I was all over the map emotionally today as was Bella's condition.
We made it into the hospital today around 2, walked into the NICU to see Bella laying in her bed without the CPAP and very contented. Her nurse approached us and told me I could breastfeed her whenever I was ready. We were in disbelief. In fact, I was sure the nurse had the wrong baby or the wrong parents. After questioning her, she informed us that indeed the doctor wanted Bella to try to eat on her own and that I could nurse her. I was thrilled!!
The doctor came in to see us just before I set up to nurse in order to explain the change of course. She showed us Bella's x-rays and talked with us about the bronchoscopy (endoscopy) that was performed earlier today, which was done right at her bedside without any anesthesia!!! The bronchoscopy showed that Bella does indeed have the Tracheomalatia (sp?) which is what the boys and I were all born with as well. It's a flap in one's airway that is "floppy" and can cause noisy breathing known as strider as well as eating/breathing difficulty.
There was one other very rare syndrome the doctor wanted to rule out, the spelling and explanation of which I am not even going to attempt at this late hour. The first step in doing that was to feed Bella and see how she handled the food. So, on that note, I went back into Bella to feed her. She did rather well for not having nursed thus far. Lawrence and I and her nurse were all very encouraged by what we saw.
However, later in the evening when we came back from dinner, we sat down again to feed her, this time from a bottle so that the volume could be measured. Bella had one other feeding in between this one and me nursing her but it was very little volume. Because she handled it well, though (meaning she did not choke on the food), the nurse was able to take her IV out which was supplying fluids. Lawrence and I sat down and took turns feeding her, trying to get into her the volume that was needed to show true progress. She was taking a long time, but got really close to finishing the bottle and then threw up a good bit. The spitting up was not alarming, but the blood that came with it was. It was scant, but nevertheless present and this was discouraging. After the doctor was informed, it was decided Bella would have to go back on the IV for the night and have no more feedings until they could figure out why she threw up the blood. The nurse suspects that it could be irritation in her throat from the bronchoscopy earlier today along with several other tubes that have been threaded down her throat. But, the doctor ordered an x-ray of her stomach to check if there's anything concerning there along with some more bloodwork.
SO, Lawrence and I anxiously waited outside the NICU while they stuck my poor baby again for the IV and bloodwork. It took an eternity, but they eventually found a vein that wasn't blown. When we came back in, the nurse who put the IV in mentioned something about her veins being blown from so many lines having gone in the past several days and that if she had to find another spot for an IV, she may have to shave her hair to place one in her head! NOT really the most sensitive thing to say, but we're trying to get used to the fact that some medical staff have just been in that environment way too long and have forgotten what it must be like to be on the other side of their care. (No offense to the good ones out there...because there are many good nurses and doctors, and we have been well cared for by these amazing people!)
We left tonight realizing how much we need to continue to throw ourselves upon God's mercy no matter what news we hear. We are both very tired tonight and our emotions have not always served us well today. But, we are continuing to pray and wait on the Lord, seeking to cooperate with His plan and His timing for all of us in this. Please pray for grace to persevere and flexibility as we bend with whatever twists and turns God throws our way.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Friday, February 16, 2007
Update on Bella
Since her move to Hopkins, Bella seems to be resting a lot more comfortably, at least the two times we've been able to see her. She did need to have the CPAP (Continual Positive Air Pressure) placed again in order to keep her respirations normal, but we are just grateful that she is able to rest and not have to labor so hard to breathe.
She still has not been able to receive food nourishment via IV and is scheduled to have a bronchoscopy (a scope placed down her throat to check things out there) tomorrow sometime. The boys both had this procedure done when they were 4 1/2 months old. It was very hard to see them go through this, and it is proving to be as difficult if not moreso to think about putting my brand new baby girl through this, too.
She will be put under anasthesia and intubated for the procedure. She may come out of the procedure with a ventilator still in place if she needs it. This news hit me a bit hard tonight along with the clarification of what our expectations should be re: her stay in the NICU. After speaking with Bella's nurse tonight, she led us to believe Bella could be in the NICU for at least another week if not longer.
She still has not been able to receive food nourishment via IV and is scheduled to have a bronchoscopy (a scope placed down her throat to check things out there) tomorrow sometime. The boys both had this procedure done when they were 4 1/2 months old. It was very hard to see them go through this, and it is proving to be as difficult if not moreso to think about putting my brand new baby girl through this, too.
She will be put under anasthesia and intubated for the procedure. She may come out of the procedure with a ventilator still in place if she needs it. This news hit me a bit hard tonight along with the clarification of what our expectations should be re: her stay in the NICU. After speaking with Bella's nurse tonight, she led us to believe Bella could be in the NICU for at least another week if not longer.
If you want more of the medical side of things, let me know and I'll try to explain what I know. Otherwise, here are the ways you can be praying for our family:
- Bella will fare well with anasthesia and no complications will arise before, during or after the bronchoscopy.
- the bronchoscopy will prove helpful in diagnosing and treating Bella for her respiratory distress, taking us one step closer to bringing her home.
- continued strength for Lawrence and me to respond to all the competing demands and needs of our family right now.
- continued restoration of health for me (I am still healing from my delivery with Bella as well as trying to fight either a cold or allergies/sinus stuffiness).
- Pumping my milk for Bella will continue to go well and my supply will be regulated soon.
- the boys will continue to receive much grace to remain flexible during this time of upset in their schedule, absense of mommy and daddy and being passed around from one sitter/play buddy to another.
We have been experiencing God's grace and mercy in abundance, and God willing, I will get an opportunity soon to post some of the specific ways this has been true. Your prayers are in no small measure playing a major role in the way Lawrence and I and the boys have been able to respond to this trial in a way that glorifies God. Thank you so much and please keep praying!
Thursday, February 15, 2007
A Longing Fulfilled
Our longing to see our baby has been fulfilled!!
SHE was born Monday, February 12 at 12:23 p.m. after a long but highly satisfying labor and delivery. Her name is Isabela Claire Almengor, and she weighed 8 lbs. 5 oz. at birth, and is 20 inches long. She has a full head of black hair and is absolutely beautiful. We can't wait to show her off.
I know this is so strange to some, but I longed for a natural/vaginal birth with Bella. I desired this for my labor/delivery with the boys as well, but God had other plans, and they were for my ultimate good. It was the Lord's kindness to allow me to have the labor and delivery that I desired this time. Not that labor is desirable really, but it was such an amazing experience that I have already and will continue to draw upon for other difficult trials and temptations life brings my way.
I saw the first signs of labor Sunday morning before church, but having been induced with the boys was uncertain whether I was really beginning the labor process or not. After confirming with a couple of the girlfriends and my mom, I was sure that the baby would most likely be arriving some time this past week. As Lawrence and I settled down for the night around 10 p.m., it quickly became obvious I would not be settling down for the night as contractions heightened, and I became a bit consumed and even anxious at times about going through labor and delivery. Around 2 a.m., we called our dear friend and labor coach, Karen Coleman, to come and help me labor at home. By 3 a.m., I was convinced I needed to go to the hospital. It was 5 a.m. by the time we arrived there.
I was convinced that I did not want to continue without the help of some pain medication, but my coach, who knows me well, kept giving me opportunities and motivation to put it off for just one more contraction. One contraction at a time took me to 10 a.m. when I was checked for the first time. I had made it to 8 cm and was thrilled to be that far. Within a half hour, I began to feel the urge to push even though I was completely dilated. My midwife and nurse were amazing, encouraging me to cooperate with what my body was telling me to do yet not push too hard as I needed a little bit more dilation yet.
I pushed for close to two hours, but it only took one push, the last one, to see Bella fully emerge into our world...head and body all at once!! She was plopped onto my belly, and I couldn't believe I had gotten her out in one push after all that time trying. As a result, however, Bella most likely swallowed some of the amniotic fluid that came behind her in that rush out of my body. Soon after delivery, it was determined by the nurses and pediatrician assessing her that she was experiencing respiratory distress. After a brief time holding her, she was whisked away to the nursery where she has been ever since.
My good friend, Laurie, offered to post some pictures and details about Bella's situation on her blog since I was having a difficult time getting to updating my blog. Please click on her name to go to her blog for further details and pictures of my beautiful baby girl.
I have been able to hold Bella only once and have not been able to nurse her at all yet. It is for her best that I not nurse her right now as that would most likely exasperate her already very difficult breathing. Lawrence and I are soon heading out to the hospital to see her and get some update on her condition. I will try to post updates on our little girl as often as I can as we are very desirious to receive your prayers on her behalf.
SHE was born Monday, February 12 at 12:23 p.m. after a long but highly satisfying labor and delivery. Her name is Isabela Claire Almengor, and she weighed 8 lbs. 5 oz. at birth, and is 20 inches long. She has a full head of black hair and is absolutely beautiful. We can't wait to show her off.
I know this is so strange to some, but I longed for a natural/vaginal birth with Bella. I desired this for my labor/delivery with the boys as well, but God had other plans, and they were for my ultimate good. It was the Lord's kindness to allow me to have the labor and delivery that I desired this time. Not that labor is desirable really, but it was such an amazing experience that I have already and will continue to draw upon for other difficult trials and temptations life brings my way.
I saw the first signs of labor Sunday morning before church, but having been induced with the boys was uncertain whether I was really beginning the labor process or not. After confirming with a couple of the girlfriends and my mom, I was sure that the baby would most likely be arriving some time this past week. As Lawrence and I settled down for the night around 10 p.m., it quickly became obvious I would not be settling down for the night as contractions heightened, and I became a bit consumed and even anxious at times about going through labor and delivery. Around 2 a.m., we called our dear friend and labor coach, Karen Coleman, to come and help me labor at home. By 3 a.m., I was convinced I needed to go to the hospital. It was 5 a.m. by the time we arrived there.
I was convinced that I did not want to continue without the help of some pain medication, but my coach, who knows me well, kept giving me opportunities and motivation to put it off for just one more contraction. One contraction at a time took me to 10 a.m. when I was checked for the first time. I had made it to 8 cm and was thrilled to be that far. Within a half hour, I began to feel the urge to push even though I was completely dilated. My midwife and nurse were amazing, encouraging me to cooperate with what my body was telling me to do yet not push too hard as I needed a little bit more dilation yet.
I pushed for close to two hours, but it only took one push, the last one, to see Bella fully emerge into our world...head and body all at once!! She was plopped onto my belly, and I couldn't believe I had gotten her out in one push after all that time trying. As a result, however, Bella most likely swallowed some of the amniotic fluid that came behind her in that rush out of my body. Soon after delivery, it was determined by the nurses and pediatrician assessing her that she was experiencing respiratory distress. After a brief time holding her, she was whisked away to the nursery where she has been ever since.
My good friend, Laurie, offered to post some pictures and details about Bella's situation on her blog since I was having a difficult time getting to updating my blog. Please click on her name to go to her blog for further details and pictures of my beautiful baby girl.
I have been able to hold Bella only once and have not been able to nurse her at all yet. It is for her best that I not nurse her right now as that would most likely exasperate her already very difficult breathing. Lawrence and I are soon heading out to the hospital to see her and get some update on her condition. I will try to post updates on our little girl as often as I can as we are very desirious to receive your prayers on her behalf.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Straightened Out
Since the last post, God, in a most gracious way, brought heartfelt conviction over my complaining and impatient, irritable spirit regarding the "delayed" arrival of Baby Almengor #3. He reminded me that it is a privilege and a gift from Him that I am even able to bear children and then, also to carry them to term (and past if necessary). He reminded me that His timing is perfect timing, and when I complain about going past my due date, I am really being foolish, thinking that I know better than Him regarding what's best for me and my family.
I read this excerpt from a book we have entitled "On This Day" by Robert J. Morgan. It is a book of 365 stories about saints, martyrs, and heroes, one story for each day of the calendar year. This was the story on Feb. 8th, my "official" due date:
Squalls and Stalls
Just when the apostle Paul intended a Spain-ward thrust of the gospel to evangelize Western Europe, he was detained in Jerusalem, then imprisoned two years in Caesarea. Finally appealing to the imperial court, he was hustled aboard ship for Rome. But a typhoon besieged the vessel; it sunk and Paul swam ashore--only to be bitten by a viper. Thus he found himself stranded on the island of Malta for three months.
But careful readers of Acts 27 and 28 are always impressed with Paul's self-possession. He kept his head above water even when his ship was going down. He knew how to remain even-tempered, though all the elements of frustration were at hand. Paul's missionary dreams were thwarted. He was imprisoned when he craved freedom and forced into inactivity when he desired action. He was eager to reach Rome, but the winds blew against him. He was a man of progress, making no headway. Wanting to redeem the time, he was beached on an obscure island.
He was stalled.
In due time the sea lanes reopened for the spring, and on February 8, 60, Paul boarded ship for the remainder of the trip to Rome. As for being frustrated, there's no sign of it. Paul's life and ministry were so entrusted to the Lord that he took everything that befell him, both squalls and stalls, as from God. Experience had taught him to trust in the Lord's providence and to lean on the Lord's promises. During the height of the earlier tempests, he had summarized his philosophy for the terrified sailors: "I belong to God, and I worship him...Cheer up ! I am sure that God will do exactly what he proimsed" (Acts 27:23-25).
It was not in due time--but in divine time--that Paul reached Rome. His nerves held steady in the storm. His spirit remained patient in delay.
He knew how to wait on his God.
And so is my prayer..that I would learn to hold steady in the storm, remain patient in delay and learn how to wait upon an all-wise, gracious God whose timing is always perfect.
Thank you all, as always, for your gracious, encouraging words and even moreso, your prayers on our behalf!!
I read this excerpt from a book we have entitled "On This Day" by Robert J. Morgan. It is a book of 365 stories about saints, martyrs, and heroes, one story for each day of the calendar year. This was the story on Feb. 8th, my "official" due date:
Squalls and Stalls
Just when the apostle Paul intended a Spain-ward thrust of the gospel to evangelize Western Europe, he was detained in Jerusalem, then imprisoned two years in Caesarea. Finally appealing to the imperial court, he was hustled aboard ship for Rome. But a typhoon besieged the vessel; it sunk and Paul swam ashore--only to be bitten by a viper. Thus he found himself stranded on the island of Malta for three months.
But careful readers of Acts 27 and 28 are always impressed with Paul's self-possession. He kept his head above water even when his ship was going down. He knew how to remain even-tempered, though all the elements of frustration were at hand. Paul's missionary dreams were thwarted. He was imprisoned when he craved freedom and forced into inactivity when he desired action. He was eager to reach Rome, but the winds blew against him. He was a man of progress, making no headway. Wanting to redeem the time, he was beached on an obscure island.
He was stalled.
In due time the sea lanes reopened for the spring, and on February 8, 60, Paul boarded ship for the remainder of the trip to Rome. As for being frustrated, there's no sign of it. Paul's life and ministry were so entrusted to the Lord that he took everything that befell him, both squalls and stalls, as from God. Experience had taught him to trust in the Lord's providence and to lean on the Lord's promises. During the height of the earlier tempests, he had summarized his philosophy for the terrified sailors: "I belong to God, and I worship him...Cheer up ! I am sure that God will do exactly what he proimsed" (Acts 27:23-25).
It was not in due time--but in divine time--that Paul reached Rome. His nerves held steady in the storm. His spirit remained patient in delay.
He knew how to wait on his God.
And so is my prayer..that I would learn to hold steady in the storm, remain patient in delay and learn how to wait upon an all-wise, gracious God whose timing is always perfect.
Thank you all, as always, for your gracious, encouraging words and even moreso, your prayers on our behalf!!
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Change the Date
I learned at last night's OB appointment that the due date they have for me is not until tomorrow, Feb. 8th. So, here's the new ticker:
While that might seem like it should help my psyche in this waiting game, it hasn't. In fact, last night's appointment particularly discouraged me as the baby's head is not close to being engaged, nor is my cervix doing squat. Now, logically, I know all that can change in a very short amount of time. But, today I'm not wanting to be all that logical. I'm a bit tired of wrestling with my emotions over the arrival of this little one and all the factors that play into that. I would like to forget I'm pregnant for a little while, but that's a bit difficult to do with my daily increasing weight and waist line.
My midwife's best suggestion was to try to forget about the due date and immerse myself in some activity. The one I would like to immerse myself in today is self pity. Not to sound too boastful, but I'm pretty good at this activity.
There's a beautiful coat of snow on the ground this morning, but we will most likely opt to stay inside. The boys can really have a hard time with asthma, and I'm fearful of the cold air precipitating an attack. Plus, the last time we had to walk outside on snow, Judah freaked out for some reason, not liking the feel of it beneath his feet. (Sometimes my geniuses are also a bit odd, but I guess geniuses are known to be odd, aren't they?) :)
That leaves us rather cooped up for several days now. You all know how cabin fever can really mess with one's mind, let alone one who is 9 months pregnant. Have I won the award for today's biggest whiner yet?
Feel no need to encourage me with your words, but your prayers would be much appreciated. I'm not even going to ask for you to pray that the baby comes any day in particular. I'm hanging up those prayers. I just would like to get through the day without complaining my way through it. I know I need a change of perspective and a change of attitude. I'm trusting God to be faithful once again.
While that might seem like it should help my psyche in this waiting game, it hasn't. In fact, last night's appointment particularly discouraged me as the baby's head is not close to being engaged, nor is my cervix doing squat. Now, logically, I know all that can change in a very short amount of time. But, today I'm not wanting to be all that logical. I'm a bit tired of wrestling with my emotions over the arrival of this little one and all the factors that play into that. I would like to forget I'm pregnant for a little while, but that's a bit difficult to do with my daily increasing weight and waist line.
My midwife's best suggestion was to try to forget about the due date and immerse myself in some activity. The one I would like to immerse myself in today is self pity. Not to sound too boastful, but I'm pretty good at this activity.
There's a beautiful coat of snow on the ground this morning, but we will most likely opt to stay inside. The boys can really have a hard time with asthma, and I'm fearful of the cold air precipitating an attack. Plus, the last time we had to walk outside on snow, Judah freaked out for some reason, not liking the feel of it beneath his feet. (Sometimes my geniuses are also a bit odd, but I guess geniuses are known to be odd, aren't they?) :)
That leaves us rather cooped up for several days now. You all know how cabin fever can really mess with one's mind, let alone one who is 9 months pregnant. Have I won the award for today's biggest whiner yet?
Feel no need to encourage me with your words, but your prayers would be much appreciated. I'm not even going to ask for you to pray that the baby comes any day in particular. I'm hanging up those prayers. I just would like to get through the day without complaining my way through it. I know I need a change of perspective and a change of attitude. I'm trusting God to be faithful once again.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Just Catching You Up
The boys amaze me with what might seem the simplest things. Perhaps, it's because they're my children or perhaps it's because I'm easily amazed. Who knows?! But, this morning, Judah was looking through some of his puzzle alphabet letters and came across the "Y". He said, "Y for Yuck" twice before I realized what he was saying. What a smart, little buddy!
Here's the ticker for the baby's arrival:
As you can see, I'm "overdue", whatever that means. Of course, it means a whole lot when you are the one who's overdue. It's so easy to say the due date is relative and not exact until you become the one who is past that nebulous due date!! I am having to confess everyday that goes by my lack of patience and my struggle to lean on my own understanding. And, I am having to reaffirm everyday that goes by my dependence and ultimate trust in God's perfect timing and wisdom for both how and when this baby will emerge into our world.
I have an OB appointment tomorrow evening and will post if there's anything post-worthy. Otherwise, just assume that we're still at home waiting, trying to get and maintain an orderly, clean home and continuing to make plans for bringing this baby home with us.
Still to be done:
Here's the ticker for the baby's arrival:
As you can see, I'm "overdue", whatever that means. Of course, it means a whole lot when you are the one who's overdue. It's so easy to say the due date is relative and not exact until you become the one who is past that nebulous due date!! I am having to confess everyday that goes by my lack of patience and my struggle to lean on my own understanding. And, I am having to reaffirm everyday that goes by my dependence and ultimate trust in God's perfect timing and wisdom for both how and when this baby will emerge into our world.
I have an OB appointment tomorrow evening and will post if there's anything post-worthy. Otherwise, just assume that we're still at home waiting, trying to get and maintain an orderly, clean home and continuing to make plans for bringing this baby home with us.
Still to be done:
- strap infant seat into van.
- pack a bag for baby and me for our time in the hospital.
- buy italian ices for the potential of laboring at home.
In our human wisdom, Lawrence and I would say this week, preferably the earlier part of this week, would be best for the baby to come in regards to his work schedule. This week, Lawrence is in the office either tying up loose ends of jobs he's almost finished or preparing for jobs he has yet to begin audits for. From next week until the end of March, he is scheduled to be out in the field on actual engagments which means much less flexibility for him in terms of taking off time for the baby. So, we would pray that the baby would come this week: like today or tomorrow would be GREAT!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
My Son's a Genius!
This blog is slowly evolving to more of a "family" blog, which is why I'll be posting all kinds of thoughts I have and events we enjoy as a family. I'll let you know when/if I decide to change domains as it seems a little inappropriate to keep "Judah's News" the title and "Judah update" as the domain.
Anyway, yesterday, the boys were eating their pancakes for dinner. Tucker noticed that one was cut in the shape of a triangle and proceeded to look at it, look at me and say, "Triangle, three corners." I did not teach this to him; he is simply a genius, I'm convinced.
Anyway, yesterday, the boys were eating their pancakes for dinner. Tucker noticed that one was cut in the shape of a triangle and proceeded to look at it, look at me and say, "Triangle, three corners." I did not teach this to him; he is simply a genius, I'm convinced.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Smells Amazing!!
In my house, that is!
My house was just invaded, in a good way, by the Plack family! They came bearing enough food to feed us for a week (not kidding), cleaning supplies and willing, servant's hearts to clean my home from top to bottom, all while the two youngest Plack children played with my boys, leaving pretty much nothing for me to do but receive and be blessed!
I really can't figure out why I am the recipient of such exemplary care from others, but I have some theories. 1. I either look really pathetic on Sunday mornings and in need of help OR 2. I am so vocal (whiny) about how hard my poor life is (not really) that people feel the need to come to my rescue. Actually, I sincerely believe it is moreso that there are amazing servants who are a part of our local church, Chesapeake Community Church, of which I am so grateful to be a part!!
When I think about the various and countless ways my family and I have been served by members of our church, who really are not just co-members of the church we attend but also dear, dear friends, I think of this verse in Psalm 8:4:
What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
When I am served, I become more mindful of God and His attentiveness to my life. This thought spurs me on to, in turn, grow in serving others and to do so with excellence. Isn't it amazing that we can be a part of making someone else more mindful of God just by serving them in some practical way? I would love to hear how you have become mindful of God through someone else serving you in some way. Please feel free to comment.
My house was just invaded, in a good way, by the Plack family! They came bearing enough food to feed us for a week (not kidding), cleaning supplies and willing, servant's hearts to clean my home from top to bottom, all while the two youngest Plack children played with my boys, leaving pretty much nothing for me to do but receive and be blessed!
I really can't figure out why I am the recipient of such exemplary care from others, but I have some theories. 1. I either look really pathetic on Sunday mornings and in need of help OR 2. I am so vocal (whiny) about how hard my poor life is (not really) that people feel the need to come to my rescue. Actually, I sincerely believe it is moreso that there are amazing servants who are a part of our local church, Chesapeake Community Church, of which I am so grateful to be a part!!
When I think about the various and countless ways my family and I have been served by members of our church, who really are not just co-members of the church we attend but also dear, dear friends, I think of this verse in Psalm 8:4:
What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
When I am served, I become more mindful of God and His attentiveness to my life. This thought spurs me on to, in turn, grow in serving others and to do so with excellence. Isn't it amazing that we can be a part of making someone else more mindful of God just by serving them in some practical way? I would love to hear how you have become mindful of God through someone else serving you in some way. Please feel free to comment.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
A Place to Eat
This is not a typical post for Judah's update, but I'm going to try to 1. start writing more often here and 2. write about our entire family rather than just Judah. I haven't decided if I'm going to start an entire new blog for that purpose and 'ditch' this one or just continue to use this domain since everyone who reads it already has its address.
Anyway...I was hoping to take a little poll for my MD resident readers. Lawrence and I are going to be celebrating our Valentine's Day this Saturday as we figured if we didn't celebrate early, we probably wouldn't get to it with a new baby and his busy season at work.
I'm taking on the arrangements this year and asked what Lawrence would prefer for our dinner out. He just wants to try some place new (to us), preferably in Harford County. We have done many of the chains and some of the restaurants in Havre de Grace. I'm hoping I can get some recommendations from you. It doesn't have to be especially romantic, but I am also not all that interested in a sports bar either. We don't want to pay a lot of money UNLESS the food, service and atmosphere (probably in that order of importance to us) is worth it.
SO, any suggestions?
Anyway...I was hoping to take a little poll for my MD resident readers. Lawrence and I are going to be celebrating our Valentine's Day this Saturday as we figured if we didn't celebrate early, we probably wouldn't get to it with a new baby and his busy season at work.
I'm taking on the arrangements this year and asked what Lawrence would prefer for our dinner out. He just wants to try some place new (to us), preferably in Harford County. We have done many of the chains and some of the restaurants in Havre de Grace. I'm hoping I can get some recommendations from you. It doesn't have to be especially romantic, but I am also not all that interested in a sports bar either. We don't want to pay a lot of money UNLESS the food, service and atmosphere (probably in that order of importance to us) is worth it.
SO, any suggestions?
Monday, January 22, 2007
Pray for Livi
For today's post, I'm asking if you could hop on over to this blog: http://aliviarachelhaughery32005.blogspot.com/ to see one of the sweetest faces ever and to pray for this little girl, Alivia. She is daughter to my dear friend, Emily Haughery, and her husband, James. They have been walking through a very difficult season for almost a year with their daugther's health. They have done so with nothing less than amazing grace and strength.
Today, Livi will have her spleen removed which will be a 3-4 hour long surgery along with nearly a week's stay in the hospital if not longer. This will be followed by a bone marrow transplant sometime in the near future. Please pray for my friends, James, Emily and Livi, today, and also for their families: the Haughery's and the Allen's.
Thanks!
Today, Livi will have her spleen removed which will be a 3-4 hour long surgery along with nearly a week's stay in the hospital if not longer. This will be followed by a bone marrow transplant sometime in the near future. Please pray for my friends, James, Emily and Livi, today, and also for their families: the Haughery's and the Allen's.
Thanks!
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Back to the Patch
Just a mid-week update as I am too tired and in too much pain to do any housework right now! :) The pain is in my back, not my sinuses for now. I have still been getting a sinus headache everyday at some point, but it goes away and is very tolerable. So, I'm giving thanks for healing of my sinuses albeit it not complete just yet.
Judah and Tucker did so well at Judah's eye appointment on Tuesday morning. They both sat so patiently in the waiting room while I read them a book, and Tucker was so cooperative to sit in the stroller once we made it to the exam room, watching his brother get his exam. Judah did so well for his exam that Dr. Abrams and Jana, her assistant, were able to try out a few new tests on him. He let them put two different kinds of glasses on his eyes (not at the same time, of course) in addition to reading the letter chart twice, once for each doctor. He allowed them to put tape over his lenses to test out his vision in each eye individually and even let the doctor put on her funny head mask/lamp, holding up a thick lens to Judah's eye to see way into the back of his eye to his optic nerve. He was a champ even with her manually lifting his eye lids and taking a while to see what she needed to see. We were both grateful for the good look he gave her as it indicated that his optic nerves are both in great condition, looking healthier than they had the last two visits! Praise God!
It was obvious throughout different parts of the exam, however, that Judah's weak eye is only growing moreso. It was pretty sad to see him try to look around the tape covering his strong eye at the letter chart when it came time to see the letters with only his weak eye. And, he got most of the letters wrong with that eye, too. So, Dr. Abrams once again prescribed using an eye patch for 2 hours a day until further notice to try to strengthen Judah's weak eye.
The first day I put the patch on his eye, Judah cried for at least 20 minutes until the Holy Spirit reminded me I could pray. We prayed together, and Judah seemed to calm down after that. Putting him infront of a video probably helped a bit as well. The second day, it looked like it was going to be the same routine. Tucker helped me pray for Judah this time, and we once again marched down to our basement to watch a video. So, this may be our new after nap routine: Judah gets his eye patch (sticker or bandaid as the boys like to call it); we pray, and they go downstairs to watch a video.
Judah is incredibly resilient, and I am constantly amazed by my little man's ability and resolve to cooperate with all that he's put through. I truly believe it is already an evidence of God's grace and mercy on his life. It can be difficult as his momma to put him through so much, but I'm learning right along with him that God is good and has our best in mind even in the most trying circumstances. There are many days, though, that it is about choosing this mindset as it most certainly does not come naturally to our flesh to think that way.
With that said, let me invite you into the latest with Judah and that involves his growth. I've mentioned his growth before in these posts, but I'm bringing it up again because we recently had him measured again and saw that he is still dropping off his growth curve. It was discouraging at best, but again an opportunity to pray, to ask others to pray and to trust God. That may sound so cliche, but it really is how we are being graciously led by the Lord through Judah's circumstances.
We are going to be following up with Judah's neurologist about this who will most likely recommend we begin testing him for growth hormone deficiency. This seems to be a trend that researchers are finding among Sturge Weber patients and so, Judah's risks are higher. To my knowledge the tests involve some bloodwork, an x-ray of his hand and then a more invasive test where they try to artificially stimulate the pituitary gland to release growth hormone and watch to see what it does. How they do this exactly, I am not sure. I just know that it means more appointments, needles, time spent with "white coats", waiting for results and potentially, a daily shot of growth hormone for Judah if the tests prove that he does indeed have a deficiency.
Please be praying that Judah will grow on his own, that there may not even be a need to begin testing at all. Pray that God will move circumstantially on behalf of my little man (no pun intended!). Pray that if God knows it to be better for Judah to undergo testing and even receive those daily shots of growth hormone, that He will also provide grace to Judah and to us as we adjust our expectations again regarding all that Judah's SWS will mean in our daily lives.
This issue of his growth will be an ongoing prayer request for the next couple months as I imagine it will take a good while before we can pursue testing and/or treatment given all the changes that are about to occur in our lives (a.k.a. BABY #3). I will be sure to keep you informed to any appointments or developments regarding his growth.
Finally, I have my next OB appointment tomorrow. I will let you know how that turns out, but I'm expecting everything to be fine as there has not been any less movement on the baby's part and no impressive contractions to speak of.
Judah and Tucker did so well at Judah's eye appointment on Tuesday morning. They both sat so patiently in the waiting room while I read them a book, and Tucker was so cooperative to sit in the stroller once we made it to the exam room, watching his brother get his exam. Judah did so well for his exam that Dr. Abrams and Jana, her assistant, were able to try out a few new tests on him. He let them put two different kinds of glasses on his eyes (not at the same time, of course) in addition to reading the letter chart twice, once for each doctor. He allowed them to put tape over his lenses to test out his vision in each eye individually and even let the doctor put on her funny head mask/lamp, holding up a thick lens to Judah's eye to see way into the back of his eye to his optic nerve. He was a champ even with her manually lifting his eye lids and taking a while to see what she needed to see. We were both grateful for the good look he gave her as it indicated that his optic nerves are both in great condition, looking healthier than they had the last two visits! Praise God!
It was obvious throughout different parts of the exam, however, that Judah's weak eye is only growing moreso. It was pretty sad to see him try to look around the tape covering his strong eye at the letter chart when it came time to see the letters with only his weak eye. And, he got most of the letters wrong with that eye, too. So, Dr. Abrams once again prescribed using an eye patch for 2 hours a day until further notice to try to strengthen Judah's weak eye.
The first day I put the patch on his eye, Judah cried for at least 20 minutes until the Holy Spirit reminded me I could pray. We prayed together, and Judah seemed to calm down after that. Putting him infront of a video probably helped a bit as well. The second day, it looked like it was going to be the same routine. Tucker helped me pray for Judah this time, and we once again marched down to our basement to watch a video. So, this may be our new after nap routine: Judah gets his eye patch (sticker or bandaid as the boys like to call it); we pray, and they go downstairs to watch a video.
Judah is incredibly resilient, and I am constantly amazed by my little man's ability and resolve to cooperate with all that he's put through. I truly believe it is already an evidence of God's grace and mercy on his life. It can be difficult as his momma to put him through so much, but I'm learning right along with him that God is good and has our best in mind even in the most trying circumstances. There are many days, though, that it is about choosing this mindset as it most certainly does not come naturally to our flesh to think that way.
With that said, let me invite you into the latest with Judah and that involves his growth. I've mentioned his growth before in these posts, but I'm bringing it up again because we recently had him measured again and saw that he is still dropping off his growth curve. It was discouraging at best, but again an opportunity to pray, to ask others to pray and to trust God. That may sound so cliche, but it really is how we are being graciously led by the Lord through Judah's circumstances.
We are going to be following up with Judah's neurologist about this who will most likely recommend we begin testing him for growth hormone deficiency. This seems to be a trend that researchers are finding among Sturge Weber patients and so, Judah's risks are higher. To my knowledge the tests involve some bloodwork, an x-ray of his hand and then a more invasive test where they try to artificially stimulate the pituitary gland to release growth hormone and watch to see what it does. How they do this exactly, I am not sure. I just know that it means more appointments, needles, time spent with "white coats", waiting for results and potentially, a daily shot of growth hormone for Judah if the tests prove that he does indeed have a deficiency.
Please be praying that Judah will grow on his own, that there may not even be a need to begin testing at all. Pray that God will move circumstantially on behalf of my little man (no pun intended!). Pray that if God knows it to be better for Judah to undergo testing and even receive those daily shots of growth hormone, that He will also provide grace to Judah and to us as we adjust our expectations again regarding all that Judah's SWS will mean in our daily lives.
This issue of his growth will be an ongoing prayer request for the next couple months as I imagine it will take a good while before we can pursue testing and/or treatment given all the changes that are about to occur in our lives (a.k.a. BABY #3). I will be sure to keep you informed to any appointments or developments regarding his growth.
Finally, I have my next OB appointment tomorrow. I will let you know how that turns out, but I'm expecting everything to be fine as there has not been any less movement on the baby's part and no impressive contractions to speak of.
Monday, January 15, 2007
On The Mend
Given I've tried all man made forms of treatment available to me at this point in my pregnancy to clear up this sinus infection, I'm left to a supernatural healing from God to fully clear it up. Of course, I know that ultimately God is my Healer, and I'm learning to trust His wisdom in the timing of prolonged suffering, no matter how small or great.
Symptomatically, I am feeling a little better and definitely functioning more than I had been for a couple weeks. Now, however, I am fighting against the exhaustion late term pregnancy brings along with caring for twin 2 yr. olds and a husband entering into the busiest season of the year at work. Consequently, I am learning to move at a much slower pace these days, to not put as much on my to do list and to know at the beginning of the day that the end of the day will not have brought as much productivity as I probably would have liked. It's humbling to be certain, but it is teaching me in even more practical ways how to rely upon God's sufficiency and what is really important, worthy of my time, energy and thoughtfulness.
One of the things I am finally trying to turn my attention to is the arrival of our new baby. I'm hoping to at least think through this week what needs to be done before the little one comes and maybe by next week, I'll be ready and motivated to begin knocking off items from that to do list.
For this week, I am taking Judah to his opthamologist for a routine eye exam. Judah did really well with the last visit; I'm hoping to see a repeat of that. Also, my husband continues to be concerned that Judah is not using his one eye as well as the other, and so I will be raising this concern with Dr. Abrams tomorrow. Additionally, we haven't been giving Judah his eye drop for several weeks now, and I'm wondering if it's having any kind of impact on his glaucoma status. It would be great if Dr. Abrams was able to check his pressures tomorrow with the tonopen. You can pray for that; although, I'm not expecting it to happen. Also, I'm going to be taking Tucker with us to the appointment as well. Please pray that the boys are well behaved and that I'm able to gracefully handle the both of them in the waiting room as well as the exam room. **I will be taking lots of their favorite snacks to be sure!
Friday, I'll go for another visit with my midwives. My visit last week confirmed the baby's head is down, ready to go and that I'm 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated (which any of us who have had babies know that means nothing about when I'll go into labor).
Thanks for all your prayers for us.
Symptomatically, I am feeling a little better and definitely functioning more than I had been for a couple weeks. Now, however, I am fighting against the exhaustion late term pregnancy brings along with caring for twin 2 yr. olds and a husband entering into the busiest season of the year at work. Consequently, I am learning to move at a much slower pace these days, to not put as much on my to do list and to know at the beginning of the day that the end of the day will not have brought as much productivity as I probably would have liked. It's humbling to be certain, but it is teaching me in even more practical ways how to rely upon God's sufficiency and what is really important, worthy of my time, energy and thoughtfulness.
One of the things I am finally trying to turn my attention to is the arrival of our new baby. I'm hoping to at least think through this week what needs to be done before the little one comes and maybe by next week, I'll be ready and motivated to begin knocking off items from that to do list.
For this week, I am taking Judah to his opthamologist for a routine eye exam. Judah did really well with the last visit; I'm hoping to see a repeat of that. Also, my husband continues to be concerned that Judah is not using his one eye as well as the other, and so I will be raising this concern with Dr. Abrams tomorrow. Additionally, we haven't been giving Judah his eye drop for several weeks now, and I'm wondering if it's having any kind of impact on his glaucoma status. It would be great if Dr. Abrams was able to check his pressures tomorrow with the tonopen. You can pray for that; although, I'm not expecting it to happen. Also, I'm going to be taking Tucker with us to the appointment as well. Please pray that the boys are well behaved and that I'm able to gracefully handle the both of them in the waiting room as well as the exam room. **I will be taking lots of their favorite snacks to be sure!
Friday, I'll go for another visit with my midwives. My visit last week confirmed the baby's head is down, ready to go and that I'm 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated (which any of us who have had babies know that means nothing about when I'll go into labor).
Thanks for all your prayers for us.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Sick Momma
Thanks to all of you who have been praying for me and my family over the last week or so. It seems all the men in my home are doing much better with the cold symptoms. The boys still have a bit of a cough when exposed to the cold air, but overall are doing rather well. And, Lawrence reported to me yesterday that he's pretty certain he's over the cold, too. I, however, am still battling a nasty sinus infection. Today, I'm on my 7th day of a 10 day dose of antibiotic and am not feeling all that much better; although, I can breathe through both nostrils, something I'm giving thanks for often throughout my day! I did call my doctor today to see what she wants me to do at this point. I would appreciate your continued prayers for health, especially that I could recover some strength before I'm called to push this baby out! :)
The boys have been doing some really cute stuff lately, some really naughty, exasperating things as well, but I won't concentrate on all of that.
Today, while at Target, Judah pretended to lay his head down and said, "night night. Sweet dreams." I have no idea where he picked that up from. Perhaps I've said it and just forgot that I said it, but it certainly is not a routine thing that I say when putting them down to sleep.
And then, as we were checking out with the cashier, Judah looked at her and said, "bye bye. See ya later alligator." Obviously, this is something many little ones learn to say, but I have never taught them this phrase. Their little minds are sponges, and they must be picking things up quickly from the few videos or TV programs we allow them to watch. Maybe they're getting it from Sunday school, too. I don't know. But, it signifies to me that my little babies are growing up, already being influenced by people and things other than Lawrence and me.
I had a laser treatment scheduled for Judah this week but am trying to re-schedule for another time this month as Lawrence's employer changed insurance companies as of the first of the year and our information was not yet processed. I finally called the insurance broker today and was able to obtain our ID# so that I can hand that over to my OB's receptionist at tonight's visit.
I'm 36 weeks and counting. I imagine my midwives will want to see me every week now, but I'm hoping I can spread it out a little bit longer than that. I'm anticipating this baby will come later given I went to 40 weeks and 2 days with the twins and still had to be induced! I'm almost hoping the baby comes late as I am convinced of something a friend told me while I carried the boys, "Easier in than out". I didn't agree with her at the time because all I knew was the discomforts and hard work of being pregnant. And, then the boys came out, and I understood exactly what she was talking about.
So, with that sentiment, I'm praying the baby is comfortable and will wait as long as is good for her and me to come out. :) Additionally, I am still nowhere ready in any way to receive this little one into our world. Please pray that God would make a way for us to prepare for this baby's arrival: the physical aspects of laboring, delivering and receiving a baby into our home as well as the emotional and spiritual component of receiving this gift from God.
Thanks for your prayers and I'll keep you up to date as much as I'm able to sit down and type it all out.
The boys have been doing some really cute stuff lately, some really naughty, exasperating things as well, but I won't concentrate on all of that.
Today, while at Target, Judah pretended to lay his head down and said, "night night. Sweet dreams." I have no idea where he picked that up from. Perhaps I've said it and just forgot that I said it, but it certainly is not a routine thing that I say when putting them down to sleep.
And then, as we were checking out with the cashier, Judah looked at her and said, "bye bye. See ya later alligator." Obviously, this is something many little ones learn to say, but I have never taught them this phrase. Their little minds are sponges, and they must be picking things up quickly from the few videos or TV programs we allow them to watch. Maybe they're getting it from Sunday school, too. I don't know. But, it signifies to me that my little babies are growing up, already being influenced by people and things other than Lawrence and me.
I had a laser treatment scheduled for Judah this week but am trying to re-schedule for another time this month as Lawrence's employer changed insurance companies as of the first of the year and our information was not yet processed. I finally called the insurance broker today and was able to obtain our ID# so that I can hand that over to my OB's receptionist at tonight's visit.
I'm 36 weeks and counting. I imagine my midwives will want to see me every week now, but I'm hoping I can spread it out a little bit longer than that. I'm anticipating this baby will come later given I went to 40 weeks and 2 days with the twins and still had to be induced! I'm almost hoping the baby comes late as I am convinced of something a friend told me while I carried the boys, "Easier in than out". I didn't agree with her at the time because all I knew was the discomforts and hard work of being pregnant. And, then the boys came out, and I understood exactly what she was talking about.
So, with that sentiment, I'm praying the baby is comfortable and will wait as long as is good for her and me to come out. :) Additionally, I am still nowhere ready in any way to receive this little one into our world. Please pray that God would make a way for us to prepare for this baby's arrival: the physical aspects of laboring, delivering and receiving a baby into our home as well as the emotional and spiritual component of receiving this gift from God.
Thanks for your prayers and I'll keep you up to date as much as I'm able to sit down and type it all out.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
'Tis the Season to be...
SICK!
It seems many are sick right now, including our entire household. Is there ever a 'good' time to be sick? Of course, we would all say "NO!" But, there certainly are bad times to be sick, aren't there? I was folding laundry on my bed today with some random thoughts running through my mind that I'm going to seek to redeem right here in this blog entry.
I was thinking through a few of the untimely illnesses our family has experienced in the past couple of years. Here's a brief chronicle of them:
1. Christmas, 2003: I was about 2 months pregnant with the twins. We were scheduled to have 30 of Lawrence's extended family to our home for the first time for their annual family Christmas gathering. I came down with a nasty stomach virus, the kind that comes out both ends! I was miserably stuck in bed, with barely enough energy to get to our bathroom only 3 feet away let alone entertain Lawrence's entire family!
2. Boys' first birthday: We found ourselves in the ER with Judah having his 2nd asthma attack within 3 months. Only three days later, August 6th, 2005, was my brother's wedding in Pennsylvania. Wonderful friends of ours who have had more than their fair share of untimely illnesses (thank you for being our constant inspiration, Jason and Laurie!) courageously volunteered to do nebulizer treatments and count the boys' respirations for the several hours we would be up in PA for my brother's wedding. They really didn't want us to miss it. So, as nervous a mother I was (am), I left the boys, and we headed for the PA border. I think we made it about 5 minutes from home when I called to check in only to hear that Tucker was now the one hysterical and breathing way too fast. We rushed back to the Reyes' to determine that Tucker was having his first asthma attack. Needless to say, we missed my brother's wedding that day!
3. Probably the one that takes the cake happened this past May, 2006. We found ourselves at Hopkins' Emergency Department to follow up on some concerns Judah's neurologist had regarding potential elevated Intracranial pressure. Judah had to be seen at the ER in order to have a CT Scan and lumbar puncture done promptly to determine whether or not he indeed had elevated ICP. Judah hadn't eaten all day because of all the tests, and so when we got home, we gave him as much food as he would eat, knowing that he'd have to fast for the next day's MRI. Over night, Tucker and Judah both began to throw up within hours of each other. Around 4 a.m, I started to not feel so well. It wasn't very long after that, we determined a stomach virus had found its way to our home. Lawrence was the only one left standing (that day anyway!)
We weren't sure that Judah would be allowed to undergo the anasthesia needed for his MRI given he had been throwing up and was sick. But, under these circumstances, the docs told us to bring him in for the MRI anyway.
Lawrence would have had to take Judah by himself to Hopkins apart from his brother, Sam, volunteering to go with him. Somehow, Judah got through the MRI but threw up a couple times in the car on the way there and home again. Meanwhile, I was sick at home in bed with no ability to take care of the "other one". So, yet another dear friend, De Neumann, came to our rescue (as she has so many other times). She came to care for me and my son, Tucker, that day with no thought of her own health being put at risk.
I recovered from the stomach virus along with the boys just in time for Lawrence to get it! A couple days later, we were in the hospital for Judah's brain surgery.
These are just three vivid recollections I have of untimely illnesses going through our home, but there have been many others. It seems every time Lawrence and I have planned to go out of town, the boys have gotten sick, usually with asthma complications which makes it so difficult to leave them with anyone as asthma can be so touchy if not treated right.
In my flesh, I have usually come upon these incidents and questioned God's timing or at least grumbled about it. But, today as I considered these untimely illnesses with redemption and God's faithfulness in mind, I realized just how timely they were. Had these illnesses come at a "better" time, I would not have known how well loved and cared for we are by so many of our friends and members of our church body. I would not have been able to see God's power rest on us, being made perfect in our very obvious weakness. I would not have been able to see God mercifully sustain my family members when I was incapable of doing so on my own. There would not have been opportunities for others to pray on our behalf and see God come through for us with tangible provision when it looked like there would be none. I would not have had the opportunity to be humbled by the awareness and experience of how finite and weak I am and how infinite and strong God is. I would not have had my grip on the pleasures of this world and our temporal life loosened had it not been for these untimely illnesses.
So, today, as I am sitting in my "sickbed" once again, I am giving thanks for God's perfect wisdom and timing in granting us seasons of sickness. Thank you, Lord, that truly You do work all things together for our good and your glory. Help me to remember this if I don't experience relief soon from this current illness or for the next time illness or trial hits our home in an "untimely" fashion. Help me to have faith in Your faithfulness, God.
It seems many are sick right now, including our entire household. Is there ever a 'good' time to be sick? Of course, we would all say "NO!" But, there certainly are bad times to be sick, aren't there? I was folding laundry on my bed today with some random thoughts running through my mind that I'm going to seek to redeem right here in this blog entry.
I was thinking through a few of the untimely illnesses our family has experienced in the past couple of years. Here's a brief chronicle of them:
1. Christmas, 2003: I was about 2 months pregnant with the twins. We were scheduled to have 30 of Lawrence's extended family to our home for the first time for their annual family Christmas gathering. I came down with a nasty stomach virus, the kind that comes out both ends! I was miserably stuck in bed, with barely enough energy to get to our bathroom only 3 feet away let alone entertain Lawrence's entire family!
2. Boys' first birthday: We found ourselves in the ER with Judah having his 2nd asthma attack within 3 months. Only three days later, August 6th, 2005, was my brother's wedding in Pennsylvania. Wonderful friends of ours who have had more than their fair share of untimely illnesses (thank you for being our constant inspiration, Jason and Laurie!) courageously volunteered to do nebulizer treatments and count the boys' respirations for the several hours we would be up in PA for my brother's wedding. They really didn't want us to miss it. So, as nervous a mother I was (am), I left the boys, and we headed for the PA border. I think we made it about 5 minutes from home when I called to check in only to hear that Tucker was now the one hysterical and breathing way too fast. We rushed back to the Reyes' to determine that Tucker was having his first asthma attack. Needless to say, we missed my brother's wedding that day!
3. Probably the one that takes the cake happened this past May, 2006. We found ourselves at Hopkins' Emergency Department to follow up on some concerns Judah's neurologist had regarding potential elevated Intracranial pressure. Judah had to be seen at the ER in order to have a CT Scan and lumbar puncture done promptly to determine whether or not he indeed had elevated ICP. Judah hadn't eaten all day because of all the tests, and so when we got home, we gave him as much food as he would eat, knowing that he'd have to fast for the next day's MRI. Over night, Tucker and Judah both began to throw up within hours of each other. Around 4 a.m, I started to not feel so well. It wasn't very long after that, we determined a stomach virus had found its way to our home. Lawrence was the only one left standing (that day anyway!)
We weren't sure that Judah would be allowed to undergo the anasthesia needed for his MRI given he had been throwing up and was sick. But, under these circumstances, the docs told us to bring him in for the MRI anyway.
Lawrence would have had to take Judah by himself to Hopkins apart from his brother, Sam, volunteering to go with him. Somehow, Judah got through the MRI but threw up a couple times in the car on the way there and home again. Meanwhile, I was sick at home in bed with no ability to take care of the "other one". So, yet another dear friend, De Neumann, came to our rescue (as she has so many other times). She came to care for me and my son, Tucker, that day with no thought of her own health being put at risk.
I recovered from the stomach virus along with the boys just in time for Lawrence to get it! A couple days later, we were in the hospital for Judah's brain surgery.
These are just three vivid recollections I have of untimely illnesses going through our home, but there have been many others. It seems every time Lawrence and I have planned to go out of town, the boys have gotten sick, usually with asthma complications which makes it so difficult to leave them with anyone as asthma can be so touchy if not treated right.
In my flesh, I have usually come upon these incidents and questioned God's timing or at least grumbled about it. But, today as I considered these untimely illnesses with redemption and God's faithfulness in mind, I realized just how timely they were. Had these illnesses come at a "better" time, I would not have known how well loved and cared for we are by so many of our friends and members of our church body. I would not have been able to see God's power rest on us, being made perfect in our very obvious weakness. I would not have been able to see God mercifully sustain my family members when I was incapable of doing so on my own. There would not have been opportunities for others to pray on our behalf and see God come through for us with tangible provision when it looked like there would be none. I would not have had the opportunity to be humbled by the awareness and experience of how finite and weak I am and how infinite and strong God is. I would not have had my grip on the pleasures of this world and our temporal life loosened had it not been for these untimely illnesses.
So, today, as I am sitting in my "sickbed" once again, I am giving thanks for God's perfect wisdom and timing in granting us seasons of sickness. Thank you, Lord, that truly You do work all things together for our good and your glory. Help me to remember this if I don't experience relief soon from this current illness or for the next time illness or trial hits our home in an "untimely" fashion. Help me to have faith in Your faithfulness, God.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Happy New Year!
Update:
Our appointment with Dr. Tufaro was uneventful. He looked over Judah's MRI's from last May, inquired about Judah's medical history and took a brief look into Judah's mouth. Apart from the purple exam gloves, which Judah hates and the doctor kindly decided not to wear, Judah did great with the visit. Dr. Tufaro requested that when Judah has his annual CT Scan for his brain shunt done, I ask to have the technicians take a few scans of his entire face to include Judah's jaw so that Dr. Tufaro can better assess when/if surgical intervention is needed. It's not possible to predict how the Port Wine Stain will affect Judah's bone growth, so it's a wait and see and pray that God will mercifully spare Judah of any more surgeries.
Christmas:
We traveled to Pennsylvania to spend Christmas with my family this year. Once again, my parents put out a lavish spread of food, no small feat with as large of a family as I have (7 children, 5 in-law spouses, 7 grandchildren and always a handful of friends). It is such a labor of love on my parents' part as they typically have a full breakfast, lunch and dinner all planned out for as many days as all of the kids are home. We go from one meal to the next, resting in between to either sleep or play games.
The boys definitely understood the opening presents thing this year, particularly Judah who thought anything wrapped was intended for him to rip open. They are now enjoying their many new toys, and I am trying to figure out where to put all the new stuff!
Unfortunately, we all got sick with head/chest congestion over Christmas and this past week. The boys seem to be faring better than Lawrence and me. They have run some low grade fevers throughout the week and have had a few bad nights/naptimes of sleep, but now seem to be doing better. I, however, cannot remember experiencing a cold this miserably. Sparing you the detailed sketch of all my symptoms, I think after 7 days of enduring it and trying every home remedy including sitting over a steaming pot of hot water, I will be going to the doctor tomorrow, God willing, to find out if my symptoms may be an indication of something more serious than a cold that requires more intervention than I've already tried. Lawrence was the last to get it and is trying to fight it off with major doses of zinc. We'll see how it works for him.
Lawrence took vacation days this last week of the year, and while we had quite a different agenda for his time spent at home, we are both grateful that he has been available to help me care for the boys and keep our home running as smoothly as possible. He has been quite amazing, running errands for me, staying on top of caring for and disciplining the boys, fending for himself for meals and his needs as well as ensuring that I have all I need to be as comfortable as possible while I get through this cold. I don't know that I would be as willing or able to take over his responsibilities in his domain, the workplace, if ever required to do that, as he has been in mine this past week!
He has been wonderfully aided by his parents who are always ready and willing to step in and help us whenever the need presents itself, which in this season of having young children has been quite often! Lawrence's parents have prepared and dropped off a box of food for the last two days for us, and graciously put off celebrating Christmas with us until we are feeling better.
Baby Update:
Last but certainly not least, baby #3 is soon to arrive. Only 5 weeks to my due date! This baby rolls and kicks like crazy which is so reassuring, especially in the last several days when I've been eating very little. We are not mentally or physically prepared to receive this baby yet, but trust that when the time comes, he/she will find his/her way into our home and hearts quickly.
We have decided to try for a VBAC and would greatly appreciate your prayers for this. I desire to proceed with "faith in God's faithfulness"(as my friend, Karen, put it the other day) rather than run to fear over all the things that could possibly go wrong or be difficult as I am too prone to do. Please pray that I would spend the next couple weeks filling my mind's meditations with remembrances of how faithful God has been to me and my family thus far, anticipating that he will again be good to us.
Thank you for all your prayers on our behalf! We pray that in this next year, you will come to know God's goodness and care for you in greater measure through His Word, His Abiding Spirit and your circumstances, too!
Our appointment with Dr. Tufaro was uneventful. He looked over Judah's MRI's from last May, inquired about Judah's medical history and took a brief look into Judah's mouth. Apart from the purple exam gloves, which Judah hates and the doctor kindly decided not to wear, Judah did great with the visit. Dr. Tufaro requested that when Judah has his annual CT Scan for his brain shunt done, I ask to have the technicians take a few scans of his entire face to include Judah's jaw so that Dr. Tufaro can better assess when/if surgical intervention is needed. It's not possible to predict how the Port Wine Stain will affect Judah's bone growth, so it's a wait and see and pray that God will mercifully spare Judah of any more surgeries.
Christmas:
We traveled to Pennsylvania to spend Christmas with my family this year. Once again, my parents put out a lavish spread of food, no small feat with as large of a family as I have (7 children, 5 in-law spouses, 7 grandchildren and always a handful of friends). It is such a labor of love on my parents' part as they typically have a full breakfast, lunch and dinner all planned out for as many days as all of the kids are home. We go from one meal to the next, resting in between to either sleep or play games.
The boys definitely understood the opening presents thing this year, particularly Judah who thought anything wrapped was intended for him to rip open. They are now enjoying their many new toys, and I am trying to figure out where to put all the new stuff!
Unfortunately, we all got sick with head/chest congestion over Christmas and this past week. The boys seem to be faring better than Lawrence and me. They have run some low grade fevers throughout the week and have had a few bad nights/naptimes of sleep, but now seem to be doing better. I, however, cannot remember experiencing a cold this miserably. Sparing you the detailed sketch of all my symptoms, I think after 7 days of enduring it and trying every home remedy including sitting over a steaming pot of hot water, I will be going to the doctor tomorrow, God willing, to find out if my symptoms may be an indication of something more serious than a cold that requires more intervention than I've already tried. Lawrence was the last to get it and is trying to fight it off with major doses of zinc. We'll see how it works for him.
Lawrence took vacation days this last week of the year, and while we had quite a different agenda for his time spent at home, we are both grateful that he has been available to help me care for the boys and keep our home running as smoothly as possible. He has been quite amazing, running errands for me, staying on top of caring for and disciplining the boys, fending for himself for meals and his needs as well as ensuring that I have all I need to be as comfortable as possible while I get through this cold. I don't know that I would be as willing or able to take over his responsibilities in his domain, the workplace, if ever required to do that, as he has been in mine this past week!
He has been wonderfully aided by his parents who are always ready and willing to step in and help us whenever the need presents itself, which in this season of having young children has been quite often! Lawrence's parents have prepared and dropped off a box of food for the last two days for us, and graciously put off celebrating Christmas with us until we are feeling better.
Baby Update:
Last but certainly not least, baby #3 is soon to arrive. Only 5 weeks to my due date! This baby rolls and kicks like crazy which is so reassuring, especially in the last several days when I've been eating very little. We are not mentally or physically prepared to receive this baby yet, but trust that when the time comes, he/she will find his/her way into our home and hearts quickly.
We have decided to try for a VBAC and would greatly appreciate your prayers for this. I desire to proceed with "faith in God's faithfulness"(as my friend, Karen, put it the other day) rather than run to fear over all the things that could possibly go wrong or be difficult as I am too prone to do. Please pray that I would spend the next couple weeks filling my mind's meditations with remembrances of how faithful God has been to me and my family thus far, anticipating that he will again be good to us.
Thank you for all your prayers on our behalf! We pray that in this next year, you will come to know God's goodness and care for you in greater measure through His Word, His Abiding Spirit and your circumstances, too!
Monday, December 18, 2006
"Happy To You"
That is a sweet little phrase my boys say whenever they see a candle of any kind. For the longest time, they couldn't get the "birthday" into the phrase and would instead just say, "Happy to you; happy to you". (They do not know how to say anything just one time either; everything comes out at least twice, usually many more times than that before I acknowledge that they said something.)
Amazingly they began to say the entire phrase this week, "Happy Birthday to You!!" So, yesterday after they brought home their homemade Christmas tree ornament that was a little baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes, otherwise known as paper plates, I decided I would begin to raise their anticipation for whose birthday we celebrate during Christmas. After a little instruction, I asked them repeatedly today, "Whose birthday do we celebrate for Christmas, boys?" After stating the question a variety of ways, one and eventually both of them would say, "Happy Birthday Jesus". After putting them to bed tonight, we could hear them "singing" through the monitor, "Happy Birthday Jesus; Happy Birthday Jesus."
Gearing up for Christmas has been thorougly enjoyable with the boys this year. We see that they can grasp so much more of the true meaning of Christmas, a little baby come to earth from Heaven to save mankind from their sins. We give thanks daily that God has placed our boys in a gospel-centered home and a gospel-centered church.
Today we enjoyed a long visit to the park. It was so beautiful outside, I couldn't resist taking the boys outside for some fresh air even with all there is to do at home right now. It was like a spring day, and while many may not like these tricks "Mother Nature" plays on us sometimes, giving us spring when it's winter, I really appreciate it, and the boys loved their time at the park as well.
This Friday, I will be taking Judah to Hopkins to invite yet another specialist into his care. We will be having an initial consultation with a plastic surgeon to discuss Judah's jaw bone growth and facial assymetry. It seems that since his dentist said something about the more pronounced assymetry on his face, I think the hypertrophy (swelling) on the one side of his face is worsening. But, this could be my imagination, having my perspective a bit more influenced by the dentist's comment and recommendation to see an oral surgeon. So, we'll see. I don't know much what to expect from this consultation and therefore know little how to ask you to pray.
I would say, pray that:
Amazingly they began to say the entire phrase this week, "Happy Birthday to You!!" So, yesterday after they brought home their homemade Christmas tree ornament that was a little baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes, otherwise known as paper plates, I decided I would begin to raise their anticipation for whose birthday we celebrate during Christmas. After a little instruction, I asked them repeatedly today, "Whose birthday do we celebrate for Christmas, boys?" After stating the question a variety of ways, one and eventually both of them would say, "Happy Birthday Jesus". After putting them to bed tonight, we could hear them "singing" through the monitor, "Happy Birthday Jesus; Happy Birthday Jesus."
Gearing up for Christmas has been thorougly enjoyable with the boys this year. We see that they can grasp so much more of the true meaning of Christmas, a little baby come to earth from Heaven to save mankind from their sins. We give thanks daily that God has placed our boys in a gospel-centered home and a gospel-centered church.
Today we enjoyed a long visit to the park. It was so beautiful outside, I couldn't resist taking the boys outside for some fresh air even with all there is to do at home right now. It was like a spring day, and while many may not like these tricks "Mother Nature" plays on us sometimes, giving us spring when it's winter, I really appreciate it, and the boys loved their time at the park as well.
This Friday, I will be taking Judah to Hopkins to invite yet another specialist into his care. We will be having an initial consultation with a plastic surgeon to discuss Judah's jaw bone growth and facial assymetry. It seems that since his dentist said something about the more pronounced assymetry on his face, I think the hypertrophy (swelling) on the one side of his face is worsening. But, this could be my imagination, having my perspective a bit more influenced by the dentist's comment and recommendation to see an oral surgeon. So, we'll see. I don't know much what to expect from this consultation and therefore know little how to ask you to pray.
I would say, pray that:
- we are seen promptly by the doctor, Dr. Tufaro.
- I ask good questions and guard my heart from fear regarding the answers or lack of answers we receive from the doctor.
- Judah cooperates with any potential evaluation the doctor may want to do at the visit.
- Tucker does well for his sitter.
- Lawrence and I will continue to receive wisdom on how to best manage Judah's care, i.e. what specialist to see next, what treatments to pursue and what ones to wait on, what potential studies to participate in, etc.
Thanks so much and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Update from last week's appointments
The boys did great with their flu shots. My mother in law went with us, and it is always helpful to have a second pair of comforting arms for shots. Their injection sites got a bit red and swollen, but that was the only noticeable side effect.
My OB appointment was rather uneventful. The doctor who delivered the boys via C-section spoke with me about having a VBAC. He didn't feel strongly one way or the other as to what would be best in my case. Because I feel somewhat ambivalent about the decision (very unlike me to be ambivalent about anything), he recommended I take a poll of friends and family to see what they think regarding whether to schedule another C-section or to try for a VBAC. I am doing that, and we are continuing to pray that God would make it clear. We would appreciate your continued prayers for us in regards to this decision.
As for Judah's laser treatment, it went as well as we can expect at this point. Judah held off crying until he got into the room and I began to take his shirt off. Until then, he was really trying to hold it together to keep himself from crying. I was very proud of my little guy! Dr. Cohen lasered his upper right trunk, back and upper arm. Judah has some red spots, but not any terrible bruising or blisters from it. I am grateful for that.
We have one more laser treatment scheduled before the baby arrives to be done on Judah's face. I may or may not keep this appointment depending on how things are going with the pregnancy. But, we would like to try to get one more in before the baby arrives as we will most likely have to take a little bit of a break in order to adjust to caring for another child in our home as well as enduring the long hours of Lawrence's busy season at work.
Over the weekend, we took the boys to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania to see an amazing display of Christmas lights, floral arrangements and beautifully decorated Christmas trees. They did rather well with the cold and overall seemed to really enjoy the lights. Their favorite part (and mine, too) was the fountain that coordinates its numerous sprays of water to holiday music selections. We stopped at this first and last on our trip through the gardens. If you live in the area, I would highly recommend making a trip to Longwood Gardens as a part of your Christmas celebrations one year. It is worth the money and effort to see such an amazing display of God's creativity manifested through man's ingenuity and hard work.
This week, Lawrence is gearing up for another out of town trip to D.C. I am hoping to attend this one with him, more for a little rest and re-envisioning for myself than a get away with him; although, we will appreciate any amount of one on one time we'll get these two short days away. However, the boys seem to be on the brink of a cold which ironically is always the case when Lawrence and I attempt to go away overnight together. We're always faced with the dilemna of whether to have me stay home or not. Given their history with asthma complications, it makes this decision a laborious one for us. We'd greatly appreciate your prayers in regard to this. We are trying to learn how to sincerely give thanks rather than grumble and become perplexed when we face trials of many kinds as they seek to produce steadfastness and maturity in us (James 1:2-4).
I'd love to read about any ways you or your family are enjoying this Christmas season or to pray for you about anything that is keeping you from fully celebrating the coming of our Immanuel this season. Please comment or email me and let me know.
My OB appointment was rather uneventful. The doctor who delivered the boys via C-section spoke with me about having a VBAC. He didn't feel strongly one way or the other as to what would be best in my case. Because I feel somewhat ambivalent about the decision (very unlike me to be ambivalent about anything), he recommended I take a poll of friends and family to see what they think regarding whether to schedule another C-section or to try for a VBAC. I am doing that, and we are continuing to pray that God would make it clear. We would appreciate your continued prayers for us in regards to this decision.
As for Judah's laser treatment, it went as well as we can expect at this point. Judah held off crying until he got into the room and I began to take his shirt off. Until then, he was really trying to hold it together to keep himself from crying. I was very proud of my little guy! Dr. Cohen lasered his upper right trunk, back and upper arm. Judah has some red spots, but not any terrible bruising or blisters from it. I am grateful for that.
We have one more laser treatment scheduled before the baby arrives to be done on Judah's face. I may or may not keep this appointment depending on how things are going with the pregnancy. But, we would like to try to get one more in before the baby arrives as we will most likely have to take a little bit of a break in order to adjust to caring for another child in our home as well as enduring the long hours of Lawrence's busy season at work.
Over the weekend, we took the boys to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania to see an amazing display of Christmas lights, floral arrangements and beautifully decorated Christmas trees. They did rather well with the cold and overall seemed to really enjoy the lights. Their favorite part (and mine, too) was the fountain that coordinates its numerous sprays of water to holiday music selections. We stopped at this first and last on our trip through the gardens. If you live in the area, I would highly recommend making a trip to Longwood Gardens as a part of your Christmas celebrations one year. It is worth the money and effort to see such an amazing display of God's creativity manifested through man's ingenuity and hard work.
This week, Lawrence is gearing up for another out of town trip to D.C. I am hoping to attend this one with him, more for a little rest and re-envisioning for myself than a get away with him; although, we will appreciate any amount of one on one time we'll get these two short days away. However, the boys seem to be on the brink of a cold which ironically is always the case when Lawrence and I attempt to go away overnight together. We're always faced with the dilemna of whether to have me stay home or not. Given their history with asthma complications, it makes this decision a laborious one for us. We'd greatly appreciate your prayers in regard to this. We are trying to learn how to sincerely give thanks rather than grumble and become perplexed when we face trials of many kinds as they seek to produce steadfastness and maturity in us (James 1:2-4).
I'd love to read about any ways you or your family are enjoying this Christmas season or to pray for you about anything that is keeping you from fully celebrating the coming of our Immanuel this season. Please comment or email me and let me know.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
The Low Down This Week
Briefly, we're rather booked with dr's appointments this week.
Tuesday: The boys get flu shots. Pray for no adverse reactions and protection from the flu this season.
Wednesday: I have an OB appointment for a check up and a discussion about the possibility of a VBAC. Pray for health for me and the baby and that God would give us wisdom as to whether to elect a C-section or try for a VBAC.
Friday: Judah has a laser treatment. Pray Tucker sleeps well at his sitter's, and that the laser treatment is quick and effective.
And, a very busy weekend! But, whose weekends aren't busy in December?
I will try to update you on these appointments next week.
Tuesday: The boys get flu shots. Pray for no adverse reactions and protection from the flu this season.
Wednesday: I have an OB appointment for a check up and a discussion about the possibility of a VBAC. Pray for health for me and the baby and that God would give us wisdom as to whether to elect a C-section or try for a VBAC.
Friday: Judah has a laser treatment. Pray Tucker sleeps well at his sitter's, and that the laser treatment is quick and effective.
And, a very busy weekend! But, whose weekends aren't busy in December?
I will try to update you on these appointments next week.
Monday, November 20, 2006
This Day
This morning I opened up a book entitled Valley of Vision, A collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. I've read from this book many times before, but today my attention was drawn to a piece of yellow stenopad paper I had placed in there as a bookmark, a very memorable piece of paper. Looking at the paper took me immediately back to August 5, 2004, two days after the boys were born. This paper was written on and given to Lawrence and me by the boys' pediatrician. On it is written these words:
Sturge Weber Syndrome
facial hemangioma
glaucoma
intracranial (brain)
angiomas --calcification leading to retardation and seizures
That was the explanation and description provided to us just shortly after Judah was born regarding the Port Wine Stain that covered most of his tiny, little body.
I am glad that I saved this piece of paper and even moreso, that I found it today in this book. It serves as a constant reminder to me of how faithful God has been to me and my family. We have experienced some of the above mentioned manifestations of SWS, but we haven't experienced all of them. God has graciously spared us thus far of seizures and any apparent brain involvement which would lead to developmental delays or retardation.
This morning in my devotional time with the Lord, He highlighted these phrases for me concerning trial: for a little while (I Peter 1:6, 5:10) and light and momentary (II Corinthians 4:17). I thought that many of our trials often do not feel light and momentary nor that they are only for a little while, but this is how God's Word describes them. How can that be so? The Bible tells us that they are light and momentary compared to the eternal glory they are achieving for us (II Corinthians 4:17) and compared to the inheritance that is waiting for us in Heaven, an inheritance that will never perish, spoil or fade (I Peter 1:4).
Taking you back to Valley of Vision from which I prayed some of my prayers this morning, there was one particular line in the prayer that I'm holding onto for myself today and passing onto you today.
This day will bring me nearer home...
I pray that it will put a smile on your face, provide peace in the midst of any storm you find yourself in and motivation to glorify God by giving thanks that He does ALL things well.
____________________________________________________________
As for Judah and any updates:
Both of my boys are dealing with asthma currently. Tucker started first and Judah followed quickly behind with symptoms, which is oddly enough a typical pattern for them. We were not able to get Tucker's asthma under control via nebulizer treatments alone, and so he ended up on an oral steroid. While we greatly try to avoid getting to that point in their treatment, we are very grateful that it works and significantly helps to stabalize their breathing. So far, we've been able to manage Judah's asthma with just the nebulizer treatments of an inhaled steroid called Pulmicort and another medication called Albuterol, which makes their poor, little hearts race. As a result, the boys have been quite a handful to manage behaviorly.
Please pray that:
Sturge Weber Syndrome
facial hemangioma
glaucoma
intracranial (brain)
angiomas --calcification leading to retardation and seizures
That was the explanation and description provided to us just shortly after Judah was born regarding the Port Wine Stain that covered most of his tiny, little body.
I am glad that I saved this piece of paper and even moreso, that I found it today in this book. It serves as a constant reminder to me of how faithful God has been to me and my family. We have experienced some of the above mentioned manifestations of SWS, but we haven't experienced all of them. God has graciously spared us thus far of seizures and any apparent brain involvement which would lead to developmental delays or retardation.
This morning in my devotional time with the Lord, He highlighted these phrases for me concerning trial: for a little while (I Peter 1:6, 5:10) and light and momentary (II Corinthians 4:17). I thought that many of our trials often do not feel light and momentary nor that they are only for a little while, but this is how God's Word describes them. How can that be so? The Bible tells us that they are light and momentary compared to the eternal glory they are achieving for us (II Corinthians 4:17) and compared to the inheritance that is waiting for us in Heaven, an inheritance that will never perish, spoil or fade (I Peter 1:4).
Taking you back to Valley of Vision from which I prayed some of my prayers this morning, there was one particular line in the prayer that I'm holding onto for myself today and passing onto you today.
This day will bring me nearer home...
I pray that it will put a smile on your face, provide peace in the midst of any storm you find yourself in and motivation to glorify God by giving thanks that He does ALL things well.
____________________________________________________________
As for Judah and any updates:
Both of my boys are dealing with asthma currently. Tucker started first and Judah followed quickly behind with symptoms, which is oddly enough a typical pattern for them. We were not able to get Tucker's asthma under control via nebulizer treatments alone, and so he ended up on an oral steroid. While we greatly try to avoid getting to that point in their treatment, we are very grateful that it works and significantly helps to stabalize their breathing. So far, we've been able to manage Judah's asthma with just the nebulizer treatments of an inhaled steroid called Pulmicort and another medication called Albuterol, which makes their poor, little hearts race. As a result, the boys have been quite a handful to manage behaviorly.
Please pray that:
- Judah will begin to show more signs of progress with his breathing and that we'll be able to decrease the amount of Albuterol treatments we have to give him in a day to eventually none at all.
- Tucker will not digress once he's finished with the oral steroid.
- the boys will fare well while away this coming week to my parents in Pennsylvania.
- we will have wisdom on how to best control their asthma so that we're not finding ourselves going from one episode to another this winter.
Thanks!
Monday, November 13, 2006
Sorry for the delay
I just re-read my post from two Monday's ago and realized I said that I would update the blog by last Monday and failed to carry through. Sorry! Things sometimes get a bit over my head here or I just forget. I live in that pregnancy fog these days. My husband has now learned that he cannot count on me to remember anything, which at times works to his advantage. :)
As for Judah's eye appointment, thank you for praying. Apart from him crying when his doctor, outfitted as Daphne from "Scoobie Doo", donned with a flaming orange wig and bright pink knee-high boots, came to get him, he did rather well.
Judah really blew me away with the maturity he demonstrated on this visit. He did things that he's never done before. He amazed both Dr. Abrams and myself by taking his first vision test using the letters up on the screen. He correctly identified every letter flashed infront of him (the ones he could see, of course). Our doctor said she's never had a 2 year old boy identify alphabet letters like that before. My son's a genius, and yes, I am a boasting momma! :) He also sat his little chin up in that machine (I have no idea what it's called, but if you've ever had an eye exam, you know what I'm talking about) for the doctor to take a look into his eyes. He even allowed Dr. Abrams, upon my request, to spray numbing drops in his eyes to see if we could get his pressures read. This is the part of the exam we haven't done since he was an infant but instead have him put under anesthesia for because it is typically so traumatic, and young children tend to not cooperate real well.
We didn't get any valid pressures read, but Judah was brave, allowing Dr. Abrams to try. She didn't push real hard to get the pressures because Judah is still really young to cooperate for this procedure. She was hopeful, however, that if we keep exposing him to little "trials" each time we visit her, he may be ready sooner than most to undergo that part of the exam without anesthesia. That would be GREAT! It would mean less trips to Hopkins, less trips to the OR for anesthesia, etc. So, I was thrilled with his progress.
While Judah's optic nerves looked like they were in good condition, Dr. Abrams did find a change in his vision, significant enough to order a new set of lenses. So, after only 7 months in his first set of glasses, we had to order new lenses. Fortunately, we were able to keep the frames and just switch out the lenses as buying new frames would have meant more cost, cost that we were not expecting in the first place. God revealed Himself even in that, though, as the initial price quoted to me ended up being wrong. I was called the day after we ordered his lenses and told that they had overcharged me $40. So, while initially I was tempted to become anxious about this unexpected expense, God allowed circumstances to happen in such a way that I actually found reason to give thanks, thinking He had "saved" us $40.
Ongoing, we are still praying about and watching Judah's growth. Please continue to pray that Judah will grow adequately in the next three months and have no need for the growth hormone deficiency tests. I also need to contact an oral surgeon promptly about seeing Judah for an initial consultation. We have decided to go with the surgeon at Hopkins and trust that God will supply grace and provision for the extra distance and inconvenience of having to travel down to the city as opposed to right up the road to a more local oral surgeon.
Please pray that God will give wisdom to us regarding when to schedule this appointment. Just to give you a glimpse into our world, I already have dr's appointments on our calendar for Jan., March and April of 2007. The only reason I didn't schedule any for February is because I'm scheduled to have our third baby that month! :) So, I figured I would try not to overbook! As you can imagine, with the holidays already upon us, trying to fit in any more doctor's appointments to what we already have scheduled for this month or next is somewhat of a scheduling nightmare. Yet, I want to make sure I'm giving priority to what needs to be made so. You can pray that God will make that clear to us as it regards specifically this initial consultation with an oral surgeon.
You have no reason or motivation to continue to carry us on your hearts and in your prayers a part from the love of Christ. Your prayers, your encouragement and for some of you who God enables, your practical help are all tangible ways you help us bear our burdens, and we are so grateful to God for you!
As for Judah's eye appointment, thank you for praying. Apart from him crying when his doctor, outfitted as Daphne from "Scoobie Doo", donned with a flaming orange wig and bright pink knee-high boots, came to get him, he did rather well.
Judah really blew me away with the maturity he demonstrated on this visit. He did things that he's never done before. He amazed both Dr. Abrams and myself by taking his first vision test using the letters up on the screen. He correctly identified every letter flashed infront of him (the ones he could see, of course). Our doctor said she's never had a 2 year old boy identify alphabet letters like that before. My son's a genius, and yes, I am a boasting momma! :) He also sat his little chin up in that machine (I have no idea what it's called, but if you've ever had an eye exam, you know what I'm talking about) for the doctor to take a look into his eyes. He even allowed Dr. Abrams, upon my request, to spray numbing drops in his eyes to see if we could get his pressures read. This is the part of the exam we haven't done since he was an infant but instead have him put under anesthesia for because it is typically so traumatic, and young children tend to not cooperate real well.
We didn't get any valid pressures read, but Judah was brave, allowing Dr. Abrams to try. She didn't push real hard to get the pressures because Judah is still really young to cooperate for this procedure. She was hopeful, however, that if we keep exposing him to little "trials" each time we visit her, he may be ready sooner than most to undergo that part of the exam without anesthesia. That would be GREAT! It would mean less trips to Hopkins, less trips to the OR for anesthesia, etc. So, I was thrilled with his progress.
While Judah's optic nerves looked like they were in good condition, Dr. Abrams did find a change in his vision, significant enough to order a new set of lenses. So, after only 7 months in his first set of glasses, we had to order new lenses. Fortunately, we were able to keep the frames and just switch out the lenses as buying new frames would have meant more cost, cost that we were not expecting in the first place. God revealed Himself even in that, though, as the initial price quoted to me ended up being wrong. I was called the day after we ordered his lenses and told that they had overcharged me $40. So, while initially I was tempted to become anxious about this unexpected expense, God allowed circumstances to happen in such a way that I actually found reason to give thanks, thinking He had "saved" us $40.
Ongoing, we are still praying about and watching Judah's growth. Please continue to pray that Judah will grow adequately in the next three months and have no need for the growth hormone deficiency tests. I also need to contact an oral surgeon promptly about seeing Judah for an initial consultation. We have decided to go with the surgeon at Hopkins and trust that God will supply grace and provision for the extra distance and inconvenience of having to travel down to the city as opposed to right up the road to a more local oral surgeon.
Please pray that God will give wisdom to us regarding when to schedule this appointment. Just to give you a glimpse into our world, I already have dr's appointments on our calendar for Jan., March and April of 2007. The only reason I didn't schedule any for February is because I'm scheduled to have our third baby that month! :) So, I figured I would try not to overbook! As you can imagine, with the holidays already upon us, trying to fit in any more doctor's appointments to what we already have scheduled for this month or next is somewhat of a scheduling nightmare. Yet, I want to make sure I'm giving priority to what needs to be made so. You can pray that God will make that clear to us as it regards specifically this initial consultation with an oral surgeon.
You have no reason or motivation to continue to carry us on your hearts and in your prayers a part from the love of Christ. Your prayers, your encouragement and for some of you who God enables, your practical help are all tangible ways you help us bear our burdens, and we are so grateful to God for you!
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