So much to be thankful for!

This year has been full of surprises, good and bad, but I know Tyler would agree that this has been our best year yet! We have so much to be thankful for that I can't even begin to list all the ways God has blessed us this year. Most of all, we are thankful that God has given us this sweet little boy to love and raise. We have had to lean on God more than ever this year. We've been challenged in so many ways and yet He continues to bless us over and over. In light of all this, this Thanksgiving has a very special meaning to us. We are also very thankful for our friends and family that have loved us and supported us in so many ways. We want you to know we are thankful for you!

Another blessing...We continue to get good reports from the doctors. The day before Thanksgiving, Max had an appointment with his electrophysiologist at Vandy. He had 2 echoes and 2 EKG's during the 3 hour appointment. We were all exhausted by the end, but it was worth it because Dr. Radbill said Max is doing great! He said Max's heart looks very strong and that structurally, his heart looks great! His valves are no longer leaking and his pacemaker is functioning well. He increased Max's heart rate to 120, which has been the goal, all along. Dr. Radbill said we will keep his heart rate at 120 for quite a while, now. I can tell a huge difference in Max's energy level since we increased his heart rate. He has increased how much milk he takes, he is more interested in playing, and also plays longer and sleeps less. Those 10 extra beats a minute have made a big difference!

Sweet baby was so good during his echoes. He had to lay perfectly still the whole time. That's a lot to ask a 4 month old to do.

The machine that reads Max's pacemaker.

Max hated his EKGs. He definitely had an opinion about what was going on!

Now for the Thanksgiving photos...

What a little turkey!

Happy Baby!

Doing some tummy time!

4 Months Old

Max is 4 months old now and changing everyday. We had a visit with Dr. Dykstra, his pediatrician, today, and Max got a good report from her as well as some shots. He didn't like them too much and has been pretty pitiful and fussy all day. He now weighs 11 lbs and 7 oz and is 23.5 inches long. She said he is also meeting all his developmental milestones, which was very good to hear.

Max is in a very snuggly phase right now and he wants to be held a lot. That's fine with me because I know it won't last forever. He is growing up so fast! His teacher at daycare tells us he is adjusting very well, which is so comforting to me. It makes it a lot easier to go to work knowing he is being well taken care of and he is enjoying himself. At home, he loves playing on his owl play mat and is very close to rolling over. He also found his voice today and it was hilarious! He "squealed" all evening just to be able to hear his own voice. I'm looking forward to the new things he learns this month and also making some great memories!

"I'm handsome and I know it."

4 months old; playing hard and practicing my squeal

We had some fun with the camera at Mimi and Pal's house

Halloween!

Halloween is one of my very favorite holidays, and I've been looking forward to this one in particular for at least 6 months! Since we have so many babies that are all about the same age, we thought it would be fun to have a theme and dress them all up together. We decided to do the Wizard of Oz as our theme and we got all the kids costumes that go along with the movie. Josh and Allison had the party at their house and it was so much fun!! Allison made taco soup, cute little owl cupcakes, and spooky green party punch. It was madness trying to get all the babies to pose so we could take their picture, but it was a blast! I'll always remember what a great first Halloween we had with our little tin man!

How cute are these babies?! Lilly is a pea in a pod and the other kids are characters from the Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz cast... Walker (scarecrow), Max (tin man), Morgan (Dorothy), Ellen, (Glenda the good witch), and Tripp (the lion). I honestly don't think they could be any cuter!!

All the moms with their kiddos on their first Halloween

We love our little tin man!

Our good friends Josh, Allison and Walker Bailey. Thanks for throwing such a spectacular first Halloween for our kids.

Allison made owl cupcakes and spooky green party punch. What a fun party!

Isn't he the cutest little tin man you've ever seen?

A Fun Fall!

We've had a very busy 3 weeks since my last post. We've had a birth, a 30th birthday, and lots of Fall fun! Here's a summary of what's been going on lately...

On October 18th, Thomas Michael Hunter III was born. We call him Tripp, and he's such a cutie! His parents are Thomas and Jessica Hunter and they are very special friends to us. We've been waiting for Tripp to make his debut so he and Max can be great friends.

One of Tripp's first photos

Max was so excited to meet his buddy, Tripp, at the hospital

Tyler and Tripp right after Tripp was born. Tyler, Max, and I came to the hospital while Jess was in labor so we could be there to celebrate when Tripp was born. We were so excited for him to arrive!

Then Max and I had some fun in the leaves. Fall is my favorite time of year and I wanted to take some sweet photos of Max outside...

Fun Fall Photos

For my 30th birthday, Mom came over and spent the day with Max and me. Then Dad and Tyler joined us for dinner. We got carry out Greek food from my favorite place, opened gifts, ate hot fudge ice cream sundaes, and just spent some quality time together. It was a perfect 30th birthday!

The following Saturday, Allison, Walker, Max, and I went to Gentry Farms to enjoy more Fall fun and take photos of the boys. It was so much fun!

Max in the pumpkin patch

Amy, Max, Allison, and Walker having fun at Gentry Farms

Look at those cute little punkin' heads! Max and Walker are going to be great friends when they get older

I love hanging out with this sweet boy!

Saturday evening, we had our friends and all the babies over to help celebrate my 30th birthday. It was great to be able to visit with everyone and spend a few hours just hanging out.

Tyler and Max at Amy's 30th birthday party

I wanted a hot fudge sundae instead of a birthday cake for my 30th birthday