Our Most Favorite Person in the World!

We love you Gabe!

He's Got the Sleep Thing Down

Sleeping in the bouncy chair

Sleeping with Mommy in bed

Sleeping with Daddy on the couch

Even smiling while sleeping (I know what that smile means Gabe)

Pictures

Tummy Time

Hello Everyone!

Doing Push-Ups

I have a nose?

My Feet Float

Instructions not included

More Pictures

Relaxing in the towel after the bath

That tickles Daddy

You're funny Gramma

Am I wearing a dress?

I think I see a dump truck!

Home at Last!!!

This is the scene we have been waiting 7 long years for. A precious little baby of our own in our home! We just can't express how happy we are and how thankful we are for having this little guy in our life! Stephanie, Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! We love you so much for this great gift!

The Best Day in a Week and a Half!!!

So today is the big day. The doctors finally gave Gabe the okay to go home with us! We were so absolutely excited to get the news this morning. After a long week and a half wait our little boy can finally come home!

We couldn't wait to get him into some street clothes. Stephanie chose this great outfit for him to go home in. Great choice Stephie, he's as cute as a button!

I like my car seat.

Mom, Dad, and Baby, ready to go!

Is That A Smile, or...?

Every so often Gabe will crack out one of these, which I like to think is because of me, but usually shortly after this kind of a smile he requires a diaper change, so I'm starting to think that it is probably just gas.

The Big Boy Bed

Gabe has been doing so well these last couple of days! He now has all of the lines removed from his body, with exception of the feeding tube (nose), and an IV line in his foot for his antibiotics (which he should be finishing up tomorrow?). So with all of the improvement they graduated him to a "Big Boy Bed" last night. This is a pretty minimal set up with no heaters or anything, much more like home will be, which is what they are slowly trying to prepare him for :-) :-) Yeah!!!!!

By the looks of it he quite likes the new bed. Here he is just chillin' in his new space.

Gabe's First Tub Bath

He was a little resistant at first, but once he started to feel the warm water Gabe settled right in and was quite content letting us pamper him for a while in his first "tub" bath.

Hello Beautiful!

Today Gabe went off oxygen and is breathing completely on his own. That means that he lost one more tube from his body, which is a good thing. We are hoping the feeding tube (in his nose) will be one of the next things to go and we might be able to get a picture of his cute little face without anything poking, prodding, or sticking to him. Isn't he just beautiful!

Our Little Jedi in Training

Seeing Gabe with his little blinders on reminds me of this scene from Star Wars; you know where Luke is doing his lightsaber training with Obi Wan on the Millennium Falcon :-). May the Force be with you Gabe!!!

Actually the blinders are to shield his eyes from the light shining on his body for the light therapy he is receiving to fight the little bit of jaundice he has, nothing to worry about though, they tell us most kids in the NICU need the light therapy for a little bit and then they are fine.

Gabe's First Bottle

Today's big event was Gabe receiving his first bottle, even though they only gave him about a teaspoon worth, it is just another step in his recovery. They were hoping to see that his stomach could handle the milk after the bleeding in his stomach had stopped, and so far so good :) We just wish we could have been holding him for this, but that is being kept to such a small amount we are just happy for any contact with the little cutie.

Daddy's Little Boy

I just can't express how much I love this little guy. I was able to hold him for a little bit today and just can't wait until they have all of his little tubes out and he can be at home with us where we can hold him as much as we would like. He is just my pride and joy!

Peacefully Sleeping

Today was a great day for Gabe. They took him off the ventilator this morning, removed 2 tubes from his body in the afternoon, and finished it all off with a nice sponge bath. Honestly though, Gabes condition has improved a lot in the last 24 hours for which we are sooo grateful. We know it is due in large part to the priesthood blessings he has received and all of the many heartfelt prayers that have been said in his behalf in conjunction with the efforts of some very skilled doctors and nurses that have been attending him. Thank you all for your thoughtful concern. At the time of this picture he was sleeping peacefully and doing just great.

Mommy, Daddy, & Baby

We finally figured out that if you have someone else take the picture we could get one of all three of us.

One Of Life's Most Treasured Moments

After two and a half days of patiently waiting, the hopital staff finally allowed us to hold our little guy for a couple of minutes today. I can't think of anything more special than those first few moments we were able to spend holding him close even for such a short amount of time. I love this picture of Mom and Baby for the very first time.

Gabe's New Home for ???

After the ambulance ride to the new facility Gabe started to experience some additional difficulties and we had to put him on a ventilator. We continue to hope that he will recover soon and that his little body will become strong enough to come home, but for the time being this will be his home for the next maybe couple of weeks ??? At this point we really aren't sure and are taking things an hour at a time. There is the slight possibility that he may have to be transferred again for surgery, but we are hoping and praying that he will perk up soon and this will not have to take place.

Almost Ready for Transport

Due to insurance coverage after Gabe legally became ours this morning we found out that we needed to move him to another facility. Here they almost have him ready for the ambulance ride. As you can see he was thrilled about the move :-(

Happy To Be Alive!

Fresh from the womb and happy to be alive, Gabe was thrilled to be stretching his arms and legs out for the first time.

His Eyes Open

This morning when we went in to visit with Gabe he decided to wake up a bit and open his eyes for the first real time. It was so neat to see him looking around and trying to figure out his surroundings a bit. We wish he were looking at the inside of his crib, but the tubes and lights of the NICU will have to do for now.

Meet Gabe!

Born on April 16, 2007. Gabe has been in the NICU all day, but we think he is just beautiful, even with all of the tubes hanging out of him.

Easter at Grandma Nelson's House

The annual Easter egg hunt was a big hit again with our nieces and nephews. Although some of them were missing this year, we still had a blast.

Let the Hunt Begin!!!!

Finding the Hidden Treasures

Counting up the Stash

Easter Dinner after the Hunt

We wish that Grandpa Nelson, Kurt & Tara and the kids, and Matt & Whitney would have been here, but maybe next year when Gabe is almost 1 year old we will have everyone there to celebrate.

Dinner with Lana's sisters

This is a picture of our last get together with Lana's sisters before Gabe arrives. We just wish that her brother and his wife in Ohio and her parents who are in China could have been here.