We Interupt This Blog.....

For technical difficulties.


Called life.


It's pretty bad when your Mom calls to ask what's gone wrong, and when you ask her how she knew something could be wrong, she replies, "because you haven't blogged in days!"


Don't even get me started on how sad it is that my Mom has to keep up with my life through my blog.......hmmmmm.


So, we were chugging happily, albeit busily, along on our merry way this weekend....and, then the train derailed Monday (insert crashing sound).


My neighbor....who happens to be my Father-In-Law, for those of you that don't know, had to be rushed to the emergency room.....in my van.....by me. With chest pain. No pressure there. Please do not ask me to explain why an ambulance wasn't called.

My children's beloved Papa was admitted to the hospital Monday afternoon with a questionable EKG. He had a stress test done on Tuesday, after which they decided a heart cath could not wait until Wednesday. He was rolled into the Cath lab Tuesday evening and three stents were used to open three blocked arteries. He is recovering and should be home tonight or tomorrow if all goes well.

Yes, my mother was just in the hospital last week, for those of you that didn't know. Yes, my husband was out-of-town as all this unfolded. Yes, I still have 4 kids to homeschool! Oh, and feed. The words, "a little crazy" come to mind.

We are very thankful that this was caught in the nick-of-time. Prayers for his healing and recovery are much appreciated. Prayers for my sanity are necessary. Thankyouverymuch!

Perspective

Today is the Prayer Meeting over at Not A Significant Source. I'm headed over there to pray for the needs of others and would love it if you would join me there. My prayer requests? My sister is having some surgery on Friday and I covet your prayers for her swift recovery. Also, if you read here often, you know that my husband was rear-ended last week. Well, he walked away from that with minor damage to the car, but not-so-minor back pain. Odd, how just a little fender bender isn't so easy to recover from. He is headed to physical therapy today for the first time. Please pray that he is healed soon and that the insurance is resolved easily.

Yesterday I got a video in an email from an acquaintance. I often will just delete these forwards and go on with my life. But, I did watch this video yesterday, and I'm glad I did. In life, we all have our own tragedies. Things that mold our lives and make us who we are, for better or worse. Sometimes it seems that we are hit over and over with nothing but tragedy and we tire of getting back up, dusting off and setting out again. I know I have personally had some times in my life when I didn't even want to get back up. But, I did. And my hope is that I gained some perspective for surviving those moments. Actually, I know I gained from those times. Gained much.

Take a look at this video. Be sure to read the words while listening to the song. I deleted my music player so nothing would interrupt you while you soak this in. Yesterday, I gained a different perspective while watching this. It reminded me that even when it seems that all is lost, there is still Hope. I can not imagine the life of this family, but to go on and write this Hymn and then dedicate their lives to missions bringing others to Christ. Wow! I pray I always have that kind of Faith and Hope. In the Midst of tragedy or not!

Prayer TIme

I hope you went over to the prayer meeting at Not a Significant Source today. I did. I just didn't get the chance until now to blog about it. I don't know, something about homeschooling 4 kids just doesn't leave much time for other stuff! Anyway, I know I will be praying for sweet Landon and Pip Squeak this week.

Before you head over there to see what's going on, enjoy these pictures from our recent picnic with the FCC- Families with Chinese Children.....or is it Families with Children from China.....I don't know, but you get the picture, right?

Stuff

I have some stuff to blog about, but everything and anything I have to say can wait. What can't wait? Landon. Landon can not wait. He needs our prayers now. Please, Please go here to Significant Source and read about Landon. If you need more background, go here.

I Missed It

Again. I missed the Wednesday Prayer Meetin' again. Oh, I have plenty of excuses for why I haven't been on here updating everyday.....you know, it's summer. Beach. Pool. Swim team. Kids. Groceries. Laundry. So, now it's Friday....but, I pray everyday and I bet most of you do too. So, please go here and read this and pray for Landon. Because Landon really needs us.....

Ouch!

This is what I recently discovered when getting Claire up one morning. It is a sore on her ankle, obviously caused by one of her braces. She wears AFOs all day long so she can walk and a Dobbs brace at night to keep her feet from reverting back to their original club foot state. A Dobbs brace is essentially just a pair of AFOs attached with a bar between them. We had noticed a little redness around her ankle, but were unable to determine which brace was causing it. After seeing this Friday morning, we thought we pinned it down to the Dobbs brace. Well, that thing came from St. Louis, so that will be a wee bit inconvenient to have that orthotist look at it! We put a call into Dr. Dobb's staff to see what we should do. In the mean time, I let her sleep without if for a few days. I just couldn't stand the thought of her ankle getting worse. Sadly, she didn't seem to notice the sore at all, and did not complain about it. That is just a another indicator of how much nerve damage there is in that area and a reminder of how careful we have to be to keep an eye on her feet for her. What she did notice, was that we put her to bed without her brace! She did not like that at all! Talk about "creature of habit". She cried hard for ten minutes and off and on for another 30! But, once she got it all out, she managed to get over it. Thankfully, we found out that our local orthotist should be able to fix the issue and we got into to see him on Monday. He thinks he figured the problem out, but it will take a few days to be sure. While we wait for the sore to clear up, Claire's ankle needs a break and she can not wear her AFOs during the day. Did you hear that......yes, it was her heart shattering into a million bazillion pieces. No AFOs? That means no shoes and that means no walking! And, that translates to an unhappy child! And, a sad Mommy. Folks, she begs for her AFOs. "I wuv to walk, Mommy."

I am about to head over to the Wednesday Prayer Meetin' and we would love it if you would join us. Significant Source always has a good message for the day and you may need to hear it! I usually do. I know that the sore on Claire's ankle is a small issue, but I also know that it matters to her Heavenly Father anyway, so I ask that you please pray for quick healing so that Claire can get back in her AFOs and back on her feet....where she wants to be!

Drop it!

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." ~ Matthew 11:28-30

I have a very graceful friend. You know the kind. She always knows what to do in any situation. She's keen and perceptive. She handles everything with the wisdom of someone much older than she is. And, when she opens her mouth, you want to listen.....because you know she will say something witty or insightful. When I'm around her, I just want to listen. I guess I hope to glean something from her sensibility.

My friend just got some very bad news. True to form, she is handling it with the calm grace I'm accustomed to. She isn't quite ready to lay it all out for everyone. That is not to say that she is bottling it up. She will look to lean on her close friends and family when the time comes. When she is ready. But, I know she is already feeling the burden of this and I know that she would appreciate being lifted up in prayer right now.

The title of the sermon preached at our church a week ago was The Source of My Comfort. Our priest, Steve, was talking about worry and how it won't change things....and more importantly, what to do with your burdens and what the Bible says about it. When the Apostle Paul was in prison and writing to the church at Philippi he said, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." ~Philippians 4:6-7

My hope, my prayer, is that my sweet friend will feel this "peace of God, which transcends all understanding." I want her to know this peace as she works out her feelings about this situation. I want her to know this peace as she accepts what is to come. As she prays for what she desires.
Do you have burdens? Everybody does. This friend is not the only one I'm thinking of today. My mother is still recovering from her broken back. My father is battling allergies and fatigue. My sister has a kidney stone. My son broke his arm. I spent the morning at the doctor's office with Isabel....she's sick again. Two of my nieces are struggling with .....well, life....from a teenage point of view....need I say more. And there are others. Some struggling with adoption worries, job worries, money worries. Think He doesn't care about your problems? You would be wrong. He cares.

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." ~1 Peter 5:7

Here is something interesting that Steve said: The Greek word for casting literally means "let it drop". Just drop it. Drop your worries at the feet of God. He wants you to. Let Him carry them for you.

Most of this was composed last night. This morning, before I shuffled off to the pediatrician with Isabel, I took the time to run over to Significant Source to see what SS had to say. As usual, she hit the nail on the head. If you have burdens you need help dropping, feel free to join us at the Wednesday Prayer Meetin'. Click the button. You can leave your own requests and pray for others too.

Wednesday

Yesterday was spent at the hospital. Claire had two appointments. First, she had another ultrasound. When you have bladder issues, an ultrasound is a very noninvasive way for the Docs to keep an eyeball on what's happenin' in there, I guess. Because she has had three of those things in the last 8 months. She doesn't care for them....only because she doesn't really like strangers to mess with her. But, the good news is that she has such a great grasp on English now that I was able to talk to her about the appointment, what was going to happen, how it was going to feel....and she got it! She was still nervous going in. But, she was much more calm than during the other two ultrasounds and I really feel that it was because she had the verbal skills to handle it. She knew what was coming, she trusted me, and she was able to talk to us during the procedure. Amazing the difference that can make! But, she is so cute. She kept looking at the screen where the picture was and saying, "I don't see me in that picture! Where am I?" Then I realized that she understood that we were looking at pictures of her, but I needed to explain that it was the inside of her, not the outside!

Next it was onto our appointment with the NEW urologist. We have been seeing Dr. A. He was the best, but he is about 100 years old and he's getting ready to retire. Since Claire's last visit with Dr. A went so well and he determined that she would not need surgery right now, we felt it was a good time to make the switch. Dr. P is the new guy on the block, but he is hardly new at this. And, he is with the spina bifida clinic at our hospital so our hope was that he'd be very knowledgeable about urology from that stand point. I think we got our wish! Dr. P met with me and Claire was so comfortable around him that she completely ignored the doctor and acted like she was at home. Not always a good thing, since she wandered around the room and interrupted us more than once...but, at least she wasn't terrified. She has been known to be a cling-on when some doctors are around. Dr. A was....ummmmm, (ahem)......shall we say, aloof, and made her nervous. No so with Dr. P! But alas, all doctors are different and come with their own......ummmmm, stuff. Dr. P's stuff involves a whole different set of tests. Dr. A did a VCUG on Claire last year. This involves putting a catheter up into the bladder, filling the bladder with contrast and then watching what happens on an x-ray. Of course, at the time we first did that procedure, she'd never been catheterized and went ballistic on the table. Dr. P does a similar procedure....but, it's different. Same concept, it just involves some equipment to measure pressure in her bladder and will help determine if the amount of pressure in her bladder is going to have a negative affect on her kidneys in the long run. The short of it is that Dr. P seems to be a conservative doctor, which we like, that is aggressive when it comes to protecting the kidneys, which we LOVE! The down side. It's another procedure that Claire isn't going to like. He's going to do one every year until she turns 7. This year it is on HER GOTCHA DAY! Happy Gotcha Day....have a bladder full of contrast, sweety!?!? The up side. Her kidneys may thank us one day!

Isabel went to the appointments with us and did her school work while waiting. She's such a trooper!

Regardless of the news that Claire will undergo more testing...that may lead to surgery, we still had a great appointment. Everything is fine as is for now. That's always good news! And, better news is that Dr. P is up on the new surgery being done right now to correct neurogenic bladder! No, that is not a typo. I know I told you that there was no cure for this and that Claire would always have to be cathed....or would learn to do it herself one day. BUT there was an "unless" in there. We are always on the verge of new medical break-through and it looks like one of those marvelous things may have happened! And, our Dr. P met the Doctor that started it. Haven't heard about this yet? Well, you may not be interested...but, I am and this is my blog!

Apparently a Chinese doctor (how fitting), by the name of Chuan-Guo Xiao, has been working since the 80's on a procedure to re-route nerves in the spinal cord, from the leg to the bladder. He had some success in China and naturally, brought it to this country for further study!

Here are a few links for those of you as excited as I am about this prospect!

http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/article984049.ece

http://www.allkids.org/body.cfm?id=396&action=detail&ref=369

http://www.canparaplegic.org/en/Research_32/items/23.html

This is not something that we would consider lightly. As with any major surgery, ON THE SPINAL CORD, it has risks. But, this is something that we are planning to keep our eyes and ears on for the next few years. Claire is too young to be a candidate right now anyway. But, if they continue to have good success with this and if she does become a candidate for it, we would be thrilled! And, it's good to know that our Doctor is keeping his eyes on this too.

So, with that said, how about joining us over at the Wednesday Prayer Meetin'. Significant Source is reminding us to give Glory where it is due, and so I thank God for the Doctors that are working to find ways to make life easier for kids and adults like Claire! And, I thank God for our good follow-up visit yesterday and for keeping our sweet girl healthy! Most of all, I thank God that He provided us the means to bring Claire home almost a year ago, and He continues to provide the ways for us to give her a better life!

Need Prayer?

Head over to Significant Source for the Wednesday Prayer Meetin'!

Wednesday Prayer Meetin'

Sorry I'm late! For those of you interested in an update, my mother is improving. She is still in pain and still unable to "do" much other than sit or lay on the couch. Good news....it's Masters Week and that woman LOVES to watch golf, especially if Tiger Woods is playing! So, I have a good idea what she's doing this week! Feel free to head over to the Prayer Meetin' and leave your requests or pray for others if needed. I love what SS has to say this week.

In this year of "firsts" for our Claire I have paid more attention to the celebrations we hold. I didn't realize until this year, how often we do celebrate something.......birthdays, anniversaries, holidays. The last 6 months have revolved around one party or another, beginning with Lizzie's birthday in late October, moving through the boy's birthday, then Claire's, which lasted 3 weeks! Then of course we had Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Chinese New Years, Valentines and now we approach Easter! Easter.

For us, Easter is more than a party....an egg hunt.....a basket full of candy. Easter is an Honor. It is the day we remember that we do not have to be separated from a perfect God because of our impurities. In His infinite wisdom, The Father knew we would never understand Him or that unless he came down here and explained it Himself. Some of us still have trouble with it. Jesus lived....and ultimately died, so that we could be forgiven. So that we can have a life, at His side, when we die to this world. If we choose that way. So, it is an honor to remember that sacrifice. It is an honor to know that He loved us so much that he would choose to walk among us. To teach us and endure the persecution and terrible pain of being rejected and then tortured to death so that we could be accepted into Heaven. And, I am honored that I can pass this knowledge....this Truth on to my children.

But....right now Claire....well, she will remember the Easter Egg hunt on Friday with her friends and another one on Saturday with her cousins. To her it will be a party and candy....this year. But as she grows in age and size, she grows in understanding too. It is amazing to see her learn and grasp new concepts. I can not wait for the day when she reaches out to take hold of God's promises for her life. The day when she understands the Sacrifice, The Passion!

Pray for our family, that Paul and I would be the parents that we were meant to be for these children. That we guide them in The Way, not just any way!

Also, remember Hannah?

Yes, that Hannah.

I got an email from her mother, which I have yet to get around to responding too, but that is not the point. Hannah had a follow-up MRI of her brain. It showed no change....meaning Hannah does not need surgery!!!! Hurray for Hannah! And, I think we get to see her and her family on Sunday. Hurray for us!!!

Guest Spot at the Prayer Meetin'

My dear friend, Significant Source, has asked me to do a guest post today for the Prayer Meetin', as she is indispose.....aka island hopping in the British Virgin Isles, y'all! Which I think is so, NOT FAIR since we are all freezing our butts off here in the south! It wouldn't have been too bad if we'd gotten some snow down here in Charleston to make it worth all this cold...BUT, NO! No snow for us! So, let's all wish her "happy sailing", shall we! No, really. And, we need to say a few extra prayers for SS. She hates to fly, but had to in order to get to the boat. She hated to leave her babies too. Pray for the safety of her children and for her in-laws who are watching them.

I wish I was as gifted as my friend at this sort of thing, but guys, I'm just not! She always has such a wonderful message each week, and I look forward to reading it. I will fall short, but I told her I would try, so I will.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that has noticed that times are tough right now. I have several friends with husbands that are out of work. My brother-in-law is working in California while Paul's sister and the kids are still living in Nebraska. My father-in-law was laid off 6 months ago and can not find work. Things are bad for many right now. In fact, I would be surprised if you didn't know at least one person that is struggling financially right now.

Of course, I don't have the answers. I just feel Blessed that my husband does have a job. But, I can say that we have been there. I was pregnant with Isabel when Paul lost his job in 2001. He was laid off again one year later and a few years after that his boss just stopped paying him one day! He just didn't have the money to support his own family and pay Paul for the work he'd done so he chose not to pay Paul. We had a very hard couple of years. In fact, we almost lost our house. I am so thankful that we had the support of family and friends to get us through those years. And, I know now, that God's plan for our lives was way better than the one we thought we had at that time! The things we went through during that time of hardship are priceless to us now. But, how did we get through it then? We leaned heavily on God's word and His promises.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding. ~Proverbs 3:5

But those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint. ~Isaiah 40:31

And one of my favorites-

"For I know the plans I have for you,"

declares the LORD,

"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future. ~Jeremiah 29:11

Today I will say an extra prayer for all my friends and family members that are going through some tough times. I hope that you will come to be able to thank God for these times one day. And, I hope you find comfort in the words of our Father.

*check back later today for an update on our Un-Extreme Home Makeover!*

Praying Parents

If you've been over to the Prayer Meetin' at Significant Source, or if you're going, you will see that she has written about praying for her son, The Oldest. As Christian parents, we feel it is our duty and our joy to pray for our children daily. Sometimes it's easy, and I think praying comes more naturally to some than to others. I know it does, in fact. After years of praying for my children, but not really feeling that I knew what I was doing....okay, I know what you're thinking...how hard can it be? Right? I know it's as simple as asking that God protect them and keep them healthy. I do that. But, I often feel it's not enough. Well, I found a great book recently that is really helping me do my job better~ The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartin! Of course, this woman must spend like 29 hours a day praying for her children....but the book is a great resource! I thought I'd put that out there in case anyone else feels inadequate at this whole prayer thing....like me.

Anonymous

Well, I have had a long week since the last Prayer Meetin'. There are many things going on. Please join me over at Significant Source for the Meetin' today. She has, as usual, a wonderful message on her blog this morning that will bring tears to your eyes. The great thing is that it spoke to my heart and was exactly what I needed to hear...to be reminded to do.

I am still praying for Myah and Rina, but I am rejoicing that they are doing so well right now. Also, I got a call from my Dad the other night letting me know that my Mom was in the hospital. She spent a few days in there getting breathing treatments trying to prevent pneumonia and is home now. But, what is troubling me most is not something I feel I have liberty to discuss here. My heart is heavy with concern for a couple of young members of my family, so I have an anonymous prayer request concerning them. I'll leave it at that. Thank you.

A God Message!

I was just over at Significant Source for the weekly Prayer Meetin' and you really should stop by. She has a wonderful message posted for today!

If you haven't noticed, I have posted this week about us. I didn't want to take away from our focus on praying for our friends Rina and Myah right now. They are going through so much, and feel so alone. Please visit Rina's blog and see what they endured yesterday and last night. Then pray as you feel lead. Thank you!

More on Myah

Myah came out of surgery yesterday. She was in a lot of pain last night and Rina is feeling very helpless right now. Today she has more procedures. Please keep updated at Rina's blog!

Update

There have been complications in Myah's surgery. A new team of surgeons is coming in. She won't be out of surgery until around 5:30 PM. Please keep praying!

Reminder

Just a reminder if you could say a prayer for Myah and her mom, Rina. Myah's four surgeries are today!

We Interrupt this Blog....

For an update and a Prayer Request.

First, I broke down and went to the doctor...and took the girls to see theirs too. Including the trip to the pharmacy afterwards, we were gone from 10am until 3pm and spent $94.00. Great. The day was a bust as far as school went, but hey we're all on drugs now! Isabel and I are on antibiotics for sinus and ear infections, as well as cough medicine and decongestants and I'm the lucky one, I also get the nose spray. Claire presented with goo in her eyes last night, so I figured since I was going, why not have then give her a once over.....yep, it's conjunctivitis. Fun stuff, people! I know you guys are all jealous but you can not borrow my kids or our germs! They're mine, all mine I tell you! HA!

Second and most important, I have to pass on a big prayer request and I have no idea how this could have slipped my mind on Wednesday. My Friend Rina over at Bringing Home Myah really needs some intercession, friends. She brought sweet Myah home right after we came home with Claire. Myah was born with anal atresia and it was later discovered that she only has one kidney. Myah had some "corrective" surgery in China and needless to say needs more here in the US. A lot more....4 more surgeries to be exact and they are all taking place in the next 3 weeks! This family lives in Florida, but alas, the best doctors for this are in Ohio....isn't that always the case! So Rina, who is terrified to fly, flew anyway, and got Myah to the hospital in Cincinnati. Please visit Rina's blog for updates on cute little Myah. We know the Father has her in the palm of his hand. Join us in lifting Myah and her family up!

Meetin' Time

Join me over at the Prayer Meetin' on Significant Source if you want to leave prayer requests or feel lead to pray for others. We are continuing our prayer vigil for our sweet Hannah Duncan, who by-the-way, has her own blog now, so check her out at The Duncan Family!

I also want to mention that Isabel and I are still hanging on to these nasty colds. It makes for days filled with phlegm and snot coupled with coughing fits and head aches. Guys, it's not pretty! We would REALLY like to get past this and get back to normal, and would greatly appreciate ANY prayers that you felt you could send this way!

Oh, and check this out!

This is the first day that she has been able to walk unassisted with her crutches! She's not known for her speed yet...but that's okay, it's one more step towards independent walking and I LOVE IT! Please note that she was not freaked out when the dogs came in the room!! She didn't even loose her balance! Please do NOT notice the huge chunk of missing wallpaper....what can I say, I'm not Martha Stewart, people! I know how bad it looks, I just care about other things. I say every year (yes, it's been there for years now) that I'm going to have my nieces help me strip the paper and paint the room in the summer.....but you can see where that's gotten me. There's always this summer....right Brooke and Brianna?

Something to think about....

When Paul and I went to China last year, we traveled with eight other families. All the families, save one, were adopting children that had been labeled "special needs". The needs and "disabilities" varied widely from Katie with a missing arm and Mia with a cleft lip and palate, to YoYo with bladder exstrophy and Claire with Spina Bifida. I think we all understood, to some degree, that they would one day ask, "why me?" That life wouldn't always be easy and that it would be our job to help them learn not to dwell on what they couldn't do or didn't like about their lives, but on what they could do and how truly special they are, just because they are.

Claire is young and has not begun to really understand how she is different from her "Sisabel" (Isabel) the way Ellie over at AND NOW THERE ARE FIVE has realized she is different from her Josie-Tatum. She has not yet said "I wish I was Isabel." Maybe she won't. Hopefully she won't. But, I know at some point she's going to realize that she is not like most other kids her age and she probably won't like it. And telling her it's okay, won't make it so.

I am thankful for blogging and the window it has given me into the lives of others like us. I am afforded the opportunity to see how parents and their children are handling these tough issues before I have to and that is priceless. Pip over at Significant Source is always an inspiration to me and so are the children of Always In My Heart, especially Elaine. And this guy should be an inspiration to all....(turn the music of at the bottom before starting the video)






Today is the Prayer Meetin' over at Significant Source and I'm about to head over there to join in. Feel free to join us by clicking on the button. Please remember sweet Hannah in your prayers today. Her mother says she is doing great! Also pray for our Claire to continue to progress each day.