No April Fool

Okay, first of all, I really can't say enough thanks for all the supportive comments, emails and cards/letters I/we have been getting about everything we're going through. I cannot fathom getting through this time without feeling that net of support, both from our nearby friends and family and those who are cheering us on from far away. I am having a terrible time responding appropriately right now, but know that all your words really are helping and are so appreciated.
The best promise I can make is that I will remember how all your reaching out helped us through and I will look for opportunities to "pay it forward."

I think our whole family is a little on edge because I'm having a difficult time right now. I mean we are all having a difficult time, but my difficult time seems to manifest itself in crying jags that last 20 out of 24 hours a day. I think I'm okay, I'm just a crier, and this is hard, so I'm crying even more than usual. I expect it to level out within two months of Michael's homecoming; either that or I'll need to be treated for dehydration.

*****
Here are some pictures of Harper showcasing her best Easter egg. This was the first year we dyed eggs and I'm really sorry we didn't have the camera handy because the look of sheer wonder on her face when she dropped the tablet into the lemon juice and watched the color change. . . it was one of those truly magical moments. Her favorite part was dying the last egg, when we just let her switch it from one color to another and eventually followed her directions to pour the colors together.

I took these photos before she ate that special egg, it seemed like it deserved recording.

(Harper was trying to do all these weird poses for the egg picture. . . she's getting to that age where some of the cute gets lost in her own strange ideas about what she's trying to look like!)

Unfortunately, a few minutes into the eating of said egg, Harper got up to use the bathroom and Rebound finished it off. Harper was sad, but then agreed to eat a nearly-as-lovely pink egg. She told me that next year, when we make all the beautiful eggs, we'd have to send Rebound to the pound until we were finished eating them. She takes her eggs very seriously.

*****

I hadn't posted a new picture of Michael in a while, so I took one today while I was holding him. He looks huge to me! He broke the 5 pound barrier today, weighing 5 lbs., 1/4 oz. this morning. That means he's gained nearly a pound in the last three weeks. He'll be a giant before we know it.