It finally seems that John is turning a corner. His O2 levels are finally starting to level out at night, and he has been doing a lot more playing the last two days, although he is pretty clingy after being held for most of a week. I even have heard him laugh a few times. It's been a while since I have heard that sweet laugh of his. He still has some congestion and a cough, but all of those things are manageable as long as his oxygen levels are normal.
As for me, I'm still hanging in. I've still got a lot of congestion and am still coughing up a lung, especially at night, but I'm feeling much better. I just hope that by the end of the week, we are all completely better.
As far as our Colorado trip that we missed out on, word from my parents and my sister-in-law is that everyone is having a good time. They have a lot of snow and even had a snowball fight yesterday. I wish I could be there to see the kids enjoying the snow. I know John would be loving it.
We are thinking of planning a new trip for another time. We are trying to decide whether to go at spring break or in the summer. But we do want to go to the Adaptive Sports Center in Crested Butte, Colorado. They have amazing opportunities for John all year around, so we just have to figure out when would be the best time to go. I still want to see him ski, but we would probably have a better chance of keeping him well in the summer.
We hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year. If John is well enough on Friday, we will get to spend New Year's Eve with some friends. Wishing you all Health and Happiness is 2011!!!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Christmas in Houston
Yesterday came and we made the decision that staying in Houston was the best choice for us. We need to get John well, and it will be more difficult to do that if we go on our trip. So we made the difficult choice not to go skiing.
When I think about not having to pack and travel and all of the "not fun" part of going on a trip, I'm okay with it. But when I think about all of the fun things we will miss out on and not being able to see my family, I get a little sad. This will be the first Christmas I have ever spent away from my family. I will get to see my parents tonight and tomorrow morning. They are driving here to Houston so they can fly out tomorrow. So we'll try to spend a nice evening with them and they can watch John open his gifts from Santa in the morning.
But the part that is the most weird is that it doesn't look like Christmas here. We decided not to put up a tree or decorate the house since we weren't planning on being here. So it is going to be weird tomorrow without a Christmas tree.
But we are going to try and make the most of things. We are going to spend a nice evening with my parents tonight and then try and have a nice meal tomorrow, just the three of us. It'll be quiet, but the most important thing is that we will be together as a family of 3.
And there is always 24 hours of "A Christmas Story" on TV starting tonight. That is my favorite Christmas movie.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone out there who may be reading this, from the Hitt Family. May you be richly blessed and don't forget that we would have neither Christmas nor Eternal Life if God hadn't chosen to send his only son.
When I think about not having to pack and travel and all of the "not fun" part of going on a trip, I'm okay with it. But when I think about all of the fun things we will miss out on and not being able to see my family, I get a little sad. This will be the first Christmas I have ever spent away from my family. I will get to see my parents tonight and tomorrow morning. They are driving here to Houston so they can fly out tomorrow. So we'll try to spend a nice evening with them and they can watch John open his gifts from Santa in the morning.
But the part that is the most weird is that it doesn't look like Christmas here. We decided not to put up a tree or decorate the house since we weren't planning on being here. So it is going to be weird tomorrow without a Christmas tree.
But we are going to try and make the most of things. We are going to spend a nice evening with my parents tonight and then try and have a nice meal tomorrow, just the three of us. It'll be quiet, but the most important thing is that we will be together as a family of 3.
And there is always 24 hours of "A Christmas Story" on TV starting tonight. That is my favorite Christmas movie.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone out there who may be reading this, from the Hitt Family. May you be richly blessed and don't forget that we would have neither Christmas nor Eternal Life if God hadn't chosen to send his only son.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
To go or Not to go
Through all of the planning and preparing for our trip, we never prepared for the possibility that we wouldn't be able to go. When we found out on Friday that John had strep throat, we thought we had plenty of time to get him well. When he got it last time, he was well fairly quickly. But now we are 2 days before Tommy and my Dad are scheduled to leave, and he isn't much better
We spent part of the night Monday in the ER with John. He has a terrible cough and when he gets started, he just can't stop. He also was having some issues with his oxygen levels being low. He was taking rapid, shallow breaths and we had to turn the oxygen higher than normal, just to get his saturations to acceptable levels. So we decided to take him to the ER. They did a chest x-ray (which was thankfully clear) and they gave him a breathing treatment along with a prescription for breathing treatments at home and a steroid. We got home a little before 3am.
Yesterday wasn't much better. He is still coughing and then when he finally stops, he is so worn out that he just goes to sleep. He is sleeping a lot the last few days. We think that his throat is inflammed because coughing is usually followed by crying.
We finally got in touch with his pulmonologist today. She told us to continue the breathing treatments every 4 hours and to double the steroid dose. The steroid is supposed to work quickly and should decrease the inflammation. She expects to see a quick turn around with it.
So now we have to make a decision. Should we take him to Colorado and risk having to spend time in an ER there, or should we just keep him home so he could fully recover? Of course we would rather him stay home and get completely well, but we were so excited for this trip. If we take him and he's still not well, we would be stuck indoors most of the trip and that wouldn't be any fun for him or for us.
We are going to wait until tomorrow to make the decision. Tommy has already contacted the airline to see what can be done with the tickets. If John isn't any better by tomorrow, we will probably be staying home. We will be very sad if we have to stay home. This possibility never crossed my mind.
Please pray for John, that the medicine does what it's supposed to do and he begins to feel better very quickly.
We spent part of the night Monday in the ER with John. He has a terrible cough and when he gets started, he just can't stop. He also was having some issues with his oxygen levels being low. He was taking rapid, shallow breaths and we had to turn the oxygen higher than normal, just to get his saturations to acceptable levels. So we decided to take him to the ER. They did a chest x-ray (which was thankfully clear) and they gave him a breathing treatment along with a prescription for breathing treatments at home and a steroid. We got home a little before 3am.
Yesterday wasn't much better. He is still coughing and then when he finally stops, he is so worn out that he just goes to sleep. He is sleeping a lot the last few days. We think that his throat is inflammed because coughing is usually followed by crying.
We finally got in touch with his pulmonologist today. She told us to continue the breathing treatments every 4 hours and to double the steroid dose. The steroid is supposed to work quickly and should decrease the inflammation. She expects to see a quick turn around with it.
So now we have to make a decision. Should we take him to Colorado and risk having to spend time in an ER there, or should we just keep him home so he could fully recover? Of course we would rather him stay home and get completely well, but we were so excited for this trip. If we take him and he's still not well, we would be stuck indoors most of the trip and that wouldn't be any fun for him or for us.
We are going to wait until tomorrow to make the decision. Tommy has already contacted the airline to see what can be done with the tickets. If John isn't any better by tomorrow, we will probably be staying home. We will be very sad if we have to stay home. This possibility never crossed my mind.
Please pray for John, that the medicine does what it's supposed to do and he begins to feel better very quickly.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Preparing for Colorado
After months of planning and preparing, we leave on Saturday (Christmas Day) to spend a week in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. We have been looking forward to this vacation for a while now. It will be nice to spend Christmas in the snow for the first time since I was 3 years old.
Sometime early Christmas morning, Tommy and my dad will set out in the car for the drive. When we go on vacation, Tommy always drives ahead so he can carry all of the equipment and supplies that we need for JT while we are gone. This includes all of our luggage, toys, ventilator and oxygen for sleeping, trach care supplies and many other things that are necessary. Then early afternoon on Christmas Day, my mom, JT and I will fly from Houston to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Durango is a closer airport, but it's not as big and we couldn't get a direct flight. Once we arrive in Albuquerque, we will rent a car and drive to Santa Fe, where we will meet Tommy and dad, as well as my brother, Jimmie, and his family to stay the night. Then sometime on Sunday, we will drive the remainder of the way to Pagosa Springs, where we will be staying at the Wyndham resort for a week.
Tommy and I have never been skiing. I'm a little afraid to try because I'm the one that will break something, and we certainly cannot afford to have me out of commission any longer than I already have been. So I haven't decided yet if I'll do any skiing while I'm there.
But for me, the highlight of the trip will be seeing John come down the hill in a chair ski. After several conversations with the staff at Wolf Creek, we seem to have an arrangement made for John. They have a certified adaptive ski instructor there, and he has several instructors that he has trained. They have what is called a bi-ski, which is a chair on two skis that we will be using for John. It will have him strapped in pretty well, and he will basically be going down the hill with an instructor and one other person that we send with him.
John loves the cold weather and he loves having the wind blow on him. I'm hoping that he is going to love this sensation and this experience and want to continue to do it. If he enjoys himself, the look on his face will be priceless. I will be sure to post pictures. But if this IS something that he enjoys, then a trip to the Adaptive Sports Center in Crested Butte, CO may be in the near future. They have sports programs year round for the disabled. I would love to take John there one day so he can experience things that he otherwise wouldn't be able to experience.
We are looking forward to spending the week with my parents as well as my brother, sister-in-law and their two boys. Being around the kids always makes me happy. And my sister-in-law is expecting their 3rd child. We always have a lot of fun and we eat very well while we are together. I'm so thankful to have a sister-in-law who is a good cook.
But first, we have to get John well from his latest bout with strep throat. I think we will all enjoy it much better if he is not sick.
We are wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.
By the way, if you are someone who we usually send a Christmas Card, don't worry. We haven't forgotten you. We just haven't taken any family photos yet. So I will probably use photos from Colorado and send out a Happy New Year card.
Sometime early Christmas morning, Tommy and my dad will set out in the car for the drive. When we go on vacation, Tommy always drives ahead so he can carry all of the equipment and supplies that we need for JT while we are gone. This includes all of our luggage, toys, ventilator and oxygen for sleeping, trach care supplies and many other things that are necessary. Then early afternoon on Christmas Day, my mom, JT and I will fly from Houston to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Durango is a closer airport, but it's not as big and we couldn't get a direct flight. Once we arrive in Albuquerque, we will rent a car and drive to Santa Fe, where we will meet Tommy and dad, as well as my brother, Jimmie, and his family to stay the night. Then sometime on Sunday, we will drive the remainder of the way to Pagosa Springs, where we will be staying at the Wyndham resort for a week.
Tommy and I have never been skiing. I'm a little afraid to try because I'm the one that will break something, and we certainly cannot afford to have me out of commission any longer than I already have been. So I haven't decided yet if I'll do any skiing while I'm there.
But for me, the highlight of the trip will be seeing John come down the hill in a chair ski. After several conversations with the staff at Wolf Creek, we seem to have an arrangement made for John. They have a certified adaptive ski instructor there, and he has several instructors that he has trained. They have what is called a bi-ski, which is a chair on two skis that we will be using for John. It will have him strapped in pretty well, and he will basically be going down the hill with an instructor and one other person that we send with him.
John loves the cold weather and he loves having the wind blow on him. I'm hoping that he is going to love this sensation and this experience and want to continue to do it. If he enjoys himself, the look on his face will be priceless. I will be sure to post pictures. But if this IS something that he enjoys, then a trip to the Adaptive Sports Center in Crested Butte, CO may be in the near future. They have sports programs year round for the disabled. I would love to take John there one day so he can experience things that he otherwise wouldn't be able to experience.
We are looking forward to spending the week with my parents as well as my brother, sister-in-law and their two boys. Being around the kids always makes me happy. And my sister-in-law is expecting their 3rd child. We always have a lot of fun and we eat very well while we are together. I'm so thankful to have a sister-in-law who is a good cook.
But first, we have to get John well from his latest bout with strep throat. I think we will all enjoy it much better if he is not sick.
We are wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.
By the way, if you are someone who we usually send a Christmas Card, don't worry. We haven't forgotten you. We just haven't taken any family photos yet. So I will probably use photos from Colorado and send out a Happy New Year card.
Friday, December 17, 2010
One wild Month (and a half)
It's December, and this is usually one of the craziest month's of the year for most people. And it has definitely been a wild one for us, but for different reasons. I wish I could say we have been busy with holiday decorating and shopping and planning fun holiday events. But that has just been the least of our concerns this year.
It all started at the very end of October. I had surgery to replace my pacemaker with a pacemaker/defibrilator. And while that sounds like a big deal, the recovery wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. The worse part was that I couldn't drive or pick up my child for 6 weeks afterward. And that presented a problem for us. So we enlisted the help of my mother and Tommy's dad to come and help out with JT during that time. I never would have made it without them.
One week after my surgery, Tommy left to go on a 12 day work trip to Asia. The timing wasn't great, but he didn't have much say in the matter. And I felt like things would be fine considering I had plenty of help here. But 3 days after he left, JT started to get sick. I had gone to the Medical Center that morning for a 10 day follow up after my surgery. When I got home, the Doctor's office called and scheduled an appointment to see JT. So we loaded back up in the car (remember I couldn't drive so we had my FIL driving and my mother there to help with JT) and head back down to the medical center. After seeing the doctor and doing a rapid strep test, we found out it was positive and JT indeed had strep throat. We opted for him to have a shot since they work much faster than the oral.
He missed school Monday and Tuesday that week, and then went back Wednesday. But as we were getting him ready for school Thursday morning, he got sick again. He ended up missing school Thursday and Friday with a stomach bug, and then one more day on Monday just to recover. We were so happy to finally get him back in school on Tuesday.
Tommy got home from his trip on Wednesday and I was so thankful to have him home. We made it through the weekend and into the next week. We went to Kinder on Thursday for Thanksgiving where John started having a lot of congestion and stomach problems. So we came home Friday hoping to get everyone well. But then that weekend, I started to get sick. I finally went to the doctor on Tuesday and got some antibiotics for what I think must have been a sinus infection. Later that day, Tommy started feeling bad too. So I was in the bed for about 3 days and he missed two days of work. In the meantime, Tommy's dad was feeling pretty rotten himself. So we finally sent him home so he could see his doctor. He ended up having pneumonia. My mother went home over the weekend, and she was beginning to get sick when she left. By the time Monday came around, she had gone to the doctor and found out she too had a sinus infection. So instead of coming back to help for one more week, we just told her to stay home and get well.
So now I have one more week of recovery and all of our help is home sick. With the help of a couple of my neighbors, I was able to get through the week, taking John to two doctor appointments. Finally Friday came and I was able to start lifting him. Just in time too, because on Saturday, Tommy left for a 6 day work trip to Europe.
Saturday and Sunday night, our night nurse called in sick, so I had to take the night shift both nights taking care of JT. It made for two very long days on Sunday and Monday.
All was well until 4am Thursday morning, when our night nurse called me to tell me that JT was running a temp. So he stayed home from school Thursday and then again Friday, missing his last two days before the break. The fever got higher early Friday morning and hung around. He was miserable. So I got in to see the doctor today, and found out that he once again has strep throat.
Thank goodness that Tommy got home today. He was a big help once we got home from the doctor because JT just didn't want to do anything but be held. Tommy went to the pharmacy to get his antibiotic and then we gave JT a good bath and fed him dinner and now he's been in bed since before 7:30. I am hoping he gets better sleep tonight that he's had the last two nights.
So my hope that we would finally make it to church on Sunday has been greatly dimmed. Maybe one of us will make it, but it's doubtful all of us will.
So now we are hoping that JT will be better by next Saturday when we leave for our trip to Colorado for Christmas. We are planning on doing some skiing and enjoying time with family. We have been planning and looking forward to this trip for months. I just hope everyone is well so that we can enjoy ourselves. I sure will be glad when January gets here. It's gotta be better than the last month and a half.
It all started at the very end of October. I had surgery to replace my pacemaker with a pacemaker/defibrilator. And while that sounds like a big deal, the recovery wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. The worse part was that I couldn't drive or pick up my child for 6 weeks afterward. And that presented a problem for us. So we enlisted the help of my mother and Tommy's dad to come and help out with JT during that time. I never would have made it without them.
One week after my surgery, Tommy left to go on a 12 day work trip to Asia. The timing wasn't great, but he didn't have much say in the matter. And I felt like things would be fine considering I had plenty of help here. But 3 days after he left, JT started to get sick. I had gone to the Medical Center that morning for a 10 day follow up after my surgery. When I got home, the Doctor's office called and scheduled an appointment to see JT. So we loaded back up in the car (remember I couldn't drive so we had my FIL driving and my mother there to help with JT) and head back down to the medical center. After seeing the doctor and doing a rapid strep test, we found out it was positive and JT indeed had strep throat. We opted for him to have a shot since they work much faster than the oral.
He missed school Monday and Tuesday that week, and then went back Wednesday. But as we were getting him ready for school Thursday morning, he got sick again. He ended up missing school Thursday and Friday with a stomach bug, and then one more day on Monday just to recover. We were so happy to finally get him back in school on Tuesday.
Tommy got home from his trip on Wednesday and I was so thankful to have him home. We made it through the weekend and into the next week. We went to Kinder on Thursday for Thanksgiving where John started having a lot of congestion and stomach problems. So we came home Friday hoping to get everyone well. But then that weekend, I started to get sick. I finally went to the doctor on Tuesday and got some antibiotics for what I think must have been a sinus infection. Later that day, Tommy started feeling bad too. So I was in the bed for about 3 days and he missed two days of work. In the meantime, Tommy's dad was feeling pretty rotten himself. So we finally sent him home so he could see his doctor. He ended up having pneumonia. My mother went home over the weekend, and she was beginning to get sick when she left. By the time Monday came around, she had gone to the doctor and found out she too had a sinus infection. So instead of coming back to help for one more week, we just told her to stay home and get well.
So now I have one more week of recovery and all of our help is home sick. With the help of a couple of my neighbors, I was able to get through the week, taking John to two doctor appointments. Finally Friday came and I was able to start lifting him. Just in time too, because on Saturday, Tommy left for a 6 day work trip to Europe.
Saturday and Sunday night, our night nurse called in sick, so I had to take the night shift both nights taking care of JT. It made for two very long days on Sunday and Monday.
All was well until 4am Thursday morning, when our night nurse called me to tell me that JT was running a temp. So he stayed home from school Thursday and then again Friday, missing his last two days before the break. The fever got higher early Friday morning and hung around. He was miserable. So I got in to see the doctor today, and found out that he once again has strep throat.
Thank goodness that Tommy got home today. He was a big help once we got home from the doctor because JT just didn't want to do anything but be held. Tommy went to the pharmacy to get his antibiotic and then we gave JT a good bath and fed him dinner and now he's been in bed since before 7:30. I am hoping he gets better sleep tonight that he's had the last two nights.
So my hope that we would finally make it to church on Sunday has been greatly dimmed. Maybe one of us will make it, but it's doubtful all of us will.
So now we are hoping that JT will be better by next Saturday when we leave for our trip to Colorado for Christmas. We are planning on doing some skiing and enjoying time with family. We have been planning and looking forward to this trip for months. I just hope everyone is well so that we can enjoy ourselves. I sure will be glad when January gets here. It's gotta be better than the last month and a half.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Substitute Teaching
Now that John has started Kindergarten and is going to school full day, I have a little more time on my hands. I thought about going back to work and teaching again, but there are a couple of problems with that.
First of all, I am only certified to teach PE. If I teach Junior High or High School PE, I would also have to coach, and I just don't have time for that anymore. So I would only be able to teach Elementary PE, and well, those jobs don't come available very often. Secondly, John still has a lot of Dr. appointments and occasions where he is home sick from school for one reason or another. I would rather not have a job that ties me down and doesn't allow me to get away as often as I need to. So I decided to be a substitute teacher.
I've taken a few jobs since October. So far, I haven't had a class run me off. They have all been pretty easy to manage and haven't caused me many problems. I've subbed in Junior High a few times, and High School a few times. But I have come to realize that subbing in Elementary is my favorite.
I have subbed in Elementary 3 times, and they have all been at the same school. It just happens to be the school that John attended for two years of PPCD (Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities).
The first day was a 2nd grade class. I was nervous to sub in a normal elementary classroom since I had never done it. But the teacher was very well organized and left detailed lesson plans. The students were well behaved (more or less) and I found that I really enjoyed it. It's kind of nice to have the same group of kiddos all day, and just switch up activities every 30 minutes to an hour. It makes the day go much faster than it does in Junior High or High School when you have a different group of kids every hour and do the same thing every class period. And the kids are a lot more fun in Elementary.
The second day was for a PE teacher. This was right up my alley. I really enjoy watching the younger kids enjoying PE. The older kids that I'm used to will do anything to get out of PE for the day. The little kids, love it so much and have a great time. And the two teachers that I worked with were a lot of fun too. I hope I get to go back to that class more often.
But today was a special day for me. I was able to sub for the teacher who taught John in PPCD for the last two years. I was really looking forward to today. I truly enjoyed working with these sweet kiddos. Several of them were in John's class last year, so I knew them already. And it was fun to get to know the ones I didn't know. These are some of the cutest kids.
The other part of the day that I really enjoyed was getting to spend time with a couple of the ladies that had John. These ladies are very important to us. Until John started PPCD, he had never spent time away from us. We were very nervous about sending him to school for even 3 hours and letting someone who wasn't one of us care for him during that time. There is a lot that goes into caring for John, and we didn't know how it was going to go without us there. But from the very first day, they were able to ease our fears. They took excellent care of him and every day I got a full report on how he did. They were very patient with us and answered any questions we may have had. Never once did I have to worry about him while he was in their care. They gave me something I hadn't had before, and that was peace of mind. I will always be very grateful to them for that. They are very sweet ladies and are incredible at their job.
Today, I was able to get a better understanding and appreciation of everything these ladies do everyday to care for and teach these precious children. All of these kids have different abilities and learn in different ways, and these teachers are able to accommodate all of them. They know the kids abilities and personalities and they genuinely care for each one of them. I am very appreciative for the opportunity to get a first hand look at how this classroom works, and I truly hope I am able to work there again.
First of all, I am only certified to teach PE. If I teach Junior High or High School PE, I would also have to coach, and I just don't have time for that anymore. So I would only be able to teach Elementary PE, and well, those jobs don't come available very often. Secondly, John still has a lot of Dr. appointments and occasions where he is home sick from school for one reason or another. I would rather not have a job that ties me down and doesn't allow me to get away as often as I need to. So I decided to be a substitute teacher.
I've taken a few jobs since October. So far, I haven't had a class run me off. They have all been pretty easy to manage and haven't caused me many problems. I've subbed in Junior High a few times, and High School a few times. But I have come to realize that subbing in Elementary is my favorite.
I have subbed in Elementary 3 times, and they have all been at the same school. It just happens to be the school that John attended for two years of PPCD (Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities).
The first day was a 2nd grade class. I was nervous to sub in a normal elementary classroom since I had never done it. But the teacher was very well organized and left detailed lesson plans. The students were well behaved (more or less) and I found that I really enjoyed it. It's kind of nice to have the same group of kiddos all day, and just switch up activities every 30 minutes to an hour. It makes the day go much faster than it does in Junior High or High School when you have a different group of kids every hour and do the same thing every class period. And the kids are a lot more fun in Elementary.
The second day was for a PE teacher. This was right up my alley. I really enjoy watching the younger kids enjoying PE. The older kids that I'm used to will do anything to get out of PE for the day. The little kids, love it so much and have a great time. And the two teachers that I worked with were a lot of fun too. I hope I get to go back to that class more often.
But today was a special day for me. I was able to sub for the teacher who taught John in PPCD for the last two years. I was really looking forward to today. I truly enjoyed working with these sweet kiddos. Several of them were in John's class last year, so I knew them already. And it was fun to get to know the ones I didn't know. These are some of the cutest kids.
The other part of the day that I really enjoyed was getting to spend time with a couple of the ladies that had John. These ladies are very important to us. Until John started PPCD, he had never spent time away from us. We were very nervous about sending him to school for even 3 hours and letting someone who wasn't one of us care for him during that time. There is a lot that goes into caring for John, and we didn't know how it was going to go without us there. But from the very first day, they were able to ease our fears. They took excellent care of him and every day I got a full report on how he did. They were very patient with us and answered any questions we may have had. Never once did I have to worry about him while he was in their care. They gave me something I hadn't had before, and that was peace of mind. I will always be very grateful to them for that. They are very sweet ladies and are incredible at their job.
Today, I was able to get a better understanding and appreciation of everything these ladies do everyday to care for and teach these precious children. All of these kids have different abilities and learn in different ways, and these teachers are able to accommodate all of them. They know the kids abilities and personalities and they genuinely care for each one of them. I am very appreciative for the opportunity to get a first hand look at how this classroom works, and I truly hope I am able to work there again.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Faith and Worship
There is no place I'd rather be on a Sunday morning than worshipping with my church family at Tallowood. But with my recent surgery, and with everyone being sick at different times, and with Tommy's work travels and with our night nurse calling in sick causing me very little sleep last night, I feel like I have missed so much lately. I am hoping and looking forward to being back next week.
Mostly I miss the time spent praising and worshipping our Lord. But also a big part of that is the people we worship with each week. From the pastors who bring us God's word, to our Sunday School friends, to the wonderful people who dedicate their time taking care of our children, to total strangers I've never met, these are the people who demonstrate God's love to us every day. They lift us up when we are down and they celebrate with us at each milestone..
When John Thomas was born, we received visits from multiple pastors, church staff and church members that first day to help us celebrate the birth of our first son. As the time passed and we began to understand a little more that his birth wasn't quite what we were expecting, the visits increased. We received visits, calls, emails and cards encouraging us and letting us know that we were being prayed for. We even joked that two staff members were having a contest to see who could visit us more often. We received phone calls at home from total strangers who had seen the birth announcement in the church bulletin. After seeing his birth weight was 3lbs 5oz, they realized that he was premature and wanted to call and offer us encouragement and advice on having a preemie as well as the use of preemie clothes they had used for their little ones. One day, while sitting at the hospital with JT, I received a visit from a girl I had never met. She was a doctor at the hospital and happened to have visited our Sunday School class for the first time that Sunday. When she heard about us, she came to introduce herself. She left all of her contact numbers and let us know that if we had any questions or if there was something we didn't understand, she would be glad to help us understand. She came by to visit often and became a good friend. These visits and encouraging words meant the world to us and helped us to realize that God has a special plan for JT's life.
So even though I can't be there this morning to worship with these very special people, they are always in my heart. I hope to be back among them next week, and I'm especially looking forward to the Christmas Eve service coming soon. I just love singing Silent Night by candle light. If you are in the Houston area and are looking for a place to worship, look us up. We would love to have you and you will be glad you came.
Mostly I miss the time spent praising and worshipping our Lord. But also a big part of that is the people we worship with each week. From the pastors who bring us God's word, to our Sunday School friends, to the wonderful people who dedicate their time taking care of our children, to total strangers I've never met, these are the people who demonstrate God's love to us every day. They lift us up when we are down and they celebrate with us at each milestone..
When John Thomas was born, we received visits from multiple pastors, church staff and church members that first day to help us celebrate the birth of our first son. As the time passed and we began to understand a little more that his birth wasn't quite what we were expecting, the visits increased. We received visits, calls, emails and cards encouraging us and letting us know that we were being prayed for. We even joked that two staff members were having a contest to see who could visit us more often. We received phone calls at home from total strangers who had seen the birth announcement in the church bulletin. After seeing his birth weight was 3lbs 5oz, they realized that he was premature and wanted to call and offer us encouragement and advice on having a preemie as well as the use of preemie clothes they had used for their little ones. One day, while sitting at the hospital with JT, I received a visit from a girl I had never met. She was a doctor at the hospital and happened to have visited our Sunday School class for the first time that Sunday. When she heard about us, she came to introduce herself. She left all of her contact numbers and let us know that if we had any questions or if there was something we didn't understand, she would be glad to help us understand. She came by to visit often and became a good friend. These visits and encouraging words meant the world to us and helped us to realize that God has a special plan for JT's life.
So even though I can't be there this morning to worship with these very special people, they are always in my heart. I hope to be back among them next week, and I'm especially looking forward to the Christmas Eve service coming soon. I just love singing Silent Night by candle light. If you are in the Houston area and are looking for a place to worship, look us up. We would love to have you and you will be glad you came.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Welcome to Holland
For a while now, I have thought about starting a blog. I just never knew exactly what I had to write about. I decided that being a mom of a son with special needs gives me lots to say. I also find that sometimes I have things weighing on my heart that I don't share with anyone else. This gives me a forum to share those thoughts and feelings instead of keeping them bottled up inside. And maybe someone who is going through a similar situation will stumble upon this blog one day and find something that I have written to be of comfort to them.
I'm sure you are wondering about the title I have chosen. Let me explain where it came from. A little over 5 years ago, shortly after my son was born, I received an email from a friend. We were just coming to terms with the fact that our little boy wasn't exactly what we were expecting. This email contained a story, told by Emily Perl Kingsley, a mother of a child with disabilities. The story was titled "Welcome to Holland" and it perfectly described how I was feeling. It goes like this:
But now, 5 1/2 years later, I have learned to focus on the rest of the story. I've gone out and bought new guide books and I've learned a new language and I have met some fabulous people who I otherwise would have never met. I've learned to enjoy Holland. And even though I still dream of going to Italy someday, I would not trade the time I've spent in Holland for anything. It has shown me a strength I never knew I had and I have learned to do things I never thought I could do. So Holland is where I am, and Holland is where I will stay.
I'm sure you are wondering about the title I have chosen. Let me explain where it came from. A little over 5 years ago, shortly after my son was born, I received an email from a friend. We were just coming to terms with the fact that our little boy wasn't exactly what we were expecting. This email contained a story, told by Emily Perl Kingsley, a mother of a child with disabilities. The story was titled "Welcome to Holland" and it perfectly described how I was feeling. It goes like this:
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......After reading this story 5 years ago, all I could focus on was landing in Holland instead of Italy. That's how I was feeling. I had dreamed for so long about having a baby. I dreamed of holding him for the first time in the delivery room, and leaving the hospital with him in my arms. I dreamed of all he would become and all of the things he would do. I dreamed of hearing his first words and watching his first steps. I dreamed of teaching him how to play baseball or how to throw a football. And now, none of that was going to happen.
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.
But now, 5 1/2 years later, I have learned to focus on the rest of the story. I've gone out and bought new guide books and I've learned a new language and I have met some fabulous people who I otherwise would have never met. I've learned to enjoy Holland. And even though I still dream of going to Italy someday, I would not trade the time I've spent in Holland for anything. It has shown me a strength I never knew I had and I have learned to do things I never thought I could do. So Holland is where I am, and Holland is where I will stay.
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