weekend in winston-salem

this is about the--sixth? maybe, sounds about right--weekend in a row where i've traveled 2+ hours to visit family and friends. granted, this was the longest trip so far, but well worth it. i have too many friends that live too far away, so when i travel towards the western side of the state, i try to see as many as possible!

friday night was spent with maggie and baxter. maggie and i have been close since middle school, were in each other's weddings and have been through a lot as we grew up. she's been living in winston-salem since she graduated from wake forest, and i kept meaning to get by and see them but it had never worked out. we were able to schedule it so that i stayed with them on friday night after i drove up, and we enjoyed a delicious dinner and just a fun evening of catching up.

maggie and baxter have two basset hounds, chloe and cooper. i saw cooper as a puppy, and he has now become a 60 lb big ol' dog who has the sweetest eyes. they both posed pretty for me so that i could capture their cute expressions.

on saturday morning, after a great french toast breakfast, i traveled over to the other side of winston-salem to see this little guy...

it's hard to believe that three months have passed since he was born. i couldn't wait for him to wake up so i could see him and spend time with him. while he napped, i help patrice sort through some things for an upcoming yard sale and talked about the last few months. within minutes, we were both in tears (of course!) but it was just so great to sit and talk with her. reading about life through a blog is just not enough--though it is a great way to stay in touch and in the loop with everything. then... jonah woke up. and when he wakes up, he means business. after a clean diaper and a bottle, he was more at ease and i got to see some of his personality come out.

we all agreed that his eyes are the most captivating feature on him. matt and patrice talked about how the doctors and nurses from the NICU still stop by to check on him and share that "there's just something about him."

it was also so interesting to watch matt and patrice at work. with all of the babies around us now, i'm used to the typical "diaper change and bottle" routine. but jonah definitely has a more complicated routine, with medications and making sure his bandages stay dry.
we were gearing up for an early dressing change so that we could go over to sean and jennifer's house for dinner, friends from matt and patrice's church. the whole bandage change process really does take about an hour and a half, from the bath...
to prepping for the new bandages...
and then undoing the old bandages, washing each limb, wrapping them with three layers of gauze and other materials, and then putting the tubifast sleeves on top of all of it.
because of the odd timing of this dressing change, jonah ended up falling asleep during the middle of it. he was so sweet, just very calm and relaxed, loving the kisses he was getting from mommy and daddy during the process. they also play "baby einstein" videos during the change to keep him focused on something else.
by the end of it, he was clean, freshly bandaged and fast asleep.
we got him ready to go out and i followed them over to sean and jennifer's for dinner. it was awesome to meet them and spend time with their adorable son, jude. before too long, it was time for me to get back on the road and head home. i was singing with the praise band this morning, so i knew i needed to be back before it got too late.

i can't say enough about matt and patrice. they're one of those friends that i can easily pick up with, even if it's been months since i've last seen them. i feel connected to jonah, being one of the first ones to see him and the "unoffical" family photographer. i can't wait to help patrice learn more about her new camera (a d40!) and watch this little guy grow. she was already talking about his first birthday party and what a celebration of life it will be. and i know i'll be right there with them, celebrating jonah's amazing story and the glorious life he is living out, praising God for bringing him this far. i'm already trying to figure out the next time we'll be able to get up there, and i wish so much that i lived closer and could help out more often. there really is something about him that draws you in, and you just know that he's a special kid. i pray that he falls into a more normal routine and that his skin strengthens and heals as they continue to keep his fingers uncovered.

if you do want to help this family out, they're selling the jonah magnets through patrice's blog--just click on the paypal button on the right column. i personally prefer the blue one, but they have one in wake colors now for those that don't care of that particular shade of blue :)

alright, i'm way behind on my sunday afternoon chores, and VBS starts tonight. gotta run!