Chilson Family

Son #7 and I share a birthday, 39 years apart!  Today we are celebrating the 12th birthday of Son #7!  My youngest man is growing up way to fast, I know, I always say that!  He is fun, sensitive, a prankster, and thinks outside of the box!  He keeps us on our toes since he is one of three children that think way deep!   HAPPY BIRTHDAY SON! YOU ARE A PRECIOUS SON AND WE ARE SO GLAD GOD GAVE YOU TO US!   LOVE, DADDY AND MOMMA   No cake for this young man!  His new favorite dessert is Arctic Blasters Orange Ice Cream bars.  His new collecting hobby is glass soda bottles.  He asked for IBC Cream Soda for his drink and Extreme Sour Warheads for his candy. His gift was a Nerf Zombie Strike.  Our family loves Nerf gun wars.  (He wanted a BB gun, but living in the city with a busy road behind us it did not seem like a good idea for an adventuresome young man.) (Sorry, no pictures of the birthday M...

  We usually do not babysit Granddaughter J on Wednesdays.  But her other grandma needed to switch days today.  So here are three scholars that abandoned their school work for a quick "niece" hug!  One can never get too many hugs!       

Today is a double birthday in our home.  Our youngest son, Son #7, turns eleven today!  We refer to this as the "railroad track birthday".  The saying comes from our oldest son as he was turning eleven.  He thought the number "11" looked like the rails of the train track! (Oh the sweet memories!) Son #7 has been so excited for his birthday that he went to bed at 8:30 last night so his birthday would come sooner!  When I went in to pray with him he had the biggest smile on his face.  A couple hours later when I went in to pray with Son # 6, the smile was still on his face while sleeping.  So precious! Today also happens to be my birthday!  Son #7 happens to be the best present a momma could ask for on her birthday!  He was born on my 39th birthday, so if my math is correct that would make me fifty!!!  Fifty is only an number, although Daughter #1 reminds me it is half of a century!   HAPPY 11th BIRTHDAY SON! WE L...

I found a picture Daughter #2 had taken of Granson E and me a couple of weeks ago.  He is so much fun, as well as all of the grands! I also found this sweet picture of my daddy and our two youngest, Son #7 and Daughter #7.  By the way, my daddy is the #1 Dad! *smile*

Every once in a while you see something that you just have to capture on camera.  While fixing lunch this afternoon, one of the daughters noticed the Hubby and Son #7 were "dressed" alike--white t-shirt and black dress pants.  Son #7 was beaming after noticing this.  Just had to capture it and share!

I can't believe it!  Our youngest son turns ten today!  It is hard to believe that the little bundle, weighing just a bit over 4 pounds, is a lively, very imaginative young man.  He never ceases to amaze me with his questions and hunger for knowledge! Happy Birthday Son #7! We love you and are so very glad God gave you to us!        If Son #7 is turning 10, that must mean I'm turning 49 today!  Must admit, he was the best birthday present ever!  

I realize that it has been a long time since "remembering" Son #7's trama.  It was starting to take me back to a place that was emotionally too much.   Even now, through God's goodness and loving hand, it is like a huge stone sitting on my chest. I don't want to leave anyone "hanging", so I will try to finish. Son #7's breathing was not stable.  They doctor decided to put him on the vent.  But when the vent was brought to his room his breathing started to become more stable.  They moved the vent and he was unstable.  Finally the doctor left it outside of his door as a "threat".  It worked!  However, he was not out of danger.  My sweet little man became a stranger to me.  He would get worked up over any noise.  We could not hold, touch or even talk around him.  If his eyes were open and you made eye-contact with him he would get worked up and his heart rate would go up.  I had a lot of questions for the doctors...

I was asked which hospital I wanted Son #7 to go to, of course I wanted him at the hospital that knew him, the one he was born in.  I was told he was too critical to make the 20 minute trip, so it was decided to take him to the county hospital. The children's hospital is across the street and we knew he would be sent there once he was stable and had permission to be transferred. My neighbor called my hubby at church to let him know we were on our way to the hospital and he needed to get there as soon as possible.  He went back to gather the family and was nearly dragging them out of the sanctuary.  One of our friends stopped him long enough to find out what was going on.  They offered to take the family back to the house while he went to the hospital.  Our neighbor kept the two daughters that were at home. Our ambulance ride to the hospital was rather slow.  They could not go very fast since Son #7 was too tiny for the...

The day started like most Sundays, getting ready for church.  Since we had just brought Son #7 home from the NICU, I would be staying home.  The family went to our usual morning services and came home for Sunday dinner.  After we ate I was needing to work on a flower girl's dress Daughter #4 would be wearing in Son #1's wedding in May.  Before too long it was time to go back to evening church.  Daughter #2, 10 at the time, wanted to stay home and help.  Daughter #4, 4 at the time, was (and still is) a momma's girl and wanted to stay home also.  Hubby took rest of the family with him.  Son #7 had been fed and diapered and put down in the pac-n-play so I could continue with my project.  He became a bit fussy and Daughter #2 wanted to hold him.  So I picked him up and and settled them both down on the sofa with Daughter #4 next to them.  I had not gotten very far in my project when he started fussing.  Daug...

Nine years ago today I brought home from the hospital, for the fist time, Baby #13, who just happens to be Son #7.  I spent three weeks at home on bedrest and four weeks in the hospital on bedrest.  Son #7 arrived 11:42 pm on February 11, 2003, weighing 4 pounds 2 ounces and 16 1/2 inches long, at 31 weeks 5 days gestation.  He spent four weeks in the NICU growing and at 36 weeks 2 days was finally released to go home!  It had been a long road and finally we would all be together getting our life back to normal! Son #7  One day old on Vent Little did I realize that "normal" was only going to last forty-eight hours.  MY plans of normal would soon unravel. Stay with me for a few postings...I will share with you how God moved in the life of our family and showed us a miracle.  But like most miracles it was not without hardship or tears. 

Today is Son #7's birthday!  He is nine years old!  It is so hard to believe my baby boy is growing up!  He and I share the same birthday!  So that makes me forty-eight!  Yikes!  Did not think that sounded old until now! I spent four weeks in the hospital on bed rest with him and made it to 32 weeks.  It was almost  the longest month of my life.  Son #7 spent one month and four days in the NICU. That was his first round in the NICU.  (more on that later on) HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY SON!  WE LOVE YOU!    

I am thankful for Son #7, who just happens to be child #13.  I spent 4 weeks on bed rest in the hospital before he came into this world at 32 weeks with no complications.  He went through his NICU period without too many set backs and he came home at 36 weeks with no monitors!   He was home less than 48 hours  when he coded on us.  A blessing for us Daughter #2, she was 11 at the time, wanted to hold him because he was "fussy".  She gave him to me because she thought he was hungry.  As I was trying to nurse him I realized he had gone limp and was blue.  Not a problem, we were use to "blue babies".  But he didn't "pink up", he went gray.  Daughter #2 went to get my neighbor as I called 911.  We started CPR but there was nothing to him, no pulse, no heart beat, nothing.  We continued CPR until the firemen and paramedics arrived.  When they scooped him up to work on him, Son let out a smal...

Since the older nesters were gone to camp last week, Hubby had a chance to teach Son #7 how to mow the lawn.  As you can see, we do not have a very big yard at all.  But that did not matter to Son #7.  He had a morning of bonding with Dad and was pretty pround of himself for being 'one of the big guys'!