You Belong To Me

Just in case there's any confusion...


A few weeks ago, we found these stickers from my childhood while going through a bunch of my old stuff that has been sitting in my parents attic for years. I can remember putting these on everything when I was about 5 years old...

Nate

The Carrot Eating Pirate

Actually, Gwyneth didn't eat the carrot...she didn't even really chew on the carrot (which was the goal)...she basically just held the carrot and gave it the one-eye stare-down. And, actually, she's not a pirate...she's just wearing an eye patch to help strengthen that lazy right eye.

Nate

Cradled

Nate

CFHusband Lost Video (01)

This video is one of our Lost Videos. It was shot in the NICU just an hour or two before we brought Gwyneth "home" from the hospital on May 15, 2008.

Thanks!

Nate

CFHusband Lost Videos

So, there is a lot of video that we've shot over the past year that we've never shown anyone. In fact, we've been spending some time the past several days watching all of our video of Gwyneth, most of which we haven't even seen since we shot it. To be totally honest, it's incredibly emotional for us to watch a lot of this video, as much of it not only brings back old emotions but also brings on new emotions, knowing what we now know and loving Gwyneth as much as we now love her.

We'd like to share some of these videos, mostly uncut and unedited, with you. I won't post them in any kind of chronological order or importance, and I can't tell you how often or exactly how many I will post. What I can tell you is that these videos are very special to us...some of them are very quiet moments that might not be of any interest to you, and others are very silly times that might not make any sense to you. We share them because we believe that we still have stories to tell...we believe that God still wants us to remind each other of His gifts, both great and small that help to explain His love for you and I.

Look for the first of these videos tomorrow (Friday) sometime.

Thanks.

Nate

Head Up!

Gwyneth and I got to test out the playability of our new floor the other night while Tricia was out ...

Nate

Caption Winner

"As long as they remember where the diaper goes..."

Congrats to Jodi who ended up with 60% of the votes!

FYI, although I loved all three finalists, and can't argue with who you chose for the winner, Tricia and I both (without knowledge of the other's vote) voted for Missy's "Therapy for the constant hand gazer." because we think inside jokes are the best!

Nate

Waiting, in a Waiting Room

...And Back Again

Back to Duke today and tomorrow (we should be on the road when this post appears)...Tricia has her bronchoscopy this afternoon (the one that was canceled because of her vocal chord surgery), and then her CF clinic tomorrow. She was feeling tired and was coughing up some crud last week, but seems to be doing much better the past few days. Hopefully we get a good report and our on our way home before too late tomorrow afternoon. Thanks for the prayers!

In other news, our new clothes dryer finally arrives today...so, we can all stop wearing our undies inside out!

The icicles in the pic below are hanging from our outdoor trashcan...I think they were about 5 inches long. Although several people guessed correctly, Kori was the first...BUT, she said "I'm guessing a flower pot or a trashcan" so I can only give her 43.5 CFHusband points for splitting her decision (BTW, the 43 points are as useless and the .5 points).


Here are a few pics of Gwyneth on our kitchen table to make this post a bit more interesting...



Nate

Becoming Friends

Gwyneth is beginning to show more of an interest in Meka the pug, and, although Meka still isn't sure what to make of a little person who only seems interested in squeezing her ears, she does seem to be, at least, obliging.





BTW, if all goes as planned (meaning, the majority of the house is organized, because cats don't like changes in their surroundings), Ralphie the cat will be rejoining our happy family by the end of the week! I'm not sure who's more excited...Tricia or Meka...

Nate

More Snow Pics

The snow has all melted, but here are a few more pics from around our house...




87 CFHusband points to the first person who can guess what these icicles are hanging from...


Palm trees are not native to the OBX...wonder where this one came from...


Meka does NOT enjoy the snow...


Nate

Caption Winner

I'm having a hard time choosing a winner for the latest Write a Caption Contest...so, I thought you could help me. Choose your favorite caption for the picture above by participating in the poll below. The poll will automatically close at 12 noon EST on January 28, 2009, so vote NOW!



Thanks!

Nate

Cooing Is For Sissies

One of the most fun things about being a parent is watching Gwyneth discover new noises and facial expressions. I'm sure other parents know what I'm talking about, but she'll literally get stuck on making a sound for weeks or even months at a time, only to discover a new sound.

Amazingly enough, in the video below, she actually demonstrates three of her favorite sounds. The first is a growl, which she got stuck on about 2 months ago, the third is the raspberry that she was stuck on between 5 and 8 months old, and the second/middle sound you'll hear just briefly is something that she only discovered last week...it has become her new favorite, taking about 90% of every sound that comes out of her mouth. I actually witnessed her discover this new guttural sound, and I'd tell you how she came about it, but it's a bit disgusting (it's related to her cold).

She tends to only growl these days when she's conversing with her old friend Monkey, or when she's frustrated at something and pretends she's The Incredible Hulk. The raspberry (which was superbly displayed in this video, I might add) has become a rare treat.

Nate

Write A Caption

This is Gwyneth, playing on the floor (actually on a very special hand-made quilt) of our new home with socks on her hands...

Write a caption for the picture below and win a mention of your name and your winning caption in a post if I think it's worthy enough (like that's anything super special...). You have until this Friday at 1pm to get your caption in.

Nate

Alice Celebrates One Year!

Remember Alice from South Africa? Well, today gives her 1 one year with her new lungs!!! If you were one of the thousands who remember thinking and/or praying for Alice last year, take a moment to swing by Her Blog and celebrate with her!

Thanks!

Nate

Reverse Birthday

As you may have seen in the last post (the video from ABC), Tricia, Gwyneth and I celebrated a "reverse birthday" during our visit with the NICU. Tricia wrapped a bunch of Gwyneth's preemie clothes to give to current NICU residents. We also wrote a short note (see below) to be handed out with the gifts. We pray that the gifts and note are an encouragement to those who are experiencing the preemie roller coaster right now...


One of the families who received some of Gwyneth's clothes that day even left a comment on the blog a few days ago to let us know a little about their situation. I hope you'll spend a moment in prayer with us for the many families who are living, right now, with their premature babies in NICUs all over the world.

Thanks!

Nate

ABC Video Link

Here.

If you have the time, please leave a comment at the bottom of the linked page on ABC's site thanking Barbara Gibbs and the team at ABC11 for following our story and helping us to share our good news with others. Barbara is most definitely totally sincere about caring for us and keeping in touch with how my two girls are doing, and we appreciate her very much! It's just as emotional for us to watch these videos as it is for you.

BTW, you can see Tricia's wound from the surgery the day before. And, the nurse holding Gwyneth through much of the video was one of Gwyneth's primary nurses during her four months at Duke!

Nate

Uncle Frank

Uncle Frank is probably the best uncle any of his many nieces and nephews have...ask anyone on the Kirschner side, and they all have a story about how Frank has the magic touch to calm and sooth any crying baby. As you can tell, Gwyneth thinks he's pretty much the bomb...

Nate

ABC11 (1 Year Later)

On January 9, we visited the NICU at Duke to say hi to some friends. Barbara Gibbs from ABC11 met us there to film a quick update about Gwyneth and Tricia...the story is airing tonight at 5:30 for those of you who are in the Raleigh/Durham area. For those of us who are not, I'll post the online link to the story as soon as it shows up!


You can watch previous the three previous segments that ABC has filmed with us Here.

Thanks!

Nate

First Snow!

Although we did get a short flurry a few months ago, this is Gwyneth's first big snow. She wasn't sure what to think, but we could tell that she was noticing the snow hit her face...she smiled a lot, so we'll assume that she enjoyed it. It was just above freezing and the snow was very wet, which meant it stuck to everything and made us very wet, so we stayed out just long enough to grab a few pics....



It literally snowed all day long, which is crazy for these parts. I'd guess we got a couple of inches, although it's already melting and will probably be all gone within the next 48 hours. We also went down to the ocean to check, but, as always, snow doesn't stick to sand because the ocean is so warm...oh well.

I've posted a few more great photos over on My Photo Blog!

Nate

Melt My Heart

You are a beauty!

Nate

More Snow Pics coming soon!

Snow?

The weatherman is saying that we may get up to 3-4 inches of snow here tonight. For those of you unfamiliar with the OBX climate, that's basically a blizzard for us, especially if it sticks around for more than a few hours. We wouldn't mind at all being snowed in at home for a day or two to get some more unpacking done and to introduce Gwyneth to her very first winter wonderland!

What's the weather like where you're at?

Nate

Human Life

Today is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. I'm not one to preach, especially not on my blog, so I thought I'd invite you to take a look at something I wrote a year ago concerning what I've learned about human life. Make sure you read Part 1 and then Part 2.

Thanks.

Nate

The Best Things In Life Are Free

Goodnight from OUR home, courtesy of a friendly neighbor's free internet!!!

Nate

We're In!

I'm at my parents house to round up a few more things, and just wanted to take a second to let you know that WE'RE IN THE HOUSE TONIGHT!!! Although there is still plenty of work to be done, we are spending our first night there!!! We're very excited. I'll be spending all of tomorrow (after church) at the house working, and maybe Monday too, so don't be scared none if you don't hear from me in a while.

I will try to keep Twitter and Facebook updated if I get a second or two...

Thanks!

Nate

AWAKE! Remembered

A Year Ago today, Tricia finally woke up from her coma. For the first time, she learned that she was a mommy. It was one of the greatest days of my life.

I just wanted to acknowledge that.

Nate

Why Do I Love Mornings With Gwyneth?

Two Words:

Bath Hair!

Nate