Merry CHRISTmas my love!!!

This post is really only meant for my wonderfully loving husband who loves the Lord VERY DEARLY . I love you sooo much and I am VERY thankful for you and appreciate all the love and support you have given me over the years. You are truly a MAN OF GOD and very faithful to HIM. I love you soo much!!!

CHRISTmas is NEXT WEEK!!!!

Well, with Christmas just around the corner (literally, it's just next week-crazy huh?), most of us have gotten our Christmas shopping done. Well, all that is, except for me. I still have to buy for some people....not a lot though thankfully. Why is it that a stay-at-home mommy is ALWAYS busy, and doesn't seem to have time for ANYTHING. I mean, don't get me wrong....those of you who work are REALLY busy as well, and have a hard time finding time too, but one would think that since a stay-at-home mommy stays at home, she should have more time right, wrong!! I feel just as BUSY, if not MORE busy, since I started staying home with Asher. Life around the Stafford household has been ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY latley, and I find myself running around like a mad women trying to get things done for the holidays, around the house, etc. Now, some of you know me, some better than others, some not at all, but those who do now how "picky" I am about certain things and know that I am OCD when it comes to other things. Now I know there are things that I have to just "let go" because worrying about them is just going to cause pain/irritation on my part. Like for instance, my Christmas tree has to be perfect along with all the decorations around the house and on the tree. My house always HAS to be clean (which it's not and I'm trying not to let that bother me, but I will be honest with you and say that sometimes it does.) I CAN'T stand a dirty kitchen or dirty bathroom.
But I have realized through all this and other circumstances in my life right now, that I CAN'T control the way that some things are. THEY JUST ARE!!! I can try my hardest though, right? Sometimes I just hve to let things go to enjoy life more because the more I am "uptight" about things the more "unhealthy" it is for me.

Well, that is my "tidbit" for today. I know it doesn't make sense, and I'm sorry for that.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABY!!!!!



It's been a WONDERFUL 4 years. I eagerly await the years to come.



I LOVE YOU BABY!!!!

Busy! Busy! Busy!

I have been asked to update my blog (since it's been a while).

We are still not getting ANY answers about Asher. It's frustrating really. He is on pepcid 2x's a day because they think he has a little bit of Reflux. So hopefully that will take care of that. We go BACK up to the specialist Dec. 30th to visit with the Dr., she is going to check on his progression and give us the results of his bloodwork that he had not to long ago, that was to check his liver function as the test before showed it to be abnormal. (It is always something, EVERY time we have bloodwork done they find something that was fine before and now is abnormal-I don't understand that) Please continue to pray that we will find out what is going on soon, if it's nothing than we know that too, I just am getting tired of him going through all this already, ya' know?

We are in the process of getting ready to take a family trip to Mt. Dora, FL to see my parents. It is going to be a short trip, but sooo about time. My parents live about 30-45 min. outside of Orlando, but unfortunatley we will not be making a trip to Disney World this time. (I know, bummer huh?) Maybe soon. We leave on Fri. Dec. 12th and will come back Mon. Dec. 15th, so IT will be a short trip. But we will also get to see my cousin and her husband and thier kids, so I'm excited about that. They have never met Kent or Asher, so it will be a great time of meetings.
We are also going to have CHRISTmas early with my parents while we are there, so that will be fun.

Kent is still a VERY BUSY man working at McDonalds as 1st Assistant. He now has alot more responsibilities that also include things on the corporate level, like he is in charge of doing the hiring for his store and doing all the orientations for all 5 of Mike Meoli's (the owner operator) stores. Not only is he in charge of the corprate level things, but also does the scheduling for his store. AND on top of ALL that, he is still the youth pastor of our church and finds time to do that AND be the music minister. Both, youth pastor and music minister ARE NOT payed positions at this point (hopefully in the future that will change, but as of yet, we do not know, it's up to God), but still somehow finds time to give to the youth of the church that need him (sometimes constantly). But despite ALL that stress and busyness he has in his life is very supportive of me and allows me to stay home and be with Asher. We know that it is difficult at times, but we also know that it is what God wants for our family right now at this particular time, and if we follow HIS will for our lives, he will bless our path. Now, HE NEVER said it was going to be an easy road, but if we are faithful to HIM, HE will be faithful to us.

As I stated up above I am still a stay at home mommy to our 2 year old son Asher, and having the best time ever. I am also watching 4 other kids after school for a short time. So, I am getting a little extra income. That is always good. I never realized how much I was missing being out in the workplace and how much time I was not able to spend with him. He is growing SOOO fast, and learning new things EVERY day. I am VERY VERY priviledged to be able to spend the days with him and be with him when he discovers new things EVERY day. So, I encourage ANYONE who has kids to spend EVERY possible moment you can with your children.

Well, that's what is going on in the Stafford Family right now. More later. Stay tuned....

Truly Inspiring!

This is the video of 25 year old Nick Vujicic from Australia, he was born without arms and legs and no indication was given to his parents that there was anything wrong, or as to why. Alot of moms want to hold there newborns, but his mom told the doctor to "take him away" instead of putting him on her chest. She has also overcome some obstacles and her faith has been tested. She chose not to abort Nick, how AWESOME is that. He used his DISABILITY toward his ABILITIES for God. I hope this video inspires and helps you see life for what it truly is as it has helped me. Jer. 29:11

Finally, (since people are asking) a Stafford Family Update!!!

Okay, well, I thought since it has been a while since I last updated people on here, I thought I would give it a shot.

Well, we are still trying to figure out what is going on with Asher, he seems to be fine, but he still has his days where he will have an upset stomach or really really bad diarehha (sp?), he will also be very cranky and tired, and look pale and be warm. On those days all I can do right now (since there is no diagnosis as of yet) is just give him tylenol or ibuprofen and monitor his temp. It's frustrating because there is ONLY so much that I can do, and the doctors and everyone that have done tests and things on Asher only find that his levels are messed up, and it's always different blood tests that are elevated and not good. I just wish that there was something we could all do. I don't really want them to just "diagnose" him with something or tell me "this is what I think it is, so this is what we are going to do"....I just want them to find something so that I can SLEEP BETTER and be at peace. I just hate seeing him not feeling well, and not knowing why. Please continue to pray for him and his little body as the doctors run all kinds of tests and try to find a diagnosis of what it is, so that we can better know how to help him.

I am now officially the mother of an 18 month old. Nope, he is not a baby anymore. I am a little sad about that, but at the same time am having a blast with him at the age that he is and I know that it will get more and more fun as the days go on.
He has moved out of the nursery and into his own "big boy" room and is sleeping (VERY WELL I MIGHT ADD) in his big boy bed and now has a toddler room. (saddness huh?) (BUT ON THE PLUS SIDE, I AM ABLE TO SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT NOW)

Kent is still managing at McDonalds and though gets VERY STRESSED OUT ALOT, is really enjoyging it, and is advancing at a very rapid rate, and we will not be suprised if we see a move up to corporate in the next year. Please pray for him, as he has his plate full with management duties at McDonalds and also all the duties and responsibilities he has at church.

I am still LOVING EVERY MINUTE of being a Stay At Home Mommy and really enjoying watching Asher grow and learn new things EVERY DAY. I would be lying to you if I said it was NOT a challange at times, but I have learned ALOT!!!

UPSET AND INFURRIATED!!!

I thought I was nice in the previouse post stating that the annonymous comments were NOT appreciated NOR welcomed! OBVIOUSLY you don't have kids yourself or you would know that kids go through things at DIFFERENT ages. PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! STOP coming here and STOP with the comments. JUST STOP!!! They are NOT welcomed!!!

Terrible 2's

Help!!!???!!!



Anyone!!!???!!!

Not a baby anymore. *Tear*

Asher is now sleeping in his big boy bed.




Well, as of Sunday night, my 1 1/2 year old son, is now in a big boy (toddler bed) bed. He is no longer in his crib. Sad times, huh? I wish that he would not have grown up so fast, but yet, he is a blast at this age, so you win some, you loose huh? And that transition only took about a month. We started out small, taking naps in there at bed time, and then went from there.
"How did you get him to stay?", some might be asking themselves. Well, he like his "binky" and has to have a sippy cup when he sleeps.
I just kept going in there and checking on him and if he was out of his bed, he got three spankings (yes, I firmly believe in spanking my child) and I took his "binky" out of his mouth until he got back in bed. It worked for Asher, but may not work for everyone, and I don't like to nor do I "believe" in giving advice. If you want to try it, you are more than welcome to. I won't be offended either way. I do however believe in raising each child in a way that suites them.



Now, potty training is my next big feet. I have heard from some that 1 1/2 is a little young, and others have told me that I should start now. Well, my son was the one to ultimatley make the decision (don't get me wrong, I am not going to let him go FOREVER, but I also don't want to force something that is not going to happen either-for those of you that have experienced it, you know what I mean), but Asher has made some indications to me that he wants to start. When he poops in his pants he gets really adjattated and points to his bottom. He will also go in the bathroom where his potty is and sit down, so I think that it is about time, huh?

My lil Dalmation

Here are a few pictures of Asher's NON-Halloween Costume the he just had to wear ALL day today. As many of you know, and those of you who don't know, we don't celebrate halloween or have anything to do with the holiday (which in my opinion, it's not even a holiday to begin with). As a matter of fact, on Halloween night we either have a movie night with the family or we go out, so we are not around for the trick or treaters.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy some of the adorable pics of Asher and his 'lil dalmation outfit.

Big Boy Bed!

He is sleeping in his bed this time. How cute is he? He likes to "snuggle" with his sippy cup.

My surgery and another Asher update....

Well, as I have been scolded (LoL) for not updating in a timely manner, I thought it best to put an update on here. So, here it goes.
As many of you know I had surgery on my mouth on Tues. Oct. 28th to extract on of my salivary glands. It all started about a month or so ago (right before we went into the hospital with Asher) when I noticed a lump under my tounge and didn't know what it was. I then went to my primary care physician who thought maybe it was a gland stone (my gland was blocked an therefore caused a big lump about the size a a lima bean under my tounge--fun stuff huh?), so then they told me to suck on lemon candy and they put me on amoxicillin and said if it is not better in about 10 days than I would probably need to go to the denist to see what the next step would be. Well, wouldn't you know, nothing that I tried worked, nor did the amoxicillin. I went to the oral surgeon and he drained it and all that. Didn't find a stone or anything, but he drained and got the lump taken care of. We thought that was the end of that.
Well, then Asher was admitted up at Dupont and well, he was more important and so my mouth kinda got put on the backburner. They ran A LOT of tests on him, and are not done yet, as they still have not figured out what is wrong. His nuetrophil level is back up to normal level, but his Alkaline Phospotate level is now extremley elevated. It is usually supposed to be about 250-300, and his is at 1600. They are going to send us for more bloodwork to find out why/ and if his level is still elavated.
Now, back to my mouth. The lump came back about a week ago and so I went to my physician and then went back to the oral surgeon who felt it best to send me for surgery to get the gland taken out. Well, once in surgery the surgeon noticed that it wasn't the salivary gland that he thought it was. It was actually the gland futher back that was VERY swollen and wasn't secreting what it needed to (which is why it was getting blocked), so what he ended up doing was making another incision in the little tube thingy that secrets. so that it will do what it is supposed to. Well, as of right now, my throat is EXTREMELY sore (because of the breathing tube that I had in while I was in surgery) and because the gland that was swollen and the surgeon added the other incision. So, I am on Vicodin, Motrin, and Amoxicillin (to avoid any more swelling, and to avoid infection)
Well, if it's not one thing it's another right. Please continue to pray for Asher as there is still certainly some issues or something going on internelly to cause his levels to elevate the way they do, but I don't know. I just hope they find something soon.

I will update more later. I hope this answers all the questions that everyone has. If you have any more, don't hesitate to ask.

Another Asher Update

Well, it's been a while since I updated on the heath and all of my sweet baby boy. We had an appointment with the GI Specialist on Oct. 2nd and she ordered some MORE bloodwork for him which was done on Oct. 10th. We also had tests for his neutropenia that he had a month or so ago. That was done on Oct. 10th as well. Well, we got a call from the GI Specialist tonight stating that the test for the Celiacs Disease that we thought he had was negative (which is a HUGE praise), but one of the tests showed that he was not getting enough Vitamin D, basically she said that something in his liver was not normal on the blood tests that they did she just wants to re-do that test. But his nuetrophil level was still at a normal level, but they are still going to monitor his levels on a consistant basis to make sure that everything is okay. I am relieved, but also still nervous, because they were able to rule out the Celiacs Disease, but yet, they are still doing tests to figure out what is going on really. He also has a follow-up appointment with his pediatrician on Fri., Oct. 24th to discuss the results of his bloodtests, and order more tests for his Vitamin D level and all that. Fun huh?
Well, pray for his more test we have to put him through as he is at the point now that he kicks and screams and throws a fit because he knows what is coming.

So cute.....

How cute is this? He thought he was being sneaky by getting out of bed and playing with his toys. Yeah, well, I guess all that playing wore him out. This is as far as I could get in the door and take a picture of him. How cute is this?

It's been about a week......an so far so good.

Well, it's been a week since I have been home with Asher full time. I love it. It's the best thing in the world. It's better than any great paying job I could EVER have. Yes, it's a challenge at times, but so is any job right? I mean the worse thing that we have had to deal with is attitude, but he is almost 2, so I think we are getting to the terrible 2's. So, we have been having a lot of time outs and spankings, but so far we are having a blast.

Annonymous Comments????

We have been receiving some annonymous comments, which in an of itself is not a bad thing, don't get me wrong. But when they are rudely written and denote a negative feeling, they are not welcome nor are the appreciated. I don't know who is posting them, nor do I care to find out. I am just asking you in the nicest way possible to please cease from posting rude comments. This is not a private blog, nor do I intend for it ever to become such. So please, whoever is doing so, please cease.

Being a STAY AT HOME MOM is the best thing in the world.

Well, I am sure those that stay at home with little ones already know this, but it's the best thing EVER!!! We get up around 7:30-7:45 and have breakfast, we have tv time for about an hour after that, then playtime and naptime, followed by lunch and then another hour of tv time ( or so...if he wants to watch a movie than it might be a little longer)
We are now working on trying to get him in a big boy bed, so I thought the way to do that best was to start him out sleeping there for nap times and then just let him sleep in his crib at night. My goal is to get him completley in his big boy bed and started with potty training by Christmas. He will be 19 mos. old by then, so I think that is a good age.
We are having soo much fun. He is really enjoying me staying home with him and I am having a blast.
If I said it doesn't get challenging, that would be a lie, but it's a good challenge. I am learning soo much.
Please join me in prayer as I face this task ahead of me.

Bananas

My son is ABSOLUTLEY addicted to Bananas. He absolutley throws a fit if he doesn't get one. He would even eat like 2 or 3 whole bananas if I would let him. I usually only let him have one a day. Possibly two if he sees someone else eating one. But I just find it absolutley hysterical that he likes bananas that much. It used to be hot dogs...now it's bananas. How funny.

Okay, just to give you an idea of how much, we have a family living with us, and a 19 yr. old as well. One Sunday, the 19 yr old was having a banana with his breakfast. Well, Asher walked over to him and tried to take his banana. Aaron told him no and took the banana out of his sight. Well, Asher then proceeded to scream at the top of his lungs and throw himself down and throw a tantrum. It was not fun.

I am sure that the terrible 2's have something to do with that, but I don't really know for sure.

The whole fit was over a banana....it was sad.

The Most Awesome Deals! Garage Sales Rock!!!

Well, my friend, Penny, Asher and I got up at about 7:30 this morning and we went garage saling (I don't know how to spell it, sorry) We had SO much fun. Penny is such an awesome bargain shopper, she knew a good deal when she saw one!

Well, we hit several garage sales today, and I only had a $30 budget I was working with. Well, I got several fun/cute things for Asher and also some other things.

Spiderman Slip -n- Slide $1.00
Truck (like a Tonka) $2.50
Umbrella Stroller $3.00
Clothes $8.00
A fisher price school bus with PlayDough and a place mat in it. $1.00
Cooking Pot (a fairly large one) $6.00
Fake flowers (for a Christmas arrangement) $1.00
A plastic mat thingy to go under his chair when he is playing with PlayDough $.50


Grand Total: $23.00 (what a steal huh?)

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

Who Am I?

I was listening to this song tonight at work...and was wanting to share it with everyone. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.


Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart
Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours
Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love and watch me rise again
Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rainAnd calm the storm in me
Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am YoursI am Yours
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear'Cause
I am Yours
I am Yours

I am soo loved!!!

I have the best husband in the world. He suprised me with a dozen roses he had gotten on the way home from work last night, and had them in water and waiting for me when I got up this morning.

A Test of Faith

Well...the Lord has really been working on me latley, and that has meant Satan is attacking me because of it. As many of you know, Thurs. Oct. 9th is my last day of work, at which time I will be staying home with Asher full time and taking care of him during this time. It helps that Kent got a promotion at work, but on the other side of the coin...he is also really struggling with his job at work. Satan is really attacking him in his workplace. There are a number of issues with the area supervisor and the manager of his current store. Please pray for our family as we are being tested at this time. God has a plan for our family, we just don't know what it is. Please pray that God's will be done, and His will is revealed to us.

The Amazing Bucket Head

My son has been running around the last few days with a bucket on his head. I am not sure why, but he seems to be happier when he has the bucket on his head. Oh, the simple joys of life.

What a Blessing!!

I am happy to announce that finally after a year and a half of working towards our goal, we have now been able to afford for me to stay home with Asher full time and also watch children before and after school part time for a little extra income. I will start staying home with him full time starting Oct. 13th. I am really looking forward to it, but I know that it is also going to require some patience. Please pray for our family as we embark on a new path in our lives. I will blog about the first day home with him. I know it will be fun, and I know it will be tons of fun.

"fort"

As previously promised, here are a few pictures of Asher playing in his "fort".

Such a happy boy!

I love my gorilla!

Where's Asher?

I have the best husband in the world

He grabbed the camera from me....yeah, this was the outcome!

I like this picture A LOT!

Smile!

Okay, for real this time! Isn't he adorable!

Patience isn't something we should pray for it is something that is learned over a period of time.

Well, I am sitting here at the dinning room table and writing this. Why the dinning room you ask, well, even though it is still in the middle of the house and I can still hear what is going on, I feel as though I can think more in this place. I am sitting here while my son is in his high chair eating lunch (yes, I know he is late, but he was asleep while the rest of us were eating our lunch) and looking out the backyard window and talking to me while I write this.
I have learned over the past couple weeks, now more than ever, that patience is not something that comes when you pray for it, or even something that comes when you want it too. I am not the most patient person in the world, I will admit that. I am working on being patient, but one thing that you CANNOT pray for is patience, those of you who have done it, know what I mean, those of you that don't, well....pray for patience and you will see what I mean.
There have been so many things that have gone on in our family over the last couple months that have caused me to come to this conclusion.
Sunday School....I will expound. I was kind of "roped" into doing Sunday School for the 4th,5th, and 6th Graders even when I specifically said "no"!
Asher...God told us to wait on answers for his heath issues even when I wanted to know what was going on right then. (And I still don't know all the answers, and am tryng to deal with that.)
Work.....There was big possibility that I would loose my job due to the hospital stay with Asher. I also have a very difficult boss. Thank Goodness that I could go down to part time, but it is still hard and very trying having to deal with him on a daily basis.
Kids.....I am learning VERY quickly why we only have one now. I don't handle attitudes and "fits" very well, and they happen on a daily basis ALL time around here latley. (those of you that know the situation will know what I am talking about)

Maybe I am just venting or PMSing or something, but I kind of feel a little better having said that, but still would appreciate prayer as I hit these "obstacles" head on.

Can't think of a title...but we are going to church tomorrow.....yeah

I am sitting here while Kent and Jonathan are watching "Empire Records", not really paying much attention to the movie, but enjoy being in the same room as Kent, so it's all good. All the kids are in bed, and I SHOULD be, but yeah, I'm not!
Well, as many of you know, I am no longer the Assistant Manager of Gold Toe anymore, but rather just part time sales, so I am able to spend more time with Asher. Well, so with that being said I was home all day with him today, and it was a good day all in all. He had a fever this afternoon, soI gave him a little Motrin and then when I checked it in about 2 hours, it was still there, and so then I gave him some Tylenol. After that, he was really tired, so I put him down for a nap. I don't know how long he was down before he threw up, but he did. When he got up from his nap, I changed him, and let him play for a little bit and he seemed to be fine. I don't know what it was, maybe just a bug, I don't know anymore. I don't want to say, because he has done that before and it wasn't just a bug, so I don't know. I am hoping that it is not a sign that whatever is wrong with him is getting worse, but I don't know. Please just pray. I know that I am saying "I don't know" alot, but it seems like it's just one thing after another. I hope that this will all be resolved soon, but only God knows. I know that He has a plan, and He will magnify himself through that plan, I just don't know what my role is. I am, however, eager to see how God is going to use this in our ministry for Him. I already know that God will be able to use this for good in Asher's testimony when he is older, and so I am really excited about that.

A happier note....as I am working part time, I did have to work tonight for a few hours, but let the kids play "fort"/make a fort out of my dinning room chairs. They had a lot of fun. So did Asher. It was his first fort, and he loved it. I have pictures and will post them soon. Please keep on the lookout.

Well, I am getting tired, so I am going to go to bed know. Good night!

Birthday Party fun.

Her tinkerbell shoes....

The little "tink" skirt that Kent and I got her.

And the stamp set...

More Please!!

As many of you know we have a family living with us, well, the other night we had a birthday party for the youngest one (who turned 7 on Thursday). Our meal consisded of Grilled Chicken and Macaroni N Cheese with cake for dessert. We followed that up by opening presents. Here are a few pics that I wanted to share.

Spagetti Fun

I got brave for dinner the other night and decided to give him the spaghetti with the sauce this time.....yeah, this is what I found....

To Timeout of not to timeout......

Well, not only are we dealing with Asher saying "no" but we are also dealing with him now slapping people. As many of you know we have a family of 7 living with us right now, we were all sitting in the living room after dinner and just talking and Asher was just walking around the living room talking and jabbering up a storm, and all of a sudden slapped the smallest little girl.....who is only 6 (will be 7 on Thursday). Yeah, that wasn't tolerated. I went and picked him up and smacked him on his hand an told him no. He started the "waterworks" and didn't want to have anything to do with me. This was about 5:45 and so as I was walking back to his room with him, I was talking to him and explaining to him that those where the consequences of his actions and he was going to be in his room in a time out until daddy got home (which was only about 15 min. later.). He screamed the whole time...when daddy finally got home at 6:00, I went and got Asher out of his room and took him to daddy. He was still screaming, and once he settled down, was whimpering for a long time. Daddy took him and had a very long converstaion with him and explained that we don't hit, and that when we do there are consequences. I don't think we have completley nipped the whole slapping in the bud, but we are getting there.

Just the beginning....

Well....we went to the doctor today and were told that we have to go for a follow up appointment in 6 weeks, and go for a CBC in a month from today. They had not recieved the discharge from the hospital so the doctor is waiting for that, but one of the things that he doctor told us that the EBV that he was diagnosed with is not only part of the herpesvirus, but it also can cause certain leukemia's in children. Comforting huh? The dr. also told us that the drs. at A.I. Dupont were really baffled at his netropenia. His levels were so low that there was major concern and there still is some concern, so that is why we are going back for a follow up and also more bloodwork. When the dr. said that EBV (Epstein-Barr Virus) can lead to certain luekemia's in cildren. So, pretty much, we are at the beginning of all these tests. Ugh. Please pray.

The color yellow!!!

Well, as many of you know Asher was on "reverse isolation" when he was at the hospital (to protect him). So, because of that, every one of the nurses and doctors that came in had to wear a yellow gown. So, it got to the point that as soon as they would walk in the room, even before they do anything to him, he would scream.

Kent and would joke about him being scarred for life, but I am truly concerned that he is going to be scarred of the color yellow and not know why he has a fear. Same with hospitals, I am afraid he is going to have a fear of them and not know why.

Sooo tired and lots of randomness!

Well, yeah, we are home and our good friends just got in town. They are staying with us until they find a place, so yeah, we have a houseful, but it's what God wants us to do and so by that we chose to honor him in doing so and even though they haven't been here very long, we are really enjoying this ministry that we can do.

So, with that being said, we got home from the hospital yesterday about 4:30 and I am soo exhausted, but was VERY thankful that I was in my own bed last night. It was a VERY long week, and I never thought I would see the end, but by God's grace and Asher's quick healing due to numerous pray chains, our stay was shortened by two days. God is AWESOME that way huh?

Asher has learned a new word now. The infamous "no". He says it all the time and when he doesn't want to do something he will tell me "no". We are working on trying to break him of that habit quickly. Also, he has started slapping you. Yeah, that we are also nipping in the bud. Although it's cute sometimes, we just have to keep reminding ourselves that if we let it go it will become more hard to break him of later. He also gives "high fives". That is cute, let me tell you. (that is one of the things that the dr. and all the nurses taught him during our "fun" 6 day stay at the hospital.

Asher is doing much better, although still home with me as he is still having diarehha A LOT. Thank you for all your prayers! They are greatly appreciated.

We are home now!

Well, we are home now. Yay! It's been a LONG week! Asher was diagnosed with EBV/Nutropenia/Diarehha. I am just glad that it wasn't something even more serious. There was a serious concern for luekemia, but I am really, really glad he doesn't have it.Thank you all for your prayers, and I ask that they continue as we are at home now on the road to recovery.

FINALLY....and end in sight

Well, the doctor came in this morning, and told us that he has EBV....now that is also the same virus that causes Mono. Now, I know what you're thinking....how does a 15 month old catch Mono...yeah, I don't know if that is what he has specifically, but it is the same virus, so the question that we have for the doctor is whether or not he will ever get Mono again, because my understanding is that once you get it, you don't get it again.

It's nice to finally have a diagnosis. The doctor was kind of suspicious that that is what it was when we brought him in because of the fact that he had had a fever for three weeks, but they just kept him here and ran all sorts of tests to rule EVERYTHING else out.

Thank you VERY much to all those who kept us in your prayers, and we ask that those prayers continue even after the diagnosis, as we aren't sure how long he is going to have this virus or what effects the antibiotics are going to have on him.

That is all for now. We are going to be going home tomorrow night or Tuesday morning.

The power of prayer is AMAZING!!!!

Finally, we are approching what might be the end of all this horriblness. Because of the "issues" with the IV and all that, they just went ahead and drew his blood last night, and cancelled his 5 am labs this morning. As you may know, the whole reason for all this craziness was because his Neutrophil (ANC) levels were dangerously low/non-existant (below100 when the ideal is 1000).When the doctor came in this morning and informed us that his ANC was 1453 we were ecstatic. What I think is going to happen is that they are know going to do the labs/bloodwork to see why his ANC dropped so low. Please continue to pray for this situation, and I want to Thank SOO much, those of you who have been praying and put him on your prayer chain. I think (well, I know without a shadow of a doubt) God truly had His hand on Asher through this whole situation.I will keep you updated with any more news, but in the meantime please continue prayer.

Asher has been stuck 7 times alone today!!!!....

Well, as you may have guessed, we are still in the hospital, not leaving until at least wednesday. They tried today (after the second time today) to get an IV in him, and were unsuccessful. He has had at least 2 IV's a day since he has been here just since Tuesday. They couldn't find any veins this second time, well they could, but it is in his foot, and because he is walking they don't want to put it there. So, as you can guess it is getting quite frustrating. he either sweats them out or they just don't stay in for one reason or the other. So, that being said e are going to talk to the doctor and see if there are any other options available to get fluids and meds to him, as clearly the veins aren't there anymore. So, as you keep the many tests they are running on him in prayer, please also pray that they will finally get an IV in him, and find a successful place to do it, and that it will stay in for more than 24 hrs.

Asher is out of surgery and resting comfortably.

We are now back up in Asher's room, he came out of surgery just fine. They did a bone marrow aspareth (sp?) and bone marrow biopsy. We will not get the full results until some time next week, but we will get the results of the blood smear later this afternoon.They have not done his labs as of yet, but will do those today maybe, tomorrow for sure. They are still concerned about his neutrophil levels as they are still dangerously low. So, please just continue to pray that God's will be done in this situation, and He will be glorified in this whole situation. We don't know what God is planning, but we know that His plan is perfect, and knows the outcome.

update-we are also in a new room

Well, now we were just told that there is a great possibility that we won't be out of here by the weekend. We were just updated, and this is what we were told.....The doctor came in about an hour and a half ago, and told us that his neutrophil count was still really low. It was higher than yesterday, but he is still very concerned because it is still low. They are also going to do a bone marrow on him tomorrow under general anesthesia. (I am really scared to have my baby put to sleep, but I know that it is for his own good). Basically what they are looking for is any types of luekemia/cancer (yes, they used the scary words.) The GI Specialist just came in and is fairly confident that he has a reflux disease. So they are going to have to keep him on medication like Previcid or something similar. They have taken him totally of juice, fruits (he can have bananas)....basically he is on the brat diet. Well, my son has made a reputation for himself around the hospital already as "the incredible hulk". It takes like 5-6 nurses just to take blood, that is not even for his IV....which they are coming back very shortly to put back in. He is not only a hard person to get blood from his blood clots very easily, so there are a lot of times that he has to be pricked a lot more than usual.Well, please continue to pray, and now there is something that is more specific to pray for.

We are also in a new room due to the negative pressure in the room we were in. That room is designed for patients with TB and because of that has negative pressure and causes that "dust bunnies" to curculate more, so we are in a different room that is better for him and his nuetropenia. It is still in 3E, but room 3 instead of 7. We also have a new number. That is 1-302-651-5034

Update....yes we are still here at the hospital and probably not going home any time soon.

Well, now we were just told that there is a great possibility that we won't be out of here by the weekend. We were just updated, and this is what we were told.....The doctor came in about an hour and a half ago, and told us that his neutrophil count was still really low. It was higher than yesterday, but he is still very concerned because it is still low. They are also going to do a bone marrow on him tomorrow under general anesthesia. (I am really scared to have my baby put to sleep, but I know that it is for his own good). Basically what they are looking for is any types of luekemia/cancer (yes, they used the scary words.) The GI Specialist just came in and is fairly confident that he has a reflux disease. So they are going to have to keep him on medication like Previcid or something similar. They have taken him totally of juice, fruits (he can have bananas)....basically he is on the brat diet. Well, my son has made a reputation for himself around the hospital already as "the incredible hulk". It takes like 5-6 nurses just to take blood, that is not even for his IV....which they are coming back very shortly to put back in. He is not only a hard person to get blood from his blood clots very easily, so there are a lot of times that he has to be pricked a lot more than usual.Well, please continue to pray, and now there is something that is more specific to pray for.

still at the hospital......

We are still in the hospital, with no end in sigh it seems. The doctor just came in not to long ago and did tell us that the neutrophils that were there yesterday, which were only 168 is even less, 82. So he is still in the danger zone and still keeps to be gradully getting less and less. The good news is that the doctor was able to get Asher's blood test that was ordered by the pediatrician on the 12th and saw that his neutrophil count was normal (1000) so what that means is that is not something he was born with but rather a very serious viral thing. One of the many things they are looking for is a thing called cyclic (don't know how to spell it) nuetropenia, which means that every 6 weeks like clock work his nuetrophils drop to almost zero and then go back up and then in 6 weeks go back down again, and so the cycle continues. They are also trying to rule EVERYTHING out. They even used the scary words, luekemia and cancer. They don't seem to think that is what it is, but we are hoping and praying that is not the case.
Will keep you updated on the status.

Hospital Stay at Dupont

As I sit (at 3 am on Tuesday Morning) here watching Asher play in his "medal house" it's basically a huge crib that looks like a jail cell, I think back on all the events of the day. We are currently on the 3rd floor up here at A. I. Dupont with probably a "indefinite" stay.
We were admitted to this room at 10 am on Monday morning (though it seems like we have been here much longer) for Asher's very swollen finger, which at the time they thought was some kind of blood, skin or bone infection (which they have since ruled all that out, which is a relief.) and also his very low count of Nuetrophils (his are only 1/6th of what they need to be. The ideal count is 1000 and his are less than 200 which makes him very very susceptible to any infections or anything. So for now they have him on what they call reverse isolation. Basically what that means is that any doctors or nurses that come in have to put a gown on with gloves, just to get anywhere near him, also any visitors that we have need to scrub up and sanatize thier hands before even walking through the door. It is really scary, but at the same time I am feeling a little relief at the fact that they will hopefully find out some kind of answers to him haveing so many fevers and such a low neutrophil count by Thursday at the earliest (which would also be the earliest that we could go home). They are running a series of blood tests on him in order to find the source of the problem, but right now we are playing the "hurry up and wait" game. In the meantime. we would welcome any visitors or phone calls. We are in A.I.Dupont 3E room 7, the phone number for our room is 1-302-651-5431
As we find our more, I will update accordingly.
Prayer welcomed and encouraged.

No news is good news.....(but at least it's news/answers right)?

We, yet again, spent the night in the ER. Asher had a fever of 103.5 when I got to him so when we got to the ER it was 105.3. We didn't go by ambulance this time, I took him. I was wanting to avoid him having another seizure, so I decided it best (after talking to a close friend that is an EMT) to go ahead and take him in to the hospital.They took several x-rays and drew some blood, and urine. His urine came back fine. Although the blood tests that they did, came back with high leukocytes or white blood cells and no Neutrophil (defend against bacterial or fungal infection and other very small inflammatory processes that are usually first responders to microbial infection). So this led the ER Dr. to want to run some more blood tests to find the source of the problem, of course, Asher wouldn't have anything to do with that because they had already "stuck a tube" up into his bladder to collect urine, and taken blood for the first test. So, unfortunatley, they were not able to get enough blood to do the tests. I am going to request that they do that bloodwork when I go see his regular pediatrician tomorrow.Now you might be asking yourself, "why do they need to do more bloodwork", well, because there are two main serious viruses that they are wanting to check him for. CMV -which if you check out this website below gives you more information than I ever could.(http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/communicable/cytomegalovirus/fact_sheet.htm)and/orEBV-check out this website for answers as well. (which the doctor informed me this is the virus that could also potentially cause mono)http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/ebv.htm
Right now this is all we know, but as soon as we get more blood drawn and find out why his leukocytes are elevated, and he has no neutrophil I will keep you updated.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_blood_cell (here is the website the talks about leukocytes vs. neutrophil)

God is in Control!

So, as I sit here and ponder the events of the day, I am starting to get frustrated with all the "issues" going on with Asher. Not with Asher himself, nor with the fact that he is sick, but just the not getting any answers thing is starting to get to me. I have had sooo many people tell me sooo many different things and yet those people that are telling me all those different things are NOT DOCTORS and yet, seem to be helping me more than the doctors, nurses, etc. I was getting so frustrated earlier today, and just wanted to "be done" with it all. Then it hit me. Why am I worrying about this. God has it all under control and knows the outcome (even though it feels like it is being drug out longer than I think it should be). I just need to surrender all my apprehensions (sp.?) and stresses to him.

"Cast all your care on Him because He cares for you" I Peter 5:7

Finally....maybe getting some answers.

Well, Asher has yet again been sent home from school with a fever. This time is 101 degrees. They gave him some tylenol at school, and at about 7 pm we gave him some motrin again. He was really cranky, but finally fell asleep for good at about 7:30 or so. It is getting a little frustrating, but at the same time I know that God will take care of him, and there is a reason this all being drug out longer, ya know? Well, we finally got a date to go up to Wilmington to see the G.I. specialist. We are going to see them on Oct. 2nd at 3pm. It is a little longer than what I would really like, but they are going to talk to the pediatrician and if they think we need to be seen sooner, they are going to move some things around just to get us in. Thank you to all who prayed. Hopefully, we will know something soon. I'll keep you posted.

The Story Continues......

So we went back, yet again, to the dr. today. This time it was our normal doctor and he checked out Asher's ear FIRST THING and confirmed that his ear infection was gone, and that the Amoxicillin had worked ( I am glad it was just one round this time). His belly was still distended (abnormal), so the doctor reffered to a pediatric G.I. specialist at A.I.Dupont. Now, I know what you're probably thinking, "haven't they already been there?", well, yes, but no! We are now going to a different dept. and going to a G.I. specialist. Hopefully this time we'll maybe get some answers. I have to call and make the appointment and then call our doctor to see if our insurance will approve it. Just in case you are not familiar with the way insurance works....IT SUCKS!!!! I mean, don't get me wrong, it saves me money, and all that good stuff, but dealing with them is what SUCKS!!!Please pray, not only for Asher and his many, many appointments, but also for me. I am trying to stay calm about this, but starting to get stressed.Also, pray for the insurance company. I hope they will approve it because we are soo financially strapped that we really can't afford it. That doesn't mean that I won't take him, but it would be nice not to have to worry about the BIG bill that accompanies that visit.

Asher's pretty pictures.....

Asher LOVES to color...we spent time together tonight coloring...and here is the product.....

Oh, Mimi or Mama Joan if you're reading this....Asher has requested coloring books.... :D

Just Kidding....Asher didn't do this one!

He did this one though

Dinner....

This was the scene tonight as we ate dinner. I am not sure why Asher thought that it was better on himself rather than in his tummy, but nontheless, he had fun. We had Pizza Pasta and bread. He loved it. The juice was good too.
(the scratch near his left eye is from the cat...he tormented her this morning, and so she fought back....you'd think he would learn)