And the Winner is...

Based on the vote in the comments, there was a tie among A, E and G (A actually won if I count the second part of my brother's comment where he admits it's the best photo). I decided I am too chicken to send out A this year, so I had to break the tie and I chose G.

I decided to go with Madelyn smiling and Elisha's "I'm a model" pose in G rather than Madelyn looking out of it and Elisha looking ornery (which he is) and like I am tickling him or grabbing his neck (which I very well might have been) in E. Jim looks slightly more "with it" in E, but he doesn't look great in any of the photos due to his headache, and I think I look more relaxed in G.

So, there you have it - all of the logic behind my choice (actually Jim helped choose too) and way more than you ever cared to know about the process of selecting the Womack family Christmas photo.

For those of you who picked the winning photo, I have homemade candy bark for you at my house if you can stop by to get it. Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Photos 2007

Yep, it's that time of year again...time to vote for your favorite
Womack family photo only to have us choose a completely
different one that the majority of you did not choose.
(See December 2006)

This year we have several options, thanks to a mobile Madelyn;
a very silly, sometimes uncooperative Elisha;
and a not-feeling-so-well Jim (headache).

We do want to know what you think, so please cast your vote
and tell us why you selected a particular photo.
We need to order this week sometime, so vote NOW!

I have to admit that this top one is one of my favorites:

real life with our kids.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

Cute photos of the kiddos:

Posing

Our plan was to get a few simple photos of Madelyn in her
cute red dress, but she - obviously - had plans of her own.

Showing

I didn't take regular photos with Elisha or Madelyn, so I decided that since this is probably our last baby, I wanted to document the pregnancy a bit better. Here I am at 18 weeks. I feel really small, but I keep telling myself that I am usually 6-8 weeks from delivering by this time in December, so it just feels different.

An interesting side note: when we ask Elisha what the baby is going to be, he has often replied that it is a boy and a girl. A few weeks ago he said, "God told me that it was going to be a boy and a girl." Based on my size and symptoms, I would say this is highly unlikely (despite the fact that I am over 35 and a twin myself); but I have to admit that I will feel a bit more settled after our ultrasound in a couple of weeks. We don't want to know if it's a boy OR a girl, just that it's not both!

Listening

We should get some cash from Apple for these pics.

Sleeping

This is what the kids looked like while we traveled
both to and from Michigan the day before Thanksgiving.

Jim went in to check the kids before we went to bed one night and couldn't find Madelyn. (She and Elisha are sharing a room since we set up a toddler bed for her a few weeks ago.) She wasn't on the floor or buried under nearby blankets; she had crawled up into bed with Elisha and had fallen asleep next to him. So sweet.

Fall Photos

Some recent memories around the Womack household include...

a trip to Hainlen's Orchard

a quick photo shoot after church one Sunday


Elisha lined up his cereal like this one morning
and told me the ones on the side were "backups."


Madelyn in a box


Costumes for 2007

Divine Intervention

That's what mom is calling it. Her renewed hope and energy, her ability to talk and eat without becoming winded, her amazing improvement within 24 hours. It has been almost as instant as her drop before: last Friday afternoon she was moved from critical care to fifth floor, Saturday she woke up feeling horrible; this Friday evening she was transferred from fifth floor to rehab in second floor, Saturday she woke up "better." Pretty cool!

The swelling in her arms is really down; they almost look normal. She still has fluid in her legs, but increased practice walking and therapy should help with that over time. There has been no specific date mentioned concerning going home, but we are all encouraged by the recent progress and are thanking God for his Divine Intervention in mom's life.

Over the Hump

It looks like mom has made it "over the hump" so to speak. She has been able to eat (and feed herself) and is slowly working on physical skills that she will need to come home: getting out of bed, standing, walking, etc... The days she spent in bed really took a toll on her stamina; just getting out of bed and walking 100 feet can take 30 minutes and leave her exhausted. But she is making progress, and for that we are so thankful. There is even talk of her moving to the rehabilitation center (located on second floor at MGH) tomorrow to stay for several days and have specific occupational therapy.

We (mom and I) watched a video today about care for her stoma. The woman on it had had a stoma for over ten years. It made me thankful that this is a temporary situation for mom and that, according to the nurse at the hospital, about the time she becomes an expert at changing the bag and all, she will have the surgery to reconnect everything. We hope that by the beginning of 2008, mom will returning to her "normal" life...or maybe her "new normal."

I'll try to post news over the weekend; especially if she gets to move. Thanks for uplifting us in prayer. It makes a difference!

The Scoop

First, an update on mom: she has really struggled these last few days. Not feeling well has caused her to want to stay in bed, which has caused the edema (water retention and swelling) in her body to worsen, which has caused her to not feel well and want to stay in bed. The doctors and nurses have told us (and her) that she needs to get up and walk, sit, and move. She has gained 39 pounds since she was admitted 11 days ago - that's a lot of fluid!

The good news is that her pain is better and the nausea is mostly gone, so it seems more likely that she will feel like a bit of activity. They increased her diet from clear liquids to all liquids, so hopefully the increase in food will add to her energy. (She has been getting 1500-1600 calories through her IV feedings, but one nurse said that her body hasn't known what to "do" with it).

We're praying she can get over this hump and that her recovery will begin to progress over the next few days. Thanks again for your continued prayers.

Second, baby details: we are due May 6 (according to the handy dandy chart at the doctor's office), which means I am almost 13 weeks along. Our other babies both arrived early - Elisha at 38 weeks and Madelyn at 34 - so we would not be surprise if we had an April baby instead of the predicted May.

I have been incredibly tired; Jim usually finds me asleep with Elisha when he comes home from work at 9:15. Nausea is not too bad...worse these last few days for some reason. Clothes still fit, but are getting tighter by the day. I heard the heartbeat last week and was once again amazed at the miracle of life - inside me! All good signs. We are very excited!

Commercial Break: My M&M's

We needed a happy post, so I thought I'd show these
nifty, personalized M&M's we got in the mail recently.

Tune in later for more details.

Changes

Mom was moved out of critical care yesterday afternoon. The doctor said this is one step closer to her going home, which I think it was a bit troubling for her to hear because she stills feels so poorly and almost cannot imagine being well enough to go home.

Today was probably her hardest day since surgery, both physically and emotionally. She had some physical "milestones" (IV meds removed and on pain pills, catheter removed), but these changes also brought some discomfort and "yucky" feelings. It is hard to see someone you care about in pain even though you know it is part of the healing process: physically, mentally, and spiritually.

I'm headed up early tomorrow morning after having most of today "off" since my brother was here for the weekend. I'm praying she gets a good night of restful sleep and can have a more encouraging day tomorrow. Thanks for praying.

More News

The doctors are concerned that since mom was not able to breathe deeply due to the pain of the infection and all, she has the potential to develop pneumonia. (There is some "gunky stuff" in her lungs.) So, today they started breathing treatments and will be trying to get her up and around more so she could take more and deeper breaths. They will also be putting in a central line so she can get rid of her 2 IV's and other needle pokes. All this to say, she is doing well, but it seems healing from this kind of surgery/illness can be complicated. Our sincere thanks to all who are praying for us.

Update

Mom is doing well. She says that the pain she was experiencing before the surgery was actually more intense than the pain she has now. That seems pretty incredible to me. She is alert and can talk (although she does doze off at times). We are thankful for her seeming to be on the road to recovery now that the problem was diagnosed and resolved. The doctor plans to move her out of critical care either tomorrow or Thursday. Thanks for your prayers.

Please Pray

My mom just underwent emergency surgery to remove part of her colon that was perforated. While the surgery went well, the doctor said she is not yet out of the woods. Her colon is very inflamed and there was infection throughout her abdomen. She will have an ostomy bag for the next 6 weeks, after which they hope to be able to do another surgery to reattach her colon. Please pray that infection is not a problem, that she heals quickly, and that our family can do what is needed to help her through this process. Thanks!

Going Out to the Fly-In

The Marion Fly-In has become an annual tradition for our family, with or without the Marion High School Pancake Breakfast (more often without). Below are a few pics for your blogging enjoyment.






A couple of shots of the kids at a CWC staff picnic: Elisha swinging in the "baby swings" and Madelyn's first Popsicle.