Charleston Dr. Update

We spent the weekend in Charleston, SC and it was so nice. Perfect weather and Alex did great the whole time including the drive. Saturday we got in, in the afternoon and after checking into the hotel we went to the beach for an hour. Alex didn't quite know what to make of the water but it was fun. Saturday we drove out to Magnolia Plantation and walked the gardens. It was beautiful. Then we went into Charleston and walked around the market and my parents favorite candy store that has the best pralines in the world!! We drove down to the Battery area and walked around the park and up and down differnt streets. Just relaxing to walk around without a set adgenda or time-frame. That night we ate at Water's Edge. It was VERY good, I highly recommend the salmon! Monday, fun time over, we packed up checked out, got breakfast and headed to the hospital. My mind was racing and my stomach was in knots, I don't know why I am so at peace with things until I actually go to the Dr.....maybe it's just denial that anything is wrong until I am facing it head on. UGH!!! Anyway, I did like this Dr. and he said that he was sure that it was Cystic Hygroma (which we already knew) and he gave the run-down of possible options: surgery or sclerotherpy (ie chemo). He said that before we make any decisions they want to do an MRI. All we know is what we can see on his neck/back....we don't know what or how extensive it could be, where we can see (it could be in his chest and we just can't see it). So the MRI will tell them everything they need to know. We are set up to go the last week of May and he will be put to sleep for the MRI since you have to be still, and there is no way to keep a 6mo old still!!! After the MRI we will meet with another Dr. that will evaluate him and let us know what sclerotherapy options may be best for him. The Dr. said that they would like to try that first instead of surgery if possible. I think that there are just more risks with surgery in the neck area where so many nerves are located. So we are back in the wait period. I think I am ok, but haven't really processed everything yet. We have not ruled out staying with our Dr. in Greenville. We just don't know and have not really had the time to process. Prayer, that is what we need....that and for time to just stand still long enough for me to breathe and appreciate my kids while they are kids. Time is just gone before I know it....with my work and the Dr. appts it seems like my life is just one schedule after another!! I will upload some photos from Charleston very soon, if you are my friend on Face Book I have already uploaded some there.

Special thanks to my Mom and Dad who helped with Ella while we were gone, they have been so amazing any time we have needed them, they are there no questions asked...I hope Stephen and I are as good to our children as they have been to us!

Another special thanks to all of you who I know check this blog and some that I don't...Thanks for your prayers, they are felt and so needed. If you check in on this blog every now and then and would like to, leave a comment, you don't have to really say anything just let me know you stopped by so I can say a prayer of thanks specifically for you!

Holly

Alex Dr. Appointment Update

It has been nice to be home for a a change. We are all doing well but we had to take Alex to and ENT (Ear Nose Throat) Dr. because he keeps getting ear infections. The Dr. said he needed to get tubes in his ears. The will call me next week to let me know when. The Dr. asked about the mass on his neck and he highly suggested that we see a Dr. with MUSC (Medical Univ of SC) in Charleston. There is a Dr. there that specializes in neck masses and has seen other CH patients. We have an appointment on April 20th. I like the Dr. we are seeing now but it can never hurt to get another opinion, especially one that deals with this more often. I just want it to go away, I don't want my son to have to deal with this. I pray that whatever treatment we choose will be the best for him. There is no cure for CH and only a few options for treatments, sometimes they are successful sometimes not.....we will just have to pray and wait. Ella has been so sweet and she is such a sweet little girl that loves her baby brother. After I took Alex to the ENT, Ella rubbed his little cheek and said "You did so good at the Dr. Alex, I am so proud of you." Oh, those moments are just the most precious. Ella is almost finished with her first year of school 4K. It's gone by so fast, she has enjoyed it and has done really well. Alex has achieved a milestone, he has started to roll over. He's rolling like crazy now that he has the hang of it and it won't be long before he starts scooting around. I wish I could slow time down.....these days are going too fast!

Back From Brazil

I had an amazing time in Brazil. It was so beautiful and the people are just the nicest people you will ever meet. They have nothing but their hearts are so full. What a blessing to have been a part of it all. I left on March 11 and got to Sao Paolo on the 12th and flew straight to Campo Grande. It was good to get on the ground after flying for so long. We were met by missionaries Walter and Carole Ponder. They took us to our hotel and then we drove around the city. That evening we had dinner at an amazing restaurant. They just keep bringing skewers of different meats one after another until you just can't eat any more. It was so good, and I was so full! The next day we went to Bandierantes. A small town/village about 1 hour out of Campo Grande. We had vision casting that evening and then actual training the next day. The people were so receptive! They were the first church to ever do an Upward league in Brazil and several other churches came to train and are very interested. After training we went back to Campo Grande and had training at a church there Boas Novas. They had also run a league and were in the middle of evaluations. That evening they had a fund raiser for their Upward league and many people brought food and other items to sell. It was such a fun and festive atmosphere. The next day we trained at the church. The next day we left for a 5 hour drive to Corumba, which is on the boarder of Bolivia. On the way we stopped on the side of the road in the Pantanal (similar to the everglades) and a man took us to the waters edge and banged on the water and all of these aligators just came out of nowhere, at least 20. It was amazing and a little scary! We got to Corumba and held vision that night and trained the next day. Again the people were just so friendly and excited about Upward. The next afternoon we flew to Campo Grande on a prop plane, which I was not thrilled about but it was fine. Actually some dignitary was on the plane. Military personel lined up and he saluted each of them before boarding the plane. Not sure who he was but he must have been someone important. We flew on to Sao Paolo and met up with a pastor there, Ailton. He had a tiny tiny car and we tried to explain that we did not need all of our luggage we could store it at the airport and he kept saying it would fit in his car. We finally got him to understand that we didn't need all of it and got lockers. When we saw his car, we just laughed and laughted, there was NO way any of that luggage would fit in his car. We all had small carryon's and backpacks and we ended up having some of that in our laps. That is the Brazillian way thought, they want you to be happy and will tell you "sure" when there is no way it will happen. It was pretty funny. We drove 3 hours to his village and got to our hotel (that was over an auto station) at 2am. The next 2 days we drove around different villages where he wants to start Upward leagues. It was some of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my life. Just breathtaking!!! I was ready to come home, 9 days was a long time to be away. We drove to see the largest Catholic church in the world, so I am told. It was really really big and then to the airport. We stopped by a sports store and I was able to find 2 cycling jerseys for Stephen. I was so happy to find something nice for him. Sometimes it's hard to find that perfect gift. I also found a stuffed piranha fish. I didn't want to get it, it was ugly and gross but I was told about them before I left and mentioned it to Stephen and he insisted that if I saw one, to get it. I reluctantly complied. I think he was happier with that than the cycling jerseys!! It was good to get home to my family even with Alex's double ear infection and Ella's strep throat....it was so good to be home!

Next week.....Vancouver

Holly

Canada and Brazil

I got back from my trip to Canada. We flew into Buffalo and drove to Toronto. I flew in a day early with a co-worker to have an early meeting so we had the chance to spend s couple hours at Niagara Falls. I had never been and I just loved it, it was so pretty with the snow. I missed the kids and Stephen though! He did fine but the true test will be this week. I leave today for Brazil and will be gone for 9 days. I am excited about the opportunity to go and to meet with the churches there and help them begin Upward!!! I hope to be able to connect via Skype with Stephen and the kids. I was able to while in Canada and Ella loved being able to talk and see me talking to her via the computer. I don't know what kind of connection we will have there but we should at least be able to talk on the global phone. I ask for prayers for safe travel. Lots of flights getting there and back and several within Brazil. I never was nervous flying until I had children so it's a little harder for me now. I also ask for prayers for Stephen & the kids while I am away and also for our work in Brazil. That we will be able to be used to help pastors there use Upward to reach kids and families!

Photos of Niagara Falls and Brazil to come soon.

Holly

SNOW!!!!!!

It finally snowed in SC and more than just a dusting, we actually got about 4". Which of course closed down the schools, businesses and just about everything else. It was so much fun to see Ella enjoy her first real snow.

Travel Time Again

Gosh time is just flying by....I can't believe that I have gone so long without a post. Busy Busy is all I can say!!

Alex is 5 months old today. He is just such a joy, he has had 2 ear infections since Jan and you would never know it....he just smiles all the time and rarely cries. I guess the Lord knew we needed some calm since Ella is just wide open all the time. Alex is really doing great and growing up. He is up to 16lbs already, he has found his toes and can push up on his arms when he is on his belly. It won't be long until he starts rolling over. He babbles and we think we have heard "da da" a couple of times but nothing consistant yet. He certainly wants to talk and loves to watch my mouth when I talk, actually he likes to grab my lips or hair, whichever is easiest to get at. We just got him a jump-a-roo and it's the funniest thing to watch him bounce around. He loves it. We have started rice cereal and will start other foods soon. We took him to his appointment at Children's Hospital yesterday and the Dr. thinks he is doing really well and doesn't think he needs to be seen until July. At that point he will do an ultra sound and then schedule his treatment. He will be put to sleep for the treatment and kept 1 night...that's the plan. So I feel good that the Dr. doens't think he needs to be seen again until then. I am at peace with it, really totally at peace. I just think that he is going to be fine and have a good feeling about the treatment, a far cry from when I was the mother of a two week old baby just discovering there was something wrong but not knowing what and the Dr.'s didn't know either. It seems like a lifetime ago, it was only 5 months!

Ella is doing wonderful. She is still enjoying 4K and doing really well. She is loving Alex and helps me take care of him and is just a little momma. She went to Stephen's sister and Brother-in-law's house last Friday and spent the night for the first time. She loved it. They have some cows and other animals close by and Ella just thought that was wonderful.

Stephen is doing fine and is such an amazing help with the kids! He had to get a tooth pulled yesterday so he's not feeling so good but better than he was last week when his tooth was hurting! Nothing worse than a toothache!

I am doing pretty good. Just very busy at work. I moved from upstairs to downstairs a few weeks ago and now sit by the window that overlooks the lake. It's really beautiful and a constant reminder of how Blessed I am to work here! Not that I have much time to gaze but it's still beautiful. Speaking of work, traveling season is upon me once again. This time it will be different....last year I had Alex in tow as I was pregnant with him. This time I am on my own and Stephen will be taking care of the kids while I am away....say some prayers for him. He is amazing and will do fine, but anyone with kids knows how hard it can be and I will be missing Stephen's Birthday on March 7! I leave next Thursday (march 5) for Toronto and return on Sunday. Then I leave that Wednesday (March 11) for Brazil and will not return until March 20th. So I will be gone quite a bit beginnig next week. I think I will be home fow awhile after that. I know that I am doing what I am called to do and feel very certain of that but it sure is hard to leave my family. So say a prayer for all of us!!!

I will be posting some updated photos soon. Sorry for the lack of posts especially with updates on Alex. I know there are people out there checking in and I hate that I have not updated sooner!!

Holly

No Pink Cookies!!!

The other night Stephen was getting Ella ready for bed. I came in the room and it was a total disaster. I told Ella that she had a messy room and needed to clean it up. She was not happy with that at all. So I told her that tomorrow after school if she came home and cleaned her room I would give her one of the pink frosted cookies that she had been wanting all evening that I wouldn't let her have because it was too close to bed. She stopped and pondered this, and then said "Mommy, I don't think I want a pink cookie". Figures!

Alex is doing fine, he got his 4 month shots the other day and did ok other than not having much of an appetite. He is growing so fast, he is 15.9lbs and 27". I introduced him to the exersaucer this week and he loves it!! He is now reaching for things and putting them in his mouth. He grabs for my nose and loves to grab my hair. He has great head control but is still a ways off from sitting up. He goes back for his next Dr. visit at the Children's Hospital in late Feb. about his Cystic Hygroma, which seems to be doing fine. He is not bothered by it but it is definitly getting bigger. I just hope that it's growth will be slow enough to wait until he one and they will do the treatment then.

Stephen and I are fine, we have all been sick and Stephen is just now getting better from being sick AGAIN. We are doing fine with our jobs and thankful that ours are secure. It's so scary out there right now. I have just moved from the upstairs of the building to the downstairs. I liked it upstairs as it was quiet and our group was a little secluded. Down here it's a little louder and definitly colder!!! BUT, I sit by the window that over looks trees and the lake....so I can't complain about the view!!! It really is beautiful.

Holly

One year ago....

One year ago today I took a pregnancy test expecting the same result that I had for over a year. But this time was different, positive, I couldn't believe it an actual positive....Alex was forming. What an amazing feeling, I wish I could live that moment over again, that first realization that I was in fact going to have another baby after finally coming to the realization that it probably was not going to happen. It wasn't the easiest of pregnancies but I'd gladly do it all over again. We had no idea if it was a boy or a girl but we both (as well as most everyone) felt it was a boy. The Dr. let Stephen tell me and I will never forget that moment in time, hearing Stephen say, "it's a boy, we have a son" the most beautiful words....as beautiful as hearing the Dr. say "it's a girl" when we had Ella. It's still hard to believe that it has been a year since that positive test.

Well we are all finally better, we have all been sick (except for Ella)just about since Christmas. We are all doing much better. Alex had his first sickness, double ear infection. He handled it well, a couple days of fever and more fussy than normal but he is doing great. We go for his 4 month shots next week, that is never fun but he did really well with the last set of shots so I hope he does as well. Alex is just growing up so much. He is now really wanting to sit up, he's not quite there yet but he's trying. He is now grabbing things and putting them in his mouth. He knows his name and knows it as soon as mommy or daddy comes into the room. He loves to watch Ella and she loves him so much. She just loves to give him kisses and show him toys and how to play. It's really cute and she is such a great big sister. I am so blessed by both of my children!

I just had to post this photo of Alex. It just makes me laugh every time I look at it!

Merry Christmas!!!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! We had a great holiday, my brother Joe his wife, Jane and his step girls Stephanie and Anna came Friday-Tuesday. We had a wonderful vist with all of them and Ella really enjoyed them as well. It was a whirl wind of a trip for them but I am so glad they came. We didn't do much on Chrsistmas Eve except do some shopping. We usually go to Mom and Dad's church Christmas Eve service at 9pm but this year we decided to just have a quite evening at home. We did some shopping that afternoon and got home around 5pm but I realized when I got home that I didn't have my purse...UGH! I drove the 20 miles back to the mall in small hopes someone turned it in. We had so much going on with the kids and packages when we were leaving I was getting everything out of the stroller and think I set it down but had all the packages in my arms and thought I had my purse on my shoulder but I think I left it sitting on the floor. So far, it has not turned up. BUT it could be much worse....I don't keep my wallet with credit cards etc. in my purse for that very reason so I didn't loose it and I had my cell phone in my pocket I did, however, loose a really nice digital camera. I had just put in a new disk so I only lost a handful of photos. I hated to loose it but glad I didn't have to worry about canceling credit cards, getting new ID or loosing several gift cards. At least I now know what I will be spending my gift cards on!!

Ella really enjoyed Christmas this year although she is not, nor has she ever been a fan of Santa. She won't even look at him in the mall, so I don't fight her on it. I did ask her the other day how was Santa going to know what she wanted for presents....her reply, I already have enough toys, I don't need more presents. How do I argue that point??? But she had fun baking cookies for Santa. She woke up around 7:45. Mom and Dad were already there to watch her open gifts and she liked opening them. She opened a gift and looked it over, and took her time. In fact about 1/2 way through she took her two favorite gifts so far into her room, shut the door and started to play. She does love her room and to play on her own. She came out after a few minutes and finished opening her gifts. Alex just chilled on Dad's lap. He mostly just watched all the action going on but he did get his first hot wheels car!

We went to Mom and Dad's around noon for the day and had a great lunch with my Aunt Jean and Grandpa. My Grandpa is doing great at 96. He stays in SC during the winter and golfs about 3 days a week with Dad! We had a nice lunch and then Ella and Alex had some gifts to open there. It was really nice and warm (high 60's) and just a nice day with family. This time last year I was very down as I didn't think we would be able to have any more children...we had been trying for over a year at that point so it was kind of a sad time for me and I had pretty much given up the hope of having another. Little did I know that in a few weeks God would be forming Alex in my womb....and now he is here!

Stephen's Dad and Dorane will be coming in today from KY for the weekend. We will get together with Stephen's famiy Saturday night at our house so that will be nice. Stephen's Dad has not seen Alex yet and he has not been here for Christmas before so it will be a nice time. We still miss Stephen's mother...she would have loved to have seen Alex and to know that Stephen has a son. This is our 2nd Christmas without her. It still doesn't seem real that she has been gone that long. We miss her.

I hope all of you have had a wonderful Christmas and will have a blessed new year. I hope we all remember the reason to celebrate, Christ Jesus and all He gave for us.

.................Christmas Fun!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

......................Back to Reality

Well Monday I go back to work....I have been off for 12 weeks and have loved every minute of it. I am fortunate to have been able to take 3 months off because I will never have that opportunity again. I have been trying to cherish the days but they just have gone by so fast. It has been wonderful. Monday I will take Alex to day care, and Ella will join him after school. His day care is amazing but they aren't "Mom". I will be ok though, it will take a week or so of adjustment. Sabrina, who sits next to me, will just have to deal with my emotions.....she sat next to me during my preganacy so I don't think anything could do her in. Bless her she was so great during some really difficult pregnant days....thanks Sabrina you are the best! She is also the same Sabrina who is a photographer on the side (just another little plug for her) :-)Speaking of work, I didn't make it to the Christmas ladies tea this year but I included some photos in my slide show (taken by Sabrina, another plug...you owe me LOL) just because the decorating is just, well, there is no way to describe it, you have to see it. This year the theme was Audry Hepburn-Breakfast at Tiffney's.

We had Alex's baby dedication last Sunday. My parents and Stephen Sister, Mary Kay, came. It was a really nice day.

Well we finally broke down and bought a Mini Van...I still can't believe it myself. We have been looking for a few weeks and I came across a Kia Sedona van on the net that looked great, it has really low miles and the price was unbelieveable. I researched it online and the price was way way below Kelly Blue Book, so I thought there was a catch or it was listed incorrectly but we got there and the price was correct. It has all the bells and whistles that we never thought we'd be able to afford...leather seats, DVD entertainment system, power everything and I got a suprise the other day I was walking to the van, pressed a button on the key remote thinking I was unlocking the doors and the van started up!!! How cool is that?? So Mom and Dad are in Ohio so I have not told them yet, they will be happy for us. Dad would be happier with an American made van LOL...no he will be very happy for us too.

My brother and sister-in-law and my step neices are coming next week. I am excited to see them as it's been a year and they have not see Alex yet. It will be a fun time having them here.

Ella is still doing great and loving school. She is telling everyone that we have the biggest giantest car so she is excited as well. She is excited about Christmas but can't stand Santa, she won't even look at him. Every Christmas she is frowning sitting on Santa's lap...I don't even think we will get a photo with santa this year.
She is 4 and some things just aren't worth the battle : )

Holly

.....................Giving Thanks

I know it's late for a Thanksgiving post but so it goes....We had a great Thanksgiving this year. We went to Mom and Dad's and my Aunt and Uncle Ricki and Ron joined us. My brother was coming from Louisiana, while his wife Jane and his step children Stephanie and Anna went to NY for the Macy's parade and shopping. However their dog was not doing well so he stayed in LA. We missed him but they are all coming the week before Christmas so that will be great to have all of them here. It was a great day, lots of food and laughs. Ella played outside in the leaves and Alex, well he just chilled out on the bouncy seat and slept. Some things I am thankful for this year: Stephen-I don't know what I did to deserve such a wonderful husband, my girl Ella-she is just amazing and keeps us laughing and on our toes all the time, my boy Alex-one year ago I was trying so hard to be at peace with the fact that we probably would not be able to have another child and here he is. My parents that are the most giving people, my job-although I am loving being on maternity leave and would love to stay at home, I do love my job. A lot of people can't say that about their career but I do just love it. I feel so blessed that since I can't stay at home, I love where I work. I am thankful for our home and where we live, it's so easy to want for more but we have all of our needs met and that is plenty. Finally, I am most thankful for a God who loves us all, enough to give his Son that we may have life.

Since Thanksgiving we have put up our tree, we got a real one this year. This is the first real tree since early in our marriage and it's beautiful and smells great. Ella enjoyed decorating it. She is still enjoying school, not enough to hop out of bed in the moring...I still have to drag her out of bed but she does love it. Alex is doing great. He is 10 weeks old this week and still not one sleepless night woo hoo!!! He is growing so much and just smiles all the time and started laughing last week, which is just so much fun. He is reaching for things and is facinated with the lights on the tree. We take him back to the Children's Hospital on Monday to get a check on his Cystic Hygroma, it's larger than what it was but he is dong fine. Stephen has been busy landscaping all day at work and then coming home and working on our own yard. Little by little we are getting the yard the way we want it. The back and side of the house is pretty good now we are tackling the front. We started with just the one side of the house and will complete the rest of the yard by next fall. He dug up all the shrubs and planted a new bed. It looks great and I can't wait until the rest of the yard is done.

Christmas is around the corner and I am trying to get everything done before I return to work which will be here before I know it. I go back on the 15th. I already told Sabrina, who sits next to me, to have tissues on my desk ready. It will be an emotional day. After a week or so I think we will all be settled. Well, it's early in the moring and I need to get Ella up and ready for school....another day, another battle.

Holly

..................Mimi's are Great!!!

Last night my Mom (mimi) and Dad (poppi) kept both Alex and Ella for the night. When I came back home it was strange to not have any kids in the house, strange but nice. Now I can't say that it really enabled me more sleep because Alex is the champion of all sleeping babies. He slept 9 hours the other night! But it was nice to get some things done and try to start putting photos together in albums. I am the queen of procrastination. I got an album for Ella when she was an infant and have 4 pages done. So I went through a lot of photos and put them in different catagories and am going to work little by litte to put some scrapbooks together. I am not going all crazy mom scrapbooking or anything (I am not creative enough and frankly just too ADD to put a lot of time into it). But I want to do it for us. I know once it's done, it will be easier to keep it up to date and I will be happy that we have them when we are older. Funny thing is I have so much more fun getting all the things I need and going through all the photos than actually working on an album. By the time I have everything out and pulled the pictures, I am bored with the whole thing. But I still try.

Alex is 8 weeks old already and just growning and his little cheeks are filling out so much I could just take a bite of them. He had his baby well appt. with 3 shots. He did pretty good, cried for a few minutes but then was ok. That evening and the next day he acted like he was hurting and cried a little but for the most part he did great, much better than Ella. Poor girl after every set of shots she ran a fever, was fussy and a few times threw up a lot. She just didn't handle them well at all. Alex is up to 11 lb 14oz and 23 1/4" long so he has grown a full 4" in 8 weeks, that's a lot of growing. I call him my cuddler as he just nuzzles himself in my neck. I hope I never forget that feeling.

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving, my brother is driving up from Louisana, his wife Jane and her daughters are going to NYC for the holiday so it will just be him. It will be so good to see him again and for him to meet Alex. Ella will like playing with him too. The only thing about Thanksgiving is that will officially star my countdown back to work. I haven't thought about going back much but now that time is quickly approaching. After the Thanksgiving weekend, I will be just two weeks from going back (Dec. 15th). It will be so hard. I love being home and forgot how hard it was to go back to work after I had Ella. I was on maternity leave with her for 16 weeks and will have been for 12 weeks with Alex. I do love my job, I enjoy what I do and the people I work with. I will be happy to sit across from Sabrina again and have great conversation and laughs. I will look forward to getting back to some projects and to travel again. Still, I will miss the days at home just spending time with Alex watching him grow and do new things. I will miss picking up Ella from school and going to the library. These are precious days that are too quickly going by. This is my only time to be at home with my children and I am trying to treasure it as much as I can but it just seems like the days are going by so fast and I am screaming and pleading for them to slow down.

Well how was that for a complete downer??? Really I am ok with working, I have made my peace with not being able to stay at home. The Lord provided me a job that is family centered and if I ever need to work from home I can, or if something comes up it's never a problem. I can have a Bible at work and we have company-wide devotions every Wednesday morning. I get to see and actually be a part of thousands of children all over the world have the opportunity to play sports in a great environment and be told about Christ. I get to work in the Global Department and travel to different countries and experience different cultures and meet so many wonderful people who have the same desire. I couldn't imaginge being happier working anywhere else, for that I am so deeply humbled and thankful. It makes it all worthwhile!

Holly H

.................Family Photo's by Sabrina Lewis

A few weeks ago we had an amazing photographer come out to the house to take some family photographs. She is AMAZING and we are thrilled with the shots she got. The photos in the slide show are a some of the photos she took. She comes highly recommended and you are welcome to ask me about her or contact her yourself. We work together at Upward so I can tell you with all my heart she is wonderful and will do a great job! Her links are listed under my "Link's" section on the right. You can also email her directly at sabrina.lewis@yahoo.com.

Holly

.........................History is Made

This week we elected the first black president, Obama. Like it or not, agree with him or not, Democrat or not.........it is progress. I, for one, am optimistic. I think that it can't get much worse in the US and I hope and pray that it will get much better. Of course, my devotion is to Christ, not to man but I pray for Obama and our nation. Many think that you can't be a democrat and a Christian because they are too liberal. I don't agree with everything in either party but try to look at it objectively, what is going to be the better for the majority of America. I hope and pray that Obama is just that!

The other day my Mom and some of her prayer sisters came over to see Alex. They are a group of amazing ladies that have been prayer sisters for over 30 years. It was wonderful to have them over for lunch, conversation and prayer. I so apprecaite all that they have done for me and I just love them and am so thankful for them.




Well, Alex is now 6 weeks old and up to 11lbs!!! He is doing great and I can't say enough how good of a sleeper he is....it's almost unnatural! He has his routine down pretty good. He wakes in the morning for a bottle and will doze off and on for a few hours. He will wake again and eat and then be awake until around 1pm. Then he goes down until 6pm and stays awake until 10ish and then is down for the night. He usually wakes for a bottle around 4:30 or 5am but then goes back down until 7am and we start all over. He is an easy baby and just loves to cuddle. He has always smiled a lot since he was born but this week he began to truly smile in response. It's the best feeling in the world to see him smile back at me. I could just nibble his little cheeks off! Alex had his first bath in the tub this week too. I have ben giving him a sponge bath. He didn't seem to mind at all.



Ella is doing great and loves her little brother so much. She is doing great in school and loves her teacher. The other day I picked her up and asked her what she did in school that day and she said "oh Mommy, you wouldn't understand" I also got the "it's not fair" line for the first time. She is four but you'd never know it. I had to include a couple photos of Ella with the mice, she loves all animals and I thought these photos were so cute.

..................Happy Halloween

Ready to trick or treat!


Ella went as a dog and Alex was a Bumble Bee (for a few minutes anyway)

Ella and Alex

----------------------Fall is Here!!-----------------

I love this time of year, cool but not cold leaves changing. I love living so close to the mountains, they are just beautiful. Last Thursday I packed up Ella and Alex and went to Mom and Dad's house. Ella had Friday off from school and it was Dad's birthday. I hated that Stephen had to work and couldn't come but I think, well I know he enjoyed having a night in the house by himself who wouldn't??? We went to a pumpkin patch and got pumpkins Ella loved running down the rows and picking out ones for all of us. Alex just wanted milk. Alex is doing great, eating and sleeping like a champ. Friday night and last night he went down around 10pm and slept until 5am and then back to sleep after a bottle!!! Other nights aren't that bad either, he sometimes wakes around 3am for a quick bottle and then goes back down. I have to give God the big high five for giving me such a good sleeper. I have not once felt sleep deprived. And actually Ella was like that too. On the very rare occasion she would be awake for a couple hours at night but not much. Now she was fussy every night from 5pm-9pm. I wouldn't call it full on colic as I am sure parents of a full blown colicky baby would have loved to have her fussy spells. But she just got fussy. She had a hard time eating too, she was a spitter, almost every bottle that milk would come flying out of her mouth....I was just waiting for her head to start spinning around. I think everyone in the family got it at one time or another. But all in all she was a great baby and Alex is just as laid back as they come.....he takes after his daddy and I can't complain about that one bit! Health-wise Alex is doing well. Growing in length and weight, he loves to eat that's for sure. I am just trying to relax bewteen noe and his next appointment with the surgeon in December.

Holly

Alex's Dr. Appointment Update

We made it through the day! I never thought this day would get here...it's been a long week. We went to Children's Hospital and met with Dr. Chandler with Pediatric Surgery. He looked Alex over and right away was able to confirm that it was a Cystic Hygroma or Lymphatic Malformation. I thought for sure he would say that they would plan for surgery in the next couple of months but he actually said that he would like to see Alex every couple of months and hopefully they could wait until he is around 1 to try a new treatment. It will be an injection that will hopefully disintegrate it completely. Of course things could change between now and then. He said that he would keep a close watch on it and if he needed surgery because of infection or because it may continue to grow then he could always go that route. But he would prefer to wait as long as he can and would prefer the treatment over surgery. He also said that Alex has the type of CH that is the better kind to have. I can't remember the types but one is multiple cysts that is harder to treat and Alex has the type that is just one.

So, how do I feel??? I feel good about the Dr. he seemed to know a lot about CH even though he said that they only see about 1 case a year. That's hard to imagine, at a big hospital only 1 case a year. I knew that this was very rare but that really put that less that 1% into perspective. I feel relieved that we know for sure what it is and that the Dr. is confident that it is treatable, although with CH there is always the chance of it coming back no matter what treatment you have. I feel somewhat frustrated that we will still just have to do the wait and see what happens potentially for a year. I am worried about what the medical bills are going to look like. I feel mentally and physically exhausted, all the wondering and waiting plus still trying to deal with the complications I have had from the c-section, I am tired but functioning! However, I feel blessed that I have a savior that already knows the outcome and carries me...even when I don't know it or how much I fight it and try to carry it all myself. I know that God will provide all of our needs: from calming me from the stress, taking care of Alex, meeting our financial, mental, physical and emotional needs. I am thankful for the most wonderful husband, what a gift he is to me and our children. I am also thankful for family and friends who uplift me. One day I might even be thankful that we had to endure this, there is a reason and a purpose. I don't know what that is right now and frankly I wish we didn't have to go through it, but I have faith enough to know that God's plan is divine and this is just a part of His plan.

Thank you all for your continued prayers for Alex and all of us!!!

Holly

Only Two Weeks!!!???!!!

Wow, it's hard to believe that Alex is only 2 weeks old. Well 2 weeks and 4 days to be exact. It seems like he should be much older by now. I mean it really seems like ages ago that we set off at 7am to the hospital and 4 1/2 hours later he was born. I guess a lot has to do with the fact that we have already had to deal with so much. With my complications, which are still ongoing, and then finding the lumps and not knowing what was going on with him. I am sure that it will take forever for next Friday to arrive. We go to the pediatric surgeon to find out more about Cystic Hygroma, and what they will do for Alex. I am just anxious. It's the unknown that is so hard. At least when I know, no matter how hard it is to hear the news at least I know what it is I have to deal with. I need patience and a lot more faith! I think right now I am just so numb, it's hard to even comprehend what is happening. Plus, there is Ella. She is still adjusting to having a baby brother in the house. It must have just turned her little world upside down when he came home. She is calming down and adjusting. The first week or so she was good but a little more hyper than normal and acting out more. She is settling in ok. She is just my sweet girl. We try really hard to make sure she understands that while we now have Alex in our lives she is just as special and loved. She does love her brother. She wants to give him hugs and kisses all the time. I am just so blessed with this family, I have been entrusted with. I hope I serve the Lord well by being the kind of wife and mother He has called me to be.

Holly