Well, it's been a long time since we've posted an update and a lot has happened!
First, on November 2, Marcus Nathaniel Butler became 100% officially, legally our son! Needless to say we are so thrilled to be at the end of the "process" and to be "official." We had a great time celebrating with family and friends.
Our other big news is that Marcus is going to be a big brother in May! We are pregnant and are so excited to be adding to our growing family. We have had a few scares with some bleeding. I was admitted to the hospital for a couple of days to monitor things. The good news is that the baby is doing great -- we see a strong heartbeat and good movement on the ultrasounds. The not so good news is that I am on modified bed rest for a while -- meaning I can get up to go to the bathroom and shower and to get something to eat or drink, but other than that, I'm laying or sitting down. My doctor said the official instructions are to be a "couch potato" and be waited on as much as possible (including no housework!).
Since being a "couch potato" with a 3-year old is hard to do, we are so blessed to have family and friends to help us. Our church family has jumped in to bring dinner for several nights and offers to transport visiting family. Bryant's Mom (a.k.a. Nana Roe!) is arriving today! My sister Kathryn and niece Laura will arrive on Nov 28. Then we'll see who comes next. If we can make it to Dec. 18 with some help during each week, we'll be set! Then Bryant will be off for 2 weeks to enjoy the holidays. We are praying that things will continue to get better and I can get back to being up and about more. The worst part of this for me (besides worrying about the baby) is that we probably will not make it "home" to S.C. for Christmas this year. We were really looking forward to a trip home for Marcus' first Christmas with us. But we know we will have special memories here in our home in Kansas.
The final big news to share (at least Marcus thinks it's big news) is that we had our first snow here in Kansas on Monday Nov 16! It was so pretty to watch it fall. It was only about an inch and the rain that followed washed it away quickly. It was neat to see "winter" again after 3 years in summery CA!
We hope all our friends and family have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for this year! We hope you do too!
