Sisters

I can't imagine what my life would be like without my three wonderful sisters. They have been my best friends and have been there for me through all of my ups and downs in life.

My sister Sarah has always been there to give me advice, to pave the way for me, and has served as a great example of generosity and compassion.

My sister Ruth is always so thoughtful. She is great at letting me know she cares through all her phone calls, cards, and e-mails.

My youngest sister Rachel is always fun to talk to. She was so sweet to visit me when I was in Philadelphia and to come up to Washington to help me while I was on bed rest.

I hope Maddy and Abby will have the same wonderful relationship that I have enjoyed with my sisters.

Like most younger sisters, Maddy loves to copy her older sister. She found one of Abby's nightgowns and put it on. She was very proud of herself looking just like Abby.

So cute!

Abby and Maddy hiding from Mommy in the grape vine.

The girls opening presents from Mom after I came home from the hospital.

Abby riding on Jared's back.

Of course Maddy had to try it too.

Here are the girls swinging together. I hope they will always be best friends.

Seven Years and Counting

Since I haven't yet posted on this blog under my own name (much to my sister-in-law's dismay), I thought today would be the perfect opportunity to begin. I approach this post with a certain degree of trepidation knowing that my anniversary is the most sacred day of the year. There is something too public about cyberspace, and I loathe generalized mushiness (or what may be perceived as such)--especially in public forums. Still, I find the desire to shout from the rooftops how blessed I am in my marriage entirely inescapable.

We live in a time when divorce is common. Divorce rates in the United States have actually declined in recent years, but that is because cohabitation (followed by separation) has increased. The U.S. at one time had the highest rate of single parent familes out of all Western countries (it may be the highest still, but I'm not up on current demographics). What a shame. Ever more relevant is the 1995 document The Family: A Proclamation to the World. It states that "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children. . . . We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society."

It is for this reason that I write a tribute to my wife and family on this seventh anniversary of my marriage. I have a great wife and three great kids. We have lived a full life together. I freely admit it has not been easy, lest any either accuse me of flippantly writing with smarmy self-satisfaction that no storms have been a match for our fortitude, or else thinking that we have gotten off easy without suffering any real trials at all. The truth is that marriage is hard. Life in general is hard. Despite this, the Lord said His "yoke is easy," and we have had a lot of help along the way.

When Mary & I wed seven years ago, we had no idea that we would end up in eastern Washington with me slaving away as a surgical physician assistant while Mary has struggled to raise our very energetic children--sometimes without seeing much of me for days. For all our tears the first three and a half years that we couldn't have children, we had no idea that we would have three kids in the last three and a half years. We didn't forsee 2 cross country moves, or the 5 or so other in-town moves that we made. We certainly didn't plan on months of cyclical agony from endometriosis, only to end with an ex-lap revealing the gangrenous tubal cyst that had dropped Mary to the floor in pain at her sister's wedding. We couldn't have known that I would spend one of our anniversaries alone in another city vomiting every 20 minutes with giardiasis. Equally distressing was failing multiple organic chemistry exams, followed by years of indecision regarding a career.

Somehow we got through it all. We had a lot of help from family, friends, people at church, and most of all, each other. We have had just as many positive experiences too--many too sacred to relate. We have been guided by the hand of God as we have tried to put Him first. At the risk of sounding cliche I'll say that all of our trials have, in the end, been positive experiences.

To my wife and children, I love you. To all who read this, may you have the joy that Mary & I have had these seven years--whether you are in your first or fiftieth year of matrimony. May you pull together through trials, and may you join with me in promoting strong marriages and supporting those measures designed to strengthen and maintain the family as the fundamental unit of society.

Nathan Coming Home

I think going home from the hospital without Nathan was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I went back and visited him in the NICU everyday, but it wasn't the same. Needless to say I was very happy on the 12th when they told us we could finally bring him home! Isn't he cute with clothes on?

Nathan with daddy saying goodbye to the NICU.

The girls were VERY excited to have Nathan come home. The whole way home Maddy kept pointing to Nathan saying, "Baby car seat! Baby car seat!" Abby was excited to be a big girl and sit in back, but was disappointed that she didn't get a very good view of Nathan.

Abby and Maddy love their little brother, and it's all I can do to keep them from smothering him. Whenever he makes any sort of noise they run to me and yell, "Baby crying! Baby crying!"

He is SO cute when he sleeps. Since Nathan has been getting presents from so many people, I often find little "gifts" (stuffed animals, pacifiers, blankets, toys, and other treasures) from the girls that they keep putting in his crib.

Here he is sleeping on me. So precious!

Nathanael Livingston Collett

Here is a picture of me on August 5th, the day before Nathan was born.

On August 6th the doctor decided to try a version to turn him out of breech position. It didn't work, so I got an epidural and he tried more aggressively. Nathan would not budge. By this point I was already dilated to a 7 or 8 so they decided it wasn't safe to send me home again for fear that I would have a breech baby at home, and since I already had the epidural we decided to go ahead and have him by C-section.

When Nathan came out he was still in his favorite position with his legs stuck up by his ears. We unfortunately were not allowed to hold him since he was having some trouble breathing and they had to give him oxygen right away. We were upset to discover from his lung X-rays that he was actually only 34 or 35 weeks along, and not the 36 and a half weeks that we originally had thought. They put him on CPAP in the NICU, so I wasn't able to see him until later that night. Despite him being early he is a really good size, 6 lbs 1 oz and 18 1/2 inches long. He seems huge compared to all the other NICU babies who are only 3 or 4 pounds.

The next day we were finally able to hold him.

Thanks to the hospital's family friendly policy, the girls were able to scrub in and visit their new baby brother.

Abby was very interested in learning about newborns and umbilical cords. She liked visiting with Nathan as well. She said, "Hi Nathan. I love you. I'm going to be a good big sister and not let you run in the street." Maddy grabbed his toes and said "piggies!" She also kept reaching for Nathan and saying "Baby hold me" just like she does with her baby doll.

The girls really missed their mom and loved to come visit and cuddle me in bed.

After a few days Nathan was able to go for several hours on his own without needing oxygen.

Here he is opening his eyes for one of the first times.

Nathan's bilirubin levels were high so he got to spend a few days hanging out in the light with these cool sunglasses on.

Here is on Monday just kicking his legs in the air. He is doing really well, and we should be able to bring him home soon. He is a sweet baby and we feel very blessed that he is doing well and is part of our family. We also feel blessed by all of our wonderful family, friends, ward members, and neighbors who have helped us with meals and babysitting during this joyful, yet difficult, time. Thank you.

The Windows of Heaven

This morning I saw our tithing check that Jared had filled out to give to the bishop at church. I thought, "Wow! That is a lot of money," and started thinking about what I could buy with that money. Then I thought about the blessings that we have recieved from paying our tithing and I realized that there is no comparission between what the Lord has given us and the small amount that we give back. Some recent financial blessing we have received for paying our tithing include being able to sell our run down car for $500 to a mechanic and having the last $452 of one of Jared's student loans unexpectedly written off by the bank for "taking care of [his] loan obligation in a diligent manner."

More than these financial blessings, I was thinking about some of the recent non-material blessings we have received. With this pregnacy I was really worried about having to go on bedrest again and not having the support here that I would need. I prayed about my concerns and the Lord opened the windows of heaven. I was blessed to have my sister and her husband come and help take care of us for a few weeks. After they had to leave the ward has been wonderful about helping out. They went the extra mile and scheduled meals for us for the entire week, including weekends, as well as someone to take the girls out once a day while Jared was at work. What a blessing. So with the help of all these kind and generous people I've been able to make it to 36 weeks without going into pre-term labor.

I could go on forever about the blessings we have received. Each time we have sacrificed our time, talents, or money to serve or help others we have been blessed ten fold.

By the way, my sister told me about a great article on this subject that you may enjoy: http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view&a=2441