Just lazin' around!

It's been a great weekend of just lounging around, sleeping in (for Cole, he's been sleeping until about 8:30 or 9 this weekend!), fun in the snow, and just being together! Adam made Cole a snow fort and took him sledding with the dogs tied to the sled to pull him down the street. Mason is in his usual outfit - diaper and blue blankie. I'm anxious to actually dress him in some of the cute clothes I have for him once he can come out from under his glowing bed! He has another set of labs in the morning and we will hopefully be close to trying it without the lights! He is likely to need a blood transfusion this week though so just be praying that everything will go well with that if need be.

Adam and I have traded off taking little excursions out of the house here and there. We can't really pack up the fam and go anywhere yet. That's okay though, the roads have been bad and it's so cold outside that I'm content to be in my warm house!

Well, it's onto 2009 this week! We've had such a blessed year this year and can't wait to see what the next brings!

Christmas with the Buchers!

Our first and best Christmas present was Mason and the fact that he got to be home for Christmas! What a blessing!!! We had such a fun day! We were going to spend Christmas at Adam's parents but with Mason needing to be in his little light bed, we decided to have it over here. Adam's mom brought all the food and did all the work of getting that ready! Thanks so much!!!

We actually had to go in and semi-wake Cole up. He is usually up between 7-7:30am, but slept until 8:30 Christmas morning. We walked into his room and he immediately woke up. We told him Santa had eaten all his cookies and milk and he'd better go look in the family room. When he ran out there, the presents were all over the family room floor and he couldn't stop smiling!!! It was so cute! He got to open some presents, we had breakfast and then the Bucher gang showed up. We opened presents, munched on lots of good food, played Beyond Balderdash, and lounged around. Then we had a delicious turkey dinner and could hardly get up from the table!

We're so thankful that God sent his son to be born in a simple manger and to live and then die for us. That's the ultimate Christmas gift! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas too!!!

We did take Mason out from under the lights for a quick Christmas picture!

SOOOOOOOOOO glad to be home!!!!!!!

This past 9 days has been quite a ride! The arrival of Mason Benjamin Bucher came on Sunday, December 14th at 4:01am. We went into the hospital around 2am and I was dilated to 7cm. By the time my epidural was done, I was ready to push and had him about 20 minutes later. Thank goodness for our bodies knowing what to do after the first kid!!!

So he was 8lb 7oz, 19 3/4" long and absolutely beautiful and healthy! We planned on going home the next afternoon but got a call from the pediatrician that afternoon saying they found out that he has an ABO incompatability. This means that he has a difference in his blood type which I made antibodies to and passed him. These antibodies then fight against his red blood cells and cause them to break down and die and turn into bilirubin. A lot of babies get jaundiced in the first few days after birth but because of the increase in his red blood cells dying, his bilirubin went way up really quickly and he was at risk for dangerous side effects if we didn't do anything. So for 2 days in the newborn nursery he was under phototherapy lights. We thought we were going to get to go home and then his bilirubin level went up again. So I was discharged from the hospital and we transfered Mason to pediatrics for closer monitoring. When his levels went up even more the next day, they decided to put him in the NICU and give him some medicine through an IV that would bind to the antibodies and stop breaking down his red blood cells. After 2 doses of that, his bilirubin level started coming down and after 6 days in the NICU we were finally able to bring him home today. We have a "bili bed" that he has to be in most of the time other than to feed and cuddle him a little. Hopefully that will just be for a few days and then we're home free on the bilirubin. They said though that with babies with ABO incompatabilities, a lot of times they will need a blood transfusion at around 4-6 weeks due to their red blood cells dropping faster than other babies. So, we are praying that he will not need that, even though it is a routine in and out of the hospital thing.

God blessed us so much throughout this whole thing. I was able to get a room to stay at the hospital every night so I could feed him and be with him every day. God allowed him to be born at full term when he was at his healthiest and biggest so he didn't have any other health issues to deal with during this. He also took care of Mason and allowed the best doctors and nurses to care for him from day one and we were able to avoid an exchange transfusion (they basically exchange his blood for a donor's). God is so good and answered our prayers the whole way! Thanks to all of you who were praying for us, we appreciate it and know that it helped!

Through all this Cole has had a week between grandma's houses and being home a few nights with Adam. He has faired wonderfully and we are so excited to be able to be home with him and get back to being a normal family! And to be able to be home for Christmas is such a blessing! We are looking forward to the holidays and just enjoying being a family of 4! We hope you enjoy these pictures and have a wonderful Christmas!

at right: Mason in his "suitcase" phototherapy bed.

2 words...

NO BABY!

I wake up everyday thinking maybe it's the day but so far, each has left me with my extremely large abdomen! Cole keeps saying "Saturday", we'll see. I really don't want to go to work tomorrow so maybe something will happen within the next 12 hours or so! Keep ya posted!

Big brother haircut!

Cole got a new haircut tonight. Instead of the usual one length for the whole head, Adam decided to do a "fade". We told Cole it was his new big brother haircut. He didn't cry as much as usual either so he is definitely becoming such a big boy! Maybe the bribe of a gumdrop from our gumdrop tree and some chocolate ice cream helped:-)

Here's a pic of him helping me wrap Christmas presents this afternoon too. He thought he was an elf:-)

Ready and waiting!

Yes, I'm still pregnant! I have been quite impatient the past 2 weeks and realized that I just need to relax and let Mason come when he's ready. I haven't gone as far as drinking casteroil or trying to induce labor myself in any way, but they have crossed my mind:-) I've just been spending the time getting last minute things ready, decorating for Christmas, and trying not to be jealous of my friend Renee who just had her baby (3 weeks early I might add:-)! I had a cold last week and now that I'm over it am so glad that I didn't go into labor while sick and today Adam was hunting, my mom was at their cabin in McCall, as was my doctor. So I'm also glad it didn't happen today! Tonight would be alright though!

I'm enjoying my time with Cole and Adam though. Cole and I hit the Winterland Parade down Mainstreet in Meridian this morning. It was his first parade and he thought it was pretty cool! I hadn't told him that they throw candy and he thought that was great, even though half of the people giving out candy passed him over. They must have thought he was too little!

Anyways, just thought I'd update everyone. I do still have 10 days until my due date so I need to just chill! On the other hand, Cole was born a week early, so it could be any time! Our family is starting to guess dates but we don't have any money on it like we did with Cole. My doctor (Auntie Fay) won last time with Cole so everyone probably gave up on betting this time:-)

Hope you're all enjoying the Christmas season! I'll keep you "posted"!

We celebrated Christmas with my family at Thanksgiving because that is my side of the family's holiday this year and Missy & Jason and Casey & Kim were in town. Just thought I'd throw in a pic of my parents in their Christmas hats!

Thanksgiving!

I'm a little hesitant to use my camera right now because it is all charged and ready for the new baby's arrival and I know as soon as I take it out to use it the battery will get all used up, I'll misplace it, and then forget it on our way to the hospital. I wanted to post anyways and feel like I have a good reason!
We had a really good sermon today on praise and thanksgiving to God! It talked about how praise is not a product of our outside circumstances but comes from the inside and is a choice. The second point was that a thankful heart should be focused on how good God is, not how things are going around us. There were ten reasons given for a thankful heart and I'd like to share them and let you know why I'm thankful this year for each one!
1. He forgives all my sins! (Psalms 103:2, 12)
- Well, what can I say, I'm a sinner and it's awsome to know my sins have been wiped away.
2. He heals my diseases.
- Adam's dad was completely healed of viral encephalitis that came on so quickly and suddenly and could have taken his life or left him with long term side-effects.
3. He redeems my life from the pit. (Psalms 103:4)
- When I'm overcome with fear or worry about things out of my control, he offers me peace that I can't find anywhere else.
4. He crowns me with love.
- He continually teaches me about unconditional love and slowly I'm grasping it and trying to live my life by showing that.
5. He satisfies my desire with good things. (Psalms 103:5)
- I have an absolutely incredible husband and son and can't wait to meet my second son! That's about as good as it gets!
6. He renews my youth.
- He give me the energy every day to take care of Cole:-)
7. He works for the oppressed. (Psalms 103:6)
- Adam's brother is out of work right now, with a new home and a baby on the way. God is giving them peace as they trust Him. It's awsome to see how we can learn to see things in a way most of the world can't because we have a loving Savior!
8. He gives me a foundation to stand on. (Psalms 103:7-8)
- He is the only things we can cling to and feel safe with in the world right now. The economy is scary and jobs are insecure but I know that my foundation is solid!
9. He doesn't treat me like I deserve. (Psalms 103:9-11)
- There are plenty of times that I get too busy to spend time daily with God and He is always there, waiting for me with open arms, never forsaking me!
10. He is a great Father to me. (Psalms 103:13-22)
- I'm so thankful for my dad here on earth and how great he is. God has just given me a glimpse through that of how great a Father he is and He always provides what I need, even when I don't know what that is.

I just felt like sharing about how much there is to be thankful for. I've been so blessed in my life and I know it is because God is so good, not because of the things I've done or because I deserve it in anyway. As you enter this week of Thanksgiving, take a look at your life, I'm sure it'll open your eyes to how much you have to give thanks to God for! Happy Thanksgiving!