32 Weeks and Food.

It's here...32 weeks and the last two months! I'm not sure how that can be the case, but here we are and hopefully the weather doesn't stretch these eight weeks into feeling like 18.

And with that...I've been wanting all of the carbs and citrus. So it's great that I live in the Midwest where the only good fruit we can get this time of year is citrus. And since I love to bake, these bagels  have been on the ready at our house.

But these bagels have been so tasty. I made them on Friday before we left for the weekend and I would eat one every day. And since I have no shame, I'm going to share some pictures...proud bagel momma, over here.

          

        The boiling process.                          And the cinnamon sugar bagels, pre oven.

And my fav--everything.

And the toppings, of course.

These bagels have been a hit at our house. Lew devoured one last night right before bed and Kyle wants to make bagel sandwiches now. So that's what we'll be prepping before baby gets here, I do believe.

On that note, Bean Sprout is probably just shy of 4 lbs and approximately the size of a cantaloupe. 

 

Should you ever find yourself in Minneapolis with time on your hands, we had some great food and saw some awesome art!

Eggy's Diner - Minneapolis (I had a fantastic burger! And it was so filling)

  

The MIA is one of my favorite places to go. It's free and houses hours of art for you to peruse. Right now the special exhibit is Egypt's Sunken Cities. We didn't see it, but it looked impressive.

Mr. Pig Suff BBQ is in Shakopee and we got the dinner for 2. Boy was it tasty. Plus our company was pretty great too. 

So, we're home from our little babymoon and the plan is to hunker down and stay cozy until baby gets here. If you need us we'll be baking, doing laundry, and finishing a few house projects.

Happy Wednesday!

How many times have I done this?

So, in all seriousness. How many times have I tried to jump back on the bandwagon and be consistent with my blogging? I mean, I've had a blog for the better part of the last decade. So there's your ballpark timeframe.

And it really is so hard to stay consistent. I wanted to keep blogging last spring after we lost our first little baby. But it was so hard to keep up with all that I wanted to say and who I wanted to say it to. Then I started grad school at the same time and I got overwhelmed. That sense of being overwhelmed hasn't gone away, but it's just looking a little different these days.

After that semester, I really wanted to share our news about the newest little babe on the way. But when we lost that one on Mother's Day, I decided that I needed to take the summer to focus on our family and homework. And before I knew it, we were back to school and pregnant again. Praying all the while that this one would stick.

Here's to a new year. I'd love it if you'd stick around, but I can't make any promises about being consistent with my posting here. Grad school is still looming and with my maternity leave drawing neigh, things are looking a little overwhelming again. But God is good and busy isn't bad, especially when it's this kind of busy.

This year, I'm working toward "being present" in everything that I do. I'm not sure what that might look like, but I do know that it means saying "no" to more and focusing my attention more on what and who is in front of me.

For now, I'll leave you with a comparison picture. The first is from 10 weeks with Bean Sprout and the second is from today, at 26 weeks. Hello, (almost) end of 2nd trimester!

   

 

What are you working on this year?

I'd love it if you shared in the

comments.

He's ONE!

Wasn't it just yesterday that I looked like this...

40 weeks

 41 weeks + 1 day (induction day)

And then you were here! Granted, it was a little more work than that. And if you've not read Lew's birth story, you can find part 1 here and part 2 here.

But he's here and has been for an entire year. How is that possible?? He's our favorite little boy and we are so thankful to have him in our family.

Lewis still loves to eat...anything and everything. Including dog food. He loves his Papa (my dad) the most. He is a champion sleeper...taking two 2 hour naps per day AND sleeping 10-12 hours per night.

He only has two teeth and pictures don't do it justice, but he really does have hair. It's just super blond.

He's still a peanut, but there's a lot of personality, adventure, and spunk in that little boy. We love you so much and are SO excited for year two.

Baby Jackson: An Update & Fundraiser

Update as of 2/14 from Amanda's Facebook:  first of all Jackson says he's sorry to everyone he scared yesterday with his episodes & hopes each of you have a very blessed & Happy Valentines Day; he sends his slobbery kisses to all of you!💋💋♥️♥️

Jackson had a rough night/morning but so far since about 5:00am he's been holding steady and resting. He's grumpy but who wouldn't be after the day he had yesterday.
If y'all are still wanting to donate please do so on our PayPal, GoFundMe or mailing.
We appreciate each and every one of you! I can't get through all the comments and messages but please know I've looked and read them! Y'all are amazing.

You may remember this post about babies Charlotte and Jackson from a few weeks ago. If you don't remember it or haven't checked out, please head over here to do so.

Baby Charlotte is doing well! Her recovery is going and she's a happy little thing.

Baby Jackson, on the other hand, is not doing well. He ended up back in the hospital and his genetic testing came back. His testing revealed that he has Type 1 Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).

Type 1 SMA symptoms are usually present at birth or by 6 months.
"When SMA symptoms are present at birth or by the age of 6 months, the disease is called type 1 SMA (also called infantile onset or Werdnig-Hoffmann disease). Babies typically have generalized muscle weakness, a weak cry and breathing distress. They often have difficulty swallowing and sucking, and don't reach the developmental milestone of being able to sit up unassisted. Typically these babies have two copies of the SMN2 gene, one on each chromosome 5. Over half of all new SMA cases are SMA type 1." (mda.org)

SMA type 1 symptoms can be mild to severe. "Children who have noticeable SMA symptoms at or shortly after birth usually are very weak, have difficulty breathing, sucking and swallowing, and never reach the developmental milestone of being able to sit on their own (type 1 SMA or Werdnig-Hoffmann disease). In the past, children with type 1 SMA usually didn't survive more than two years, but today this is not always the case. With technology such as mechanical ventilation and feeding tubes to assist with breathing and nutrition, children with type 1 SMA can survive for a number of years."  (mda.org)

Jackson and his parents have already spent so much time in the hospital and they may have the option to go home soon. Unfortunately, he is still having so much trouble breathing, so when he goes home, he'll go home on his CPAP. His mom recently posted that when they go home, it's likely that Jackson will be on hospice. **Update since this was written...Jackson coded this morning at 9 and was revived, but the drs don't know if he will make it through tonight.**

I know this momma and Jackson from a wonderful mom's group and he was born just a few weeks before Lewis. It breaks my heart to see and hear what they're dealing with right now. Please continue to keep this family in your prayers. And if you feel led to give, there are a few options.

Option 1: PayPal
Jackson's family is accepting donations via PayPal. PayPal does not charge a service fee to Jackson's family to deposit into their bank account. The PayPal email address is jacksoncook0220@gmail.com

Option 2: GoFundMe
Jackson also has a GoFundMe account set up. Here's the link to his page.

Option 3: Fundraiser!
A sweet mom in our group prints shirts and has started a fundraiser for Jackson. I've ordered a onesie for Lewis to wear. They look like this:

front

back

Onesies are $15 and tshirts are $20. You choose the size and the color. Please contact me if you'd like to order one and I'll get you in touch with the momma who makes them.

Again, please be praying for this sweet family.

Thank you!

Happy Wednesday!

Welcome back! Some good and some not so good.

Update on Jackson from Amanda's FB as of 2/14: Update as of 2/14 from Amanda's Facebook:  first of all Jackson says he's sorry to everyone he scared yesterday with his episodes & hopes each of you have a very blessed & Happy Valentines Day; he sends his slobbery kisses to all of you!💋💋♥️♥️
Jackson had a rough night/morning but so far since about 5:00am he's been holding steady and resting. He's grumpy but who wouldn't be after the day he had yesterday.
If y'all are still wanting to donate please do so on our PayPal, GoFundMe or mailing.
We appreciate each and every one of you! I can't get through all the comments and messages but please know I've looked and read them! Y'all are amazing.


Update on Charlotte: She had surgery yesterday (Jan. 9, 2017) and everything went well! They were able to operate under her arm instead of opening her chest. The surgery was shorter than anticipated and her mom and dad were able to see her yesterday. Thank you for your prayers!

Update on Jackson: He is having a feeding tube placed today (Jan. 10, 2017) and will continue therapy for his strength. 

Check back later for more updates!

It's 2017 and we're off to a bang in the Entzel house. Lewis got sick over break and I came down with a fever of 102 on Monday. We were fortunate enough to get a(nother!) snow day on Tuesday. And Lewis and I were still sick on Wednesday...so snuggles and extra sleep were needed.

All three of us are back to the grind of work and daycare and there are so many happy and sad things happening right now.

On a happy note, my cousin, Paula, got married Dec 30. The ceremony was short and sweet and they were married by the end of it. So it was totally a success. Lewis wowed the guests with his "perfect bald head", and "how cute he is". So a smashing success all around.

Lewis turned FIVE months on Monday. *Lest you think I forgot, I'll be having a five month post here in short order.* He's a ham and we love him so.

I mean, c'mon. Look at that pose. *heart eyes* And apparently that arm drape pose is his new thing...because this next photo was from Tuesday when we both felt crummy.

And on to some more somber news. I'm in a mom's facebook group of moms who were all due in July. (A good handful of us never actually gave birth in July, but it's the thought that counts, right?)

There are two little babes from this group who need some prayers and support. Sweet baby Charlotte has a heart condition that needs to be corrected. She's going in for heart surgery on Monday. If you would wear purple and pray for her that day, her family would appreciate it. Charlotte's family chose purple as her color because:

"Since her diagnosis, we've been praying that God would heal Charlotte's heart, either by miracle or by surgery. However, what's more important than God healing her physical heart is that some day He transform her heart from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh, thus making her a daughter of the King. This has been a prayer for our little girl since before she was born. We all know that any daughter of any king is called a princess. So, we chose purple because it is known as the color of royalty, and we want more than anything for our Charley Bug to someday be a daughter of THE King."

Excuse me while my goosebumps subside and I cry a little. My heart goes out to this beautiful family and let's lift them up in prayer before, during, and after Charlotte's surgery on Monday.

The second little babe is Jackson. He's had many hurdles to overcome since his birth over 5 months ago. He's a trooper and he's sick again. His momma is not able to work as she's with him at the hospital for all of his tests and it's going to be even more of a strain on their family. I've included a link to their GoFundMe account. If you feel like you'd be willing to support this little family, they'd appreciate it greatly. If you're unable to contribute financially, please pray for them as well. He's a trooper and really so sweet.

GoFundMe Link

And last but not least, there's a sweet lady I have been following on IG for quite some time now. She's so genuine and lovely. They're a God fearing family and it radiates from them. A few days ago, I saw that her most recent post was that her husband was in the hospital with bilateral pneumonia (basically, double pneumonia). He was on a ventilator and struggling. And a day or so ago, she posted that her husband and best friend went home to be with his Savior. This sweet family has four children who love their father dearly. He will be greatly missed and my heart aches for them. Please, please pray for them as well. Ruthanne's IG handle is @ruthannegenco. Go read her posts and her blog. Please pray for her and their children and one day, go support her and their children through her etsy store.


I'm sorry that today's post is so heavy. I tried to start off on a lighter note, but the sad and hard things have just appeared recently. Join me in celebrating the good start to 2017 and also join me in praying for those who are having a rough start.

Happy Thursday and I hope to be more up beat the next go around.