Friday, March 27, 2009

Ethan's new friend


Kim here… if it’s not already obvious from all of the writing and detail. :) I want to thank all of you who have been praying for the pregnancy and delivery. Ethan had a blood vessel burst on each side of his head due to the pressure in the birth canal, but is doing well. He has anemia because of the loss of blood. The swelling in his head has subsided, even faster than the pediatrician expected. We are thankful that he is doing well. I have had a longer recovery than I expected. I go for my 6 week check-up today and still have soreness and discomfort. It’s much better than the pain that I experienced the first 3 weeks though. Gary has been such a huge help and wonderful dad who has totally jumped in feet first (actually, hands first). He and I have also been so grateful for the many meals that people have provided as well as offering to help in other ways. It’s been such a blessing to us.

Because of me taking a while to recover, I’ve not been able to get out like I had hoped. Most of it has been for doctors’ appointments, going to the embassy, the immigration office, and things like that which must be done within a certain time frame. Those who know me know that I need much social interaction, so it’s been rough not having much. I was so thankful to go to a women’s time last week that my mission has each month (which Gary insisted that I attend) and to go to church on Sunday. The highlight of my 5 weeks was being able to go to school a few days ago and see everyone there. And then, that night, some friends brought dinner over and we visited a while. That was the most social interaction that I have had in one day during these 5 weeks.

Kevin and Kristen’s son, Seth, is 15 months old and enjoyed the play gym more than Ethan did. The four of us were entertained by watching Seth interact with Ethan.









Saturday, March 21, 2009

Ethan had his 1 month check-up this past week, and he is doing very well. Since birth he has gained 2" in length and 2 pounds.

The swelling of his head that he had at birth has pretty much disappeared. In a month the doctor will check to see if he still has anemia.


Here is Ethan doing his best Bill Murray imitation. So he's got that going for him -- which is nice.

First bath





This was Ethan's first bath some time ago. Bathing is not one of his favorite things; he much prefers hiccuping.


















Kim is especially pleased that Ethan is looking at the camera for this post-bath photo.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Receiving meals

We have been blessed to have many people provide meals for us since Ethan's birth. This has been an example of the members of the body of Christ caring for each other in practical ways.

After already giving us two meals, Michelle insisted on making us a third one. She came over to our place and made pizza, which Kim had been craving. Michelle is herself pregnant, and Kim was filling her in on the details of giving birth at Telki hospital.

First walk






We took Ethan for his first walk outdoors yesterday on a nice sunny day.



He slept through all of it.











Kim was glad to go for a short walk outdoors after having so much pain and discomfort for almost 3 weeks after the birth.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to our blog.

As decidedly non-technical people, this is a step of faith as we enter this realm.

With the addition of our son Ethan to our family, we thought it was time to make words, photos, and videos available for viewing by family and friends.

We invite your comments and feedback.

Enjoy!
Gary, Kim. and Ethan Rickard