (thank you, God!), the perinatalogist thought that he saw a little liver in there, so we are praying that this is not the case. ***As a side note, the tech said it was still only small bowel*** We are feeling more confident that the omphalocele is all that we will be dealing with and I am constantly thankful to God for giving me moments of peace that all will be ok with our little boy. I feel so selfish for always asking for prayers, but I know that they work and that God is hearing them, so please keep them coming! We are still praying for a miracle and that the omphalocele will go away--we do believe in miracles!!!! We are also still praying for no chromosomal issues, no growth in the omphalocele, continued growth for James, and that only the small bowel remains. Thank you, in advance, for your prayers! PS...I love the pic of James sucking his thumb--he was also sticking his tongue out at the kids when they were in the ultrasound room!

BIG NEWS! Emily had a huge day today...after growing it out for 1 1/2 years, Emily cut her hair today. She is donating it to Locks of Love and is so happy that she will be able to help another child who is sick. We are so proud of our little girl and we think she looks just fabulous with her stacked cut! Above is Emily's before picture.

During...my eyes got a little teary!

Our beautiful big girl after. She can't wait to show off her new 'do at school on Monday!

Once again, thank you for your constant thoughts and prayers. We are so blessed to have people like you all who check up on us and who pray for our family. God bless you all and we hope that you have a happy and blessed New Year!