our little monkeys

a new start :)

2012-01-08T16:08:00.000-08:00

So... I'm sorry to say, I've been a terrible blogger. In fact I don't even know if I can call myself a blogger anymore at all - but hoping to change that in 2012! I did not do very well at keeping in touch with people via email or either blog, and one of my "resolutions" if you will is to do better with that, both electronically and with actual snail mail (gasp).

Ah but guess what? This little one paragraph post has been sitting on my computer for 2+ days waiting for me to hit the "publish post" button. Ha. I'm on a roll. But at least I'm starting...

Stay tuned! :)

Happy 2012

~David, Ali, Mark & Tony

family portraits :)

2011-08-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

we had our family portrait taken last week by our friend Jill Lewis - here's a little sneak peak!! the boys were so good and we wanted the mountains in the picture too, the night turned out perfectly!

lots of good ones still to come :)

2010-12-28T16:02:00.001-08:00

Sooo big!

birthday preview

2010-10-10T13:52:00.001-07:00

We celebrated our sweet Tony's first birthday on and off for the past week...

Here's the invite for his "official" first birthday party, so generously held at Doug & Jenny Bouch's house...

Here's a glimpse of this very happy camper in his brand new high chair, enjoying the fabulous icing (made by his Aunt Leslie) and looking around at all his friends at the party :)

We had lots of family come for the party which meant the absolute world to us, and many friends celebrating with us that made it even more wonderful. Many more pictures to come...

a preview of Mark's 2 year pictures

2010-08-24T11:36:00.001-07:00

I took Mark's 2 year pictures last week on our road trip. Yes a month late, but once I was a little bit late I had the idea to wait and do the pictures in the beautiful little town outside of Chicago where his daddy also grew up! So... here are a few of my fav's that I wanted to share. When they are all up, you can view them on my website but for now (translation- until I get the rest of my work done) you can enjoy the previews here! :)

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2010-07-28T16:15:00.001-07:00

One side of our porch garden :)

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2010-07-28T16:13:00.001-07:00

Our accidental squash plant - the type is TBD :)

happy birthday, mum!!

2010-07-28T13:21:00.001-07:00

happy birthday, mum!!!

i tried very hard to do this yesterday, on her actual birthday, but had some computer & scheduling complications. soo... here i am, a day late. i'm so sorry!!
this is my mom's mom, known as mum to me and my siblings and also to my kids :) we try and go meet mum & wayne in bristol at starbucks during their trips to damascus, va.

i've been buried under so many projects recently that this is the first chance i have had to post these pics, and our visit was back in mid June!

love ya mum - so glad we got to come see you!!!

here are a few of my favs :)

mum & wayne with the boys :)

mum & mark discussing how old he was going to be this summer!

mum & mark

mum & tony :)

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2010-06-11T07:46:00.001-07:00

Hanging out on Mommy & Daddy's bed while I finished packing...

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2010-05-07T08:43:00.001-07:00

What a sweet happy face!! He's getting so big, this outfit is almost too small for him already!!

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2010-04-24T14:44:00.001-07:00

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2010-04-23T17:00:00.001-07:00

In his Penn State jammies - and happy about it! :)

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2010-04-17T06:22:00.001-07:00

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2010-04-09T15:31:00.001-07:00

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2010-03-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

Wearing jeans for the first time! So precious! :)

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2010-03-10T17:17:00.001-08:00

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ghetto boy

2010-03-10T16:27:00.000-08:00

Little Penn State Fan :)

2010-03-10T07:24:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick video of our little Penn State fan! :)

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2010-03-08T04:47:00.001-08:00

Looking so grown up in his overalls!

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2010-02-26T06:51:00.001-08:00

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2010-02-24T18:40:00.001-08:00

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2010-02-22T19:09:00.001-08:00

Enjoying some fresh air on Saturday

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2010-02-22T08:06:00.001-08:00

Tony's been working on his smile recently...

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2010-02-20T05:43:00.001-08:00

Yay for warm temps this weekend!!

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2010-02-19T11:41:00.001-08:00

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2010-02-13T08:15:00.001-08:00

The next best thing besides being outside...

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2010-02-10T06:36:00.001-08:00

Breakfast with Mark... He's reaching for his "meal" :)

and his beautiful baby brother!

2010-02-01T11:34:00.001-08:00

a precious little boy

2010-01-31T14:02:00.000-08:00

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2010-01-29T18:16:00.001-08:00

Tummy time!

Retro

2010-01-17T07:54:00.000-08:00

So in honor of the Retro picture posting on Facebook, here are a couple of pictures for you to enjoy.

here is Ali, Leslie with their mom and grandma (Mum)

This is Ali with her dad. Tony looks so much like her.

there may be more to follow.

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2010-01-14T16:55:00.001-08:00

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2010-01-07T02:15:00.001-08:00

Little man, checking out the snow...

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2010-01-06T10:53:00.001-08:00

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2009-12-24T12:17:00.001-08:00

Cheering on the Steelers to victory on Sunday!

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2009-12-24T12:14:00.001-08:00

My three boys

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2009-12-22T08:16:00.001-08:00

Exhausted after our 2hr pediatrician appt! Give us ten minutes, and both Mom and Dad will be wearing the same expression!

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2009-12-18T10:49:00.001-08:00

Homeword bound!

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2009-12-17T04:19:00.001-08:00

Look who's coming home tomorrow??!? :)

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2009-12-13T09:25:00.001-08:00

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2009-12-11T05:59:00.001-08:00

Cannula and NG tube free!! The NG tube was back later but it was nice to see his whole sweet face!

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2009-12-09T05:56:00.001-08:00

Back with Daddy again!

2009-12-05T05:56:00.001-08:00

Seeing the decorated tree for the first time!

newest pictures of our tony! :)

2009-12-04T19:05:00.000-08:00

2009-12-04T07:51:00.001-08:00

Chillin w mama, in real clothes after his 3rd bottle of the day!

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2009-12-03T17:20:00.001-08:00

2009-11-26T08:12:00.001-08:00

Wearing his first whole outfit!

2009-11-25T16:41:00.001-08:00

mommy time, 11.13.09

2009-11-20T07:43:00.000-08:00

2009-11-18T09:28:00.001-08:00

Look at this sweet face!

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cute little video of tony's bath 11-12-09

2009-11-14T09:10:00.000-08:00

Perspective

2009-11-09T17:27:00.001-08:00

Tony's vest next to his big brother's shoe

2009-11-09T12:23:00.001-08:00

tony enters his "third trimester" :)

2009-11-07T20:17:00.001-08:00

Quick update:
Weight: 3 lbs, 5 oz - YAY!!!
Highlight of the day - OFF THE VENTILATOR and back to the CPAP and doing wonderfully :)

Check out these cute pictures of the sweet little man on his 4-week birthday...

2009-10-30T10:27:00.001-07:00

3 weeks old today!!

a few more pics, from mom's camera this time...

2009-10-19T19:37:00.000-07:00

Tony week 2

2009-10-19T18:54:00.000-07:00

So the latest update on Tony is that he is doing well. His chest X-ray came back and his lungs look normal for his age, so still preemie lungs but still a positive. His echo came back showing his PDA is closing, down from 2.5 mm to 0.85 mm. That is a very good sign. This morning he was taken off the CPAP machine and put back on the high-flow nasal cannula since his blood gases were doing really well. His bilirubin is back down so he is out from under the lights again. He is tolerating his feedings better and better. The next steps are to continue to tolerate his feedings, his breathing to continue as well as it has (no apnea episodes), and of course to keep him from getting an infection.

Here he is with his CPAP mask on. Looks uncomfortable.

This photo is also for his Papa.

RACK!

Here he is back on the nasal cannula, slouching like he has been doing it for years.

Latest on Tony

2009-10-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

So to give everyone the latest update on Tony...He has been switched to the CPAP machine to help his lungs expand fully and work better. A chest X-ray today to see if that the CPAP is helping that we will find out on Monday. He was given a medication to close his PDA which an echo was performed today to determine if it worked which we will find out on Monday. An ultrasound of his head on Monday to determine if the medicine to close his PDA caused any bleeding in his head. He is back under a small bili light since his bilirubin levels are back up which could be because his bowels haven't been moving well until today. He had a blood transfusion Thursday evening because he wasn't making enough blood to compensate for the blood the nurses have been taking for testing. His blood cultures so far are negative for growth meaning that he has no infection yet. I was able to hold him for a while tonight and I loved it!

2009-10-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

Quick update. Tony still has PDA along with a slight heart murmur but the doctors aren't worried about it and it isn't slowing Tony down at all. His head ultrasound came back with no bleeds which is awesome. Ali was able to hold him skin on skin and she loved it. He sacked out pretty fast on her. We are so thankful for the prayers and support from our extended family and friends. The response has been overwhelming. Here are a few more pictures to whet your appetites.

I think this is such a cute picture.

Here he is holding Ali's finger for reference.

I slid my wedding ring onto his wrist to show exactly how small he is.

Here is little man all snuggled up.

Anthony Baker Gibbons

2009-10-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

So time for another update on little Tony. We found out the results of his echocardiogram. He has patent ductus arteriosus, which is a little spot between his aorta and his pulmonary artery which is open. This is normal for developing babies but allows deoxygenated and oxygenated blood to mix. This could cause problems with digestion and other things but is should close itself soon. If it doesn't then the doctors can give him something to help it along. He has been doing really well otherwise. His bilirubin count was high, so they put him under the Bili lights to help decrease it. The count is going down but not far enough for him to be removed from the lights. Yesterday he had two smears in his diaper (which is the smallest diaper I have ever seen) which is a good sign. He is also tolerating his feedings better. I finally was able to hold him yesterday and it was wonderful but also scary. He really is tiny and very fragile. But he snuggled into my arms and I was so proud to be holding him. We also took my wedding ring and slid it over his hand. It really shows how small he is because the ring is twice the size of his little wrist. His head ultrasound was scheduled for yesterday and we are waiting for the results on that. I just called for an update and the Bili lights have been turned off since his level is back to normal. His oxygen supply through the nasal cannula has been decreased as well. The nurses increased his feeding from 1 cc every 3 hours to 2 cc every 3 hours but that might not last long since his bowels aren't moving really well yet. We are planning on going this afternoon to help or watch his first sponge bath. Mom is recovering well but exhausted. Grandma Waters and Aunt Nini are taking care of errands and Mark. It has really been nice to be home although it would be better with Tony here too. The nurses have said that there will be setbacks in his progress but he seems to be motoring along with no thought of staying there longer than he has to. Here are some pictures to let everyone know how he is doing.

Here is Mommy holding Tony for the first time.

Daddy holding him for the first time.

Tony being moved back into the incubator after being held.

Tony getting ready for his beauty sleep under the Bili lights while sucking his pacifier.

Tony's little diaper for reference.

The Newest Addition to the Gibbons Family

2009-10-10T06:43:00.001-07:00

So, a lot has happened in the last few days. Ali went for an unscheduled visit to the OB because she was feeling a little crampy and overall not well. When we got there the nurse practitioner did an exam and told the assistant nurse to bring in the doctor. The doctor came in and to make a long story short and not give too much information, Ali had to be rushed to the JCMC in an ambulance. She had to have an emergency C-section. So at 1:08 pm on Oct. 9, 2009 our second son, Anthony, was born 14 weeks premature. He weighed 2 lbs 7 oz and was 14.25 in long. He is incredibly tiny. He is staying in the NICU for a couple months mostlikely. Here are a few pictures of the little (and I mean little) man.

When the doctor said Ali had to go to the hospital and the baby would be born soon, I couldn't believe it. I called one of our best friends here and asked her to watch Mark. I never would have thought I would just pass Mark off without a second thought to rush to the hospital so worried about my wife and next child. I was a nervous wreck waiting in the hallway for Ali to be prepped for surgery. I was able to be with her through it all. I was able to see the doctor take Tony (that's what we will be calling him) out. He was so small. It was amazing. And as of about 18 hours of life, Tony is off the ventilator and has a high-pressure nasal cannula. His nurse said that he doesn't think that he is 14 weeks early. He was ready to come out. So now we have to figure everything out about his stay in the NICU, but we are so happy to have him out and safe. Thanks to everyone for their prayers.

mark's first haircut

2009-09-25T22:26:00.001-07:00

we cut mark's hair for the first time this past sunday morning. poor little guy needed it! he was a trooper. he loves having his hair combed and *helping* us comb his hair so he was excited once he realized there was no need to freak out.

i didn't think i'd be able to tell so much except for the fact that the mullet is gone, but we trimmed a little over the ears and a teeny bit in the front and he looks so much like a little boy!! :)

take a look at this sweet little man...

anyone else see it?

2009-09-16T21:03:00.000-07:00

every time i look at this picture, i see my grandfather. i just can't get over the resemblance!! anyone else think so, or am i just seeing things??

2009-09-02T09:24:00.001-07:00

Here's a peek at Baby No. 2! At 21 weeks... dr says I am growing another big one!

2009-08-22T12:02:00.001-07:00

2009-08-11T11:03:00.001-07:00

Mark in Walmart fan aisle

pit stop!

2009-07-29T09:46:00.001-07:00

@ chik fil a.....road trip to charlotte!

2009-07-28T12:00:00.001-07:00

2009-07-02T13:23:00.001-07:00

2009-06-12T09:48:00.001-07:00

On the road!

2009-06-04T10:13:00.001-07:00

Reading

2009-05-13T14:27:00.000-07:00

Mark welcomes Cousin Joey

2009-05-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

Today we took Mark to the hospital to meet his new cousin Joseph Michael Drake. He weighed in a 8 lbs. 7 oz. and was 21.5 in long. Mark loved to see Joey. He was totally fascinated with Joey
and Joey didn't even wake up. It was nice to see how Mark will act when he meets his future siblings. No idea when they are coming but not too long from now.

2009-05-04T14:25:00.000-07:00

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2009-04-28T05:08:00.001-07:00

2009-04-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

We bought Mark some of the Gerber Graduates puffed cereal (banana flavored) this past weekend, to try and help him learn to finger his food (as opposed to playing with it and feeding Nikon!), and it has worked! Today, he has fed himself a handful of the puffs. Our little man is growing up! :)

2009-04-13T06:24:00.000-07:00

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2009-03-26T05:19:00.001-07:00

Preparing for takeoff

2009-03-23T18:07:00.000-07:00

Reading with daddy and cousin andrew

2009-03-20T09:04:00.001-07:00

On the plane 4 chicago!

2009-03-14T10:35:00.001-07:00

Steelers Superbowl Trash Talking

2009-03-02T19:05:00.000-08:00

what Mark's been up to in '09

2009-03-02T18:16:00.000-08:00

sooooooo.... we've been slacking. SORRY! trying to post mobile pics when possible but not as often and not so great quality, i know. so here's a bunch of misc images, too many for me to sort into chronological order with nice little captions. if you're lucky i'll come back and do that later for you but for now, here's what we've got. (and oh yeah, they're in reverse chronological order).

*steelers super bowl victory (and flirting with a girl at a super bowl party!)
*discovery of the wooden spoon*dad's birthday
*play date with friend jacob
*snow with mom, then snow with the fam
*visit from papa/grandma waters
*misc fun - kneeling in the crib, playing with the jungle, post-nap hair, etc:)

2009-03-01T09:56:00.001-08:00

Big boy cup!

2009-02-27T16:57:00.001-08:00

2009-02-26T14:41:00.001-08:00

Bath in the sink!!

2009-02-23T13:43:00.000-08:00

Mark having a BLAST!

2009-02-16T17:05:00.000-08:00

So when I got home from work today and walked right into Mark thoroughly enjoying...I am not sure what. Ali was holding him and he was doing his Darth Vader impression and loving it. He seemed to just love the sound of his voice. After dinner I set him on the couch and he proceeded to roll around and thoroughly enjoy playing with a burp cloth. I love to hear him playing and laughing. I have as much fun as making him laugh as he does laughing. He is such a joy to be with.

Ali took this video. Thought you might enjoy it.

2009-02-07T17:31:00.001-08:00

2009-02-01T21:11:00.001-08:00

Exhausted from the jumping!

2009-01-31T09:35:00.000-08:00

We love the doorway jumper!!

Reading with dad...

2009-01-30T12:35:00.000-08:00

Bath time...

2009-01-26T11:19:00.000-08:00

Now that he sits up on his own, he gets to have his bath on the "big boy" side of the tub, and no longer on the infant side with the sling to hold him up. He pretty much loves it! :)

2009-01-22T14:33:00.000-08:00

2009-01-22T14:32:00.001-08:00

@ the dr's office

2009-01-19T07:47:00.001-08:00

6 months old!

2009-01-18T15:17:00.000-08:00

Go Steelers!!