Ethan comes home!

Ethan was released from the hospital and came home on Christmas Day!

Evie loves "her" baby Ethan.

The Johnson Family:

Ethan Pics!

Here are a couple of more recent pictures of Ethan. When Evie saw these pictures she said, "Dr. P taking care of Ethan" Dr. P is their pediatrician.

Ethan Charles Johnson!

Hi, friends! My nephew, Ethan Charles Johnson, was born on Friday, December 19. He weighed 7lbs. 2oz. and was 20in. long. Though his measurements don't indicate it, the doctors consider him a preemie because he was born 4 weeks early.
Here's a picture of the happy family shortly after his birth:

Evie and Big Daddy (or B'addy, as she likes to call him) watch the nurses tend to Ethan:

While in the nursery, the nurses noticed that Ethan had to work a little too hard to breathe. He made a slight moaning sound with every breath. This noise was a result of his throat muscles working hard to push air into his lungs. The pediatrician decided to put him in the NICU and assist his breathing with a c-pap machine (like the one worn by people with sleep apnea).

Ethan has been in the NICU since that first night. As typical for families with a child in the NICU, we have been on an emotional roller coaster. The good news is that the doctor has not needed to incubate Ethan. He has gone from the c-pap to a vent/hood type contraption to granular tubes that assist with his breathing. They started feeding him yesterday and Cristi was able to hold and feed him last night! Please continue to pray for baby Ethan and our entire family. We are hoping that we will be able to bring him home for Christmas!
Here are a few more pics for your enjoyment:

What a fun week!

I had such a fabulously unique week that I was inspired to once again return to the blogging world. (Well, the fun week, the nagging friends and family, and the small amount of down time I decided to take for myself combined to encourage my return.)

Most of you know that I occasionally 'moonlight' as a doula. My friends, Amanda and Owen Nease, invited me to join them in the birth of their son! Amanda choose to labor and deliver in the water. Having watched a few births, I am convinced that water birth is the way to go!
This seemed to be her most comfortable position in the water. Isn't she beautiful? I mean, the girl was having hard, double contractions and still managed to smile in between.

Owen, Amanda and mid-wife, Cathy.

Owen and I assembled, cleaned and disassembled the pool. We had two different sets of directions and I'm pretty sure Candid Camera taped us for their next episode. This picture marked the momentous occasion of finally getting the pool back in its carrier. Can you see the relief on our faces?

Bennett Owen Nease! 9lbs 21.25 inches

Two days later, we had a rare snowy morning in New Orleans!

Later in the week, my friend Eva invited me to watch Pete Sampras and James Blake play an exhibition match in Baton Rouge. We had floor seats!

Pete's still got it! He won in the third set.