the Odd Kouple

Hi everyone.  It has been a long time since we have written.  Things have been very busy for us, but I hope to get back to writing blog posts again.  This entry will be a quick one.  Natalie wanted to give everyone a message.  So, check out the recording below.

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Unless you have been under a rock and don’t watch any TV (or live in a country where you don’t get ABC) then you probably know that the finale of LOST aired May 23, 2010.  I am not going to offer any theories or anything like that.  Just a quick story with a video. 

Nikki and I have followed LOST since it aired on my birthday September 22, 2004.  We even used season one as material for a bible study.  Thinking that the finale was going to air on Tuesday the 25th, I scheduled to go with a friend rock climbing to Sand Rock, AL.  Once I realized that it was going to air while I was camping, well…I had to figured out a fun techie way to still watch it.  Check out the video. 

For those that know me, you will definitely get a good laugh out of this.  Enjoy!

It has been a long road for us since Christmas and we have taken our time in posting something up to give us some healing time.  We still have our low days, but I know that for me, there is has been a lot of positive change.  More good days than bad I believe.  The love and support we felt from all of you before, during and after has been uplifting and indescribable.  So I wanted to share with you one of our good experiences we just had. 

Those who know what we did this past weekend are aware just how insane Nikki and I may actually be.  Friday through Sunday we spent out time in Sand Rock, AL camping out and going rock climbing with our 2 1/2 year old along with our close friends Jill and Rachel.  It was an amazing experience and not nearly as challenging as we thought it might be.  Natalie did AMAZING for her first camping trip.  When we got home she told Nikki that her favorite part was the dirt.  Shortly after that, she played dress up in a Cinderella outfit.  I guess you could say she is a well rounded child.   Sand Rock is one of my favorite rock climbing spots.  I used to teach climbing at Camp Widjiwagan in Antioch, TN (they called me Houdini).  It was one of my favorite jobs.  After 2 weeks of lessons on a ropes course and a large alpine climbing tower I would take my campers on an overnight stay to Sand Rock as a reward for their hard work. 

On this trip there were tons of people showing up for camping and climbing enjoying this area.  We almost didn’t get a good climbing spot.  But found a good starter climb for everyone.  Natalie didn’t make it far, but loved trying and swinging from the rope in her new harness.  The ladies did great on the first climb and seemed to be enjoying themselves.  For me, this was a nice healing time.  Getting back to some of my roots before I joined the corporate world and just got too busy with life. 

My worry before we went was that I had lost my touch, but I was glad to know that Papi still has it!  Over the past month or so I have tried to take steps to get healthier physically to help me get healthier mentally.  It was rewarding to see that pay off.  I was worried that my 31 yr old body wasn’t going to do more than one or two climbs…however, the extra prep time made me feel better than when I was 21 or 22 and did these climbs before. 

The first day of climbing I was able to scale the rocks, setup the climbs, give proper instructions, even help some strangers with their climbs…and even complete my climbs without hurting myself or feeling sore afterwards.  But the real challenge came the next day.  I decided to face a climb called “Pressure Sensitive” located right next to another route called “Midget Digits.”  Pressure Sensitive is considered a 5.10 climb.  It is about 90-100 feet high with a slight inverse overhang part way up with most of the hand holds requiring finger tip grips.  This was my test for the day.  Our prior climbs were roughly 5.7-5.8 climbs.  Those offer some challenges for beginners. 

But this was the day for me to face my mountain.  We had faced so many over the last 5 months, this was my time to step up and overcome feelings of defeat.  I felt inadequate in front of this massive obstacle.  After an hour or so of working my way through the first challenge, then the second, and so on all the way to the top, with several stops along the way to fight feelings of self doubt…I finally felt a sense of reward as I kissed the 2 carabineers that anchored the rope at the top.  I knew what the final reward was as I turned to enjoy it.  Behind me was a breathtaking view of the valley.  It is one thing to walk to the edge from the road and take in this view, but I can assure you that it is a whole different experience when you come from the bottom.

This is how I have felt lately.  Each day has been a challenge and each day I have to fight off feelings of doubt and sadness.  But each day that I overcome another challenge, I build that confidence to get past the next one.  I hope that you have enjoyed the pictures that accompany this post.  I am also including a video at the bottom of Natalie enjoying swinging under Pressure Sensitive.  Thank you all again for your continued support.  We love you all!

Click on the Photo Album to see more of our adventure.  And check out the video at the bottom of Natalie “Climbing.

Climbing and Camping

Daniel (aka Houdini)

I (Nikki) am not known for my green thumb. I have lots of wonderful gifts, but keeping potted plants alive has not normally been one of them. I water them too much or forget about them and don’t water them enough. However, as a result of the love and care of our friends after Aiden’s funeral, we became the caretakers of three beautiful new plants in our home.

I felt a little intimidated at the idea of keeping these plants alive. However, it is one month later and they still are. Dare I say they may even be thriving? It has been good to be able to care for something over the last month and I am grateful that they are not wilting pitifully in a corner somewhere. It is a small miracle that they are still lovely and green.

That said, it has been one month today since our precious Aiden both entered and left our world. Daniel, Natalie and I shared the evening by visiting Aiden’s grave and leaving flowers there. We both find a strange peace when we are at that spot. We believe that he is not in that ground, but we know it is where his body lays and that is comforting in some strange way.

Thank you to so many of you who remembered this day and sent your love and care through emails and phone calls. We truly are blessed to have so many that love us.

With Hope,

Nikki, Daniel and Natalie

Last Friday, Daniel and I had the opportunity to meet baby Aiden in the virtual world. It was so wonderful for both of us to get to see a clearer image of him. He is a cute little fella and we wanted you to get to meet him also. If you are so inclined, feel free to watch the video below and meet Aiden yourself. The video is about 10 minutes long and the first 3D images don’t come until about half way into it. Also, the best image comes in the last half minute. Watch as much or as little as you want. Thank you for sharing in both our joys and our sorrows on this journey.

It was really helpful for me (Nikki) to learn some things about our little Aiden. He is smaller than he should be at this point. On average he’s measuring around 27 or 28 weeks when he is actually 32 weeks along. This was not a surprise to us—we had been told that he would be small. He also seems to weigh about 2.7 lbs when most babies at this point are closer to 4lbs. As much as we don’t want him to be small, it helps me to have more information. We also learned that he may be having a hard time swallowing. We know this because I have a lot more fluid in my belly than I should right now. He should be helping me out by swallowing some of it, but many T18 babies are unable to do this and it causes a build up of fluid for the momma. This is not dangerous to me or Aiden, it just makes me more uncomfortable. It also means that he has a great big swimming pool to swim around in right now and I look more pregnant than I really am.

We hope you enjoyed meeting our little guy. We can’t wait to meet him in person.

With love and gratitude,

Nikki, Daniel, Natalie, and Aiden

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