Category: Blessings

Thank you for reading my blog.  Really…I mean it!  I truly enjoy blogging and sharing our lives with you; but it would be a boring, dissatisfying exercise if it weren't for your comments and participation.

So, thank you!  I am so glad you are here.

I have so many things to tell you about, so let's get started.

First, we have taken Isaac to 6 doctors in the last 4 weeks.  It has been exhausting physically, mentally and emotionally.  I'll try to sum up in bullets:

• Isaac was running a low-grade fever for a couple of weeks.  We never figured out why, and it has now stopped.
• He has lost weight since our last visit to his gastroenterologist, and so we have increased his daily caloric intake.
• We have started him on daily carrot juice and barley supplements and he is doing well.  We have been able to stop the OTC laxative that he was taking daily.  : D
• We had noticed a ridge developing on Isaac's forehead.  (I noticed it after taking a pic for the blog…hadn't realized it was there until I saw the pic on my computer!)  Also, his face is becoming noticeably asymmetrical.  However, the neurosurgeon is not concerned with either of these things.  His head is simply going to grow that way, due to earlier issues.  His features will probably even out as each growth spurt ends.
• Isaac's been having a new kind of seizure for about 6 weeks now.  The neurologist recommended a VNS system.  You can read about it on the Cyberonics site here.  We are still in the information gathering stage on this.
• Isaac's left hip is subluxated (partially dislocated).  This is caused by muscles that have been too tight on his inner thigh that have pulled that leg over to the right.  We found out about this last December, and have worked hard to position Isaac so that the hip is in a good position.  That isn't going to fix the dislocation though.  The only way to do that is with surgery.
• Isaac's hip has not gotten any worse since last December, and the orthopedic surgeon we saw does not believe he is in pain with it.  We were worried that the pain could have been causing the increased seizure activity, but the surgeon doesn't feel that is the case.
• We are going to see the doctor again in December, and will probably schedule the surgery for soon after that.  I tried to find a site that explains the surgery in layman's terms, but couldn't find one.  I'll keep looking to see if I can find something and share it with you later.
• Isaac is sleeping well right now, which is such a blessing.  We have started doing his asthma treatments at a different time of day, rather than at bed time, and that seems to have made a world of difference.

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I won a blog contest a few week's back and received the yummiest wash cloths from Copperswife, Cheryl.  They are the softest, prettiest things I've seen in a long time.  I am using them only for Isaac, and they are especially nice for washing his face every morning. : )  Here are a couple of pics.  I planned to get a few more pics, but was unable to do so (more on that later).

Be sure to read Cheryl's latest blog.  It has some encouragement for us to have the proper priorities as we finish up our busy summers and head into the upcoming school year.  It's a good read, as usual!

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Isaac received another nice surprise last month from our friends Jerry and Laura in Japan.  Jerry and a group of other missionaries and interns climbed Mt. Fuji in Japan!  It was an awesome trip.  Be sure to catch his first installment of the journey on his blog, linked above. 

Jerry had offered to mail postcards from the post office at the top of Mt. Fuji, and so I had asked him to send one to Isaac.  Not only did he send a beautiful postcard, but he also included the headband that he wore on his trek.  This is the message that Jerry sent to Isaac.  (After the month that we have had, you can imagine how these kind words touched this mommy's heart. )

"Dear Isaac, When a Japanese person has a difficult job to do, they wear a headband with a message written on it to encourage them.  Each member of our group wore a headband with the Kanji 'Hisshou' (victory) written on it.  This is my headband.  I hope it will encourage you in whatever hard jobs you have to do.  Habakkuk 3:19"

(Laura, I hope I have it right side up! : )  I "googled" it so see how to turn it. )

It is amazing the things that God puts into motion weeks, months or even years before you need a Word from Him.  I'm sure this climb has been something that Jerry has pondered for a long time.  And at just the right time, God allowed him to make this climb, and then he, in turn, passed on a blessing to us.  Our God is incredible.

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I know this post has gone on forever, but I have just a few more things to share. : )

New shirts for Isaac

New shirts for Mommy : )

Our new parsley plant (in a cute little pot, courtesy of Grammy).

On a sad note, my new camera has DIED!!!  You can't even imagine my sadness!  We had only had it for a couple of months, and I had just learned how to take much better pictures of my jewelry with it!  I was taking some pictures, and the camera fell on the floor.  It jammed the lense mechanism, and now the lense won't open.  When the lense doesn't open, the camera won't even come on and stay on.  I am very, very sad!  I will be pulling out my old camera that takes AA batteries to see if I can use it again.  (Insert my deep, heavy sigh here!)  Did I tell you how SAD this makes me??? : (

And my last little bit of news…I have joined the choir at my church!!!  I am so excited to be singing again!  I am enjoying the practices so much, and of course, the fellowship that comes with it.  Don't forget, if you can't make it to your church on Sunday, you can watch ours online in real time.  Here's the link:  Landmark Baptist Church.  Just click the "media" tab, then the "live services" tab.  (You might even see me in the choir!!! tee hee hee!) : )

Thank you, again, for coming to read my blog; and I especially want to thank you for your prayers for us.  We appreciate it so much.  

God's richest blessings to you,

Alesha