a summary and a surprise

Hello, Friends! :) We wanted to share the latest happenings with the Rakows! We feel at a loss to keep in communication with our family and friends...so many of you live far away, and we don't do a great job keeping in touch like we'd like to do! So, a blog seemed like a great way to keep everyone up to date... :) Please come back and check us out often! :) After a challenging Fall and Winter with Robin's mom battle with cancer, Ryan's grandfather passing away suddenly, and Robin's grandmother having a stroke, things are looking up! Robin's mom is recovering after simultaneous radiation and chemo...and also had lymph nodes removed in February. Then, after a roaring infection and 30 days of antibiotics, we really feel like we're on the TRUE road to recovery! We're thankful for everything and stand in awe of her strength and grace! Ryan's family is dealing well with his Gung's passing. Gung was quite sick with metastatic cancer, but he never indicated feeling poorly until 3 or 4 days before his passing. He was a funny, smart, and honorable man...we will miss him. Robin's grandmother is doing much better...after some time in a rehab., she's regained all of her abilities and her friends report that they haven't seen her so good in 8 or 9 years!! We're looking forward to seeing her in the next few months... The blessings are abundant... We're excited (and Robin's still in awe) to report that we'll be welcoming a new family member into the Rakow household in October. A little Rakow will be gracing us with his/her presence around October 17th (which happens to be Robin's mom's birthday). We had our first ultrasound today and heard the heartbeat for the first time, and as Robin said, "I see it...this must be for real." This has been quite a surprise for us...it wasn't what we had planned in the grand scheme of things, but we'll take it! We both feel like it's just what we all need considering everything that's happened over the last several months. Life is more precious and our previous "self-centered" needs and comfort grew to be so small in comparison to what awaits... We'll add a few pictures, too…:) We figure you'll need time to soak in this news, too! :)