Heartache and Prayer

Two of our close friends have suffered tremendously during the past week. They had to deliver their baby boy at 37 weeks gestation, knowing he was not going to be alive. We have been through the trauma of miscarriage but cannot fathom what they have gone through. They are very strong in their faith and know their little one is in heaven with God, which is "way cooler than here with us." But it still hurts. It will not stop hurting, but as time goes by, it will become easier to cope. Please pray for them and their strength to get through this. We love you guys! ((HUGS))!!

Party Time at the Gym!

Last Saturday, Seth was invited to a birthday party at Rose's Gymnastics. The kids participated in a variety of activities prior to the birthday celebration. When we arrived, Seth got to get into a bounce house with a slide. Then we journeyed to the PIT, which is full of foam pieces. Rob enjoyed being in the pit and catching Seth as he jumped in. After playing in the pit, the kids were led on two obstacle courses that had trampolines and balance beams on them. Needless to say, Seth slept good that night! It was a lot of fun and an interesting way to celebrate a birthday!

PirateFest

A few weekends ago, we attended Piratefest. Piratefest is actually a combination of Greenville's International Festival and the Purple & Gold Pigskin Pigout Party. I think there is also an art show. We thought that Seth would get alot out of it considering that pirates are one of his current fascinations. The organizers had closed down Evans street from 5th Street to the Town Commons and the street was lined with vendors.

Pirates were strolling throughout the street and they would stop and talk to you and pose for pictures. We watched a bagpipe led parade of pirates and many folks were showing up dressed as pirates. Seth would only bring his feathersword and his American flag.

The city of Greenville unveiled the painted Pirates that will adorn businesses throughout the city. Different artists and organizations painted these pirate statues. I had a vested interest in this because Greene Central High School's art classes designed one of these pirates. It is the mosaic tile one in the center of picture that has "Arrrrrt!!" on the hat. The pirates were really pretty and they will look good around the city.

Busy Times

This has been a very busy week for me. Sunday I helped give a baby shower in Washington. Monday, we went out to eat with our Young Adult group. Tuesday was parent-teacher night, Wednesday I helped give another baby shower at school, Thursday I took kids to the Battle of the Books competition in Kinston and Seth had a followup ENT appointment (good report), and today Seth had an asthma reevaluation. No asthma diagnosis--yay! I know that was a huge run on sentence but I feel like a dog with his tongue hanging out after chasing something. Whew! Tomorrow we are heading to the Piratefest since Seth is fascinated with pirates. Hopefully we will have some good pictures to post--I am sure he will have fun saying, "Argggghhh!!" Thanks to everyone who has been thinking about Seth during the past two weeks. His surgery was a success although he spiked a fever and developed a deeper cough 2 days after surgery. We had to go back to the pediatrician for that--he was actually on two high powered antibiotics at one time! Speaking of pediatricians, ours is leaving--he and his family are moving to Winston Salem (where his wife is from) so that they can be closer to her family. There is nothing like having family nearby to help out with your kids, so we can't blame him there. But we will be losing a great doctor who had a special place in his heart for Seth. Maybe you and Matt will run into him, Patrice; or maybe you and Kim will run into him, Leigh. His name is Dr. Rhyne and he looks like Jeff Burton, the race car driver and WoJo who used to play basketball for Duke. He is a great pediatrician and we will miss him dearly!

New Tubes and Out with the Adenoids!

Happy Belated Birthday, Janet!

Seth's ENT doctor had a cancellation this week for surgery so we were worked in for today. Surgery is never easy and it wasn't necessarily easier this time--it was just that we knew kind of what to expect. They did give Seth a drug before they took him back that made him seem as high as a kite. He just got this big grin on his face and he started laughing at Rob and then he would look at me. Then he lost all agility and was totally dependent on us. The nurse that came and got him said she would put him in the wagon (they use these to take little kids for a ride back to the OR) but she was scared he would topple over. It made an uneasy situation a little lighter--he didn't put up a fuss when he left us. His surgery was successful and the doctor seemed supportive in the decision to remove his adenoids. Seth was a mad somebody when he woke up and found that IV in his arm. He didn't want anything sticking in him like that. He tried to rip it out several times and would get even madder when we held his hand away. He really started to wake up on the way home, requesting "Hot Potato" pointing out all the American flags. It was an emotionally and physically tiring day that I hope will pay off in the future.

Happy Easter and Welcome Spring!

Happy Easter from the Brights!

Round Two

I should have known something was up with the first ear infection. A couple of weeks after that one went away, the cough came. The doctor said it was the croup and then he checked his ears. The tube in Seth's right ear had moved and was no longer doing its job of draining the ear properly--hence two ear infections in a month and a half. So, here we go back to the ENT. For the second round of tubes, your adenoids come out as well. We have been reassured by our pediatrician that this also will take care of ear infections. Well, why didn't they go ahead and take their adenoids out when they put the first tubes in? Geez. His surgery is scheduled for the middle of April. I know I should not complain one bit--and I don't mind as long as it is helping his health.

Seth recently started singing. He loves to sing, "Wheels on the Bus," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." He sings along with the Wiggles and Elmo as well. This has happened within the last two weeks. It is just so amazing how these skills evolve. He is also saying his ABCs and counting to 20 all the time. We can put him down for his nap and he is in there, "A.....B......C.....D....EFG..." It is a hoot.