It seems like just yesterday...

...that we welcomed our fourth child.

...that we heard his cry.

...that we knew he would live.

...that we saw his sweet face.

...that we watched as they took him.

...that they wrapped his belly in plastic.

...that we couldn't feed him.

...that we couldn't hold him.

...that we were reminded of God's infinite love.

WOW! Can you believe it? James is ONE YEAR OLD! What a day! It seems like just yesterday that we shared the news of Cuatro with all of you. Now he is a great big boy. He is a toddler. When did that happen? We are so thankful that James has joined our family and we are eternally grateful for the joy that he has brought to our family. We had a small celebration at home today, but will have a bigger gathering this weekend. Instead of gifts, we asked that people send items for the NICU at Le Bonheur. I have spoken with the charge nurse there and she let me know what they need: basics like preemie clothes, onesies, and toiletries. We are very excited to deliver the items on Tuesday and show everyone how well James is doing. One day soon, I will update with all of his tricks--he's a funny kid.

I wanted to share bits and pieces from our Caring Bridge posts on February 11th, 2009. I thought it would be great to show just how far our baby boy has come. Keep in mind that both Tommy and my sister were writing that day:

James Benedict Haberman was born and was screaming like a good little boy! They've taken him to NICU, and are evaluating him right now. Someone will post more when we get the details (weight, length, etc.), but for now the doctors seemed pretty optimistic.

It looks like the little man was quite the partier in utero - he had tied two knots in his umbilical cord (from all that dancing), and that is probably why his amniotic fluid was down. It's good that they got him out, and now the process of handling the omphalocele begins.

Apparently, the 4 week early baby boy is well over 6 pounds. In fact, he's 6 pounds 15 ounces. Almost 7 pounds! Holy cow! I just talked with Tommy and he told me that James is rosy and pink, and absolutely adorable. Tommy is on his way to LeBonhueur as I type. Bernie is still at Methodist Germantown, and she's definitely happy to have Baby James here. She needs to get some rest and take care of herself so that she can get over to see Baby James soon.

I [Tommy] just returned from LeBonheur and a nice visit with James. However, you never get used to NICU's and all the monitors and the constant beeping, wondering if there is something wrong with your child.

James continues to do very well. They did some initial blood work and it came back with great results. Although the surgery itself will be stressful, tomorrow might be the most important day in terms of James' prognosis. The doctors will perform a series of tests on James' heart, kidneys, brain, and chromosomes to determine if there are any other anomalies. Please pray that these tests come back "negative" and that the only thing we will deal with is the surgery to fix James' omphalocele.

I was able to meet with a member of the surgical team. He was very happy with James right now. His guess was that surgery would be early next week or possibly over the weekend. He said the omphalocele looks very good and that it only contains small intestines. James also had a couple of diaper changes while I was there which the doctors were also happy about as it indicates that all his intestines/bowels are working as they should

Thank you for your prayers and support. It's amazing to open the guestbook and see all those people thinking about our family.

When I read these words, I still get teary eyed. I think about what a blessing all of our children are and how thankful Tommy and I are that we have them in our lives. We are thankful for our family friends and how supportive they have been over the past year(s). We are also thankful for all of you and your constant thoughts and prayers. We always enjoy seeing your comments and appreciate your taking the time to check in on us. Have a wonderful weekend and God bless!

PS...don't you just love the pics of James? Check out http://www.shannonpaynephotography.com/. She does a great job (thanks to my friend, Katie, for sending Shannon's info.).