Whoa What a Year!

Well, we are hoping you were all able to follow us through various social media outlets this past year because we have been SO busy. From late May through July I studied for the Nebraska BAR Exam while we ferociously search for a new home in Lincoln and wrestled the process that is consolidating student loans and securing a mortgage. Given my background, I was very picky with homes. I took the BAR in July, and thankfully passed it. Worst test ever. Finally, we were able to find and secure a wonderful place in the area of town we wanted. However, we were not able to move in until after our awesome baby boy was born on September 5, 2012.


 

Of course like all blessings Crawford did not come stress free. He was unresponsive when born and required a quick resuscitation before making his way fully into the world. On the second night in the hospital, just before we were planning to leave for home, we sent him to the nursery so we could get our last night of sleep. We were awoken by a nurse in the middle of the night instructing us that Crawford had turned stopped breathing and turned blue and had been sent to the NICU. We were distraught and called the bishop who graciously met us at the hospital in the middle of the night. Crawford was blessed that he would fully recover and that he would have no lasting harmful effects. This kicked off a two week marathon in the NICU, with Valerie sleeping there at night (I stayed as well the first few nights), and me driving back and forth from Bellevue to Lincoln daily (we delivered in Lincoln because we trusted the doctor but we hadn't closed on the house so we were still bunking it in Bellevue). A couple of times Valerie's parents drove Sydney down to see the little guy with all his tubes.
 

 It was hard to see our little boy with monitors attached to every limb, and it was difficult to watch his oxygen levels move throughout the day. The entire time we were in the NICU our wonderful friends from the Trendwood Ward brought us meals and made sure Valerie stayed sane. Poor Sydney had started Kindergarten in Bellevue (how did she get that old) and each day I would drop her off at the school, go to Lincoln, and then return home in the evening so that I could spend time with her.

 

We were able to bring him, his oxygen, and a breathing monitor home just prior to my official swearing in ceremony. I was made an official license attorney and then two weeks later we moved into our home in Lincoln. It wasn't until mid October that Crawford came off the oxygen, and not until November that he was able to lose the monitor.

 

Sydney meanwhile transitioned beautifully from her school in Bellevue to the new school in Lincoln, and she loves her class and teacher. We are just getting warmed up and trying to learn the ropes of this whole parental school involvement. Sydney has taken to school like a fish to water. We are especially excited with her reading level and art. She can now read the scriptures with very little help and then only on the big words. We are very impressed with her learning! She is so big; which is terrible since I have heard Valerie tell her several times to stop growing. We have even tried to outlaw birthdays, but it looks like no matter what we decree she will just continue to grow.

 

Not to be outdone, Crawford is sprouting like a weed; a really short plump weed that developers motor skills much more quickly than he ought to. I am sure we will back date some stuff, but hopefully that gives everyone a little picture of what we have been up to lately.