Pictures of all four Hite boys

Preston and Logan playing outside at Samford.
Having fun racing down the hills.
This is Owen. It is amazing he was still long enough to get a picture!!
Owen

Here is Nathan in his really cool sunglasses. He is also posing as if he is sucking his thumb.
Here is Nathan all stretched out.
Logan meeting Owen for the first time.
Daddy holding Logan so he can see his brothers.
Logan was so excited to see Preston. He has not left his side in days.

Thank you

I just wanted to take a minute and let all of you know how much we appreciate your prayers for our family. They are the best gift, with the most support you could ever give us. Please continue to pray. Nathan is doing well. He seems to be pretty stable and his heart closed up the other day. He is by no means out of the woods yet, but we know our Father has a perfect plan for him. Owen is doing well today. He has many more unstable moments than Nathan. Owen still has the opening in his heart that needs to close. Thank you for praying for us as we grieve the loss of Mia. We know our Father had great purpose for her 9 hours of life. It has been very encouraging to see how her life has already impacted many of our friends as well as the people we are in contact with at the hospital. Please continue to pray.

The Hite Children

Sorry, pictures will be coming...we have to download them from the camera. Nathan and Owen are doing well today. We have been able to hold their hand for the last two days, which is remarkable. We go in and see them about 5 times a day. They are so precious and special. Yesterday they both had head ultrasounds and both looked great. They also had heart ultrasounds and have a valve that needs to close in their hearts, which they are both getting medicine for right now. Both boys are active and try very hard to get all the wires off of them. I think they are giving their nurses a run for their money. They staff at the hospital has all been very incredible!!! We really appreciate everyone around the world lifting us up, our boys and the hospital staff as they continue to do remarkable work. We know our father placed us here for a very specific reason. Logan will be making trip #2 to the hospital this afternoon to visit with Preston and I. We are very excited to see him again. We are going to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow and while we will be making several trips up here over the next 3 1/2 months, we are looking forward to having some "normal" life with Logan. He met his brothers the other day and did a great job speaking quietly to them. We can't wait until we are all home together and the three of them are big enough to really interact together.

Logan's first day of school, in Alabama

Logan started school on Monday. He seems to be really enjoying himself. On Friday Kristen took him to the school and he was able to meet his teacher and see his classroom. Preston's Mom got him some new Lightning McQueen shoes, which he was thrilled to wear and excited to show all his new friends at school. He also spent some time briefing both Miss Ashely and the school's director on Garage Doors.Logan's new teacher's name is Miss Ashley.

Notes from the Couch

So today the words I was hoping to avoid for several more weeks came, "You now have to be on full bed rest." All three babies are doing well. Here is a picture of each of them. I also passed my glucose test!!!! Here is Nathan. Here is Mia. Here is Owen.

Meanwhile, in China...

As anyone knows who has been regularly checking our blog, Janelle has been the blogmaster, writing all the posts and posting all the pictures. Well, this worked fine until she had to go back to the US a few weeks ago for the triplets. There may still be a few people who are interested to know what's happening on the western side of the Pacific, in Tianjin. So, I guess it is time for me to figure out how to work this blog thing and give you a picture of what I've been doing in the absence of my wonderful wife and son! So, here goes nothing...

I guess the first big activity I should mention is the annual TIS Fine Arts Celebration, which was held on Friday evening, October 30. That evening, over 70 of our students took the opportunity to showcase their talents in both visual and performing arts. Our lobby was transformed into a large gallery, and our band room, choir room, auditorium and one fifth grade classroom were transformed into recital halls. Students, who had previewed their performances for music staff, performed all sorts of acts, ranging from violin and piano solos to hip-hop dances to vocal solos to rock bands. It was quite a night, and really strengthened the joy that I already felt to work with students who are not only talented but are excited to share their talents for the enjoyment of others.


The next day, I went with our friends Derek and Holly to the Tianjin Museum. The museum is a world-class facility, with a really cutting-edge high-tech design, and several great exhibits, chronicling the development of Chinese calligraphy, ancient Chinese artifacts, and the history of the city of Tianjin. Tianjin is a young city: There wasn't even a settlement here until the 1400s! (When your culture is 5,000 years old, a 600-year-old city is pretty new!) Despite being young, Tianjin has been an important city, being in the center of several very important event in Chinese history. It was really great to be at the museum with Derek and Holly, because they did a great job explaining to me the parts of the museum that had no English translation. (They also taught me some characters along the way.)


The next day, November 1, the temperature dropped quite a bit, and we had our first snowfall of the season! (All you people in the South are jealous, I know!) Here are some images from the first snow.





Then, on Friday, November 6, after school, all of our middle school students enjoyed their annual after-school party, which I was glad to attend. I'm really enjoying teaching our middle schoolers. Truth be told, I'm a little surprise about this! I didn't think I was going to enjoy that age group as much as high schoolers, but I honestly do enjoy teaching them very much. It is really exciting to have a musical or a artistic breakthrough with middle schoolers! Just thinking of the enduring effects of that kind of breakthrough is extremely fulfilling! The party was full of fun, from your traditional "party games" to soccer on the field, to Korean food en masse. Here are some pics:


So, that at least gives you an idea of what's keeping me busy.

Week 23 for Nathan, Mia and Owen

I had a great appointment today. All three babies are measuring perfectly to the day. They each weigh 1 lb 4 oz. It was fun to see them interacting with each other. I am doing well. I am remaining on semi bed rest and just need to continue to eat more and more food. The next three weeks are very crucial to the triplets survival. I am now moving to weekly appointments and my next one is Tuesday. The circle on the left is Nathan's head. The profile shot is Mia. Owen's face. All three babies together.