Hmmm…I have a few minutes this morning to give ya'll an update on things here at the hacienda.
Isaac
is doing fine, although his seizures have been on an upswing last week
and this week. We had that one week of relatively few seizures and it
was wonderful. That has been followed by our seeing an increase in
them. We are planning to have blood work done next week. Perhaps that
will give us a clue to the extra activity we've been seeing.
Doug
is doing well. He goes in to work really early and stays really late;
and 2-3 times a day comes home to feed Isaac and change him if he needs
it. I don't know how he gets everything done at work; but I am so
grateful and amazed and overwhelmed by the kindnesses that have been
shown him there. Not one of his bosses has questioned his time or
schedule, and none have fussed about his time spent here. That is to
be appreciated at any time, but most especially during our current
economy.
Believe me, I am so thankful!
I am doing…as well as can be expected, I guess. I don't want to say "fine". That's so
not true. But I don't want to bore you with what my level of pain is
for each day either. I was able to go 2 days without taking the
prescription pain meds. I just took OTC stuff.
Yesterday I stayed alone with Isaac for a few hours, and changed 2 diapers (and they were not
the easy ones, either!). I walked more yesterday, too, than I have for
a while. So last night I tossed and turned most of the night, trying
to find a comfortable position that didn't hurt, but not able to wake
up enough to realize I needed to take some medicine. 
Finally,
shortly after 6 a.m., I was able to wake up enough to take some pain
meds and that helped quite a bit. I didn't go back to bed, though. I
want to be good and tired for tonight, so that I will sleep more
soundly.
I guess I am going to have to carefully gauge my
activity for the day, then decided whether or not to take the
medication. As much as I want to be off of it permanently, I cannot
heal properly with improper sleep. I end up defeating my purpose. I
will be paying better attention to that at night when I head to bed.
Yesterday I received a sweet card from a sweet friend:
It
just made my day to know that she was thinking of me, praying for me,
and then took the time to send me a card to let me know. Thank you, my "west coast friend"!!!
Nearly
every day I have received emails, messages, or e-cards from kind,
praying friends. I appreciate that so much. Some of my friends have
even forwarded my prayer request to other friends or prayer lists. I
was really touched to have one of my friends' friends send me an email
of her prayer for my family. Such kindness from strangers truly
touches my heart, too.
The sweetest thing, though, has been
having my mom here. She has swept; mopped; washed and folded laundry;
washed and put away dishes; changed Isaac's videos and diapers, pad and
sheets; cleaned the bathroom; cleaned ceiling fans; took the dog out;
emptied trash cans; peeled carrots; and shook out rugs.
Not that she had
to do those things! She could've just sat and visited with me until
Isaac needed her; but she likes to be busy, and doesn't care to sit for
very long. Every day she tried to leave the house spotless and in
order for Doug, so that when he came in, he only had to fix us supper
and care for Isaac. She accomplished her goal every day, let me assure you! 
It
has not been easy to be in need. It goes against my very nature. I
like to be a need-meeter. That's just the way God made me. So this
has been a learning time for me. And a humbling time.
I just
pray that I can get better, continue to lose weight, and be able to
minister to my parents, especially to my mom, the way that she has done
for me the past 2 weeks. My two main motivations for become healthy
are to be able to care for Isaac as he grows, and to be able to care
for those in my family who need me now, or will need me in the future.
God willing, Doug and I will continue on our path to health!
Thanks
for dropping by and taking the time to read this post. I think I have
lost many readers during this season of not having much to say. 
However, it is usually not a bad thing to go through a quiet season
with few words. You usually end up hearing so much more than when you
have so many of your own words to speak.
May God continue to mold us all to His image,
Alesha
)
Obtaining Mercy 