Spring into Eating!

Joshua did great with eating again today. I kept getting his nose with the spoon as he would move, but he ate all but the last two bites in his bowl! Hooray! This time he was much more interested in the bowl as a potential toy, but I tried to help occupy him with eating instead. He also drank from a sippy cup for the first time! Hooray! I'm not so sure the sippy part was in because it leaked, but then it wasn't as much work for him either. He made a funny face like, "this isn't my formula, mommy..." but he drank nonetheless and seemed to enjoy it.

I called my mom to see if she wanted to go on a walk with the Bean after she got out of work, which she agreed to. It was 85 degrees according to the bank clock, she said. Wow! I knew it was warm, but I didn't realize it was that beautiful. Other than a quick outing to meet Daddy for lunch (the highlight of my day), we've been inside as I'm hurridly preparing for Millersville this week and writing a bunch of last-minute copy jobs (and playing with Joshua, of course!).

Yesterday Joshua was cracking me up. Every time I put him on his belly, which helps increase his strength, he rolled right onto his back. Silly Bean! His socks came off today so he could discover his toes. I'm sure once they're out in the open more frequently, he'll learn how great those toes really are (the only reason I care is that it's a sign of physical capability). Hooray for another NICE DAY!

Sweet Eats!

Here are pictures of Joshua's first attempt at eating. He did a great job! He wasn't exhausted, didn't fight with us over the spoon or dip his hands in the bowl, opened his mouth some of the time to accept the spoon immediately, and didn't spit it all back out. I think he actually ate quite a bit. When he got tired of being there, we called it a day. Hooray for our big guy!

I'm ready for a messy meal, he says!

Pictures of him enjoying the food:

This weekend was very productive. I got a lot of grading done while Shawn & I watched episodes of the last season of the West Wing that my sister Becky lent to us. I also met with Dave & his brother Brian for lunch on Saturday, which was interesting and fun. Then last night Shawn & I went to our friends Cheryl & Burnell's house for dinner. Cheryl is an amazing cook and great with kids (they have three of their own). Joshua thought that both she & Burnell were hysterical, and he finally passed out from exhaustion and napped for a little bit in Jemiah's crib while we played a game called Compatability. Shawn & I won by a very small margin. It was so nice to be among people our own age and their kiddos. All three of their little ones are precious! We highly enjoyed our time there.

Unfortunatley, Joshua did not sleep much this weekend. In fact, last night he was up almost the entire night. Ugh!!! Hopefully we can get him back on schedule this week so we have a nice weekend with Grandma & Grandpa Ginder this coming weekend!

Silly Daddy Story

Thursday before I left for Milleresville I asked Shawn to bathe Joshua IF he had time and was able since Joshua had a doctor's appointment Friday morning and I hadn't had the time to do it during the day. I called to let Shawn know that I was coming home when class was over, and he asked frantically "where are the onesies?" I had forgotten to lay out Joshua's clothing since I normally dress him, and poor Daddy couldn't find any clothing that fit the big Bean, even with my systematic organization. I told Shawn where to find them and assured him I would be home within 20 minutes. I came home and Joshua looked like this. I laughed so hard I cried. First of all, this is a 0-3 month bunting that my mom had gotten Joshua when he was still in the NICU. Of all the things for Shawn to pull out of the back of his closet, he chose this because it looked soft and warm. I'm sure warm doesn't even BEGIN to describe how hot this thing must have been for the Bean. He looked so adorable!!!

Then, as I'm taking it off to put on a real sleeper, I notice that Daddy had also managed to find a pair of newborn socks that I had left in the basket under the changing table. The part of the sock that's supposed to fold down around Joshua's ankle was BARELY reaching the edge of his heel. By this point, I'm hysterical with laughter. Shawn thought he looked so cute, and while I was thankful that he took the intiative to bathe him on his own, I realized that I'll need to make sure that appropriate clothing is laid out next time for the sanity of both my boys. So, today I bought another plastic bin at Wal-mart and packed up anything that was the wrong size so there wouldn't be any more confusion. I had been keeping 3-6 month clothing out because I get so sentimental putting things away...while it's great that Joshua is growing it's also somewhat sad to put favorite outfits away that we both enjoyed.

Bean didn't seem to mind the extra heat from the bunting at all after his bath. He's pretty easy going (unless you try to lay him down to sleep...right now you would think we were torturing this poor child if you could hear him screaming in the background. Two more minutes and I'm going to go get him.) Anyway, I remember "Silly Sally" jokes from when I was younger, and all I could think when I was getting real clothing on Joshua was "Silly Daddy." Just an FYI, the crying Joshua didn't last another two minutes. His tears have turned into silence as he nodded off. Now he's sleeping away...ahhhh. Time for us to go to bed, too, while he's resting. Good night!

Juicy Fruit of the Spirit #7: Faithfulness

Last Sunday I went to church while Shawn watched Joshua. On the way there, I had tuned into the sermon on WJTL, and the pastor was talking about the Fruit of the Spirit. I only caught about 5-10 minutes of his teaching since that's all the longer that it takes me to get to church, but when I tuned in he was talking about fueling your car and how different things that you do in your life can fuel your soul toward the Fruit of the Spirit or toward the darkness of your life before you were saved. So, he asked you to think about what was the music that you listen to fueling or your language, etc. Please pray that Joshua fuels his spiritual tank with things that help him display "Juicy Fruit" when his life is squeezed.

Since we're on the fruit of faithfulness, I looked up 'faithful' in the Bible. (It's funny & amazing how God brings themes into your life when He's trying to teach you!) The first passage that caught my eye was this one in Deuteronomy, which talks about how if we're faithful God brings the 'rain' that He touched me with yesterday on my way home: "So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul — then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil." Deuteronomy 11:13-14

This next passage is the one I thought of immediately when thinking about faithfulness. Matthew 25:21 says"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'" My biggest desire is to hear "well done, good & faithful servant" when it's my time to go home. I pray that Joshua will be good & faithful in his walk to hear those words from our Saviour, too.

Faithfulness, however, is not always the easy road. I know that sometimes when we have committed to do something, for this reason or that reason I want to back out of our plans. But, Shawn usually weighs in and continues to be steadfast and faithful, which is one reason that I respect him so much. He always says that if we don't want to do it, we should be up front and not make plans or say that we will from the start, even if it's simply a mood change on my part. I know that when we are faithful with small things, we are put in charge of even bigger things because tasks are given to those who will be faithful to carry them out.

Please pray that Joshua is faithful to others, faithful to his beliefs, and faithful to do the work of Jesus. Two other scriptures that show God's promises to his faithful ones are: Revelation 2:10 "...Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life" and Psalm 37:28 "For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off..."

Thank you, Lord, for Joshua. We pray that you would help Shawn and me to be good role models for him and teach him to walk in your truth. We pray today for not only his health, safety & protection but also for his Godly character. Please help him to grow up to be just like you. We ask that the Holy Spirit would encourage him to be faithful, and that this fruit would be evident in his life. In Jesus' name we pray, AMEN!

Click here to see a somewhat goofy video where Joshua is giggling a little. He was laughing hysterically so I picked up the camera to video it but had to balance him and the camera and still try to make him laugh...anyway, enjoy!

Grace Like Rain...

Today was Joshua's 6-month well-baby check-up. It was the best check-up we've had so far! Joshua weighs a whopping 17 lbs 7 oz and is over 26 inches long! That puts him at the 50th percentile for his age in both weight and height, so he's now the perfect 6-month baby not lagging behind because of his prematurity. At this point, we are allowed to stop the NeoSure! Hooray for no more ultra-expensive formula!!! Now we can move to regular formula so long as it still has the necessary fatty acids including DHA. I think we'll probably switch to the normal Similac Advanced (or whatever's on sale, realistically). Yeah for Joshua!

We're also allowed to start trying to feed him solid foods, introducing them slowly as he's able. That includes seeing if he'll drink water from a sippy cup. What a BIG boy! However, the doctor also said not to get disappointed if it doesn't work the first time. We'll just keep trying later if he can't handle all this new stuff at once.

Today I saw Dr. Tifft, who I believe is the one who began this practice. While he's very popular and hard to get in to see, I really liked him. So, now I have two favorites there, the female Dr. Hoshauer and the male Dr. Tifft, which should be sufficient for all of Joshua's needs. Dr. Tifft also said that he doesn't think Joshua is that far behind mobility-wise. He said that getting him physical therapy couldn't hurt since it's free, but I shouldn't be overly concerned because he's holding his head up well and starting to roll and do things on his own. The one thing he said Joshua needed was toneness & muscle definition (I guess the Bean gets this lack of definition from his mommy - ha!) but overall he seems to be doing just fine. He said that by a year old, you won't even notice a difference between him and other babies his age.

He said that in April Joshua's allowed to be out and about within reason. People should still wash their hands before touching him and take necessary precautions (someone with the flu or a cold shouldn't be in his face) but we're over the big "worry" season since most major sicknesses are done for the year. His one concern was Joshua's pulmonary ability, not because Joshua shows any signs of trouble, but simply because he wanted Shawn & I to follow up with CHOP on what their expectations would be for his physical capabilities and pulmonary function. So, I jotted that question down to ask them.

Dr. Tifft also noted how intelligent Joshua is already. He noted that the baby was somewhat afraid of him or not happy to be touched by a stranger. He said that that's quite intelligent for this age that he recognizes him as a stranger and not part of his normal crowd. So, our Bean is smart as a whip!

Overall, the check-up went extremely well (other than hearing him scream from getting shots, which is normal but heartbreaking). Here are some pictures of Joshua in his car seat. It's time to pack up this car seat and his swing since most of these things have an 18-20 lbs maximum. Compare it to this first picture of bringing him home. He's getting SO BIG!

I called Shawn so we could meet him for lunch so I could tell him all the good news (I scheduled the 9-month well-baby appointment for after Shawn gets out of work so he can actually meet Dr. Tifft and see what a check-up is like) and on the way home Todd Agnew's song "Grace Like Rain" came on the radio. It was pouring outside, and I had a new appreciation for what Grace like Rain not only looks like but feels like...we are so blessed! Here is a picture from the first week of Joshua's life to remind us of what he's come through and how great a miracle it is that he's doing so well!

Can I Get a Witness?

Hooray! I finally saw Joshua roll from his belly to his back, COMPLETELY unassisted. I was playing with him, and he got on his side because he was looking at a toy I had and then lo' and behold...he rolled!!!

This morning my cousin Cindy came to visit us and brought lunch with her. I haven't seen her in years...probably even before Shawn & I started dating, so it was nice to catch up. This past weekend my mom left for Texas to visit one of her nieces (that's close to her age, I think). Her sister and her nieces' sisters were going, too. Thus, we got to see my Aunt Karen Wolfe for a little while before they left. Brian & Gayle also stopped in this evening, so it's been a busy day.

Mo' Movement Monday

This morning Joshua woke up at the crack of dawn, ready to eat and play the day away. I sleepily got him a bottle and then started getting ready for the day myself. We saw Daddy off to work, and then the woman from Early Intervention and the Physical Therapist "Evaluator" came around 9:15 a.m. The lady giving the evaluation played with Joshua, and he actually liked her right off the bat (which has been rare these days, so I was quite thankful for that!) and started playing.

Afterward, he was ready for a brief nap, and they gave me the results. He does qualify for Early Intervention in three areas. All three, though, basically relate to mobility. The first area is "self-care" and the only reason that he didn't score well in that area is because he isn't eating from a spoon yet. She said as soon as he starts eating solid foods, he will be fine in that category. The second area is "cognitive" something-or-other, which she said he scored low in only because he didn't have the physical strength to fully reach out and lunge for a toy and examine it thoroughly. The third area was mobility, which was the greatest concern. She showed me some charts of where he should be for his birth date. We then talked about him being premature, and she said he's within the range of normal for a 4-month old, which is where he would have been if he would have been born on his due date. He's slightly behind even for a 4-month old, but she said the lung surgery probably should also be taken into consideration, knowing that he has to work on breathing, spent time in the N.I.C.U., and has had more things to deal with than most other 4-month olds. If she was doing the evaluation based on his due date, he would not qualify for services. Since they don't back date for prematurity, he does qualify based on the evaluation for a 6-month old.

They then created a Family Plan with an outline of goals. Within the next six months, they want him to be able to support his body on his arms, roll both ways, pull himself up and hopefully start walking. Basically, they want him to be strong enough to move his body against gravity. She did show me a couple of ways to do that, but then he was starting to get fussy to eat again since his breakfast had been so early this morning. So, I got to see them but not practice them with the women there. (I tried them later in the afternoon, but they felt awkward compared to how easy she made it look.) The physical therapist thought that we could be monitored for the next six months to make sure that his physical capabilities improved, but the Early Intervention lady suggested that someone come every other week for a little while to show us some suggestions (based on my request to learn how to do more things to encourage him) and then we could scale back to once a month or even follow-up via mail once we believe that he is continuing to make positive progress toward our goals.

The best part is - besides the fact that I will learn some new ways to play with Joshua that I am THRILLED about - that the baby should now qualify for a medical Access card. The card is not based on how much we make (I had looked into medical benefits help after quitting my job but we made just over the limit) but on Joshua being considered to have a form of disability. CHOP takes this insurance, and it would also cover Joshua's RSV vaccines that we had discontinued when my insurance ended. So, while they don't think that Joshua's mobility is anything to be too concerned with (they do think we should work with him, but they don't think that he's too abnormal based on his due date), we still will get the medical benefits we needed for him.

I have to say that today was a little tougher than I expected it to be. I was so glad to hear that they thought Joshua was right on track with his 6-month age of talking, laughing, and social interaction. He can see well, responded well to them, and can hear great! At the same time, it was a little heartbreaking to see when they would try to see if he could do something physically and he couldn't. I already knew it to be the case, but you still want your son to outshine all areas of the examination. On the other hand, I would have been disappointed had we not qualified for the medical benefits. Truly, today was a win-win. But, I so want Joshua to be the best he can be and not have any difficulties in life. I guess that's my momma instinct coming out.

One thing that was interesting is that they said I should leave his toes out more so that he can discover them. I always have socks on to keep him warm, but once he pulls his feet towards his chest, it will be more mentally easy for him to learn how to roll. One other thing that I thought was interesting is that they said his scootching or back-crawling is NOT good and should not be encouraged. (The picture below is where he ended up one day to get his little heart-shaped toy when he had been on his mat.) We don't want him to learn to get things the wrong way and then not do normal things like crawling or walking - this behavior is his lazy "work- around," and when we see it, we need to roll him on his belly to encourage him to move that way instead. I wouldn't have thought about it being bad (I was just happy to see him moving) but it does play havoc on his hair. So, now I know. I'm glad that they are coming to show me different things since this is my first kiddo, and I'm learning as much as he is.

Happy Six Month Birthday!

I can't believe little Joshua is six months old already! I can't believe I haven't worked outside of the house in six months!

I can't believe how big our little one is getting - we have a doctor's appointment this Friday to see how much he weighs (and get his vaccines, of course).

I can't believe that 6-9 month clothing fits him so well. He's sure catching up with the rest of his age group! He is also sitting up (with a little help), standing up (if we hold him upright on our laps), laughing at peek-a-boo, talking about a storm, and playing more and more everyday! My favorite is his giggle. Yesterday we were in the car and out of no where came a loud giggle from the back seat which cracked Shawn and me up!

On Friday, I was playing with him and then acted like I was doing something else while I was secretly watching him. He started to roll from his back onto his side and almost onto his belly again and then noticed that I was excitedly watching, and he dropped the toy he was working with and rolled back onto his back like "I'm not doing anything, mom." He also does a form of crawling on his back where he'll motor from one side of the room to the other via his legs, and we caught him in an army crawl (less than a foot away, though) moving toward a favorite toy. Hooray! These are GREAT signs of progress!

Joshua also seems interested in our food while we're eating. I'll be curious to see if they suggest starting him on solid foods this visit or wait until he's eating 8 ounces+. He shoves anything he can get his hands on straight into his mouth, and it frustrates him that toys are made purposefully not to fit into a baby's mouth so they can't choke. He's typically very happy and easy going. He's also working toward sleeping through the night. He's an early riser (and definitely a morning person) but he's been skipping the 4 a.m. feeding for the most part lately. Hallelujah! We are extremely blessed and proud of our miracle baby! We both love Joshua dearly. Happy six month birthday, kiddo!

Lucky to be Irish!

As you can tell by my pale skin, quick temper, and early graying hair, I'm Irish through and through. As mom always tells me, her maiden name would have been O'More had her ancestors not changed it to be more American and moved the "o" inside to be Moore. Thus, Joshua is Irish, too, and proud of it (or he will be when he's old enough.) To celebrate, we went and got Shamrock shakes. I remember having green milk in Elementary school and green beer in college, but Shamrock shakes are now the best way to commerate the holiday.

This morning, Mom watched the Bean while Shawn and I went to the Spring Home Show. It was so cool to see all the vendors with their displays, and it made us realize how much work our little house still needs even though we've done a lot already. But, we love it, and you can't beat the location as far as I'm concerned. (Unless you're planning on heading south where the temperatures are typically nice, I suppose...)

Thursday the temperatures dropped and Spring disappeared, and Friday the sleet and snow came. It snowed and rained ice and snowed some more. Some lovely neighbor of ours ran their snowblower and did all of our sidewalks. Hopefully I'll figure out who it was so I can thank them - talk about a random act of kindness and a HUGE blessing since Shawn's ankle is still as large as his knees.

Here are some pictures of Shawn & Joshua last night. We purposefully took some time to relax - Shawn played video games while Joshua was just interested in being near Daddy and anything he did. Meanwhile I read all the information given to us about Early Intervention, who is coming to do an evaluation on Joshua on Monday. I'm looking forward to them coming to show me some ideas for how to encourage him to get stronger physically.

Beware of The Ides of March

My dear friend Suzanne sent Joshua this adorable onesie with a baby frog in the shower that says baby shower plus this neat-o froggie toy that ribbits. It's so cute! Joshua has already stuck both arms and feet in his mouth to show how much he loves it. I miss Suzy and hope that her husband Greg can find a post-doc close to Lancaster so I can see her more often. This Harvard business has been the pits. :)

Every Ides of March I remember acting out the scene of "Julius Caesar" with Suz in our Honors English class in high school - I was Brutus, and Suz played Cassius. I was so nervous, I must have recited the lines hundreds of times to my mom because I think both of us still remember it to this day. "Remember March, the ides of March, remember? Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake?" I'll spare you rather than keep going, but I do remember the play well. I think back to how many books a week I read for that class, and now I feel lucky to have enough time to read for school, the book about Joshua's growth, and the book on Leadership that Pastor Matt & Joanne got for us for Christmas. Thanks for the gifts, Suzy!!! Can't wait to see you Easter weekend!

Sunny Day, Sweepin' the Clouds Away

Today was another absolutely gorgeous day. The bank clock registered 76 degrees, and it was the perfect weather - sun shining, a slight refreshing breeze, and clear blue skies. Yesterday afternoon, I had put Joshua in the stroller Aunt Missy bought him for Christmas and walked him around on just about every street in our neighborhood. He loved it and promptly fell asleep. I think we both needed fresh air and sunshine! After we came back to the house, I left him sleeping in the stroller next to me while I trimmed back the mum the church had got us while I was in the hospital. I'm no green thumb for sure, but Grandma & Granpda Ginder showed me how to care for this beautiful plant so that it will come back this fall.

Since it went so well yesterday, I decided to take him out again this afternoon. This time, he enjoyed every step without sleeping. He talked to anyone passing by and even the trees and bushes. When we came back inside, he gave me the pouty lip like he wanted to go back out. Unfortunately, it was about time for him to eat. I opened our windows to get a fresh breeze blowing across the house. Joshua was too warm in his sweatshirt and jeans inside, so I allowed him to play in his onesie to see if he would discover his toes yet. Hooray! Spring is definitely in the air!

Up to this point, I've kind of thought of my not being able to return to work as a sacrifice for the health and safety of our son. Yesterday and today when I was able to get outside and enjoy sunshine during normal business hours, I was thrilled to be a stay-at-home momma. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE staying home and playing with the Bean, but I also enjoyed my career, too. Now that summer is approaching and Joshua will be able to be out and about more, I think I'll enjoy being home even more. Notice in the above picture that Joshua is not only enjoying time on his belly, he actually grabbed for a toy. Yeah! Hope you're having a great day, too!

Juicy Fruit of the Spirit #6: Goodness

Yesterday morning, I was reading to Joshua from the Message. This passage was part of what we read, and I thought it was appropriate in praying for Joshua to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit in his life:

Luke 13:6-7

Then he [Jesus] told them a story: "A man had an apple tree planted in his front yard. He came to it expecting to find apples, but there weren't any. He said to his gardener, 'What's going on here? For three years now I've come to this tree expecting apples and not one apple have I found. Chop it down! Why waste good ground with it any longer?'"

Please join us in praying for Joshua to bear "fruit" in his life, the fruit of the Spirit. Today's fruit is goodness. When thinking about goodness, I remember Shawn's mom telling me that she always told Shawn he had to live up to his "Good" name. Joshua was given this same name, and as Proverbs 22:1 says, "A good name is more desirable than riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." My mom constantly teases me about having a "Good" name. When Joshua was in the hospital, most of the doctors and nurses would come over and say "Good, Baby Boy. Oh, isn't that cute?" or "We're looking for the Good baby. Ha!" I pray that Joshua lives up to his Good name.

Another verse I thought of immediately was Psalm 23:6, "Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." This reminded me of one of my favorite jokes: 'Lord, I'm okay with goodness and love, but why does Shirley have to follow me all the days of my life?'

Please join me in praying for Joshua today: Father God, we thank you that you have given us goodness through your Holy Spirit. We pray that Joshua's life would bear much fruit, and that he would demonstrate goodness. We ask that he would not just do good acts for the sake of goodness itself but that he would demonstrate this fruit because he truly has an honest desire to serve you and loves others. We thank you for his Good name, and we pray that he lives up to it. We praise you for developing Godly character in him from a young age and ask that he would grow to know you and love you. We praise you and thank you. In Jesus' powerful name, AMEN!

Grandparents & Good Times

This weekend was really nice. Friday night, Shawn and I watched a movie and relaxed a little while playing with Joshua. Saturday I had the opportunity to meet up with Donna, Dave & Leslie for lunch, formerly co-workers and now dear friends. It was great to laugh with them and see how they are doing, especially since Leslie just had a stint put in her heart. Saturday night we were treated to dinner at my favorite restaurant, Fiorentino's, by Nonie & Poppy while Mom & Jamie watched the Bean. When we came home, he laughed at literally everything I said. He was such a ham!

Sunday morning, Grandma & Grandpa Ginder stopped by after their excursion to Florida to find their new home. They brought delicious fresh strawberries with them...yummm. They also treated us to Cracker Barrel for breakfast to talk about their moving plans - we asked them if there were any buy one house, get the second one free deals - and just visit for awhile. Joshua was a little thrown off by the time change...his internal clock hasn't really caught up yet. He was pretty content just to sleep during breakfast. Here are some pictures with Grandpa Ginder, Grandma Ginder & Daddy.

Today it is breathtakingly beautiful outside. I've dug out the stroller and am thinking of taking the baby for a walk once he wakes up from his nap. This morning I put him on his belly again and answered the phone when my sister called to say she was on her way - sure enough, the Bean decided just at that moment that my eyes were off of him to roll over. I had been playing with him and watching him all morning and the second I get up, he decides that he wants to do something I've been dying to see. Next time hopefully I'll catch him in the act!

A Clean Bean

Okay, so I knew it was time to get one of those bathtub pictures that we all have but don't want to admit. Friday I gave Joshua a bath so he would be clean & smelling fresh (and done being cranky about it) by the time Daddy got home so we could enjoy a nice family night. He actually was really good about being in the bath tub. While he wasn't happy and all smiles, he didn't cry either until I took him out of the water. At that point, his little chin was quivering from being cold until I got him dried off and dressed as quickly as I could. Here is a picture of Joshua in the tub & one of him out.

Speaking of cute bath time pictures, I had to post the ones my sister Jen sent of my nieces. I thought they were so cute! The first one is Emma on the left and Faith on the right. Notice the soap suds literally everywhere. I laughed out loud at their smiley expressions. The next one has Grace on the left. It looks like she's trying to sing into the microphone. Ha! All four ladies (and new baby to be born in June, too!) came over for lunch today. Tomorrow they leave to go see Grandpa Georgia. I told them that they have to give him a very important message from me - "hi." Grace said she didn't know if she could remember that, which made me giggle.She does have a good memory, though, when she wants to. She told me she was looking forward to Easter so she could hold Joshua. I had told her months ago - maybe Christmas time? maybe earlier? - that when she was hunting Easter eggs at Grandma's house would be the first time that Joshua was really allowed to be amongst other children since the flu season is typically over then. She has it marked on her mental calendar! She LOVES her cousin. It was nice to see them today.