Guess who this post will be about...

If you said Asher Rives, you are correct.

Tomorrow he will be 3 weeks old. He is doing great. He is finally starting to get the hang of nursing. The bottles that they gave him in the NICU turned him in to what is known as a "lazy sucker," but he is recovering nicely from that and has almost resigned himself to the fact that he will have to work a little harder to get his meals now. He is not always happy about that, but he is coping. It is nice to not have to pump so much...speaking of pumping...you have to go to
Dad Labs. It's a website where dads try out various baby products. Trust me...it's hilarious!

Anyway, back to Asher, I posted some more pictures on Shutterfly. I've never taken so many pictures in my life. It's amazing how much you change in a matter of weeks.

Kris and I were discussing how much life has changed and how the Lord has used Asher already to reveal our selfishness and laziness. He's only been here 3 weeks and already I see the sanctifying effect that having a child produces. Not that the Lord doesn't accomplish sanctification in His own through other ways, but I have never been as humbled and as dependent on the Him for wisdom and strength and mercy as I have been in the past few weeks. We are so grateful to God for the grace He has shown us by pointing out our sinful ways that we were oblivious to. Through Asher being here, we are being shown(and will continue to be shown) areas where we need to repent...what mercy not to allow us to persist in sin, but to give us opportunity to recognize it and, by grace alone, turn from it.

As for other changes, our house has been taken over...and I haven't even had a shower yet. Family and friends have been very genorous and given us clothes and diapers and various other baby necessities. Our house is officailly Baby Central now. I look around at the swing and the bouncer and the bassinette and am in awe of how quickly the decor has changed around here---for the better, of course!

We're Home!

Finally, we got to bring Asher home today! It has been a hard 2 weeks, but we could not be more grateful to have him here with us. The Lord has brought him so far during this time--he breathes on his own, he eats like a champ, and he could not be sweeter! He is sleeping in his bassinette right now so I thought I'd take a minute to share some more pictures (check the Shutterfly site) and let you all know he is home!!

Pictures of Asher's First Week

I have uploaded the pictures that we have taken so far on to Shutterfly (thanks for the suggestion, Robin!) Just click on the link on the left side of the screen.

Please go by and admire our incredibly beautiful baby boy!

My Sweet Little Boy!

Asher is here! He was born on Wednesday the 7th at 2:05 pm. My due date was March 21 so, needless to say, we were caught a little off guard. I, of course, had NOTHING ready...if this doesn't cure my procrastination, I don't know what will! I am working on getting all of the pictures uploaded to Flickr, but for now, here is a glimpse of our little guy!

He is doing SO much better now. He was downgraded tonight to the Level II NICU which means that the doctors are confident that his lung issues have been corrected. His next big hurdles are to maintain a consistent respiration and to eat on his own. He currently is being fed through the tube in his nose and through the IV in his poor little head. When all of this happens, he will get to come home with us!

We are doing really good. We are so grateful for the prayers that everyone has been lifting up for us. It was very hard to go home last night and leave him there, but God has been so faithful and we trust Him to bring him home to us at the appointed time.

Asher is the sweetest little thing! He is very strong and big for making his appearance 6 weeks early! We have already discovered little things about his personality and preferences that he has. It is so amazing to see him there...proof that two really do become one.

I will write more later beause there is so much to share about the whole event...but for now I just wanted you all to see him!

6 Weird Things About Me

I have seen this on a couple of blogs and decided that it would be great to know more about each other. So I will start and then I will be checking the blogs of others to learn what is weird about you! Then you tag 6 people and on and on the fun goes. If you don't blog (like our buddy Jason Stephenson,) then you can leave your weirdness in the comment section (which would clearly be commenting, not blogging.) So here goes...


1. I have at least 10 lip products in my purse at any given time.

Lip gloss, Carmex, lip exfoliator, lipstick, you name it. Sometimes I will have 2 of the same thing.

2. I love to fold clothes but I hate to put them away.

I can sit for hours and fold laundry, but the thought of actually putting them where they go nauseates me. I make myself do it, but I really hate it.

3. I hate pulp in orange juice.

I definitely have food-texture issues and this is at the top of the list of things that gross me out. I hate the way it feels in my mouth so I buy only pulp-free juice!

4. I am addicted to Tetris.

I have a little hand-held Tetris game that I play way too often. My record, just so you know, is 630 lines. You don't want to know how long that took.

5. I love Kenny Loggins.

I know, I know...but I do. I love his music (except for Highway to the Danger Zone.) For those of you who do not know who he is, call your parents right now
and ask them why they did not love you enough to expose you to the greatness.

6. I could eat at Jason's Deli every day of the week.

I love that place and I don't get sick of it. Maybe it's because the first Jason's Deli is in my hometown of Beaumont, Texas. Maybe it's because Kris and I went their on our first fight, I mean, date. Maybe it's because it is the best
place ever. I'm not sure why. But if you ever ask me where I want to eat, I
may refrain from saying it, but it will be the first place that pops into my head.


Now it is your turn! If you read this, consider yourself tagged and list your 6 weird things on your blog or in the comment section. Then tag a few people to join in!