Sounds of Joy 11/14/2007

Good Morning to all, I have gotten a couple of "complaints" that there has not been a blog in a few days, so I thought I would give you guys an update on the Cantrell Family and their newest addition. Yes, the sounds of little cries fill the house as Baby Cate makes her prescense and her needs known to us. These little cries are usually followed by the sounds of little footsteps running to "meet" her her every "need." Ella and "Dude" have adjusted very well to their new little sister. They have taken on the roles of "provider," well I guess you can call it that. They want to hold her OFTEN, but it is kind of nice, because when they hold her they are STILL & QUIET, actually quiet. A feat I thought impossible for these two usually crazy kids. Dude, is the one that we have to watch the closest because of his constant "concern" for his little sister. He makes sure that the little ducks on her swing are CONSTANTLY spinning, he must have an internal alarm that goes off when they stop, because the moment they do he comes running from where ever he is in the house to minimize the time that ducks are not spinning. Now, with that said, we must keep an ever so close eye on our eager little servant. .In the span of one hour on Thanksgiving day, I found a large wooden Tonka wrecker truck hanging from her spinning ducks, RIGHT OVER HER LITTLE HEAD, I guess he thought, she might want something different to look at. Next, the swing had stopped and he knew how to fix that problem, by pushing her swing as hard as he could, because, according to him "she likes to go high." And finally I found him standing on a bar stool, leaning over her swing, fiddling with the buttons on the top, because they weren't working to his liking. Ella, on the other hand, is simply enamered by her little sister, and just thinks she is, and I quote, "darling." The two of them have really been such a joy to watch as they get acclimated to their new little sister.
Ali and I are doing well. We also, have been getting used to the sounds of little cries and many dirty diapers. Cate is truly a great Baby, she is sleeping about 3 to 4 hours a night and eating very well. We got more good news on Thanksgiving morning. Dr. Dave, Baby Cate's Neonatologist called with her chromosonal tests and they all came back normal. So, all questions of Down's Syndrome or Turner's Syndrome have been answered when her chromosonal test came back with no abnormalities. So, the only thing we need to focus on is the issues with her heart.
Ali and I again want to reiterate our gratitude to all of you have cooked dinners, sent gift cards and other financial gifts. It has truly been overwhelming to see the love and support outpoured on our little family. And just a reminder we are in the planning stages of something to celebrate Baby Cate's life and the community that she has been born into. I hope that for all of you, your Thanksgiving was filled with joy, peace, and happiness, this year will be one I won't forget for a long time to come. I am thankful for all of you and will be updating the Blog soon, so I do not get threats again. We love you and thank God for you!