I am starting a new Blog

Will have it done in a few minutes.

Nothing to report here!

Yesterday we went back to church. It was the first time since we brought Bayta home. Between the boys having colds, and Amanda and I getting some sinus junk, this was the first week we were a whole family. It had been so long since we went that we forgot what time it started. Normally we show up right on time, but by the time we get the boys to Sunday school we either have make the walk of shame or sit in the upper balcony. Today we arrived way early and even had time to show off Bayta before the service started. It felt so surreal to be back. People had so many questions about her. (Although most focused on the extreme amount of hair she has!) Despite being freakishly early we were almost late to church. Bayta to her credit remained quiet through the service. They had bell choir and you could tell she was listening... her eyes were huge. At one point I looked over and it hit me that here I was sitting next to my wife and baby daughter, both healthy, and for the first time it really hit me that we were home. The rest of the day was spent going to a Christmas concert and eating and spending some time with friends we hadn't seen since a day before we left for St. Louis. It was a very good day. I know we get a lot of emails saying why haven't you updated the blog. The simple answer is we have had no stories to report. Bayta wakes up, cries until she gets her diaper changed or her stomach filled and then goes to sleep. Occasionally she will throw us a curve and stay awake for as much as an hour or two. During those times she she stares constantly at "ghosts" and sometimes her eyes will cross and uncross as she tries to discren the shapes and colors in her new world. I know I am biased, but she seems to be a very pretty baby. She is small and has long fingers toes and a neck that seems to be too slender to hold up her beutiful face. Amanda and I both claim she is smiling at us, but we know it is more likely gas than affection. I try to pull her up by her arms to help her develop her neck muscles. She cn now hold her head up independent of our hands for a few moments at a time. She loves to hold your hand and she almost always calmes down if I rub her forehead and cheeks like I did on her first day in this world. She will take a pacifier on occasion, but if she is hungry can project it about a foot away to let me know she is not impressed by the rubber substitute. When lying on the ground asleep she goes into an archers pose (Amanda calls it fencers pose) if startled. That being said she is a very sound sleeper. In fact, yesterday at the Christmas concert the MSU ban made an appearance and a row of trumpets stood within a few feet of us and belted out Christmas songs while she slept on.

The American Rental Association sent us a note that they had made a donation of $200.00 to the Ronald McDonald House in our name. Amanda and I have agreed to match that amount. It is nice to work with a trade group that is so generous.

We are planning to return to St. Louis on the 10th for a followup visit or two with the surgeons and genetic specialists. We will update on the results of that visit.