Drama Queen

Thank you to all of you who are already praying. They wouldn't release Mary on Tuesday afternoon, after they found a persistent fever. They admitted her into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and started her on IV-antibiotics. Please pray for healing for Mary, wisdom for the doctors, and stamina for the rest of us. Right now, Mary is sleeping like the baby she is. Her fever is down, her complexion is pinker, and she hasn’t had any more episodes of apnea for the last 12 hours.

Keep praying and let us know if you would like one or more of our boys for a playdate this weekend.

Shannon (and Joel)

Introducing Mary Alice Hathaway!!!

Proud Daddy doesn't know what he'll do with a girl! But the mom knows what she's gonna do. . . gaze and gaze in wonder, then gaze in wonder some more!!

Mary is 7 lbs 9 oz

and 20 3/4" long with long toes and thick hair!

We praise the Lord for a healthy baby and safe delivery. . .There was only one hour of anxiety when we discovered Mary had decided to stick her hand out first and it was blocking her head from descending. The nurses called our wonderful OB, Dr. Jewell, to come back to the hospital, and he prayed for Mary and for wisdom the whole way. After about an hour, he was able to prod her into bringing her hand back to her torso. In 23 years of delivering babies, it was only his 3rd "hand-first" baby. The most beautiful thing was when he immediately gave credit to God and praised Him with us. Praise the Lord for answering our pleas for mercy!

Isn't she perfect? If you want to see more pictures, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/ShannonHathaway/IntroducingMaryAliceHathaway?authkey=Gv1sRgCOac-LD-iJDdCw&feat=directlink

Amazing Firsts

First daughter, First nursery, First coordinated crib bedding, First pink anything. . . Praise the Lord and many thanks to my husband, my mom and my dad for all their work evicting Joel's office and building a girl's room!! And hats off to Chris Snell for helping Joel move the heaviest office furniture down the stairs without any loss of life or limb!
Now it's just 2-4 weeks of waiting and staying caught up on laundry, dishes and meals! Thank you precious Jesus for this time of preparation and peace!

Snow Fun

Even though it was dusk when they finished, Joel and the boys built and AMAZING snow fort tonight. Here it is with Zeke standing in the doorway so you can see the scale of this thing. I'll take a picture tomorrow in the daylight if it's still standing!! The snow has been melting all day today, so I'm surprised they were able to gather enough to build this!! The high was 57 degrees. . . go figure!!

Tuesday and Wednesday were snow days with no school, so we had a blast sledding. Jonah actually said he prefers shoveling snow to sledding, so we had to pay him a quarter to sled one time for the camera's sake!! Jonah spent two hours shoveling and having the most fun throwing snow off the shovel and enjoying the visible progress. Most kids have to be paid to shovel the driveway; he is such a farmer boy!!
Isaac loved sledding, but his favorite activity on this day was making snow angels. . . so here's my snow angel. I think he loves the feeling of free-falling back into the snow and sinking down with it all around him.

Zeke sledded over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.

We finally got enough snow to actually play in (despite freezing temperatures, we have had almost no snow this winter)!

Happily announcing the birth of my newest nephew. . .

Owen Thompson Slinker

Born 1/21/09 12:12pm

Weighing 6lbs 12.5oz

Length: 20 1/2 inches

(Owen was the "baby boy" in the belly shot I recently posted of my sister and I with our kissing cousins!!) Isaac Owen Hathaway is tickled that his new cousin was given his middle name!!! Congratulations to Lindsey and Todd and big sister Hannah!!!!

Charlotte, NC Christmas

Aunt Christen with the oldest Hathaway cousin, Katie. Aren't they beautiful?

Fireworks in the street entertained the kids for hours: Thanks, Christen!

Eric, safely back from Iraq, with Princess Katie who is smitten with her dad!

Aunt Becca with Brooke, the baby princess of the cousins. (There are 8 boy cousins between Katie and Brooke!) There are currently 10 cousins on the Hathaway side, with our "Mary" to be #11!

Cousin Chaos! Brooke, Zeke, Isaac, Jonah, Caleb, Logan, Ben. . . We missed you, Farel and Cooper!!! Thank you, Grandmom and Grandpop, for a Fun Fun Fun time in Charlotte!

Kissing cousins and other Buford, GA Christmas shots

Zeke with his new Polar Express track.

Isaac the gentleman with a Knights and Castles felt board.

Jonah and Nana with a baseball bat for yard practice.

Shannon with Mary due in March and Lindsey with "baby boy" due in January. Mary and "Baby boy" are sharing a cousin kiss!