Reagan Meets the McCormick's!

Emily & Evan McCormick, good friends of ours, brought a "night out" to our home! They supplied the food and company. Reagan really enjoyed their visit, and we did too! Evan goes to school with Dan, and Emily helps Ali with lots of questions about Reagan as she is a pediatrician. :) They are the loveliest couple, and we are so glad they are in Reagan's life!

A Visit to the Grandparents for Easter!

Reagan took her very first long car ride up to Winchester, VA to see her Grandma Anne-Marie and Grandpa Tom, and to see (and meet) her Uncles, Aunt, and Jess! She was given so much attention, and so many smiles and hugs that we were reminded how we wished we lived closer! Grandma Anne-Marie got to hold and cuddle her to sleep so Mommy could get a good night sleep, all while the rest of the crew watched Duke win a crucial game in the NCAA Tourney. We are reminded yet again how blessed our little girl is to have so many people that love her!

Her Family Visits! - Edition IV

Ali had to go back to work last week, so Grandma Gayle and Larry came to help with the transition. Thank goodness they did! Here are just a few of the adjustments they helped with: Mom stayed with Reagan all day, all week, and helped at night! Larry showed us a tricky way to keep her calm in the stroller -call us for details :)! We also had many firsts: First visit to church and picture with her buddy, Kirkland. First trip to Wal-Mart. Sporting Ralph Lauren with Mommy (Thank you to the Macko's for this outfit!). First lunch at the country club. Planting flowers with Grandma. First dinner out to a restaurant (Johnny Carrino's - she is partial to Chicken Parm.). First time in the Jumperoo, and now she loves it! First time in a bonnet (Grandma saved it from when Mommy was a baby!). First frilly dress (also a purchase by Grandma). First Baby Shower (Congrats Kelly & Nick!) First Jane Fonda workout - see headband. And, not so positive - first day of shots (Grandma was there to comfort Mom!) Whew! We had a great week and we can't thank Mom & Larry enough! Enjoy the pictures! There are many from the week, but we couldn't leave any of these ones out!

Her Family Visits! - Edition III

Uncle Michael took work off and drove half of a day to visit Reagan. She sure was sweet on him! He didn't seem to mind her either! He helped hold her down during some X-rays at Duke and took a night shift to help Mom sleep. We all were so happy he could make the trip!

Her Family Visits! - Edition II

Grandma Gayle & Larry drove all the way from Minnesota. Grandma Gayle was able to help us adjust to Reagan's very unique sleeping and eating schedule! Grandma Gayle had to also put the final touches on her quilting ambitions for the nursery. Larry helped put the baby toys and tools together.

Her Family Visits! - Edition I

The day Reagan was born, February 12th, Grandma & Grandpa Barnes and Uncle Tim & Aunt Robin came to visit Reagan at the hospital. It was a lovely day where Reagan was able to be adored by many. She loved being held by Grandma for hours and hours!

Reagan's Nursery

"Her" house is a very, very fine house
With "one" cat in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy
'Cause of you
And our la,la,la, la,la, la, la, la, la, la, la.....

She's One-of-A-Kind!

This morning, Reagan visited Duke University Hospital to congratulate her pediatric surgeon on his successful removal of her neck mass. Dr. H. informed us that Reagan has a rare condition identified as “Infantile Hemangiopericytoma”. Reagan can say this three times fast – Can you? As proof that she is truly a unique child, this condition has less than 100 reported incidences throughout the world. The good news is that there is a very low probability of the neck mass reoccurring. We will be doing periodic scans and X-rays to make sure it doesn’t.
Throughout this entire experience, we have been humbled by God’s provision for her health and each of your prayers and words of comfort. We are looking forward to dealing with the more mundane issues of raising a daughter, such as her vanity as identified by the picture attached. Stay tuned for much lighter blogs of Reagan Madeline Barnes.

Happy 2 Weeks, Reagan!

Tomorrow is Reagan's 2 Week Birthday! We apologize for our absence from the blog this past week, but as you can imagine (and relate if you are parents as well), we have been very busy! Besides having her days and nights mixed up, she has been doing very well. Thank goodness, Grandma Gayle and Larry are visiting from Minnesota and helping with night shifts. Daddy Dan is getting back into the swing of things with classes, and getting prepared for finals next week! See the pictures of her first bath, first tummy time, and first swing! Thank you to so many of you who have communicated your continued support and prayers.