Isaac's Neurologist Appt.

Yesterday we went to see Dr.Umfleet. He has been Isaacs Neurologist for the last year since we moved to the west side of the state. We really like him. He was very impressed with all that our little man has accomplished in the time since our last appointment. This was the first time we have met with him since Isaac had his MRI back in August. We had a few questions about that, and he was really great about answering all that we wanted to know. He took the time to take us into the office area, and show us Isaac's actual MRI on the computer. It was amazing to see, and we left with a much better understanding of some of the medical jargon we had only partly grasped before. He showed us all of the malformations in Isaac's brain, which wasn't anything new to hear, but he took the time to point everything out for us, and was even able to show us where in the brain the seizures are coming from. It turns out that the seizures are caused by residual gray matter, embedded in the actual tissue of his brain, rather than surrounding it. Although there is really nothing they can tell us about the future, everything looks good so far and nothing appears to be degenerative. All in all it was a very good appointment. Isaac is Isaac, and he always will be exactly what God created him to be.

im back!

so yesterday my new hard drive came in the mail and today my genius husband installed it and reloaded everything for me so i am back! i have only been able to post once since the fatal crash of my hard drive cause i had to borrow tom's laptop and well thats not always convenient. i really missed not having this modern marvel of technology at my fingertips. i was just beginning to feel connected with the world outside of our quaint little town, when my laptop began making a terrible grinding noise, kind of like the sound my coffee grinder makes (really scary for someone as inept with computers as i am) and then the dreaded blue screen full of error messages, and that was it. no more laptop. i never thought i would be one to miss something such as this yet here i am grinning happily at the screen as i type, knowing that there is a world of knowledge out there and, if i so desire i can now access it whenever i choose. i hope that isn't a bad thing.

nana and papa

my parents came out for Isaac's birthday party. they came a day early to help out and to babysit so i could go with tom to a speaking gig that he had. it turned out to be a good thing that they had come early because on the day of the party there was an ice storm out by where they and toms parents live. toms parents couldn't make it out because of the storm. we were all sad about it, but it will be great for isaac cause now he will get to have another birthday party!

blowing out the candle

tom had to blow out the candle for Isaac. he hasn't quite mastered that skill yet, and he was much more interested in eating the frosting anyway.

Isaac and his birthday cake

Isaac really liked his birthday cake this year, his finger went straight into the frosting as soon as the cake hit the table in front of him. he stole some frosting and said "want to eat it"

april and samantha jane

This is a picture of my sister in law April and my adorable niece Samantha Jane. They came out for the day to be here for Isaac's third birthday party. It was great, we all had a good time and since we don’t have the chance to get together very often we try to make the most of the time that we do get.

isaac's birthday party

Tom and i got Isaac a basketball hoop for his birthday. he loves it and has had tons of fun with it already. its one of those adjustable kinds that starts out at three feet and goes up to six feet, so he should be able to have fun with it for a couple of years at least.

my baby is turning three!

i can't believe that my baby is going to be three years old on tuesday!it hardly seems possible, yet in his short life he has already experienced more than many adults. he has been through surgeries and hospital stays,has had more dr.'s and therapists than i can count, he has lost a brother, surprised, shocked and all around blown away any expectation or label any dr. has ever tried to put on him, he gave his mama and daddy something to smile about when we thought we never could again, and so much more. he is our joy and delight here on earth. he has shown us more about the grace and power of God than i ever thought one little person could. he is still our miracle and we thank God for him with practically every breath. i am still amazed when i look at him. the awe and wonder of a life given and blessed by God never fades, how could it when i look at those big blue eyes? he never loses that love of life, no matter what comes at him he bounces back, tackles everything with joy and determination, and despite the fact that he is so young he somehow inspires others to do the same. this is truly one amazing kid, and i can't believe how blessed i am that God chose me to be his mama.

why can't i just be normal?

it would seem that i simply cannot fall into the category of normal when it comes to pregnancy. earlier this week i broke out all over my belly and torso, and now my forearms with some crazy pregnancy rash. i went to the dr and guess what? they are not sure exactly what it is, but apparently finding out requires ten vials of blood (yes i said ten) we will have to wait for a week to get any results. in the mean time i am trying to keep from digging my skin apart. i am trying to get through it with out taking any of the medications they have offered me because, no matter what they tell me i will never feel safe taking medication while pregnant. all of the things they are thinking it could be fall into the less than 5% of pregnant woman category. to any one who knows our history you know that this is of course par for the course with us. please pray for our baby and for us as we wait for the results. pray that this will turn out to be some perfectly common, treatable thing that will in no way harm our sweet little one growing inside of me.

baby number three

these are a couple of photos of baby rundel number three, they were taken on december 7, 2006. you can see the baby waving a little hand, well maybe not quite so little. from the looks of it this baby has big hands with long fingers just like isaac and elijah. the second shows the baby in profile, look at that cute little nose. so far so good on the ultrasound, we are praying and taking it day by day.