Conference Weekend

Tradition stands that it rains on Conf weekend, I enjoyed the rain as always, but even I started to get a little chilled.

We didn't see as much as conference as we normally try to. Of course normally I beat myself up about falling asleep through most of it, but there aren't a lot of televisions up in the NICU. We did got to see some, and hear some on the radio while driving.

I liked the quote "Come what may, and love it." I think that is a great outlook that sounds good, but isn't easy to use without being fake or cheesy.

Kristen liked "He doesn't ask us to die as a martyr, he does ask us to live as disciples"

Please, do me a favor, scroll to the bottom and hit comments, and then leave a thought you liked this year from conference. I feel like I missed so much of it. Then of course continue reading, so much to talk about! If you have no idea what I am talking about you are excused fromt the previous assinment. :)

First of all a temple announced to be built in ROME! For those of you who don't know, I served an LDS mission in Italy. I never got to Rome, it was south of our mission, I was up in northern Italy, amazing amazing beautiful. I am so emotional and excited for all of my friends there. I never kept up with anyone, but they still hold a very tender and special place in my heart. They have wanted a temple so very bad for so many years. The way it was told to me, and I am not an expert, is that Italian law stated that the government has to have complete access at anytime to any building. With the temple being a sacred place with limited access, that posed a problem. More than anything it must have not been time yet. The other story I heard, and this is also not first hand, was that a general authority spoke in Italy and prophesied that Italy would someday blossom like a rose. The Italians in all of the branches I served, some meeting in the living rooms of small apartments, others in rented commercial property, others in old historic buildings, all clung to that prophesy. I am not exaggerating that today I have no doubt that many many tears of joy were shed in Italy. Hugs were undoubtedly in abundance between ward and branch members who understand that bond of brotherhood more than any American I know, and if I know the Italians like I know I do, they felt loved, seen, and heard by their Heavenly Father by His finding a way to answer so many prayers. I am teary just thinking about the joy they must have tonight. I love the Italians, and miss them so.

Next, I beat my son. Yep, I'm abusive. Last night he was too tired and nothing worked to calm him. Normally I rule. With the intuitiveness available to a father I realized that my trying new positions while staying seated was not going to suddenly work. So I carefully stood up. This is not a new trick, we've been standing and sitting with him for a while now, and to be honest it feels pretty cool, much better than a nurse handing him to you or worse, taking him from you. But perhaps the nurses have a point, since while standing I judged incorrectly the distance needed to clear the pump that pushes his food into his gavage tube., and promptly rammed my son's forehead into the bottom of it! At first he was stunned, than cried three cries of "oww, that hurts" which broke my heart, and then was really quite peaceful. So A.) I was right and he wanted me to stand up, or B.) He was slipping into a concussed stupor... no worries... I'm working on my acceptance speech for father of the year...

Here's the pic, I'm an honest blogger, as I now prove my showing evidence of my battery. That red mark in the middle of his head is shaped curiously similar to the bottom left corner of the feeder machine, which is thankfully coated in rubber.



We went back today, afraid to find a growing welt, an ugly bruise, a big swollen egg, but it was gone today... eesh. Angela: no comment required. :)

After barely surviving putting together the last piece of furniture with what little is left of my sanity in tact, I skipped opening the assembly required changing table and moved onto the stroller/car seat. I just needed to open that box, knowing that no assembly was required and I could enjoy just unfolding it and picturing Greydon coming home......



WHAT!



No!



AGGGHHHHH!!

But it was a pretty smooth assembly, and then we HAD to try it out.



Bear and mother approved.

I did get the changing table put together tonight. All I can say is if you are going to pre-drill bolt holes, they should probably go all the way through.

I mentioned that he was sooo very tired last night, he ate well, but was pretty fussy. This morning we went through all of the normal steps and procedures to wake him, progressively getting more intrusive and bugging him more and more until finally we were done, with a wide awake, temperature rudely taken, diaper forcefully changed, weighed in the hard annoying scale, little boy.....



Yep, here we go, eyes open wide ready to feed!



He just got tube fed.. this was the most awake he got.

Tonight he actually woke up though, fed ok, about half. And then was so cute!





Bring on a few more changing tables, bassinets with instructions printed in Dutch or pig-Latin whatever, heck, I'll even learn how to put together that Pony I promised him if I need to, I am hooked, addicted, a warm puddle of goo in his little hands. Whatever he needs or wants is his. Just look straight at me in the eyes like this and I'm powerless.