14 Babies!!!

These are many of the teachers that I work with at Chandler Woods Academy. There were 14 babies born this year and two more are on the way! We made the local tv news on Friday and we will also be featured in the Grand Rapids Press. It was a big day for Marcella. We had to get ready and at school by 9am! Then we stayed to talk with other teachers and have a barbeque lunch from Sandman's. I'll be going back to work part time in the fall and job sharing with Kristy Mitchell (in the front row with the baby in red). The good thing is that the state of Michigan passed a new law that schools cannot begin before Labor Day. This is to increase tourism. Yeah! I'll get a longer summer and more time with my daughter.

Something the Lord Made

Tyler and I watched a great movie this weekend called "Something the Lord Made." It's about "blue babies" who don't get enough oxygen because their heart formed wrong before birth. In the 40's, babies with heart defects had a 100% mortality rate and doctors said nothing could be done to save them. How sad! Two doctors, Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas from Johns Hopkins Hospital, began researching babies with heart defects. Using innovative methods, they performed the very first heart surgery in the world! It was amazing to hear the true story of how these men went against all odds to save babies suffering from heart defects. Their work opened the door to continued medical research and future heart surgeries... and look what doctors can do today! The Lord made a way for Ella's broken heart to be fixed! Thanks for recommending the film, Kyle and Abby!

Relaxation

This is how Ella sleeps at night, with her arms up high. Really! They say it is a sign of contentment and relaxation. She takes several long naps during the day, however she hasn't yet learned how to sleep through the night.

I'm learning how to relax, too. No longer on a busy daily schedule, I'm enjoying an occassional nap and lots of time with my daughter. This afternoon, we sat on the porch and observed the power of a thunderstorm as it blew into town. Every day, we also check on a nest of baby robins housed on our front porch. It is the second nest we've been able to observe this spring.