Hello to all and thanks for all of your encouraging comments. Ryan was moved out of ICU this morning, and has been enjoying the much quieter 7th floor. Gabe was really excited to see him this morning and even got to blow bubbles in the room! He didn't seem to care about the wires on Ryan and wanted to sit on his bed with with him. He actually wanted to push the bed, because he got to ride on the bed with Ryan when they wheeled him down to the OR. He is loving all of the nurses and especially loving all of the attention from his grandmas! They take him to the playground and on walks outside and they feed him lots of great snacks :) Grandma Jane gave him some Coke yesterday and I think he would have followed her anywhere she wanted to go! He really is handling all of this better than I could have imagined and I know your prayers are for him as well as Ryan.
Ryan has gotten some great sleep this afternoon. He keeps waking up with headaches, though. What is up with that?? He looks good, though, and I know this sleep is what he needs more than anything. I'm reading him his comments as they come in, and he appreciates hearing from everyone!
I love these guys!
Happy Birthday to Tori!
Going to the lake...
You wanted to see Gabe's robe, Mom--here it is!
Ryan's Birthday
Gabe and Braeden
Showing of their muscles...at dinner that night we had spaghetti, and they both had their shirts off. Why do boys love being naked so much?
Starbucks to Warm the Body
I met Mike in Raleigh last Wednesday. We had a great time! We 'got our shop on' then went to Chipotle, a movie, and stayed overnight in a cheap hotel before heading back to our respective states in the morning. What a lucky sister I am, to have a brother who loves to shop...
The Original Five...
Ahh, a house full of Family!
I counted 20 pairs of shoes at one time in our foyer...and none of them were mine, either! What a welcome site. I'm ready for everyone to come back!
Decorating the Tree
Little Cowboy Gabe
We went to a trunk-or-treat with some friends and Gabe was very excited to get some candy in a bag! Everyone thought his mustache was chocolate...
4-Wheeling with the Hayne's
We went out for a picnic and some 4-wheeling last weekend ! Gabe had SO much fun. He kept trying to go faster.
Out on the Town
Mike and Abby came to visit while Erin was in town...we all went out to dinner one night...
Gabe and Henry
My sister Erin and her son Henry came for a visit last week. Gabe and Henry had a blast together. We can't wait to see them at Christmas!
Ribbit!
Gabe learned to jump like a frog the other day. Now he loves to jump all over the place and make frog noises.
Just Like Daddy
Gabe loves to copy anything Ryan does...When he squatted down to take a picture with Gabe, of course Gabe needed to squat, too!
That's MY belt!
Gabe, Ryan and I were at Target yesterday and found this fun belt that I was going to get for myself. Ryan thought it was cool, too, and thought maybe we could share it. Then Gabe asked if he could wear it around the store, so I put it on him. Well, you guessed it. Now it is HIS belt. He asked this morning where his belt was...It wraps around his waist twice. I'm not sure if I'll ever get to wear it...
Tori, Jon, Gabe, George, Ryan and Aaron...
It's hard to believe it's already the end of July and there are not many more weekends for swimming...It's sure been a nice summer!
Gabe has a new friend...
Shila, Chris, and their son Braeden came to visit at the lake. Gabe loved having a buddy to play with!
Gabe Loves His Uncles...
Our house has sure seemed empty the last few days!
Gabe Love to Drive the Boat!
He asks whoever is driving to "go faster, please." It is pretty cute. When they speed up, he cracks up!
Gabe's Tree
Ryan's grandparents planted a tree on the day that Gabe was born. Here is that tree now, two years later!
Dessert!
Tom created mock fried ice cream for everyone. These are our friends Josh and Emily, who came out from Colorado for the weekend.
The Chefs
I helped Tom roll the ice cream, so I'm going to take credit for how good it was!
Good cake!
Tom let Gabe have the rest of his cake. Gabe wouldn't eat when anyone tried to feed it to him, but when he had the whole plate in front of him, that cake was gone so fast that I had to fight for a bite!
Memorial Day Boat Ride
Our friends Stacey and Bryan came down over Memorial Day weekend, so we got out on the boat. It was a nice day!
Tuckered Out
Gabe couldn't keep his eyes open on the ride home. I thought he was just leaning forward looking at something, but I pulled up his head and he was asleep in his lifejacket! (I swear I'm wearing a bathing suit)
Going Excavating!
Happy Birthday to Gabe!
The flash wasn't on, so all of his birthday pics are kinda blurry. He sure loved to be sung to! He got lots of happy birthday messages, and it was so sweet to watch his face light up while he listened to them.
Mike was here!
Cigar time!
Sorry you had to work, Jon! Next time...
Gabe loved the ocean and the sand!
At the Juno Beach Cafe
We ate at this great restaurant in Fl. They had a huge breakfast you could buy for 6 people. It included everything you could ask for in a breakfast. I don't really want to know how much we all gained while we were there...
Half of our Rainbow
Grandma and Gabe
I think this was last summer, but it is the only pic of them I have handy. I'll post another when I get it!
At the Airport Last September
Gabe and I were at the airport in Denver ready to fly home. We knew Mike was heading to San Diego that day for boot camp, but didn't think we'd get to see him. About 10 minutes before we had to board, we were so surprised to see him walking towards us! I was soo happy to see him one more time and we got a couple more hugs and tears (mine) in before we both headed to opposite coasts. Mike, we love you and appreciate your service to our country!
Leaving NIH
Gabe sure liked all of the free rides he got...He is infatuated with anything that has wheels.
Grandma Jane and Gabe
Those two sure love to play outside! They took lots of walks and picked up lots of sticks and pinecones. Grandma knelt down to take a picture with Gabe, but then he thought he needed to kneel down, too!
In the Waiting Room
Gabe and Noah enjoyed some popcorn while we waited to hear about Ryan. We had lots of people in the waiting room with us, including our friends Tom and Bryan, and Donovan, who drove up from Rocky Mount.
Going in to Surgery
Gabe got to hang out on Ryan's cool bed! He didn't want a hat to match Ryan, though.
8 comments:
Hey Ryan.....Mark, Trish, & Zach here! We're so glad that Leigh started the blog so we can keep up with your progress. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Know that you have a lot of people out there who don't even know you that are praying for you! You are SO LOVED!!!
Hi Leigh, Ryan & Gabe ... PTL we rejoice in the glory of God for His healing touch, comfort & peace upon you all. Glad Gabe is doing so well. I'm sure that Ryan is encouraged to have him there. We're all still praying.
Ryan, Leigh and family,
We have been following your progress, but just now learned how to blog, so forgive our antiquity.
We know all too well the relentless nature of a chronic condition, and you have our prayers. We know, also, the blessings that the love of family and friends can be to relieve the stress and bring some meaning to it all. Much love to you, and our wishes for a quick return to health and some science to prevent a recurrence.
Lori and Kenji
Hi Ryan, Leigh, and Gabe. Thank you very much for being so thoughtful in creating this blog to keep us updated on how the Lord is answering prayers. You are special and such a blessing to all of us. We have been praying for you, My Mom and her Church have also been praying for you also. We are looking forward to reading on the continued progress. We Love You. Lynn, Patty and family
Hi guys,
We are so glad to be able to get updates and feel like you are here with us. Everyone continues to pray for Ryan's recovery and that you will all be back in Rocky Mount soon. We love you!
Praise God! We are so thankful that you made it out of ICU as planned. May these next few days give you good rest and may those PA's keep their lights out of your eyes while resting! The Lord is using you in a mighty way Ryan. Continue to fight the good fight, the victory belongs to the Lord! We love you and will continue lifting our prayers on your behalf.
Hey Ryan,Leigh,Gabe~
God is so good. Yes, it stinks BIG TIME that you've had yet another surgery...but another surgery that God has been faithful. Glad things are going well so far. I think maybe I need to come and we can play that bottle-breaking game...they let you do that in the hospital, right? :-) Really, I hope I can come out and visit this summer! Miss you and will keep praying. You both HAVE been a testimony through this whole thing. Keep on trusting!
Love,
Heidi Seidler
Hey Lester Family. Please know that you all are in our prayers as in every hospital trip. We were just telling another family about you guys yesterday (the father just got back from a yr in Iraq). I'm sure I'm not the only one telling others about you! Having said that there is no way you could ever know on this side of heaven who you've touched whether the nurse checking on you at dark o'thirty in the morning or someone who heard about you from this other person who heard about you from this lady who knows about you b/c her sister's bestfriend's aunt knows you. crazy stuff, God the Almighty works in amazing ways that we cannot comprehend. As I have told you before, your faith blows me away! And we are praying for you: for faster healing than anyone could expect and for the grace of God to be on you as it always is! All our love and prayers! Scott Carrie and the girls.
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