Hello...

Well, he got another transfusion. It seems they told me it would take a couple hours. 4 1/2 hours later we were out of there. Oh, well. I have nothing else to do, right?!? I checked out a book from the library and alternated between sleeping and reading. Caleb went along and they watched a movie together, Atlantis I think. Lena stayed home with the girls. It is so hard to have a busy 1 year old at the hospital that long. I can't put her on the floor, so I have to hold her or stroller her and she doesn't want either one for 4 1/2 hours. We got home kind of late and Isaac ate a late supper and we watched a Little House on the Prairie and he went right to bed. No sign of reaction. I guess it is the first 15 minutes if you will have one anyway. He is having less bm's which is great and there is less blood each time. I'm so thankful. I'm still so tired but I'm thankful. Still praying for less bm's, no more blood, and weight gain! Lord, give me the strength for another day and for healing on Isaac's body. Amen!

Update...

Hi, Isaac had an appointment today and his hemoglobin was up from the blood transfusion. We are going to transfuse him tomorrow at 2 p.m. and then check it weekly for about a month. It takes about a month for a blood transfusion to take complete effect, so we were told today. While we are planning on Mayo clinic we are waiting for his body to adjust to having a higher hemoglobin before we start the barrage of testing. We're still praying for complete healing!

I waver between highs and lows. I can get anxious and have found some good verses in James 1 that have helped give my attention to God's promises of those that go through trials. I constantly ask God "Why now?" "What is your plan? What is you have for us to learn or do or figure out?" "Please take this burden, Lord and heal my son so we can just have a normal life!" "Please, help me know what to do?" I really need to keep my focus on the important things. I've been snappy lately and I don't like to act that way when I'm stressed but it is so hard sometimes to see God's plan in all of this. I get so down and out about it some moments and other moments I'm completely in His hands, trusting in His perfect plan. I figure I should be a better person and then God would hear me or I must be doing something wrong yet and that's why Isaac isn't better. If I was more diligent in feeding him more nutritiously or if I was more in the word God would answer me the way I want. I know God doesn't work that way as my hubby tells me and my heart tells me. But, when I'm struggling I have these thoughts. I can usually find that calm at the end of the storm in prayer and persevering through the hard thoughts. I do find many things to praise the Lord for. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. Isaac is doing quite well. He's doing well in school, got a 100% on his first math lesson and seems to enjoy school right now.

Happy Birthday...

Lena. She is one year old today. We had a party for her yesterday with family. The kids have all been looking forward to celebrating the birthday of their favorite person in the world! She had her first cake and ice cream. She didn't eat much of it. She was a little doll of course. She has been a wonderful blessing! Last year at this very day (since today is her birthday) I was in the beginning of labor at this very moment. She was born around 8:57 p.m. at 8 lbs 1 oz. Thank you Lord!

Please continue praying for healing on Isaac's body. He's feeling energetic and was up earlier than usual getting his school done. We've started out slow today and will keep adding subjects until we are doing everything. Kids are always excited the first week. I hope it keeps up. Praise that Lena slept until 7:30 a.m. I am thankful for some sleep. I actually feel great today. I deleted my last post because a couple days ago I was very discouraged and it was a discouraging post. Being around our church family always gives me a huge boost of strength and help for the week. When I am down the first thing I say to myself is "I'll stay home from church, I just can't do it. I'm too tired." Then, when I go I come away from the service refreshed and feeling like I can handle whatever the week has in store. I think that separating ourselves from others is a normal reaction when we are unsure, sad, worried, etc. and that is the last thing we should do.

I'm losing some of you....

I have been having trouble getting on the computer. Monday was just plain busy. Isaac started Lego robotics and it looks like a lot of fun. Tuesday we had an appointment to check his blood. Wednesday we had Dr. S. appointments (but not really because I came a day early). They fit us in anyway. Then I called the clinic to see when my appointment was and they said yesterday. Now I KNOW I did not make it for that day because I already had an appointment at that time. I'm not losing it that much! :) Thursday we were to another doctor and another clinic at 11:30 a.m. Left there at 2:30 p.m. Isaac was in the hospital (not serious) for a blood transfusion by 3:30 p.m. They didn't come type and match his blood until 5:30 p.m. and then it was another 40 minutes for the blood to come and then it took until 10 p.m. to finish it! Whew! What a week! I originally was going to finish painting the basement floor and put all the junk back by Friday so I could clean the house and have it ready for Lena's first birthday party Sunday. It didn't happen! So, my mom called today and I said, hey want to come help me clean my house. She dusted and vacuumed most of the upstairs. Thanks Mom! I hope to get a good amount cleaned out in the basement but I'm not hopeful. I don't think I ever went to sleep last night. I just couldn't sleep in case Isaac needed me. I don't know if you can have a reaction to a blood transfusion. Supposedly it would be in the first 15 minutes but he's so young and all.

Please pray for his hemoglobin to stay at a good level. This transfusion won't last I'm told. I'm sure if everyone I know emailed a prayer request to 10 friends we'd have an epidemic prayer request. Isaac also has blood in his stools again. I cannot express my disappointment and heartache at this. He was doing so excellent. I'm praying for it to go away and for God to direct and guide us and heal him. We do not plan to run a bunch of tests here but will ask for a referral to Mayo clinic if he doesn't clear up soon and if his hemoglobin doesn't stay up. Please pray for these particular things. Pray for sleep. I haven't actually slept in a few days and it gets so hard to do anything. We were going to start school Monday but our school room is still a disaster and so is most everything it seems. I'll see how much I accomplish tonight! Take care! God Bless!

Please pray...

Isaac has his hemoglobin checked tomorrow at 2 p.m. Please pray for it to have shown continued improvement. We were all so happy when it went up last time that we are looking for that same improvement or better this time! Isaac's color has sure improved lately and he is playing "harder" with everyone. We have continued juicing "iron-rich" juices for him and he eats a lot of meat and nut butters and eggs. He also likes to eat a salad from the garden with most meals, again iron-rich foods.

School is about to start and all summer I put off cleaning out the basement until now. When Isaac got sick he had an allergy to mold and it was suggested we paint the basement floor and walls of the unfinished part. What a huge burden that seemed to be! Now, I'm finally getting to it while I clean the school room, plan classes for the kids, can food from the garden and do our regular life!!! Things always seem to get done when you are really busy. I work well under pressure so Friday and Saturday, I washed the walls in half of the storage room, primed and painted the walls, acid-etched the floor and painted it! Last night I emptied 9 buckets of stuff and threw some, put some for thrift store and some for a friend. What a good feeling to be able to get rid of that stuff. After cleaning stuff out I always think why did I keep it? How did it get this bad? But, I have to remind myself that we have 10 people living here and all their stuff and I just can't keep up with it all the time. I am truly hoping that with it all fresh and new looking I'll be able to keep up with it now.

The second picture is a before I fill it back with junk picture. Doesn't it look nice? The other picture is what my livable basement space looks like right now. I'm planning it to be cleaned out and gone by Friday! Pray for me! I'm praying I can get rid of half of the stuff in the storage room! So far, so good!

T(axed) E(nough) A(lready)...

We all went to a Tea Party last night! A taxed enough already tea party. It's part of a nationwide effort to get people out there voicing their concerns about the way this country is going with health care and other things. There was an open mike with the local radio talk show host. I was in line to talk about the Parental Rights Amendment but they ran out of time before I got there. The point is I was in line and I was going to do it! Today, I called this talk show host's program and put a plug in for the Amendment. I was so nervous and he was going to a break so I didn't get to say everything but again "I did it"! This is really important to get the word out. This Amendment needs to be in the Constitution. Read about what the Convention of the Rights of the Child could mean for you on www. ParentalRights.org. And....call your congressmen and tell them you support this. Calling your congressmen is really the only way to make sure your voice is heard.