Update on baby

I took baby back for a recheck today. Her thumb is already so much better. I'm so grateful that babies heal quickly and that she doesn't seem traumatized by it. I've done some reading on this "hair-thread tourniquet syndrome", and it could have been so much worse. This can happen with baby boys and their private parts and some babies have even lost fingers, toes or other appendages over this :-(

So on to our next adventure. She is already cutting a molar :-0 I noticed this a few weeks ago, but thought that I must be wrong. However, the doctor confirmed that this is indeed the case. My other children waited until over six months to cut any teeth, and they cut their front teeth first. Well, I'm sure this is going to make breastfeeding a fun new adventure :-p

I just got back from the ER with the baby. . .

and she had hair (thread actually) tourniquet syndrome. She is 7 weeks old. A thread had wrapped around her left thumb and was strangling it and cutting deeply. Because the swelling was so bad, we couldn't even see what was causing it--let alone pull it out. They had to dig around for the thread (which was very bloody and traumatic for both of us). They think they got it all, but the cut is so deep it is hard to tell for sure. We are giving her antibiotics and keeping an eye on it.

We were moments away from having her go into surgery when a nurse finally got the thread broken and was able to pull it out. We are hoping they got it all. They said if I had not seen this or it had gone on much longer, she could have lost her thumb over it. If the swelling doesn't go down and the thumb doesn't go back to normal color, we may end up at the children's hospital over the weekend.

Praising God for his goodness to us during this situation!

Jason's First Week at Work

Jason finished his first week back at work on Friday. The first three days back, he was given some paperwork and lighter duties to handle, and this went fairly well. Thursday and Friday, he was back to doing regular mechanic work. Friday, he stumbled and fell at work, so he was in quite a bit of pain over the weekend. His van has also started having problems, so he is probably going to have to come home and work on his own vehicle after putting in a full day at work :-0 He will also have to work six days this week since next week is a holiday, so he will not have an easy time this week :-( Jason's prayer is that he can continue working and that hopefully his pain will eventually improve. So far, this is not the case and the heavy activity has made his pain worse.

I spoke with the PCP doctor on Friday. The pain management specialist has requested all of Jason's medical records and test results from the PCP's office before they will even give us an appointment time. All of the information has been sent, and no one has heard back from the pain management specialist's office. Please continue praying for Jason to have relief from pain and for his protection from further injury at work. Also pray that we can get into the pain management specialist very soon.

The kids and I are trying to get back to a routine. When Daddy is home, we don't really do a schedule or routine since Daddy is not a schedule person ;-) For my sanity, I am trying to reestablish a daytime routine of chores and schoolwork for the kids. Last week went fairly well and we are slowly gaining ground on getting the house back in order. This week, my goal is to add the schoolwork back in, so please pray for me and we will see how it goes.

My two middle kids are coughing and complaining of sore throats, so I am hoping that this passes quickly. The baby seems to have some nasal congestion and has coughed a bit this morning. I'm hoping this is a coincidence and that she hasn't caught anything that will be terribly bad. We are supposed be having Thanksgiving with my family this weekend, so please pray that we are all better by then.

Jason is Back at Work :-0

I've talked to him for less than a minute so I have no idea how he is *really* doing. He was putting on a brave face during our conversation ;-) We know that if he doesn't last at work after going back this time, that he will probably lose his job immediately. Jason's desire is to continue doing mechanic work for Hobby Lobby. His pain is still fairly intense, and since he works as a mechanic, he cannot take anything stronger than Tylenol to relieve it (which does nothing for his pain). We have still heard nothing definite about an appointment with the pain management specialist. As of last Tuesday, we could not get in until December. . .and of course we still have heard nothing from our incompetent PCP.

Bad News :-(

After submitting an appeal to our PCP this week regarding the problems we are having with him, we learned today that our appeal was rejected. To make a long story short--our PCP is now fired (although he doesn't know it yet). The only positive news this week is that we have found a Pain Management Specialist who is willing to see Jason, although he can't see him until December. We had requested for the PCP to hold off releasing Jason for work until the Pain Management Specialist has a chance to work with him and see if we can get his pain level under control. However, the PCP has stated that there is no reason why Jason cannot go to work full time and perform mechanic duties (we disagree strongly with this decision).

Jason's pain is still so bad that we are skeptical that he will be able to last long doing the type of work that he does. Because the PCP has given his opinion to Jason's employer, they have had no choice but to put him back on the schedule and require him to return. He does not even have the option for light duty, but will have to do everything that he did before. Jason regularly bends over, lifts heavy weights, etc. and these things will be very painful, but unless Jason changes his mind between now and then, he plans to go back to work on Monday. I am praying that, if it is not God's will for Jason to return to work, He will make that abundantly clear.

I am still praying for a miracle. We would love for the PCP to change his mind, but do not hold out much hope of this happening. I would like to think that there is a less strenuous job that he can do until he is feeling better, but for now that is not the case. However, I continue to remind myself that God is in control of this situation. It hurts to feel that the doctors have given up hope on being able to help Jason, and it hurts even more that they have shown such a lack of compassion as to release him to work against our will when he is still in so much pain.

I am trying to get everything lined up that will make next week as easy as it can be. Jason will probably come home at the end of each day in quite a bit of pain. I'm sure he'll want to collapse and rest (if his pain will allow him to do so).

Please continue praying for God to move in Jason's life and that I will be the help and support he needs as he makes these important decisions.

Why are we paying doctors so much money. . .

for such poor quality service? We are hitting some dead ends with our doctors this week. Please pray for God to break down these hurdles for us. For several weeks, we have been having problems getting calls returned in a timely manner from our PCP. Even when Jason had an allergic reaction to his medication a few weeks ago, they called and left a message for us cancelling his doctor's appointment (with no explanation) and would not return our phone calls after that! They have also quit listening when we talk to them about our situation.

Case in point: We needed paperwork completed for Jason's work and it was due back by Oct 25th. It was not completed by the deadline, and when they finally did complete it and return it to Jason's work, they did not complete it correctly. We had discussed Jason's limitations with his doctor and told him that if Jason returned to work at this point, he could not complete two of his "essential job functions" because his pain was still too bad. Today we found out that the doctor sent paperwork to Jason's work saying that he could return *now* with *NO RESTRICTIONS*!! So, based on this information, his work has stated that he has until November 7th to return to work *full duty* or forfeit his job. Of course we had to find out this information on a Friday afternoon when it is difficult to get anything done!!!

Jason's PCP was supposed to send him to a pain management specialist a month ago. They were supposed to call us yesterday with the name of the doctor and an appointment time. Of course they did not call. Today, we call them. . . the person who handles that is not in the office today and they will have to call us back on Monday :-0 I wish I could be paid so much to do so little. . .

Also, we have heard about a wonderful diagnostic center down in Temple, Texas. We are interested in visiting this clinic to see if they can shed any light on Jason's condition. However, in spite of spending hours on the phone, we cannot get a definitive answer regarding whether or not our insurance will cover a visit to this center. We have contacted the center, and they will talk to our insurance company and get an answer to us--BUT, it will take 2 WEEKS :-0 This is very discouraging because we know that we cannot afford to go down there unless our insurance will pay for it.

We are praying that the Lord will move in these situations and make it possible for us to get some clear answers.

To Work or Not to Work. . .

that is the question. Jason is still trying to make a decision on what to do about his work. Last Thursday (Oct 16th), Jason went back to the hospital for another CT scan. The results indicate another suspected leak. I say suspected because there is a difference of opinion between the doctors as to what the results actually mean. One doctor thinks that it could just be tissue damage from the last leak and abscess. Very helpful, huh?

After getting these results, we headed out of town for a couple of days to camp down in Sulphur (we stayed in a park home in a private RV park--not in a tent for those of you who were wondering). The weather was beautiful and the kids had a great time playing outdoors. There were friends from our church camping down there, so they had plenty of playmates. Unfortunately, Jason fell when he was feeding the bonfire and strained his ribs. We thought they were cracked, but after getting an X-ray, we discovered that they were only strained. With his osteoporosis, he is at high risk for fractures and breaks, so we feel fortunate that things weren't worse. However, we did cut our trip short to head back up to the city for X-rays :-(

This week we were supposed to have some paperwork completed by the doctor for Jason's work. Because there are differing opinions between the doctors treating Jason, we are unable to get the paperwork that his work has requested. During our last conversation with the doctor's office, the doctor indicated that he was skeptical about whether or not Jason is or would be physically able to return to work. Of course, we have suspected this for some time, but this is the first time we have actually heard it from his doctors. This was especially hard for Jason to hear, as he has been very focused on his recovery and returning to work.

Up to this point, the doctors seemed very optimistic and convinced that it would simply be a matter of time before Jason was feeling better. Personally, I have never been this optimistic :-( Between the steroids that Jason takes and the fact that his blood sugars have been so high, I don't think he is a likely candidate for complete healing, aside from miraculous intervention.

So, at this point the doctors are trying to come to a consensus and Jason is trying to decide whether or not he feels like he even *can* return to work. Right now, his pain is still pretty intense if he tries to do much physical activity. He can do a limited number of things on pain medication, but of course he won't be able to go to work as a mechanic on pain meds. So, please pray for both Jason and his doctors to have divine wisdom regarding whether he should consider returning to work.

Jason started a new diabetes medicine this week. We are praying that there will be no negative reaction this time. He got very sick with the last medication he tried and we found out (after the fact) that he was lucky he was not hospitalized because of the reaction. Please join us in praying that his body would respond well to this medication and that God would ease his pain and give him the grace to persevere and the wisdom to make important decisions.

Hooray!!! We have a doctor!

I just had the best experience with the new doctor we saw this morning. She is wonderful. She is a Christian and is so genuine and caring. I absolutely loved her. We discussed several issues about medical care and our philosophy on medical care for our children. She was very understanding and agreed to work with us. She is even willing to take my other children when so many doctors we've visited with just accept newborns :-) At one point during our conversation, she asked me if I homeschooled my other children. I asked her how she knew I homeschooled and she replied, "You just look like you do." and you could tell that she meant it as a compliment. When I was leaving the office, she bent down and kissed the top of the baby's head and told her how precious she was. I am so happy!!! She also takes Soonercare which means that we can go to her office without paying anything! With Jason possibly losing insurance, this is such a relief! Praise God!

Trying a new doctor for the baby. . .

We go tomorrow morning. Last week, we saw the pediatrician that I used when I was younger. He is a very good doctor, but we during our consultation, I realized that our philosophies are different. We would like to look around a bit and see if we can find someone more compatible. I am very parent-driven as far as my children's medical care. I like to call the shots and I do my homework. I do not blindly follow recommendations, because I have learned the hard way that doctors do not always know better than mom :-( Please pray that this appointment goes well and that we find the doctor we are looking for.

Well. . . things are on hold for now

The doctor's office called and cancelled our appointment for today, so we still don't know whether or not Jason will be returning to work next week. They rescheduled for next Thursday, so I guess we will see. Maybe this is just giving him the added time he needs to get back on his feet.

Since we could not get a consult with the doctor, we decided on our own for Jason to quit taking the new diabetes medicine. He is already feeling a little better, so it is probable that this medicine was making him feel worse, even though it was helping his blood sugars be better. Next week, they will probably give him a different medication to try, and hopefully that one will work better for him.

Prayer Requests

It's been awhile since I posted an update on Jason, so here is the scoop:

He is SLOWLY improving, however, he has had a rough time since the baby was born. He has been weak, shaky, having sweats and stomach upset almost constantly for over a week. We were hoping it was something that he ate, or else a mild stomach virus, but it has not gone away. Due to how badly he feels, he has been in bed a lot and not up and rebuilding his strength as we had hoped. Unfortunately, we have been unable to find a root cause of these new issues, although one of the things we are suspecting is his new diabetes medicine. His sugars have been better since starting the medication, but he quit taking it yesterday to see if these new issues were being caused by this pill. So, we will see what happens. He is supposed to go back to the doctor on Thursday this week (he couldn't get in any sooner). He wants to ask for a full release to go back to work on Monday, because he feels that time is running short as far as his job being held. Please pray for the following:

1. That he would see miraculous improvement in his health this week, allowing him to go back to work on Monday.

2. If he goes back to work on Monday, it will start the time over again as far as receiving disability. Right now, he could be eligible for LTD as soon as February. If he goes back and can't stick it out, not only will this probably be his last chance as far as keeping his job, but time will start over again on his disability and he probably would not receive any payments until mid-April at the earliest. Pray for him to have wisdom and discernment and that we would not make our decisions based on fear but on what is truly best.

3. Continue praying for our finances. Barring any major disasters, it looks like we will probably be OK through the end of October (I am so thankful for this because it is allowing me to enjoy baby more and worry less). After that, we will have three more months to get through before disability can kick in.

Praises:

1. We have had several groups do paper poundings for our family, so we have a decent supply of many non-food items such as toilet paper, detergent, etc. Our expenses here should be minimal for the near future.

2. Our food stamps more than supply our needs. They have been approved for one year unless our income exceeds a given amount. We are stocking up on food because, once we have income again, we will need to start figuring out how to pay all of our medical bills :-0

3. God continues to lead and direct people (even those we don't know) to give to our financial needs. I pray that God will bless everyone who has given to us and meet each and every need they have. It takes courage to give to someone else in need(especially with the economy so bad right now).

4. We had quite a large sum collected for baby needs at our shower a few weeks ago. I will have a diaper fund for quite awhile :-), plus we have received several packages of diapers.

Baby Pictures :-)

As you can see, big brother and sisters are very excited to have a new baby sister--they keep arguing over who gets to hold her. I know that when the newness wears off the "help" will decrease, so I'm enjoying it while I can. God has filled our hearts with joy this week in spite of all of our difficult circumstances.

The Baby Is Here!!

Baby Girl was born Monday September 29th at 2:50pm. She was 6 pounds, 9 oz and 19 inches long. She is absolutely beautiful and has dark hair, which is surprising considering that all of our other kids are tow-headed.

My delivery was a little more exciting than we had hoped. Right before the baby was ready to be born, my mother started having chest pains and feeling sick. She was rushed to the ER downstairs and missed the entire thing :-0 In spite of this, God was very good and gave me a peace throughout the entire delivery. Mom's blood pressure was 205/110, but fortunately it was determined that she did not have a heart attack. She was just stressed and had overdone things the past few weeks. After a few hours, she and Dad were able to come back upstairs and see their new granddaughter :-)

I did have some blood pressure issues during delivery and am still somewhat swollen. I have also had some post-partum issues with bleeding, so they gave me Oxytocin even after delivery to slow this down. We came home tonight because with Mom sick, we were having too many issues with childcare. My OB made me promise to stay down and get some help, so Jason is doing his best to coordinate things and allow me to rest. I plan on taking it easy, since I do not want to go back ;-)

Heading for the hospital now. . .

and I will post an update when I can. We are looking forward to meeting our newest family member.

Blessings to you!

Almost to Thailand

For those of you following Derry and Angela's journey to Thailand, here is an update from Angela:

Hey all! We made it into Korea and are now waiting on our flight to Chiang Mai. It will only be a 5 hour flight. We are doing good, both tired and cranky. The food hasn't been bad and we LOVED flying on Korean Air (highly recommend it!). Derry says 'don't buy 'Subway' sandwiches at the airport in Korea.' We have seen some interesting things and they will be blogged on our website soon!

Some how we skipped over the last part of Sunday and the first part of Monday. We left LA on Sunday and around noon and arrived in Korea on Monday around 5pm (all their time of course!), and we will arrive in Chiang Mai on Tuesday morning! It sounds so confusing! My watch is still on US time and I look at it sometimes and think about the things that our families would be doing at that time (especially the Stamm family who we lived with for a month!).

God has truly taken care of us on this trip. Little things like letting us get in the first class line to get our tickets (still flying economy) and us getting to sit next to each other on our Korean flights (our itinerary didn't have us sitting next to each other when we got it).

We love you and wanted to let you know we are okay! We don't want our mommas to worry! =) (Love you mom!)

PS- by the time some of you read this we will be in Thailand! (12:05pm your time!)

Angela & Derry Gambill

www.gambillsgothai.com

http://dagambill.blogspot.com/

Please continue to pray for my brother and his wife on this new journey.

Jones Family Update

Jason went back to the primary care doctor on Thursday and was given a pill to help with blood sugar (we were hoping for insulin!) and *more* pain medication. The doctor feels that the pill will do the trick and will be a more stable option than the insulin, which sometimes causes a quick drop in blood sugar. We wanted the quick fix of insulin, considering how long he has been going through all of this. The doctor is also hoping that with the new medication, healing will speed up and that in a few weeks, the pain medication won't even be necessary. Hopefully, he is right, but I guess we will just have to wait and see.

There have been several evenings this week when we thought we were headed to the hospital to have the baby, but then things would taper off and I would eventually get back to sleep. Unless she comes before then, we are being induced on Monday. Personally, I hope she comes before then, but if not, I only have two more days to wait. My parents are out of town this weekend, which would complicate things somewhat, but I'm sure we could handle it.

Please pray for my parents and my entire family this weekend. My brother and his wife fly out of DFW first thing tomorrow morning. They are on there way to Thailand to work with the North Thailand Christian Mission and are not expected to be back in the states for at least two years. This is why my parents aren't here this weekend ;-) My mother is very emotional because this is her "baby". Also, my brother and his wife are not assigned seats together for their last two flights from California to Korea, and then from Korea to Chaing Mai, so we are praying that someone will be willing to trade with them so that they can be together.

Jason Update

Jason went to the surgeon yesterday. We got mostly good news. The surgeon feels that from a surgical standpoint, he is doing well and that he has done all he can do for us. The bad news is that his pain is still not controlled, so now we are being referred to a pain management specialist. We are also being referred on to someone who can hopefully set Jason up on insulin. We have been told that a pain management specialist can sometimes find non narcotic ways to handle the pain, and we are hoping and praying this is true for Jason. He cannot return to work on narcotics. We are also hoping this is a short term situation and that the pain will eventually resolve itself. Perhaps the insulin can help with this, since we know he must still have a great deal of healing to do internally. Please keep us in your prayers as we move forward with these new options and specialists.

Counting Down. . .

We are looking for baby to be born some time in the next week. If I do not have her before then, I will go in next Monday morning to be induced. There are so many things I want to get done in the next week, but I have run out of energy :-( Trying to delegate isn't working so well for me either, so we will see what happens.

Our church threw a baby shower for us yesterday. We were overwhelmed with blessing. There were so many people there and the food was excellent. We carried home some nice presents--pretty outfits & bows for baby, an Arbonne baby gift set, diapers and wipes, a lovely hooded towel, some personalized burp cloths, receiving blankets, an ABC scripture memory book, and a cash gift (from 38 different families) that will allow us to purchase a swing we have been wanting for the baby plus tons of diapers & wipes. We are very blessed.

Hard Decisions

I have had to make many difficult decisions over the last year or so since Jason got sick. Many times, he couldn't be a part of the process because he was too sick or medicated to think clearly. Other times, he simply deferred to me and let me make certain decisions. Right now, we have a very difficult financial decision that has to be made. There is a definite deadline for the decision (October 6th), and there is no clear right or wrong answer. We have gathered information, sought counsel and now I am praying about what to do. Jason understands that a decision needs to be made, but he is not really feeling up to making this decision. He will go with whatever I advise.

I have always had people tell me that I should never make important decisions while I am pregnant. Unfortunately, there are *some* decisions that I have not had the luxury of postponing :-( Today I have had an epiphany: Making important decisions while you are emotional, sleep deprived, trying to take care of a sick husband and young children, and getting ready to give birth at any moment is like driving while intoxicated. Your judgment is impaired. Please pray for me to have wisdom, clarity and peace about the decision(s) that I need to make.

Baby Update

My doctor is out of town this week, but the OB nurse who checked me today says I am continuing to progress towards labor. I had several good contractions while I was there :-) Baby's heart fluctuated from 143 and then came up to 169 during the contractions, which is considered typical. The nurse told me that I had better not wait too long to get to the hospital if I thought I was really in labor, or I might end up having her in the car ;-)

You Know It's a Full Moon When. . .

you take your daughter to the doctor and she throws up on the doctor and passes out during her blood test :-( Poor thing. She was so brave and hardly cried during the whole thing. She just said that her tummy hurt and she was crying softly, when all of a sudden she leaned forward, threw up on the doctor (who was drawing her blood) and passed out :-0 She was only out for a second or two, but she was completely white and had to lay down on the couch with her feet propped up until she felt better. It also looks like she is still allergic to the milk and egg, so we probably went through it all for nothing :-( We will get the results of the bloodwork back in a few days, so I guess we will see, but the skin prick tests didn't look too good.

"Miney" is going back to the allergist & an Update

I am taking "Miney" back to the allergist. We are hoping that she is over her milk and egg allergies. They will draw her blood and it will be a couple of days before we have results. She is a funny girl. She actually seems excited to be getting her "shot"--and she even remembers what it was like the last time! They will want us to come back for a food challenge if the bloodwork is all clear. If she is over these allergies, this would greatly simplify things. Then we could use more convenience foods and not worry about ingredients in foods that people donate to us.

I am definitely starting to feel more tired and grumpy ;-) I am full term, so we have made it far enough for things to be good if baby was born now. People keep telling me that I should enjoy it, because I will get less sleep after the baby is here. I am having so many bathroom trips at night that I know this isn't true :-0 I can feed a baby and doze at the same time, but I can't go to the bathroom and doze at the same time. . . lol Today is the full moon, so you never know. I will probably go a little longer, but I definitely wouldn't object if she came today :-)

Update on Jason

Jason has had a hard time this week. He has been in bed alot and slept quite a bit. His pain has been hard to control. He tries to get up from time to time, but it doesn't seem to last very long. Please continue to pray for a reduction in his pain level and also for renewed energy for him.

On a brighter note, it appears that we will be able to pay our bills this month. Several unexpected gifts have come our way, and barring any unforeseen expenses, things are looking good. I cannot even begin to tell you the number of times that God has provided for us through unexpected means. Every time that I start to stress about the finances, I know that deep down I am being silly. God is in control. He knows our needs. Even if the bills do not get paid, that does not mean that His Love for me is any less. I can rely on Him to provide what He feels that I need, and if He doesn't provide it, that is because He doesn't think I need it right now. So, October is still a few weeks away, and I'm not going to stress about it (yet) ;-)

Please pray about an important financial decision that we have to make fairly soon. We need wisdom and clarity when making this decision. Pray for God to make His will clear for us in this area.

Some Progress :-)

We had a wonderful meeting with the social worker this morning. He did a complete 180 from when I spoke with him on the phone last week. We will get food stamps and Medicaid (although we didn't get our food stamp card today--that will be a few more days). We left feeling like the social worker was truly an ally and he was impressed that we were honest and forthcoming with the information he requested. He stated that we were definitely not the typical clients he sees in his office (and he meant this in a good way). Praise God for this provision and we are praying that we will be able to get our food stamp cards quickly.

Appointment at 11am this morning!

Please pray about this appointment. We would like to walk out of the DHS office with food stamps and Medicaid for the baby. This would greatly decrease my stress level. Also, that Jason would be able to handle the appointment well. The social worker asked if Jason could come and we are going to take him (hopefully the visual of this man struggling to make it into the office will make an impact on this social worker who didn't seem very sympathetic when I spoke with him last). The kids are staying with a sitter, so it will just be the two of us.

Jason is still having a hard time being off of paid meds and maintaining his level of activity. It seems to be either one or the other right now. We are praying that his pain will decrease to the level that he can start being more active without medication.

Yesterday, a friend washed some of my baby clothes/blankets which had been lying around waiting for me to get to them, and she cooked some of my meat for the freezer. Later, she came and cleaned my master bathroom and vacumned/dusted in the master bedroom. These were things I just wasn't finding time to get to in the midst of all of this.

I spent most of yesterday handling financial/business matters and making copies/sending faxes off for information we need on our various charity applications. It was very time consuming and frustrating, but quite a bit of it got done yesterday. Our church was kind enough to let me use their copier and fax machine, and my kids were able to play up there without me being worried about what they were doing ;-)

"Miney" goes back to the allergist next Monday to be rechecked for her food allergies. We are hoping that she is over them so that we can vary our diet somewhat and not be as concerned when other people bring us meals. She is excited to be going back (strange girl) and keeps asking me every day if she can have her "shot" (blood test) today.

ETA: We are also doing school 5 days a week, so that is keeping us busy too. "Meanie" is doing regular school now and he is doing quite well with the 3 R's. He likes Math the best (I think it helps that I bought him a Transformers Math workbook). "Eenie" is beginning AO Year 4 and is continuing to make progress with her reading. We are starting to add written narrations occasionally so that she can gain more confidence in her writing skills.

Special Delivery

Last night, I got a special delivery of meat from a friend. Today, another friend called and asked if she could give us more. I told her that I had to cook up the first batch before I could fit anymore in the freezer. Considering our circumstances, this is a nice problem to have :-)

Blessings!

Afternoon Update

Today, I have been encouraged by an inflow of offers to help our family. A friend put the story of our situation out on several homeschool email loops and I have been contacted with offers of help ranging from money to diapers to toiletry items. We also have our house payment covered now, and that was our largest bill. PTL!!

Jason went back to the surgeon today. His skin around his drain and around his incision were looking red, so the surgeon took both out since he feels that this will improve his healing. They glued the incision shut with glue and some sutures. He will return to the surgeon on Sept 22nd, and we will go from there.

Thank you for praying! I am encouraged to see how God is moving in our lives.

Update on the Jones Family

We have had a very busy and somewhat trying week. It started Monday night with discovering that the battery to my van was dead and had to be replaced :-0 Fortunately, we had received some cash gifts that covered the cost of this battery, but I definitely wish the $92 that we spent could have been used elsewhere. A neighbor of ours took Jason to Autozone to purchase the battery, and the neighbor also installed it for us. I'm glad we discovered it in the evening because I had a WIC appt on Tuesday morning, an OB appt yesterday, and I have to take Jason back to the surgeon this morning.

Our house payment was due on the 1st and our electric bill is due today--neither have been paid yet. I did get some commitments to pay my water and gas bills that are due next week, and for this I am truly grateful. We are continuing to make calls towards getting help with these bills, but so far we have not received any specific commitments on the house or electric.

As far as my OB appointment yesterday, I am dilated to a 3, 50% effaced and baby is engaged. I could go any time or I could wait. It is difficult to say. Because of the conflicting information we received about my eligibility for Medicaid, I have tentatively scheduled an induction for September 29th. I can cancel this later, if I wish, but this way it is at least on the schedule. That way we will only have to keep his company insurance paid on me through the end of this month, and after that, we can drop it on everyone but him. It is not really my wish to be induced, but at this point, it would be cheaper than trying to pay out a delivery and hospital charge on my own, if DHS continues to persist in their delays.

The surgeon is supposed to remove Jason's staples and drain when we see him this morning. I don't know if this will happen since he still seems to be bleeding from his incision (although the bleeding is much less than it was a few days ago). I will update later with what we find out.

As far as his job, I got a call from his boss last night. He said that the company has done something for Jason that he has never seen done before (God has definitely gone before us in this matter). They are putting Jason on something called a review of restrictions. Basically what this means is that, for the time being, he is not actually fired. They will be getting us to sign forms giving his company access to his medical information and they also will be asking the doctor to complete some reports regarding the liklihood of Jason returning to work and what restrictions he will need when/if he does return. At the end of this review, he could still be let go, but for now this process buys us a little more time. It does not give us any income, but at least we can keep our insurance at a cheaper rate as long as we can continue paying our portion. This would probably take a miracle, but we are hoping that this process takes long enough that I will have had the baby and maybe (this would be the even bigger miracle) Jason might even be well enough to return to work.

Things I Have Learned Today. . .FYI

In the past, I have looked at people who were standing on the street corners holding signs and trying to solicit donations as people who were trying to take advantage of goodness of others. For a long time, I have been led to believe that there are organizations out there who will help people with basic bills if they are truly in need. Therefore, I believed that those who really needed help could get it, if they would apply through organizations designed to help the needy. Thus, there was no true need to stand on the corner, holding signs and trying to get people to feel sorry for you.

Today I have learned differently. After almost a week of calling different organizations looking for help to pay utilities, mortgage, basic bills, I have met with dead end after dead end. Either I don't live in the right zip code, or I don't meet the criteria for that particular organization (i.e., I have discovered that if my husband and I were a highschool drop outs or drug addicts, there would be plenty of help available to us.). I have found a Catholic church that paid my water bill for the month of September, and I have finally received a phone call from DHS scheduling an appointment with me for next Tuesday at 11am. This is all that has happened as a result of hours worth of calls.

I have received conflicting information about whether or not I can get Medicaid to pay for my pregnancy if my husband loses his job. According to the social worker that I spoke with this morning, my husband had some income in August and, since I submitted my application Aug 27th, they are making their decisions off of this income. He told me that even though my income allows my children to be on Medicaid, that for me it is a different number and I am not eligible for August. I asked him if I should withdraw my application and apply again now that it is September and we have no income whatsoever, and I was told that now that the application date was in the computer, that was not possible. Thus, I am unsure if I will be able to walk out of the appointment next Tuesday with food stamps and/or Medicaid to pay for the baby. The social worker also spoke to me about the cash assistance offered through DHS. Since I have a bachelors degree, and they cannot aid me with job training, I am not eligible to receive these cash payments--in other words--if I was a highschool dropout or cocaine addict, they could give me money, but I cannot receive any because I am "overqualified".

I am starting to understand why people stand at the street corner now, and I guess if anything, God is using this situation to teach me a few things and give me compassion on those who do this. I wonder how well I would do standing on the street corner with a sign?!?! :-)

God's Provision

Normally, when I think of provision, I think of working. After all, work is a scriptural principle and one that I was raised to believe in. But income from working isn't the only way God chooses to provide for us. Although I would infinitely prefer to earn a living by working (somehow it seems more secure to me), God has chosen other ways of providing for our family in the recent days. While this might make me feel uneasy or insecure, it really shouldn't. God is taking us through this time and increasing my faith in the process.

The last few days, I have spent a lot of time chasing down financial resources to help our family through this difficult time (actually, maybe I am working :-b). I have figured out already, that there are people who are professionals at getting this type of help. They know what systems are available and exactly what to say to get the help they want immediately. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people. I have spent a lot of time talking to organizations who help people who live in specific zip codes (unfortunately, not mine) or organizations who have already run out of funding for the year. The economy is rough right now.

Wednesday, I submitted applications through the DHS office to get Medicaid for myself (in case I lose health insurance) and also food stamps. I was told that because we did have some income for August that they have 30 days to contact me for an appointment. As you can imagine, I was not thrilled with this answer. Baby is due in 35 days and may not wait that long, and at this point, Jason is only guaranteed a job through Sept 3rd.

However, God has chosen to encourage me through other methods of provision this week. We have received money from several different sources (even from people that we don't know!). We received a Payless gift card (so I could get shoes for my kids), a gas gift card, and a WalMart gift card. Last night, a friend came and brought groceries for our family. Our immediate needs are taken care of.

Specific areas you could pray about are:

1. That DHS will expedite my appointment for food stamps and Medicaid. Baby could come at any time and I really want to have these things taken care of ahead of time.

2. I know that there are organizations to help with utlilities and possibly house payment. Please pray that I can find the organizations with the funding to help a family in our zip code. So far, I haven't received any specific leads that are promising.

3. Continue to pray for Jason's healing. He has had some unusual bleeding since returning home and has started running a fever. The surgeon wants us to wait it out and see, but I am very concerned with these developments and wondering if he should be back at the hospital.

4. Pray for our children. They are very insecure in the midst of this (especially "Miney") and yet Mommy is very busy trying to chase down assistance and not fully available to them :-(

5. Pray for me to have physical strength and stamina. Normally, I would have everything taken care of for the baby at this point and have my house cleaned and organized where I could take it easy. This has not happened at this point, and some things really do need to be done so that I can fit another person into our small home. Unfortunately, between hospital stays, doctor visits and financial arrangements, I am finding very little time to work on these things.

God has been faithful to provide for our family, and I believe that he will continue to do so. Someday I will look back on these times and be able to share with others the incredible testimony of God's provision for our family during this time. Please pray that I will rest in Him.

A Nice Way To Think About Things. . .

I AM THANKFUL: FOR THE WIFE
WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT,
BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME,
AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.


FOR THE HUSBAND
WHO IS ON THE SOFA
BEING A COUCH POTATO,
BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME
AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.


FOR THE TEENAGER
WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES
BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME,
NOT ON THE STREETS.


FOR THE TAXES I PAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I AM EMPLOYED .



FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE
BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.


FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.



FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE



FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING,
WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING,
AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME .


FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING
I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT
BECAUSE IT MEANS
WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH.


FOR THE PARKING SPOT
I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING
AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION .


FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I AM WARM.


FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH
WHO SINGS OFF KEY BECAUSE IT MEANS
I CAN HEAR.



FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.



FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES
AT THE END OF THE DAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN
CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.



FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF
IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.


AND FINALLY, FOR TOO MUCH E-MAIL

BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE
FRIENDS WHO ARE THINKING OF ME.


SEND THIS TO SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT. I JUST DID.

Live well, Laugh often, & Love with all of your heart!

Jason was released today

Jason is now home from the hospital. I am so relieved because I was really finding it challenging to cover childcare. My parents really came through for us these past few days even though they were completely exhausted. My dad even came to our house over the weekend to handle things when our plumbing backed up and had to be snaked out (thank goodness for rentals at Home Depot). It is hard on me to feel like I'm such a burden to them, but I'm glad they made the sacrifice.

Hospitals are such scary places anymore. There were several mistakes made when Jason was there that terrified me when it came to leaving him alone. Fortunately, God protected him, but it amazes me that things of this nature have happened so often during his hospital stays. To complicate matters, his pain medicine makes him somewhat incoherent and his memory is not very good. So when no one can be there, it is difficult for me to take over when I do show up because I'm never quite certain what has transpired.

Jason is very sore, and it is a little early to determine whether the surgery is successful or not. The surgeon is considering it a success, but I guess we will have to see what his pain level does before we know for sure. He will have to begin rebuilding his strength again, and we are using the walker we purchased for him last fall so that he can take several walks each day. I'm sure he will get plenty of rest at home and I'm thankful I spent the past month or so doing a lot of work in our bedroom so that he can get around easier in there with his walker and also so that he rests more comfortably. Jason will return to the surgeon a week from Thursday to have his staples and drain removed.

Now I need to figure out what our financial options are. Lord willing, I'll make a trip to DHS tomorrow to see what type of help is available to us. For the next few months, we will live out the daily bread principle because we have no more paychecks and I won't be able to consider working until after the baby is born. The Lord has always been gracious to us, so I'm trying not to stress too much about it at this point, but I'm sure I will have my moments. It will be a harder adjustment on the kids, as we are all going to have to tighten our belts and see how the Lord provides for our needs.

Thank you for all of the prayers!

Jason is Having Another Surgery!

PTL!! We faxed an appeal to the surgeon this morning and he called us back in less than two hours. After an office visit today, he scheduled Jason for another bowel resection this Wednesday August 20th at 1:45pm. He is also having a central line put in this time, so that hopefully, there won't be such an issue with them blowing out his veins all the time. He doesn't have very many good ones left :-(

Last time, he was off work for two months after the surgery. His work still does not have to hold his job, and we are out of paychecks, so please pray for the job situation and for our finances. We are out of money but are trying to do some checking into what assistance might be available for us. We truly feel that God has orchestrated this whole turnaround because last time it took us two or three weeks to get on the surgeon's schedule. We trust that He has a plan to get us through.

Please pray for me to have the strength to do everything I need to do between now and Wednesday and also to care for him after the surgery. I was awake for three hours last night having painful contractions :-0 I am 33 weeks, so pray for Baby Girl to wait until end of Sept or beginning of Oct to make her appearance so that Jason will be a little more self-sufficient by that time. Also that I can get the sleep and rest I need in the midst of all of this.

Pray for Dr. Hemric to have wisdom and discernment as he prepares for the surgery and during this entire process. Jason's other health conditions cause him to be out of the normal range for most patients so sometimes it is difficult to know how to treat him. Also, Jason's blood sugars have been high, so pray for these to be stabilized.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

Just blink your eyes. . .

and they've all grown up. Time has flown so quickly in the last ten years. "Eenie" turned 10 years old yesterday. It amazes me how much she has grown, changed and matured over the last ten years. She is truly a joy to be with, and it is a blessing to have a daughter old enough to have "girl dates" with. God has been very good to me.

On Sunday, we celebrated "Eenie's" birthday with a family birthday party. She got a movie, a bible study book and a doll that she chose herself. Her cake was a rice Krispy treat in the shape of a purse (milk and egg free, so that "Miney" could enjoy it too). After the party, she stayed to enjoy the evening with Grammy and Grandpa. Yesterday, on her actual birthday, I took the kids to McDonald's for breakfast and to the park for a play date. After that, they enjoyed a few hours at Grammy's while Mommy took a nap (I don't remember the last time I got to take a nap while someone else watched the kids!). Tonight, she will spend the night with her aunt and uncle and have pizza and watch her movie on their big screen TV. Since we don't generally allow sleepovers, this is a special treat for her. We were going to go on a field trip to a museum today per her request, but "Meanie" woke up in the night, running a fever. We have decided to postpone the trip so that we can all enjoy it at a later date. All in all, she has had a very nice birthday :-)

Homemade Bread

I baked three loaves of homemade bread last night :-) I have never made homemade bread by myself before (I baked it once with a friend from church a few years ago--at her home). When I did our family grocery shopping last Monday, I realized that our bread had gone from around $2 a loaf to $2.50 a loaf :-0 We can't buy the cheap bread or go to the Day old Bread store because "Miney" is allergic to milk and we can't find cheaper bread without milk in it (that doesn't go rotten too quickly). Realizing that the prices are only going to continue rising, we buckled down and invested in a Bosch and a Nutrimill. They were having a Mother's Day special, so I got them cheaper than I normally would have. I had never used either of these before, and with Jason's help I managed to figure out how to get the job done last night. This bread is so yummy and much healthier than what we can buy at the store. I got a great recipe and tips from my friend, Beth, who checked on me a couple of times throughout the process. I'm looking forward to making other yummy and healthier foods with my new equipment.

Level II Ultrasound results :-)

We are having a little girl :-) We got to have quite a long look at her today, and she is healthy and beautiful. We also got to have a 3D ultrasound, which we weren't expecting. Very exciting!!!! "Meanie" has resigned himself and is actually very excited even though he had prayed and hoped for a boy. Oh well. . . I told him that God must want him to learn to protect and defend, rather than wrestle :-)

Convention and Catch-Up

I have been so busy with the OCHEC convention (held May 2nd & 3rd) over the last week or so that I haven't had time to post. Normally, I spend my winter months planning and praying over the next school year, so that by the time I get to convention, I know exactly what I'm going to do with each child. With things so topsy-turvy this winter, that did not happen, so convention left me feeling a little scattered. I'm still not sure if I have all the bases covered for next year, but I will evaluate things over the next couple of months, and make any additional purchases over the summer. Mardels will have their education sale in July, so I can probably finish up then, if I need to.

This was my first year to be part of the convention committee. It was amazing to see what goes on behind the scenes as far as coordinating the convention each year. I still have a lot to learn, and I have really enjoyed the opportunities I've had this year to meet new people and help (a little) with the convention.

I have spent the last couple of days trying to catch up on the house after being gone so much. Also, I did the grocery shopping thing yesterday, and went to my mother's to cook up batches of meat. I have not been able to use my kitchen for several weeks due to sink problems (which are now fixed) and now ant problems. It seems that we are spraying poison (which I hate!!) every day, and things are not getting much better. They are all over everything--even clean dishes, so I've had to remove things from my cabinets and they are stacked everywhere. It is driving me NUTS!! With some pre-cooked meat, I can at least do some crockpot meals. We are using paper products for now (thank God for the Dollar Tree), so that we don't have to wash our dishes before and after we eat :-0

I will probably post again tomorrow after I have my big ultrasound. I am hoping that he/she will be ready to show us who they are :-)

Baby Update

Today, baby and Mommy had a checkup. Blood pressure is good--a little low, but still good. Amazing considering all of the stress we have experienced recently. In two weeks, we will find out whether we are having a girl or a boy. I am hoping for a boy, but so many signs are pointing towards girl, so we will just have to wait and see. So far, the heart rate has remained in the high 150's. "Meanie" has prayed for a baby brother, but he has agreed that we will keep the baby even if it is a girl. On May 7th, I will be having a Level II ultrasound with the perinatologist, so I am hoping to find out more then.

Happy 6th Birthday Declan!

I trust you are having the best birthday ever dancing and celebrating with your Lord and Savior in Heaven. I can picture your happy smiles and laughter as you romp and play in your heavenly mansion. My heart aches as I picture the birthday you might have had if you were still with us. We have not forgotten you.

Field Trip(s)

This morning, we headed out to the zoo only to run into a heavy mist on the way :-( Realizing that if we walked around in the mist for too long, we would be cold and wet, we opted to head to the Oklahoma Science Museum instead. The kids had a ball. I hadn't been there in years, and we treated ourselves to everything (except the body exhibit--YUCK!!). The IMAX film was StormChasers, and the kids were excited and scared all at the same time. After we left they said that the liked it, but there were moments where they buried their faces and were apprehensive. We spent most of the day at the Science Museum. The first part of the day was very crowded with all of the public school field trips :-( After about 2pm, it improved when most of the kids left and the museum cleared out. We had such a fun time that we are hoping to buy a pass so that we can go there more often. The kids were a little disappointed that we didn't get to the zoo, but since we have a pass, we can go another time. This evening, we headed out the Arts Festival. We didn't make it to the kids tents, but are hoping to get back later this week, weather permitting. Right now, I'm letting the kids run around the backyard and enjoy the wonderful weather before the storms head in tomorrow. Fun! Fun! Fun!

ETA: Jason went back to the surgeon today. He is going back to work on Thursday.

Friday! Friday! Friday!

Today was an awesome day. The weather was absolutely beautiful and things went really well. Jason & I took the kids to Jump Zone AND McDonalds. The kids got a Jump Zone pass and McDonalds gift cards for Christmas, and with everything that has happened around here, we hadn't been able to use them :-( They have begged and begged, and I have felt really sorry for them. This morning, we got them up and had them hustle through their morning work. We told them we were running errands, and instead we drove to Jump Zone. They were very excited :-) After that, we took them to McDonalds where they each got to pay with their very own "credit card" (gift card, actually). They also got to play on the playground, which we almost never let them do.

This afternoon, we came home, did school and took care of some general straightening. Mostly they got to play outside and have "tool school" with Daddy in the garage. Also, the Lord used a wonderful family from our church to bless us this afternoon. They have a lawn mowing business and came and took care of our yard for us--free of charge. We had quite a few limbs lying around from the ice storm in December that still hadn't been dealt with. These were all removed. They even moved the trampoline and mowed underneath it (which Jason had never been able to do since he can't move it by himself). The yard looks super awesome and it has taken a great load off of us worrying about how it was going to get done.

Jason's pain is still pretty bad. He is taking his pain medicine quite regularly, and it doesn't seem to help much. He is still able to enjoy some normal activities, but anything that requires bending or lifting isn't very doable right now. Please continue praying. If he isn't doing better by next Wednesday, we will go back to the surgeon.

Update and Tool School

After getting a callback from the surgeon, we were told that the hiccups and vomiting are probably due to the leakage/cyst and the related infection. If things get much worse, or if Jason runs a fever, we are to contact them right away or go to the ER. We also learned that he will not be released to go back to work any sooner than next Wednesday :-0 We were hoping he could be back within a day or two, but he does not have the option of returning without a release :-(

On a lighter note, Jason has spent the afternoon in the garage doing "tool school" with the children. Usually only "Meanie" does "tool school" with Daddy, but the girls have been begging to join in and they are asking for tools of their own like "Meanie" has :-) They are thrilled that Daddy is spending time with them, and it has been nice for me to have some school planning time.

Strange New Symptoms ??

We are puzzled by some new symptoms Jason is having. He started having the hiccups some time yesterday morning. They have been continuous, other than when he lays down. When he is upright, he is hiccuping. Also, he began vomiting this morning. He is not sleeping because of the pain and the narcotic itching. The last two nights, he has awakened and done a ton of housework. I woke up at 9am this morning and he had been doing laundry since 4am :-0 We are waiting a call back from the doctor right now to see if he is concerned about these new symptoms.

CT Results

Jason had his CT scan at noon today, and by 2pm the surgeon called us with the results. Some time after Jason's surgery in February, he developed a leak in his intestine. This can be a life threatening complication, and we didn't even know it had happened :-0 The surgeon is taking it very seriously. It appears that the leak has healed itself (or more correctly, God healed it), but a large cyst has developed in the area where the leak was. The surgeon is going to give Jason 10 days of mega antibiotics. If he is not feeling better in a few days, we are going to call the surgeon back and Jason might have to go in for another surgery. We are praying that the antibiotics will take care of the problem and surgery will not be necessary.

As far as his work, things are up in the air. We do not know what is going to happen there, especially if he ends up having surgery.

After the surgeon consult today. . .

Jason has a CT scan scheduled for tomorrow. In the meantime, he has been given some very strong pain medicine (which isn't really helping), and he will be off of work. We do not know what is going to happen. If he needs to have another surgery, it is possible that he might be in surgery by the end of this week :-0 Please be in prayer for our family. We have not fully recovered from the last go-around with all of this, and we could have some rough days ahead of us.

Stand in the Rain. . .

you might as well!! Last night, around 9pm, we discovered that the pipe broke under our kitchen sink and flooded the cabinet. Being so late on a Sunday night, we had no choice but to clean up the mess and let it wait. So today, I have a kitchen full of dirty dishes and NO WATER!! I'm trying to decide whether or not to do my dishes in the bathtub :-0

Update

So far, we haven't had to go the hospital. Jason seems to be somewhat better, but is still planning to see the surgeon on Monday at 2:45pm. He spent today fixing his van, so now we have two running vehicles. The kids are getting over the "crud" so we will probably stay home from church, so as to not catch anything else or spread our germs around.

Another trip to the ER?

Dh has come home hurting very badly and saying that we might be headed back to the emergency room. I did not sleep very well last night and was supposed to give a devotion at our Keepers at Home club tonight. I have found a replacement and emailed my devotion to her to deliver to the group. My children have still not gotten over the upset of the last few months, and I am trying hard to get things back to a normal schedule for them. It makes me sad to think that we might be getting ready to go through a bunch of upheaval when we haven't really recovered from the last go-around :-(

Are we fools?

Jeremiah 4:22: "My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding."

How do we know when we are fools? Proverbs 1:7 says that the "fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." What does it mean to fear the Lord? I think that it means to have a reverence for him that results in our joyful submission to His will and commands. Fools hate knowledge and correction. They can also be complacent (Proverbs 1:32--"For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them."). A fool trusts only in himself (Proverbs 28:26--"He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.) and does not consult God (Jeremiah 2:8--"The priests did not ask, 'Where is the Lord?' Those who deal with the law did not know me; the leaders rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal, following worthless idols.").

How many times do we consult a book, or the Internet or a friend when we are in trouble or need to make an important decision? While all of these things can be helpful, the first place we should go is to the Lord. It is my goal to model this to my children. Rather than panic when things get tough, they need to see me on my knees crying out to God for His deliverance. It brings joy to my heart to hear even my little "Miney" praying to God when things are tough. I, as a mother, must set the example.

Keepers at Home

"Eenie" is a member of a Keepers at Home group. Normally, we are very active in the group and work on numerous badges throughout the year, but this year life has interfered and we have had to learn flexibility. In the grand scheme of things, badges simply aren't that important. However, having almost reached the end of the Keepers year, we are trying to choose a few things that we can work on in the time that we have left. Last night, I showed "Eenie" a few basic embroidery stitches and she has been working diligently on this new skill. We are going to try to complete a simply embroidery project over the next week or so. Being a Keepers Mommy has been challenging for me, to say the least, because I have not learned many of these skills, myself. I hope to send my daughters in to their own homes better prepared than I was. They (and their families) will be happier and more peaceful for this knowledge :-)

Returning to the Surgeon

My dh is having health problems again and will be returning to his surgeon on Monday at 2:45pm. We are praying that this is something that will either get better in time or else can be treated medically. If another surgery is necessary, it is possible he could lose his job :-( Personally, I am having a hard time with this uncertainty. It would be very hard for me to try and get a new job right now, both because I am pregnant and because I am so sick (and usually hospitalized over and over again) when I am pregnant. I am trying so hard to get the house back in order and get the children reaccustomed to discipline and routine, which is something that doesn't happen very well when dh is home. Please pray for my dh's health and that I would respond with patience, love, grace and wisdom. Also, pray for my dc. They are still fairly young to have so many ups and downs to deal with, and at least the younger two don't see God's hand in this like we older ones do.

Jewels

Zechariah 9:16-17a: "The Lord their God will save them on that day as the flock of his people. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. How attractive and beautiful they will be!"

We are all created in the image of God, and thus, we all have the potential to become sparkling jewels. When "Miney" runs in from the backyard covered in dirt and mud, tracking it through the house on her way to "go potty", it is sometimes easy to forget this (off topic, but sometimes, I have considered putting the baby potty in the backyard to prevent this problem in the future--lol). I don't know yet whether my children will be diamonds or rubies or amethysts or some other type of precious jewel. It is part of my job to cut and scrape and polish until the jewel in each of them is finally sparkling, just as the Lord continues cutting and polishing me.

Many years ago, in college, I worked in jewelry sales. In studying jewelry close up, it is amazing how many jewels have flaws or impurities within them (emeralds are particularly bad about this). When shopping for jewelry, we now have a choice of "lab created" jewels, which have fewer impurities, or we can buy natural jewels.

As Christians, we must remember that we were sent into the world (but should not be of the world). Contact with the world means that there is a greater chance for impurities or flaws to develop in our jewels. However, we cannot forget that Christ's last command to us was to go "unto the world" and preach the Gospel to them. We can, of course, raise our children as "lab created" jewels, but they will miss the opportunity to develop as the natural and genuine jewels God intended for them to be.

As parents we must, of course, use discretion with our little jewels. There is no sense in allowing them to be contaminated or damaged needlessly. But, when they are ready, and have opportunity, it is good for them to reach out to lost and try to discover the hidden jewel within them.

One day, we will all stand before God, shining and precious as the jewels He created us to be. I have such a joy in my heart when I envision presenting my little jewels, loaned to me by the Lord in order for me to shape and direct them. The blood of Jesus will cover our flaws and impurities, and before God we will appear perfect and flawless. Blessed be the Name of Jesus!

"Whom are you seeking?"

John 18:4: Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him went forward and said to them, "Whom are you seeking?"

I have found myself in a constant battle over the last few months and I am tired. Sometimes, I can see clearly the fight that is before me, and sometimes the battle seems endless and to no purpose. Too many times, I find myself ready to lay down and quit, or have the wrong response, or run away from the battle. I will never be called upon to suffer for mankind the way that Jesus was asked to suffer. He knew that He would suffer, yet he went forward. I too have asked the Lord to take this cup from me, yet He in His infinite wisdom, has chosen to leave things as they are. It is much easier for me to have the wrong responses when I am sick and dehydrated from being pregnant. Yet, I must remain in the battle, going forward, making what progress I can, responding as the Lord asks me to, until the Lord declares that the battle is over.

Children of the New Forest by Frederick Marryat

This is a wonderful book that I have only recently discovered. Since beginning the Ambleside curriculum with my children a few years ago, I have been pleasantly surprised at finding many enjoyable books that I have never read (and I have always considered myself a great reader!). Unfortunately, with few exceptions, many of the books written today are written in twaddly language geared towards the TV, movie and video game generation of children :-( This is very sad, because I feel that my life and the lives of my children have been greatly enriched by exposure to good-quality literature. Literature is a good vehicle for instilling character in the lives of children and adults in ways that inspire. If you have never read this book, I would encourage you to do so or listen to it for free at www.librivox.org. Blessings!

Goals

I want to put my goals in writing, because when I do, I notice I am much more likely to acheive them. I am not a very flexible person, and when unexpected things come my way (husband's illness, pregnancy, etc.), I tend to give up altogether, rather than continuing to move in the right direction. Perfectionism is not a good thing when it comes to achieving goals because I tend to have an all or nothing perspective. Flexibility is something I definitely need to work towards.

Goal #1: Re-establish a meaningful daily quiet time, rather than the hit or miss and arrow prayers I tend to be doing currently. This is especially important since I am missing a lot of church, right now.

Goal #2: Make sure that I am drinking enough water. I am having trouble with dehydration, and with my history of pre-term labor, I must keep up my water intake.

Goal #3: Revamp school program. With me being so sick, I cannot do everything I was doing before, but I need to do more than I am doing now. I may use books on tape and educational videos to aid me.

Goal #4: Re-establish a daily routine of housework, schoolwork and relaxation/free time. Work on a MOTH schedule.

Goal #5: Declutter and organize master bedroom.

Goal #6: Work on training younger children to do assigned chores. Also work on training Eenie to do more advanced chores.

A Very Productive Day

Today, I feel like we've accomplished a lot of work around the house. We had a helper come today from our church. While I worked on bills, medical paperwork, coupons and general organization/decluttering, she cleaned the main bathroom, mopped the kitchen floor, organized/decluttered the bookshelves in the living room, set up our arts/crafts drawers, vacuumed, and cleaned the back patio window. The laundry is mostly caught up, and the house is mostly straightened except for the master bedroom. I have a lot of work to do in in there decluttering and organizing, but the arts/craft supplies got done today and that was a huge portion of the mess. My short-term goals are to maintain the laundry, pay bills, dust the living and dining areas, clean the back bathroom, vacuum the bedrooms and begin decluttering the master bedroom. The master bedroom will be a long term project since it needs a complete overhaul. I also want to go through our books and organize them a little better, donating some to the library. Spring cleaning makes me feel productive, but tired ;-)

O What a Beautiful Morning!

Today is going to be another beautiful day before the cold front comes in tomorrow. Yesterday, I made quite a dent on the laundry basket and finished all of the bedding in the kids room. "Eenie" got the kitchen totally cleaned and dishes caught up and all three of the kids got the living room, kitchen and hallway floors picked up and then vacuumed the front part of the house. I also made my hubby's favorite dinner of Taco Soup. We will probably not accomplish as much today, since I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon and will have to get everyone ready. Today, our goal is to maintain what we have accomplished and, if I feel like it, I may do one more load of laundry. If I am up to it later, I may work on the checkbook and bills.

The nausea is still very bad for me. I keep hoping and praying that it will be over soon, but historically, I have it the whole time :-( This is greatly interfering with my productivity, and I am really feeling compelled to get it all done in the next month or two. This afternoon I will be having a checkup for the baby. Hopefully, everything will be going well and we will hear the baby's heartbeat or get to see it on ultrasound.

My kids had another boot camp session yesterday. They are going to learn that I mean business and that they must obey immediately. This is a hard lesson, I know, especially when things got very lax here over the last few months. It's amazing how attitudes and actions can change when I administer a healthy dose of discipline ;-) As for me, I need to work on doing this in *love* and not *anger* which seems to be my reaction to everything which irritates me right now.

Happy Wednesday :-)

Today, the weather is beautiful and I am happy. I finally got out of the house last night to do something FUN! I had a Charlotte Mason meeting and enjoyed fellowship at IHOP afterwards with my book club group. It was nice to be able to do something just to relax. The house is slowly getting better--still have a long way to go, but we are making progress. The kids room is almost completely done. I just have a little bedding to wash and the floor to vacumn. I may also spend some time going through the toy boxes for misplaced items and yucky happy meal toys that need to disappear. I have inventoried clothing needs and they will all have to have some new shoes soon--especially the girls. We will be stopping by some consignment shops soon, I am sure.

My bedroom can now be walked through without knocking over piles of stuff. I do still have some piles to work on, but they are to the sides and corners of the room, so that they don't block my way to the bathroom in the night ;-) I have a plan for tackling some of the storage issues in the bedroom. I bought a small Rubbermaid three drawer dresser to organize our craft supplies, which are in a sad disaaray. The dresser has its place in my back bathroom, so all I have to do is gather and organize when I have the time.

The front part of the house still needs some decluttering work and just a good general cleaning. Right now, my highest priority is to catch up on laundry. It is stacked fairly high in the laundry basket and I want to get where I can just do a couple of loads every day or two and not have to do laundry from sunup to sundown.

These are my short-term goals. Hopefully, I can get things taken care of before I get too much sicker or further along in my pregnancy.

We are also working on some good habits for the children. I want them to each have their routines down with their own personal checklists that they can look at each day to remind them to do things such as change their underwear, brush their teeth, etc. For the little ones, I will be making checklists with pictures. Also, we are going to work on immediate and complete obedience. The kids have been struggling with this habit over the last few months, and we definitely need to get this one back.

Ups and Downs

Good news! Jason did well on his first day back at work. They are being really good to him and letting him do easy work. The bending over was difficult for him and made him sore (he is not used to wearing his work pants with a belt and they irritate his surgical site). Today, he got his evaluation and a raise!! I was very surprised and grateful that God is continuing to provide for us.

Bad news! I have to take my kids to the dentist this morning and I am not holding down food :-( I took some medicine to help, but it has some unpleasant side effects so I can't take it continuously. I was hoping that the nausea would subside for me now that I have hit twelve weeks, although I am usually sick the entire time. Please pray for me.

Also, I was a very grouchy mommy yesterday. My house has been turned upside down over the last three months and, of course, I want to get everything back all in one day. I am so nauseous and exhausted that I drove myself way harder than I should have. Well, things were not happening the way I had envisioned. My kids have become undisciplined and not used to working hard and staying on task. I told them we were having baby bootcamp, and no drill seargeant could have been sterner. I know it might be better to take things slowly, but I am wanting to get things back in case I am put on bedrest and just simply because things are driving me nuts :-0 Also, with Jason, I never know when the next emergency is going to hit, and I want to be ready.

Happy Monday :-)

Jason went back to work this morning. I have no report from him, as of yet. We are expecting him to come home pretty sore and tired these first few weeks until he finds his groove again. The rest of us at home will need to find our groove again too :-) Daddy is not a schedule and routine person, so the last few months have been hectic, to say the least. The children and I will need to spend time recovering the house and getting back on schedule. I think the kids are happier and more well-behaved on a schedule and with me being so sick from the baby, I *really* need them to be happy and well behaved and for things to get back to a more manageable state around here. My house looks like a train wreck :-0

Resurrection Sunday

Resurrection Sunday will be here tomorrow! Normally, we have certain family traditions surrounding our holidays. Our children have felt a little short-changed this year, as many of our family traditions have gone by the wayside over the last three months (we never have finished our Advent story from Christmas and the Valentines are still in boxes that have never been opened). They have been asking about the usual things we do for Easter such as the resurrection story eggs, coloring wooden eggs (because of our egg allergies), and, of course, the candy. Our current plan is to do an abbreviated version of the celebration by hiding the wooden eggs we colored last year instead of coloring new ones and limiting the amount of candy, etc. that we distribute. There will be no new clothes or haircuts (we are all looking very shaggy). In light of Christ's sacrifice for our sins, none of these things are really very important, but I realize that they still mean something to my children. We are hoping to go to church tomorrow (this will be the first time in over two months that we have been), so, hopefully, everyone will be feeling well and energetic enough to attend.

Going Back to Work Monday :-)

Jason got his release to go back to work on Monday, March 24th. He thought about going back tomorrow, but has decided to do some work on his van instead. It has been having problems, and now that we need two vehicles again, it is time to get it running smoothly. Please pray for him as he heads back to work. While he is doing much better, he still isn't back to where he was before all of this happened.

Hope all of you have a blessed Resurrection Day!

Doctor's Appointment Today

Jason has a doctor's apointment at 3:15pm. His goal is to go back to work tomorrow. I will update later with the doctor's report.

A Goal in Mind

This coming Thursday (March 20), Jason will be going back to the doctor to try and get his release for work. He was planning to see the surgeon again, but Dr. Hemric is back in the hospital with heart trouble. Please keep praying for him. He will be seeing the internal medicine doctor instead.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

We have all been suffering with the flu over the last week or so. Jason seems to have been hit particularly hard. He has run a fever for several days now. He was doing better about getting up and moving around, but since getting the flu, he is now back to being in bed almost constantly. The kids are finally getting over it, although they seem to have a cough hanging on that I would like to see gone.

One funny: The night "Miney" (age 3 1/2) came down with the flu, her neck started aching very badly. I guess she didn't know how to tell us, so she stood in the middle of the living room floor and just burst out sobbing. We asked her what was wrong, and she replied, "My neck has diarrhea!" :-)

Blessings to all of you.

It Is With Great Sadness. . .

that I share with you news of a dear friend's passing. Mrs. Glenna Conley passed away today after being removed from her ventilator. Mrs. Conley was preceeded in death by her only child, Carla Gambill, who died in 1997 of breast cancer. She is survived by her faithful and loving husband and two grandsons who live in Louisiana.

My heart is broken at the loss of such a wonderful woman. Her husband has stood faithfully by her side since the onset of her illness in October. Medicare simply wouldn't pay for any more time in the facility which allowed her to remain on her ventilator. Please pray for her husband. He is weak and exhausted and obviously very distraught.

March 4th

The last few days have been rough. "Eenie" is recovering from the flu, which "Meanie" has caught now. So far, no one else is showing obvious signs. My nausea is getting so bad that I am forced to spend much of the day lying down. It is frustrating. Jason has been more active this week, but it is still causing him quite a bit of pain. He has decided he is going to have to get up and work through the pain if he is going to stand any chance of going back to work in a few weeks.

Our best friends are in town from Kansas City. We had hoped to spend more time with them, but with our illness, we were only able to spend a couple of hours with them this evening. Maybe the next time we try to get together it won't be cold and flu season :-0

Thank you for your continued prayers. Please keep praying for Jason's recovery and strength, strength and health for me and baby, and health and strength for our children.

ETA: Please pray for a dear couple that we know. She has been on a ventilator since Oct after several health issues. She is not doing well, and they haven't been able to wean her from the vent. They have run out of days that Medicare will pay for her care and are looking at having to shut off the ventilator. She is 83 and her husband is 79. Their only child (my aunt) died 10 years ago, and they have no close family here to support them during this trial.

Friday Update

Jason is doing a little better this week, but still not doing as well as we had hoped. We have been told that once he starts feeling better, he should make rapid progress. I'm not sure if this will apply in his case, but we can always pray that way, can't we? He is still down most of the time, but has been able to be up and out a few times this week. I am especially glad of this because the baby is making me sicker and sicker. I went to the doctor on Thursday and had another ultrasound. We saw a wiggly baby with a beautiful heartbeat. If I didn't feel so sick, I'm sure I would be more excited ;-)

Monday update

After a restful (lazy) weekend, I knew I had plenty to get done today. I woke up overwhelmed with everything and wondering how I would ever get through it all. God worked things out better than I could have planned. My mom called this morning and offered to help. I delegated grocery shopping to her, which she accomplished and even delivered them to my home and helped put them away. I went to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription, and then spent the day doing general straightening and working on a mountain of laundry (its still going!!). My mil came over this evening and made dinner for us (baked potatoes--Yummy!), cleaned my bathroom and did some general straightening, laundry, and loving on the kids, as well. The kids needed the extra attention, and it mommy and daddy a break.

Jason has been up more today. He has been able to be a little more physically active, and his incision is looking much better than it did last week. He had not been wearing his CPAP at night, because it makes it difficult for him to lay as comfortably. After wearing it last night, he woke up today in a better mood and seemed to be more interactive with the kids. I think it makes a big difference in how he feels. The surgeon's medical assistant called to check on us today. She seemed pleased with the improvement and is expecting Dr. Hemric to be back in the office in a few weeks.

Lazy Day

Today has been a very lazy day. It was planned intentionally after our busy day yesterday. I was completely worn out. We are all still wearing our pajamas (except for "Miney" who just came out to the kitchen twirling in a fancy dress she pulled out of her closet). Last night, I went to our local library book sale, where I was able to purchase many of our books for next school year at much cheaper prices. I came home with a cartload and was pleased with my finds. Many of my books are nice hardbacks, which I'm hoping will wear well through all of the kids. I always pray before I go, and the Lord has never disappointed me. I also get a few fun (meaning non-school) books for each child (per their request), and they always squeal with glee and attack the cart as soon as I walk in the front door :-) "Eenie's" favorite book choice was an Elsie Dinsmore book, "Meanie's" favorite choice was a rocket and space book, and "Miney's" favorite book was "Baby Beluga". My favorites were hardback copies of "Burgess Bird Book" and "Burgess Animal Book" with color illustrations :-) I'm glad to see my children enjoying books. We have already read several of them and enjoyed looking through the pictures on several others. At some point, we need to stop reading and clean house. It looks like a war zone in here :-)

"Eenie" update

I took "Eenie" to the doctor this afternoon. The doctor checked and could see exactly what we were seeing as far as her lymph nodes, but nothing definitive came back on the short labwork today. They did a strep culture, urine and blood work. The doctor said the rest of the labwork will not be back until the first part of next week. She said in the meantime, "Eenie" should take it very easy, because there is a chance she could have mono, or even some other virus that is attacking her body. If things change, we can call over the weekend.

Another trip to the doctor :-0

I am going to be making another trip to the doctor today. "Eenie" seems to have something strange going on. She has complained for several weeks of various issues--headache, stomach problems, fatigue, etc. She has been extra moody and tired and has not eaten very well, but we had attributed all of these things to stress. She is carrying an extra load right now with Daddy being sick and Mommy having morning sickness with the baby. A few days ago, we noticed a lymph node in her neck was swollen, and yesterday evening, the entire side of her face swelled up. She also told me that she was hurting in her arm pits and several other places. I believe she has an issue in her lymph nodes. If she had other signs of illness, such as a cold or virus, I wouldn't be as concerned, but we are wondering if she might have mono. If she does, we have been working her very hard and want to lighten up the load for her. Please pray that we find some answers for her in this doctor's visit.

Update after doctor visit

Jason's stitches are abcessed. We have ointment to treat the wound and are also using moist heat, which Jason says feels good. The pain medicine does absolutely nothing, so he is no longer taking it. He did take some Tylenol PM last night and seemed to sleep much better because of it. Because Jason is so resistant to antibiotics, the doctor is hesitant to prescribe any more. We don't feel it would do any good unless he got it by IV. If Jason starts running a fever or vomiting, we are to call the doctor back. A fever could mean an infection that would need to be treated in the hospital, and vomiting might mean an obstruction. Jason's appetite has faded and he has been very nauseous, but, so far, he has not begun vomitting. This doctor has helped us adjust our expectations, somewhat, for Jason's recovery. We had been told that he should no longer be needing pain meds and that his wound should be relatively healed. However, his steroids change all of this for him, and his recovery is going to be longer and harder than most patients who have this operation. The doctor considers that all of the problems he is having are not unusual for someone taking steroids and with Jason's medical history. Please keep praying for healing and pain relief.

Getting ready to go to the doctor

We will be leaving for the doctor's office, shortly. The streets are somewhat icy, so please pray for our safety. I'm also really struggling with morning sickness (who ever decided to call this *morning* sickness, obviously never had it). Pray for the doctor to have the wisdom and discernment on how to proceeed with Jason. We do not want him to miss anything that needs to be found. Also, that the Lord will expedite the process. I'm not sure how this will work with the appointment being so late in the day.

Going back to the doctor :-(

We are going back to the doctor tomorrow. Jason is in too much pain, and things just don't seem right. We are not sure if he has developed an infection or an obstruction or something else. Basically, we are without a doctor, for now. The surgeon is still in the hospital, himself, and apparently, there is no backup or on-call doctor for him during this time. His medical assistant called the internist who saw him in the hospital before. She wanted him to be seen today, but they couldn't get him in until tomorrow. We are expecting an ice storm tomorrow, too :-0 It is possible we could end up at the ER before tomorrow afternoon. Please pray for us to wisdom/discernment as to whether or not we should wait or go to the ER. Also, that nothing terrible happens in the meantime.

The Joneses Are Pleased to Announce. . .

that they are expecting a new little bundle of joy due October 5th :-) Yesterday, we got to have an ultrasound and see the baby's heartbeat! With our history of miscarriage, we are not out of the woods yet, so please pray for a healthy full-term pregnancy for mommy and baby.

Jason is still in pain, so that is our number one prayer request right now. Also, for quick healing with no more complications. Jason's best friend is going to try and come down next week. He was an Army medic/EMT and there have been many times over the last few weeks that we could have used his advice and counsel. We are hoping and praying that this works out.

Thursday afternoon

Jason had his staples removed at the doctor's this morning. He is still hurting quite a bit. They are surprised at the level of pain he is still experiencing. They said it will probably be four to six more weeks before we can expect him to be back to normal. If he can get to the point where he is moving better and doesn't have to be on pain meds, then he can be released for light duty activities. Right now, I think it would take a miracle for this to happen. Also, Jason has thrush and the medicine that the doctor prescribed is no longer being made, so that has caused a delay for him. Please pray for continued and quick healing and for pain relief. Jason hates pain medicine, and we would both love to see him be able to handle things without it.

I am feeling puny today. I think I am just overtired and need to catch up on rest, but I don't see this happening any time soon. The kids are after me all day, and Jason is keeping me up all night :-0 I keep reminding myself that the Lord will give me what I need, including rest. I just pray that he will give me the superhuman strength that I need to endure in the meantime.

Thursday morning update

Jason's pain patch wearing off yesterday made for a very rough night. I slept on the couch, but he woke me up a couple of times needing more pain meds. Around 4am we were awakened by gunshots at the carwash behind our house :-0 We called 911, but never did find out what had happened. I have heard this noise several times over the last couple of weeks, so we think it may be drive by shooting. What fun!

We will leave for the surgeon's office in less than an hour. Please pray about this. Jason is hurting so badly, that he just wants to lay in bed, so this trip is not going to be easy on him. I'm glad the hospital uses valet parking. We will definitely be taking advantage of this today. I will update later.

Also, please pray for one of my fellow MOMYS families. The parents are Amy and Ty. They lost their 7 month old baby daughter, Emily, last Sunday :-( A few weeks ago, Emily had the same type of surgery that Jason had. After suffering several complications and setbacks, she seemed to be doing much better, but died unexpectedly on Sunday. Her funeral is at 10am today in Stafford, KS. She is survived by her parents and 4 older siblings.

Thank you for praying.

Wednesday Update

Today has been a fairly good day. Jason's pain patch wears off today, and as of right now, the oral pain meds seem to be holding him. It has been pretty outside today, so we took a family walk part way up our street and back. Jason used his rolling walker. The kids got to play outside quite a bit today. They have needed to burn off some energy. I'm keeping them close to home, right now, because of all of the germs going around. I do not want either them or Jason getting sick! Now I'm trying to catch up on the mounds of laundry that have piled up since we've been gone. Things are topsy turvy around here, but I am still so tired, that I have decided to take things slow and steady, rather than trying to get it all done in one day. Praising God for a beautiful day and for the progress Jason is making. Please keep him in prayer as we follow up with the assistant surgeon tomorrow morning. We are uncertain what to expect.

Tuesday Update

So far, Jason seems to be doing well at home. It is hard for him to get up and down once he is lying down. The hospital bed which could be raised and lowered made this much easier prior to coming home. Right now, "Eenie" and I are having to pull him up when he needs to rise. He is using his walker to get from room to room. His muscle tone is very low and his balance is off. He spent most of his day today sleeping. His pain is tolerable right now. His pain patch will expire tomorrow afternoon (it is only supposed to last 72 hours and he had it put on around 3pm on Sunday). After that, he will have to rely on oral pain meds.

Today, we called Jason's surgeon's office to schedule his post-op appointment, and we received some distressing news. His surgeon had a minor heart surgery last Friday and was expected to be off of work for a week and a half. Jason was going to see him in-office next week (two weeks post-op). Apparently, Dr. Hemric's condition is much worse than they realized, because today he had open-heart surgery. Right now, they don't know when he will be returning. Because of this, Jason is going to have his post-op appointment this Thursday (Happy Valentines!) with the surgeon who assisted Dr. Hemric during his procedure. They told us that seeing anyone next week was not an option at this point. We don't know if Jason will be getting his staples removed as early as this Thursday, or not. He has about 20 - 30 staples that will need to be removed at some point, but we are not sure whether his incision is healed enough to allow for their removal. We are praying that there will be no additional complications during this time of uncertainty.

Jason is Home!!

Jason was released from the hospital today :-) We still have a long recovery ahead of us, but he is home and resting comfortably. He has a rolling walker so that he can move around. His balance is off and it will take some time for him to rebuild what he has lost. Our number one enemy right now will be another blockage forming. They have given us some practical diet tips to reduce the chances of this happening. We are both exchausted and have spent the afternoon napping, but it is wonderful to be back home with the children.