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

House Tour (Part 4)

So, we worked all day, but didn't quite get there...we're committed, though, to making tomorrow night our first in the house. We got a lot done today...the video below was shot in the morning, and even tonight the house looks completely different!

Nate

Follow-Up Newspaper Article (Virginian Pilot)

For those of you who live in Southeast VA and Northeast NC, a follow-up article about our story appears in today's Virginian Pilot (Read the first two articles Here and Here)...it appears on the front page of the NC section and on page 4 of the Hampton Roads section.

For the rest of us, read the article Here.

Thanks to writer Connie Sage who has followed our story and helped us share it with the world!

Nat

The Big Day Has Arrived!

Tomorrow, we're going to attempt to spend the entire day organizing our house with the goal of spending our first night there...or die trying!

The bad news...we have no internet connection yet, so if you don't hear from me tomorrow night, consider that good news...clear?

:)

Nate

Implant Surgery

Congrats to those who guessed that Tricia was having surgery to help strengthen her voice. The surgery is called (WARNING: the info share in the following link, especially the video, is graphic...don't view if medical stuff makes you queezy) Medialization Laryngoplasty, and is basically a (relatively) quick procedure that involves placing a small implant next to the paralyzed vocal cord to nudge it close enough to the working cord to allow the voice to sound normal.

Tricia's left vocal cord was paralyzed during her transplant surgery...basically, the nerves stemming from the left vocal cord can reach all the way down to where they cut across Tricia's chest. A paralyzed vocal cord is common with transplant surgeries, but often, the damage is naturally corrected within six months. Tricia's voice did not get better over time, and once she was deemed healthy and strong enough after all of the cancer stuff, she jumped at the chance to have the surgery, even though it was scheduled (one day in advance) on Gwyneth's birthday. So, basically, Tricia has been speaking with half of her normal voice since the transplant.

Tricia was awake during the procedure...the medical team needed to ask her to speak so that they could place the implant in the best spot. Although it will take a week or so for Tricia to fully recover and for the swelling and irritation in her throat to allow her voice to be as strong as possible, she is feeling great and we could tell an immediate difference in the strength of her voice.

Sorry to keep you guessing for so long...check out the comparison of the two videos below...

Just Before Surgery

Tonight, 5 Days Post-Surgery

The coolest part of this story? When I spoke with Tricia after her surgery around noon on Gwyneth's birthday, it had been exactly 365 days, almost to the hour, since I (and Gwyneth too) had last heard my wife's beautiful voice so clearly just before she was wheeled off for the c-section...although the transplant surgery caused the damage, you might remember that Tricia's voice was muted while she was intubated from the time between c-section until the transplant surgery.

Anyway, we're excited to have a little more of our "normal" life back again...and Tricia is excited to be able to sing, have people understand her on the phone and yell at me when I'm goofing around too much.

:)

Nate