Home Sweet Home

After a long day in the ER, dad is thankfully on his way home!!! His counts were still very good. A huge praise! The fever indicates there is an infection though but they aren't sure where. He went home with an antibiotic and instructions to come back if it gets worse. His platelet count is low which is one of the things his oncologist was watching. He will check in with the oncologist tomorrow and also sees his pulmonologist. Thank you for your prayers! He should be home now and in his own bed sacked out.

Lesson plans and a nap are calling my name, not sure which will win out!

Have a blessed week.

Off we go ...

My mom has said for the last week she's waiting for the other shoe to drop. Well, her wait is over. We are heading to the hospital here in a little bit. Dad has done so well since his first chemo not quite two weeks ago but he has been fighting a fever through the weekend which means his counts are probably low. Doctor's orders are straight to the hospital, so off we go. Mom has a pinched nerve in her back somewhere and is in a great deal of pain right now. She could sure use an extra helping of prayer herself.

I'll keep this updated.
Have a blessed Sunday!

In His Arms

Last week we learned that Steve and I both are carriers for Cystic Fibrosis. There is a 1 in 30 chance of being a carrier and wouldn't you know it, we both are. The baby has a 25% chance of having CF. The odds are in our little one's favor. We plan to educate ourselves and be as prepared as we can when this little one arrives in September and pray the baby tests negative. Steve and I will not have any more children after this because we are both carriers. We look forward to the possibility of adopting to add to our family again some day. The Lord has blessed me with tremendous peace in receiving this news. I feel His arms tightly around us and our little one and no matter what our path holds, He will be holding us up.

We had our third 'scare' this past weekend with the baby. They got us right in today and the baby's heart was beating strong at 171. Music to our ears today. Tomorrow we are officially through the first trimester. To have met that milestone is a tremendous praise and we thank our family and many friends who have covered our baby in prayer. We are looking forward to sharing this little one with my parents at our ultrasound next Tuesday.

Dad had his first chemo last week and did very well. He is struggling with some swelling right now because of all the steroids he is on but hanging in there. My great-aunt (my grandma's sister on dad's side) is failing and we thought we were losing her several times in the last week or so. We have been blessed to have her with us awhile longer and she is being cared for by Hospice presently. My dad was able to spend time with her on a good day and this was a tremendous blessing for him. Losing her will be hard for him, for all of us, but she is ready to go home to the Lord and we are thankful for 98 wonderful years. This is Aunt Marian.

We have been through some tough times lately and I have been reminded of two songs that are very special to me. The first is, It Is Well With My Soul. As I prayed this morning for our baby and asked God for peace for our appointment today I suddenly found myself singing it in my head and realized that was Him reminding me that no matter what, it IS well with my soul and He is right there with me. This too was Emily's favorite hymn. When I consider the battle she so bravely fought, what is there in this world I can't face? I pray to face life's challenges with even an ounce of the courage and strength she displayed. Second, I was reminded of my favorite Natalie Cole song, Angel On My Shoulder. May both be a blessing to you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6yDFn3OAFo (It Is Well With My Soul)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk5yxC42pZs (Angel On My Shoulder by Natalie Cole)

*You may have to cut and paste them into your browser, I had trouble getting the links to insert properly.

My dad, the spaceman

Meet my dad, the spaceman!







My dad has the best sense of humor. He took quite a bit of ribbing today once they got the four pins in his head and the frame attached. When they put on the bubble to take measurements John and I couldn't pass up that Kodak moment. Steve said he looked just like Marvin the Martian. You may think that all sounds just terrible but dad was cool with it and even asked me to send the picture to him - his phone AND his email! LOL We had him laughing and it helped pass the time and ease his anxieities.

Dad was such a trooper today. We commented at lunch about how positive and upbeat he always is, he continually amazes us at all he's been through and how well he handles it all. He had a rough couple of days after this latest news but after that he came up fighting. He did very well today. He was anxious about the four pins they put in his head but the numbing medicine did a wonderful job. The MRI showed the second lesion was in fact cancer so they treated both lesions today. It was a very long day for him but he did great and is home now resting. He has an MRI in 6 weeks to check his progress. Chemo starts next week.

Thank you for your continued prayers!

Movin' and Groovin'

We were blessed yesterday to see our little one again. Shortly after the tech started the ultrasound I thought I saw an arm move. I asked her if the baby had just moved and at that very instant that little one started to move and groove like nothing I've ever seen! I laughed so hard. I thought seeing the heartbeat was reassuring, seeing our little one so active was priceless! There wasn't a part of it's little tiny body that wasn't movin' and groovin'.

Bo (our chocolate lab)is always pretty wound up when he sees me at the end of the work day. He did his usual dance around me when we came home and I told Steve it looked just like the baby wiggling around! If you've ever seen a lab excited and jumping and wiggling all over you know what I mean!

My dad didn't get to come to the ultrasound as planned. I called to tell them how the baby was dancing around. This was the conversation that followed: Mom - It must be a girl, she was dancing. Boys don't have rhythm. Dad hollering from the background - Yes they do! All I could do was laugh at them. My dad is certain this is a boy (as are Steve and I). I'm not sure if my mom really thinks it's a girl or if she's just antagonizing my dad!

I got the OK to start swimming again from the high risk doctor. We stopped on the way home to buy a bathing suit. That could be a post all of it's own!! What an experience ...

My dad spent the day at the hospital yesterday. The gamma knife radiosurgery is a 'go' for tomorrow. They have to be there at 6:30am and are expected to be there all day. They will be able to tell tomorrow, before the procedure, if the second lesion is or is not cancerous. The radiation doctor said after chemo they may do whole brain radiation as well. Thursday he goes back to the hospital to have a port put in. This will cut down on the number of times he's stuck with a needle. He's a hard stick and it's always tough on him. After the port is put in on Thursday he gets a very brief break until chemo starts next Tuesday, Feb. 16th.

This post wouldn't be complete without adding what an amazing husband I have. Steve has been working, keeping the house running, and taking care of me. Most days I feel so sick I am pretty darn worthless. He is exhausted but hasn't said one word of complaint. He is such a blessing and such a wonderful support.

Thank you for your continued prayers for my family.
The snow is coming down hard here. Stay warm!

Birthday Girls

Two of my beautiful godchildren had birthdays this week. Alisa turned 9 yesterday and Haley turns 10 today. Happy Birthday Alisa and Haley!



Alisa



Haley at Young's Dairy



Alisa



Haley fishing at the Handy Pond

Comments

I've had several people tell me they have had difficulty posting a comment. I changed one of the settings and now you have a couple more options when you select a profile to publish a comment from. Try this ...

Under 'Comment as: Select Profile' you can click on Name/URL and just type in a name...the url is optional. Then hit 'Publish Comment'. The other choice is to click 'Anonymous' and then publish comment. If you do this please make sure you put your name in the comment so I know who you are. Also, when you publish a comment I have it set for you to type in a word verification. This is a security measure for me. Make sure you type in the word as shown.

I hope this helps! If not, please email me and I will see if I can figure it out.

Stay warm!