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I so totally want to win this dehydrator....
http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/10/the-last-great-giveaway.html
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Amazing God
"You've seen the depths of my heart & You love me the same. You are Amazing, God."
Indescribable by Chris Tomlin
Indescribable by Chris Tomlin
Monday, October 19, 2009
Random Updates
It's been a very long time since I updated our blog. So much has been going on, I've hardly had time to think!
First, the pregnancy is going extremely well. I am pleasantly surprised at how different it is the second time around. I am just now starting to "feel" pregnant (kicks and flutter excluded). And, in case you didn't get the memo. it's a GIRL! Everyone thinks that this news should have made me very happy considering that we would have "one of each". But I, infact, was slightly shocked & disapointed. I thought for sure I'd be a mom to a bunch of boys. Girls scare me-which I know is ironic considering I'm a girl! But after considering things for a month now, I am starting to get excited. I started looking at dollhouses this week! Nick could care less about boy vs. girl. He just wants her out now so he can hold her. (P.S. the "one of each" comment upsets me too, it's like people expect me to stop now that I have a girl coming. I don't plan on stopping at 2 kiddos unless God tells me otherwise. Babies are a blessing from God. We plan to have more blessings. We aren't planning on stopping now that we will have "one of each"!)
So, second, Nick's health... This has been an emotional roller coaster for us all. We had finally gotten to this beautiful place of acceptance and peace. We felt informed and educated and ready to move forward. We had a game plan. And then, things have gotten turned upside down. Nick's original biopsies were sent out for a second opinion. It was procedural and we weren't expecting any exciting or ground braking news. We were expecting them to come back and say "dysplasia" (pre-cancerous cells). This, however, was NOT the case. The report came back NORMAL. I didn't tell anyone at first because we were really confused (and still are, really). We also experienced a phase of disbelief. We still haven't been able to discuss the new results with Nick's doctor but we are still going through with a second colonoscopy. We'll pepper him with questions when we see him. The new colonoscopy was originally scheduled for next week, but something came up and they had to reschedule. The soonest, convenient time we could get it wasn't until December 11th. We could have gotten in earlier but Nick prefers to have these tests done on Fridays so he can recover over the weekend and miss the minimal days of work. So, we are hoping that if there are cancer or pre-cancer cells present in Nick's colon, that the doctor will find them and we'll proceed with our plan, but even more- we are hoping that God has healed Nick's colon and there aren't cancer cells present!!
Ethan is amazing! He is walking a lot now. He still reverts to crawling occasionally, but it is less and less each week. He is signing more often and is trying hard to communicate with us. His verbal skills are still lacking, but we aren't worried about it yet. We have been making social interaction a higher priority lately and it seems to be paying off. He absolutly loves going to the church nursery and comes out chattering! He and the dog have a love-hate relationship. He loves her to death and she hates that she can't get any peace when he's awake!! He is the sweetest most loving little guy in the world and we are so blessed by his presence in our lives.
Did I forget anything that you've been wondering about? If so, leave a comment and I will try to get a response up ASAP.
Love & Hugs!
Jeannie & the gang
First, the pregnancy is going extremely well. I am pleasantly surprised at how different it is the second time around. I am just now starting to "feel" pregnant (kicks and flutter excluded). And, in case you didn't get the memo. it's a GIRL! Everyone thinks that this news should have made me very happy considering that we would have "one of each". But I, infact, was slightly shocked & disapointed. I thought for sure I'd be a mom to a bunch of boys. Girls scare me-which I know is ironic considering I'm a girl! But after considering things for a month now, I am starting to get excited. I started looking at dollhouses this week! Nick could care less about boy vs. girl. He just wants her out now so he can hold her. (P.S. the "one of each" comment upsets me too, it's like people expect me to stop now that I have a girl coming. I don't plan on stopping at 2 kiddos unless God tells me otherwise. Babies are a blessing from God. We plan to have more blessings. We aren't planning on stopping now that we will have "one of each"!)
So, second, Nick's health... This has been an emotional roller coaster for us all. We had finally gotten to this beautiful place of acceptance and peace. We felt informed and educated and ready to move forward. We had a game plan. And then, things have gotten turned upside down. Nick's original biopsies were sent out for a second opinion. It was procedural and we weren't expecting any exciting or ground braking news. We were expecting them to come back and say "dysplasia" (pre-cancerous cells). This, however, was NOT the case. The report came back NORMAL. I didn't tell anyone at first because we were really confused (and still are, really). We also experienced a phase of disbelief. We still haven't been able to discuss the new results with Nick's doctor but we are still going through with a second colonoscopy. We'll pepper him with questions when we see him. The new colonoscopy was originally scheduled for next week, but something came up and they had to reschedule. The soonest, convenient time we could get it wasn't until December 11th. We could have gotten in earlier but Nick prefers to have these tests done on Fridays so he can recover over the weekend and miss the minimal days of work. So, we are hoping that if there are cancer or pre-cancer cells present in Nick's colon, that the doctor will find them and we'll proceed with our plan, but even more- we are hoping that God has healed Nick's colon and there aren't cancer cells present!!
Ethan is amazing! He is walking a lot now. He still reverts to crawling occasionally, but it is less and less each week. He is signing more often and is trying hard to communicate with us. His verbal skills are still lacking, but we aren't worried about it yet. We have been making social interaction a higher priority lately and it seems to be paying off. He absolutly loves going to the church nursery and comes out chattering! He and the dog have a love-hate relationship. He loves her to death and she hates that she can't get any peace when he's awake!! He is the sweetest most loving little guy in the world and we are so blessed by his presence in our lives.
Did I forget anything that you've been wondering about? If so, leave a comment and I will try to get a response up ASAP.
Love & Hugs!
Jeannie & the gang
Monday, September 21, 2009
Blood Sugar Issues
All weekend I've been having problems with my blood sugar. I eat something and then a short time later I feel weak, hot, sweaty & nauseous. Even if I don't eat I get sick feeling. I've nearly passed out several times. Not sure what is up, but I am very eager to discuss it with my doctor tomorrow.
Did I mention that we will find out if we are having a pink or a blue baby tomorrow too?
The first day of fall and finally getting a chance to identify our baby as a boy or a girl! There's no better way to celebrate my favorite season!!
Did I mention that we will find out if we are having a pink or a blue baby tomorrow too?
The first day of fall and finally getting a chance to identify our baby as a boy or a girl! There's no better way to celebrate my favorite season!!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
My Provider
I have to confess, all this "pre-cancer" stuff with Nick has really been freaking me out. I've tried to remain calm and rational. I am trying to keep us from making irrational and emotionally driven decisions.
I had a great facade going too, until it started to crumble. I started having very irrational thoughts about loosing Nick. I was angry & scared. I felt sorry for myself, thinking that I was going to be left all alone with 2 tiny babies, a house that is in a state of deconstruction, and no life insurance. I admit it, I freaked! I yelled at Nick and told him that leaving me high and dry was not an option. (Like he'd have a choice in the matter?) I was angry with family members trying to get Nick to consider alternative options that left any room for doubt or risk. I kept saying "This is my husband, my best friend, the father to my tiny babies, my whole world! Why should we take a risk?"
Then, today, on my way to work, I was doing some more thinking about it all. I was yelling at God for putting my "provider" in this situation, putting my family at risk. Then, a peace came over me. A voice whispered in my heart "Nick is not your "provider", I AM!" I hesitated & considered the statement. Nick is not my provider, the Lord is my Provider.
When did I lose sight of that?
I had a great facade going too, until it started to crumble. I started having very irrational thoughts about loosing Nick. I was angry & scared. I felt sorry for myself, thinking that I was going to be left all alone with 2 tiny babies, a house that is in a state of deconstruction, and no life insurance. I admit it, I freaked! I yelled at Nick and told him that leaving me high and dry was not an option. (Like he'd have a choice in the matter?) I was angry with family members trying to get Nick to consider alternative options that left any room for doubt or risk. I kept saying "This is my husband, my best friend, the father to my tiny babies, my whole world! Why should we take a risk?"
Then, today, on my way to work, I was doing some more thinking about it all. I was yelling at God for putting my "provider" in this situation, putting my family at risk. Then, a peace came over me. A voice whispered in my heart "Nick is not your "provider", I AM!" I hesitated & considered the statement. Nick is not my provider, the Lord is my Provider.
When did I lose sight of that?
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Today is someone's (official) Birthday!
We celebrated Ethan's brithday a bit early so that his new Aunt Hanna could join us for the festivities. But today is his official first birthday! Happy Birthday Ethan Nicholas!
Ethan entered our lives and filled us with so much joy. He is such a sweet & loving little boy. I amamazed at how much my heart aches with love for him.
He is such a brave & curious little boy. He loves to take baths and play in water more than anything in the world. He can hear the faucet running in the tub from the other end of the house, and he just plows down the hallway in search of the water & hopefully, fun.
When he's sleepy he gets slap-happy & giggly. You don't even have to touch him and he errupts into giggles. He also gets into love-y moods and all he wants to do is snuggle. He tries to give "Eskimo Kisses" but instead of rubbing noses, he rubs his forehead on yours.
He loves to play with the dog & explore her 2000 parts. Ane he loves his stuffed hound dog even more. He will snuggle and coo at the stuffed dog, just loving on it. He has started clapping & understanding some of the things we say. Everyday, it seems he learns something new. He is on the verge of learning how to walk. I still haven't decided if I'm ready for that or not!
He has recently started going to the nursery at church. This was a big and difficult step for me to take because I really didn't want to leave him with strangers, but even more I wanted him to learn to sit in church & enjoy the worship experience. But I realized that keeping a pre-toddler boy happy & quiet is difficult. Seeing how much fun he has in the nursery class with the other kids, I realized I made the right choice. I am glad that I waited, but I wish I had maybe introduced him into that environment a little bit earlier.
He knows something is going on in my belly. He often pats my belly and is seemingly aware that there is a baby there. I can't wait to see how good of a big brother he is to this new baby!
Happy Birthday, my sweet little Honey Pot! I love you to the moon!!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Nick's Health, an update
So, we went to Nick's GI doctor's yesterday. The doctor confirmed what he told Nick on the phone, dysplasia. Which, is pre-cancer cells. It was only found in one part of Nick's colon. This means that the lining of his colon is starting to change and become cancerous.
They are sending his biopsies off to a second lab to confirm the results. He suggested that Nick have another colonoscopy at the end of October. In theory, both of these will confirm that there is in fact dysplasia. However, the pre-cancerous cells are invisible. Nick's colon looked completely healthy. They didn't biopsy anything suspicious, so the chances of the doctor finding that specific spot again is slim to none. His recommendation for Nick is probably going to be the same, no matter what the new colonoscopy biopsies say- colectomy. Even though it is pre-cancerous in one spot, there is a 20% chance that there is active colon cancer in another part of the colon, and that spot wasn't biopsied.
Nick asked about waiting and doing another colonoscopy in a year, but the doctor said at that point it could be too late. Colon cancer is the #2 killing cancer in America. It spreads to other organs very easily. The doctor said that waiting was like playing "Russian Roulette". If you continue to take chances, the risk will eventually catch up with you.
I still think that even in the face of this newest adversity, God is still with us. We started going to this doctor, all the way up in Dayton shortly after we got married, for one reason. The reason was the doctor has Ulcerative Colitis, had dysplasia, and had a colectomy. He has lived through what Nick lives through. I think that God led us to this doctor several years ago for this one reason. He is the most compassionate doctor we've ever met. He spent over an hour talking with us yesterday and patiently answered all of my questions. He speaks very openly about his experiences and really helped Nick and I to understand what we are facing.
There is still some confusion regarding Nick's liver, but in light of everything going on with the colon, we have decided to table the issue for now. Nick has no active symptoms of liver disease & is in good health so waiting doesn't pose any threats. There are some additional tests that the doctor is recommending, but it is far from an urgent matter. The biggest thing is, if/when Nick has the colonoscopy, he will likely have a liver biopsy at the same time to confirm his diagnosis. There are some inconsistancies in Nick's health records that we are researching. But the doctor isn't quite convinced that Nick does have liver disease. (A small glimmer of hope??)
Keep praying for us & that God continues to guide our decisions.
They are sending his biopsies off to a second lab to confirm the results. He suggested that Nick have another colonoscopy at the end of October. In theory, both of these will confirm that there is in fact dysplasia. However, the pre-cancerous cells are invisible. Nick's colon looked completely healthy. They didn't biopsy anything suspicious, so the chances of the doctor finding that specific spot again is slim to none. His recommendation for Nick is probably going to be the same, no matter what the new colonoscopy biopsies say- colectomy. Even though it is pre-cancerous in one spot, there is a 20% chance that there is active colon cancer in another part of the colon, and that spot wasn't biopsied.
Nick asked about waiting and doing another colonoscopy in a year, but the doctor said at that point it could be too late. Colon cancer is the #2 killing cancer in America. It spreads to other organs very easily. The doctor said that waiting was like playing "Russian Roulette". If you continue to take chances, the risk will eventually catch up with you.
I still think that even in the face of this newest adversity, God is still with us. We started going to this doctor, all the way up in Dayton shortly after we got married, for one reason. The reason was the doctor has Ulcerative Colitis, had dysplasia, and had a colectomy. He has lived through what Nick lives through. I think that God led us to this doctor several years ago for this one reason. He is the most compassionate doctor we've ever met. He spent over an hour talking with us yesterday and patiently answered all of my questions. He speaks very openly about his experiences and really helped Nick and I to understand what we are facing.
There is still some confusion regarding Nick's liver, but in light of everything going on with the colon, we have decided to table the issue for now. Nick has no active symptoms of liver disease & is in good health so waiting doesn't pose any threats. There are some additional tests that the doctor is recommending, but it is far from an urgent matter. The biggest thing is, if/when Nick has the colonoscopy, he will likely have a liver biopsy at the same time to confirm his diagnosis. There are some inconsistancies in Nick's health records that we are researching. But the doctor isn't quite convinced that Nick does have liver disease. (A small glimmer of hope??)
Keep praying for us & that God continues to guide our decisions.
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