Welcome to the wonderfully crazy world of the Stafford's

Getting Settled

2010-01-11T12:31:00.004-05:00

This is a current pic of Asher (taken a few weeks ago). He is pulling his firetruck around the back yard.

As many of you know, and for those of you who don't know, we have moved back home to the GREAT state of TEXAS. We are living with my in laws until we get a place of our own. We got here about Nov. 20, so we are slowly getting adjusted to being back home. Although the weather has been CRAZY....it is currently only 44 degrees outside and the last couple days it has not even been above freezing most of the day. I think we brought this weather with us...cuz this is SOO not Texas weather....lol
Anyway, we had a wonderfully, quiet, non-eventful Christmas. We stayed around the house and just spent Christmas with the family, and the same for new years. Although we did go over to Kent's best friends house and spend the night with them and ring in the new year there. I can't believe it's a new decade already. Time sure does fly. I am just hoping and praying that this year is MUCH MUCH better than last year.
I got a job at Chick-Fil-A where I am currently a cashier in training to be a Team Leader (lower mgmt).
Kent is working at McDonalds...and in the process of trying to switch to Chick-Fil-A (a different owner operater than me)
Asher, well, Asher is still just Asher....cute as ever and growing like a WEED.

Happy 2010 Everyone.

God is FAITHFUL!!!

2009-09-23T11:02:00.003-04:00

Well, sorry for the hiatus! I know I've been gone for a while, and I'm sorry for that. We have had A LOT happen the last few months/weeks. God has been really good to us through the trials though. One thing that I have learned through it all is to FULLY relly on HIM in EVERY aspect of life. And also that HIS timing is PERFECT and WHATEVER happens in life, if we are following HIM...is HIS will and HE only does it to make us stronger.

As many of you know about the loss we suffered back in Feb., we suffered another loss on two weeks ago or so. It all started when I learned I was pregnant again. It was Aug. 24. I was SOO excited and wanted to do EVERYTHING right. I had gone to the dr. that following Monday. I had already had two bloodtests and all seemed okay with the levels...so they were not concerned, but still wanted to watch me closely. It was on Sunday, September 13 that I started bleeding again. So, we got in the car and headed to the ER. The did SERVERAL tests and lots of bloodwork, as well as two u/s (the regular one and an internal one-to check for an ectopic pregnancy). According to the day of my last cycle, Sunday was the start of my 8th week (or rather supposed to be), but when they did the u/s they measured me at only 5weeks and 4days). We were concerned, but clinging(praying that) to the numbers/math being wrong until otherwise.

After 4 1/2 hours in the ER they diagnosed me as having a "threaten miscarraige". When the dr. came in to talk to us, he did say that bleeding/spotting was normal during pregnancy, and that he could see on the u/s where the bleeding is coming from, so that I was just to be on restricted activity and take it easy, and be out of work until further notice. Since I had no bleeding or spotting with Asher and the only time that I had any was the last time I had a miscarraige, I was a little nervous, but still having faith that God was in control.

Then after the u/s and bloodwork I had done in the ER, I had another blood test done on Tues. the 15 and then another u/s done on Thurs. the 17. , then on Fri. the 18 I recieved a call from the ob that I am going to now that they wanted to see me that day. So, I went in at 11:00am that morning, to find out that the pregnancy had not been a good one, but that I hadn't passed it yet, and my hormone levels were still high because my body was trying to hold on to this one.
So they scheduled me for a D&C on Monday, the 21. I went into same day surgery dept. at about 2:45 and went into surgery about 5:00, and got out about 5:30. Then we returned home about 6:00-6:15. I since then have been out of work, and on tylenol with Codeine (powerful stuff let me tell you--but hey, I'm not in pain). I am going back to work tomorrow for the first time since Sept. 11.
I am still feeling very emotionally drained and also still in pain a lot.
Please pray for me that the transition back to work will be a good one, and pray for our family during this hard emotional time.

I will be glad to talk to anyone about it or just be there to listen to you. Just send me a message and I will give you my email address.

One of the other things I have realized is that in God's timing we WILL get our baby, ,and for now Asher is the only one that we are to have. I am FULLY enjoying Asher and starting to realize that if he is going to be our only one than that is God's Will for us.

2009-08-04T15:38:00.003-04:00

Where has it gone? I can't believe that Saturday is already Aug. 1st. That's just not right.Well, as I sit here at 12:31 on Thursday afternoon while the lil man is taking his daily nap, I ponder the happenings and such of July. Although July has been filled with laughter and lots of fun, it has also been filled with tears and learning.Our family suffered a crisis during July 4th-July 11th. I have come to learn through it and trust in God more now that I ever have before. During that week, He showed himself to me in ways that I have NEVER seen Him before.As you can see I have embeded a video that I came across on you tube. Now for those of you who don't know....Casting Crowns has a VERY special place in my heart. They are not only my absolute FAVORITE band, but I have a personal connection to Mark Hall who is the lead singer.Anyway, this song is called Praise You In This Storm. How awesome! That's all I can say. This song has helped me through MANY a trials. Now, don't get me wrong, ALL thier songs are awesome, but I REALLY like this one.Now, I know that this blog has been all over the place as far as my thoughts go, but I challenge you to listen to the song, and hear the words as they are being sung.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHdcyue0bSw

(sorry, I couldn't figure out how to embed the video from youtube, so you will have to click on the link to hear the song.)

I'm back!

2009-07-14T22:31:00.002-04:00

Well, after a couple months hiatus....I'm back. Please forgive me for not posting, but things have not been normal around here latley.
Well, we are now moved in to our house...not fully unpacked yet, but we are getting there slowly. I am enjoying this house much better than the other house we were in. Yes, there was more storage space (the other house had a full size basement and a garage), but this one is just layed out better and all.
Here is a lil update about our family. Of course, nothing has really changed but hey:

Kent-still a mgr. for McDonalds and works VERY hard to provide for our family and in the process of working for McDonalds..also works for the church as the interim music minister and the bi-vocational minister of students (that particular phrasiology is chosen as to incorporate not only the youth, but also the college age kids). So needless to say, Kent stays a pretty busy man, but still manages to spend time with myself and our son in the process.

Asher-He is still a VERY VERY active lil man. He just turned two on May 16th and has more energy of ANYONE that I have EVER seen. He just started @ a different pre-school a couple weeks ago, and seems to like it. So far it seems to really be a good thing for him. There are more activities and he seems to get more one on one attention. He has activities such as water day, moon bounce day, etc. They are VERY good with him and his vocabulary has REALLY improved A LOT latley, so we are VERY proud of him in that way. Well, we are VERY proud of him with whatever he does, but no worries...we aren't bias or anything. :)

Jodie (Me)-I am transferring to a different store in a week, and REALLY looking forward to making a fresh/new start and meeting new people. I am REALLY likeing the company and am THRILLED to be staying with them. I am still loving being home with my son when I have the opportunity too, but in the say and age....the economy makes it pretty near impossible for mothers to stay home with the kids, ya know?
I am still standing by Kent in his ministry (though it's a tough road sometimes) and supporting him EVERY step of the way. I am really enjoying getting to know that youth of our church more and more as well. I pray God continues to allow me to get to know that in the weeks/months/years to come.

Well, that is it for now. More later. I must go tend to the dishes and other wifely duties. :D

The House!!

2009-04-25T21:24:00.000-04:00

Well, I want to first start by saying Thank You all for you continued prayers on the houseing situation. As many of you know, we were presented with the option to buy the current house we are in and in seeking God's will and leaning on Him for the decision, that is no longer an option. We did however look at a house yesterday, to rent for little more money a month than we are paying now, that is in-town Lewes. Unfortunatley I don't have pictures at this time, but will when we are moved in and settled. We have not signed any papers yet, so nothing has been done yet, yesterday the realtor told us that we he was going to talk to the owner and work up the rental aggrement. We are excited, but trying not to get our hopes us as we are seeking the Lord's will in this situation. If this is the house that the Lord has for us, we are praying that God will open doors and allow us to get into it. We are to be out of our current house at the end of May, so that gives just over a month to get all of our stuff packed up. I would encourage all continued prayers for our family during this time. I will keep you all update on any new situations that may arise.

Grace, Struggles, and Judging

2009-04-20T22:08:00.003-04:00

I have REALLY been STRUGGLING latley with some things in my life and the sermon on Sunday could NOT have come at a better time. We were in Luke 6: 37-38.
Anyway, there is a song that I absolutley love and it seems to fit so well right now...and it also happens to be one of my absolute faves...here it is...
Many of you may not know the song,
The song is called Grace, and it is song by the Soundforth Singers:
Grace
Lord, as I seek Your guidance for the day,
I find my thoughts unyielding, confusion crowds my way;
but then when I bow to you, the challenges you guide Me through,
Your promises are ever new, I claim them for today.

Chorus
Your will cannot lead me where Your grace will not keep me,
Your hand will protect me, I rest in Your care.
Your eyes will watch over me, Your love will forgive me, and when I am faltering,
I still will find You there.

Each new day's design is charted by Your hand and graciously revealed as I seek Your master plan.
Keep my footsteps faithful when from You I go. Return me to the joy that Your blessings can bestow.

Chorus:
Your will cannot lead me where Your grace will not keep me,
Your hand will protect me, I rest in your care.
Your eyes will watch over me, Your love will forgive me, and when I am faltering,
I still will find you there.

Weekend-o-Fun!!!

2009-04-05T20:55:00.002-04:00

Well, my wonderful hubby was off of work this weekend, and we had a wonderful time together as a family. On Sat. morning, Asher woke me up around 7:45 (and those that know Asher know that is late, as he is usually up between 6:45-7:00), so I went in to get him ready for the day (what I thought was going to be a play/lounge around the house day), and then we got breakfast and both went downstairs to get laundry out of the dryer. So, then after all that was done we came back upstairs and went to his bedroom to clean up/organize (if you know me you know that I can't stand mess or unorganization) and so we were in his room cleaning and organizing and Kent came in and asked if we had breakfast yet. I said, "no why?" (I had eaten a little, and Asher wouldn't eat). He then preceeded to tell us that we were going out for breakfast. So, I finished what I was doing, got my shoes on and got Asher ready to go. We then went to breakfast and then went to Wal Mart. When we got home we played outside (photos on Facebook) and got some pics of Asher in the flowers and in the back yard (exploring). We had a wonderful family day yesterday. This morning we all got up around 7:30 and got ready for church (which was AMAZING I might add) then we had lunch at church. We came home and Asher took his nap and then he got up and we played together as a family and then Kent said "hey, I wonder if we could find someone to watch Asher for us so we can see a movie". I made a phone call and got a last minute sitter for him. We went to Fast and Furious! Go see it!

Yeah, I know this is short, but I just thought I would share. I will share more later.

Baby Do's and Don'ts....

2009-03-29T21:16:00.002-04:00

How funny is this? I got this link from a friends profile on facebook....and I just HAD to post it. It really made me laugh.

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=64405921839&h=-dwfe&u=tgkkx&ref=nf

Enjoy!!!

March Family Update

2009-03-25T15:46:00.000-04:00

Hello All,

I must admit that I have not been very good about sending out these updates. I will try to do better, but it just seems like if not one thing it's the other. Our lives have been terribly busy latley.
Kent is still working for McDonalds as a 1st Assistant in Milsboro, DE, as well as still working with the youth group at the church which also keeps him VERY busy.
I am still at home with Asher during the day and LOVING IT!! That keeps me very busy.
Asher is now almost 2 years old (May 16th is his bday) and he had a well-child check-up yesterday and while there was measured and weighed. He weighed in at 34 lbs and was 2'11" tall. The doctor said that he is going to be a big boy. It's hard to believe that he is growing up SOO fast. I mean, he is almost up to my waist. It seems like just yesterday he was just a little guy. He is not so much little anymore. We have people that comment on his size. The say that he doesn't even look like a 1 1/2 year old. They say he looks like he is about 3 years old. I can't believe my baby is growing up, I'm so sad!!

Sorry this update is soo short, but duty calls. I will update more soon.

Asher the Builder

2009-03-25T15:35:00.004-04:00

Okay, now I know that this is really supposed to be a family website, and recently it's been all about Asher, but since he and I have sooo much fun during the day while daddy is at work, I wanted to share these pics with you. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

My little Chef

2009-03-22T17:19:00.003-04:00

On Thursday, Kent was off work, so we decided to make a big dinner. (Now, we usually don't because Kent is a manager at McDonalds and so that means many dinners by ourselves). Well, anyway, so we decided to make Spaghetti that night. It was tons of fun. We really enjoyed the family time. Especially Asher, he has become such a DADDY'S BOY latley! Well, we had lots of fun and a good laugh. Take a look at some of these photo ops from our comedian son.

I was informed by a good friend that we must be old fashioned because apparently in this day and age you need beaters to make spaghetti. LoL

(He pulled them out of the drawer and tried to hand them to me to stir the spaghetti sauce....it was quite funny actually)

This was the scene in our kitchen (on our kitchen floor) on Thursday as we prepared our family meal.

Stirring the sauce

Yeah, we don't really know what this one is about.

Needless to say, we had a blast as you can tell. Asher just joined right in. (When Kent put a little on the spoon to let me taste it...Asher did the same thing) HaHa...such a little copy cat.

Enjoy!

Okay...so here is what happened....

2009-03-06T21:24:00.002-05:00

As many of you know our family has suffered a terrible loss over Valentine's weekend. I know what some of you are thinking...of all times...why then? Well, we will never know until we get to heaven and can ask God ourselves why He did what He did. But His plan is perfect, and so we just have to trust that He knows what He is doing and what is best for our family at this time. Jer. 29:11 has been a verse that I have clung very tightly too latley.
We found out on Jan. 31st that we were expecting our second child we were soo happy. We knew that our little Asher would be the best big brother out there. He is soo happy and soo gentle with babies and LOVES babies.
I will say though that when I found out that I was pregnant again, I was a little weary and concerned. I KNEW that God had a plan, but at the same time knew that it was not the best time for us to bring another life into the world as there were many things going on in my life at the point (there still are), and a lot of stress, so even though I was concerned I tried VERY HARD to let the Lord take control and let HIM have HIS PERFECT WILL. So, although I knew that something was wrong the whole time, I was trying to keep a positive attitude. Well, everything seemed to be going find until about Wednesday (Feb. 10) I started spotting and cramping just a bit. I (being the paranoid person that I am) ran into the bedroom and told Kent and then immediatley called my Dr., Kent tried to console me and tell me that spotting is normal and that there is nothing to worry about. I being the stubborn person that I am, wanted to hear it for myself. Well, then when the dr. finally called me back, he did say that spotting/cramping in the first trimester is normal, but to just take it easy, stay off my feet if I could, and if anything gets worse to call the office again. So, I did. Well, I tried to stay off my feet, but with a two year old running around the house, and you are the only one taking care of him because your husband is working, I did the best that I could. So, Thursday I started bleeding REALLY HEAVY and having BAD cramps. So, when I called the dr. office, they told me to go straight to the ER for some tests. We had some friends watch Asher for us, and Kent and I packed up and loaded in the car (not knowing how long we would be up there) and headed to the hospital. I was immediatley seen by the triage nurse who asked me a series of questions and took my blood pressure. They got me back in a room where I saw the ER dr., they did an hCg test and two ultrasounds. The hCg test was actually higher than it had been the day before and the two ultrasounds showed the baby and that it was not an ectopic/tubal pregnancy (which was thier first fear), at which point the ER dr. came in gave the news and told me that vaginal bleeding/cramping was probably just due to my early stage of pregnancy. (Let me state, I had NO bleeding WHATSOEVER with Asher, which is why I was soo paranoid this time) Since the hCg test was higher (not as high as they would like), and the sonograms were both good, they sent me home with strict orders to take it easy and go back Monday (the 16th) for another hCg test. So, I went home took it easy (well, those of you that know me, know that easy for me, is not easy for alot of people, LoL), and then the next morning, started bleeding again. I called the dr. again, and I saw the prenatal nurse who ordered the same blood test that the ER dr. had ordered the day before. This time the prenatal nurse put me on complete bed rest (no getting up AT ALL except to go to the bathroom or get something to drink-which again, if you know me-was REALLY HARD, but I knew that if it was going to help me and the baby, I was going to have to do it), so I was on complete bedrest all weekend and then when Monday (16th) came around I was to go straight to the outpatient surgery center and get the test done again, so I did. So, after the test I came home and went straight back to bed and waited for the dr. to call me with the results. That was the LONGEST day of my life, let me tell you. Well, at about 5:15pm the dr. called me. He had bad news, and I could tell from his voice that it was not good. He confirmed my worst fear. I had lost the baby. Now the best I can tell is that she was gone on Fri., but we won't know until we get to heaven.
Now, to those that don't know how the levels/tests work. hCg is the hormone that women produce when they are pregnant. It is only given off by the baby, so it is very uncommon to have a false positive. My tests at home (all three) were positive, but when I went in to the dr. that test was negative, so that is when they did the blood test (which is pretty much 100% accurate). The hCg levels are supposed to double exponentially every 72 hours. When I took the blood test on the 2nd it was only at 183, then when I took it again on the 9th it had gone up a little, but only to 283, and then at the ER on Thur. it was only at 338. By Monday the 16th, it had dropped back down to only 37. The hormone level is detected at 25, so that confirmed it for me, I had lost our little girl (we felt VERY strongly it was a girl).
So, Kent was actually at work when I got the call, so I called him and he came home from work early and we just hugged and cried and sat on the couch and snuggled, I asked why...that kind of thing. We named her....Jordyn Blaire. She is in heaven with Jesus right now, laughing and having a great old time. We will one day see her beautiful face. We loved her so much! The people that don't think it's a baby from conception...it is, and you are just cold-hearted!
We don't know why GOD chose to take her from us, there are soo many firsts that we will never get to experience. Her first cry, her frist crawl, her first steps, many many more. But I just have to keep reminding myself that she will never experience hunger, tears, pain, or anything else negative because there is none of that in heaven.
Now, even though there is nothing that I did to cause this, I will tell you that I don't believe that (at least not yet), I still find myself asking why and what I did to cause my body to reject the pregnancy of a beautiful (no matter what) little gift from the Lord.
And yes, I do plan on telling Asher about his little sister (that he never had the privledge of meeting) that is in heaven with Jesus.

We love you Jordyn Blaire!!! Mommy, Daddy and Asher already miss you!

It's a sad day!

2009-02-16T20:14:00.001-05:00

There are not going to be 4 of us at this time.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!!! Do not try to comment or ask me what happened. I don't want to talk about it right now. Maybe later, but not right now!

Thank you in advance, for those who respected my privacy!

And now there are 4....

2009-02-09T10:53:00.003-05:00

I am very happy to finally announce that Asher Kent is now going to be a big brother sometime either at the end of Sept. or beginning of Oct.
Please keep us in prayer as we are going to be going through a time of adjustment, but we also ask your prayers for a healthy baby.

We are not really concerned with the sex of the baby as much as we are the health of the baby. We are going to be thrilled with whatever God gives us. Although we already have a boy, so a girl would be nice. We do have names picked out, here they are:

Girl: MaKara Jade
Boy: Zorrin Kale

(P.S. I was so kindly reminded by a good friend that now I have to change the URL..any suggestions...LoL)

A picture is worth a thousand words.

2009-02-04T16:42:00.003-05:00

I must start by saying that I give my sister-in-law the credit for this picture (seeing as my son was holding my hand and I didn't take the picture). She did such an awesome job.

Updates and such!!!

2009-01-23T21:38:00.003-05:00

Okay, well since I have been asked for an update on the life of the Stafford's. Here goes....

Asher is a bouncing, vibrant 20-month old (I don't know where he gets all of his energy, but I do know that I am too old to keep up with him some days.) who loves life and pretty much anything and everything else. His new things now are "gucks and panes" (for those of you who are unfamiliar with 2 year old jargon that's "trucks and planes"). He had a great CHRISTmas this year, as it was really his first CHRISTmas to really enjoy all the gifts and the boxes that the gifts came in (which were a greater hit than the toy sometimes). He has a "mammy" (That's what he calls Handy Manny) doll that goes everywhere with us, and he even has some "mammy" jammies that he got from his Mama Joan and Papa Mike that he likes to wear fairly regularly (as a matter of fact he has them on right now.)

Kent is now working at a different location than he was about 3 weeks ago, and that is going wonderfully. There is A LOT less stress, and he even actually likes his manager. He still works for the same owner, who is a wonderful man and very Godly as well. He is still also serving as the music minister for the time being until they get a permanent one....He will admit it does have it's challenges, but he really enjoys doing it. He is also still acting as bi-vocational student minister and ABSOLUTLEY LOVES IT!!!

I am still staying home full time with Asher and enjoying EVERY MINUTE of it. I would not trade staying home with him for the best paying job in the world (which I know that I mentioned that before, but can you tell I'm really enjoying myself). I am contemplating going into photography for myself, but I don't know what all that will entail (I have actually been thinking about that for a VERY VERY long time, and had SEVERAL people tell me that I should). I am also thinking about going back to school to finish and get my elem. educ. degree, but again, I am contemplating and don't know what all that will entail.

Well, since it's a new year....I thought maybe I would "try" to set some new year's resolutions. I'm not sure how they will pan out, but maybe if I publicly state them, I will have better luck. :)

1. continue working out on a daily basis (I have already slacked in that area and missed some time)

2. loose this extra baby weight that was put on with Asher

3. be a better housewife

4. be a better wife to my husband

5. be a better mother

6. be a better person in general

7. daily be in God's word and strive to be more like Him.

Maybe, hopefully, someone reading this will help hold me accountable.

Well, maybe none of this made sense, but these are my ramblings and just thought I would write them down. Hopefully someone some where will get this. LoL

Texas 2009

2009-01-13T11:14:00.003-05:00

Well, as some, or many of you know, Kent, Asher and I took a family vacation to Texas for the week of Jan. 2-10. We had a blast, but are glad to be home again. It was a very relaxing weekend. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

Merry CHRISTmas my love!!!

2008-12-24T15:01:00.002-05:00

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!!!!

2008-12-18T13:14:00.004-05:00

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!!!!

2008-12-10T15:07:00.003-05:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABY!!!!!

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

I LOVE YOU BABY!!!!

Busy! Busy! Busy!

2008-12-09T10:11:00.003-05:00

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!

2008-11-17T12:16:00.003-05:00

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!!!

2008-11-16T19:40:00.004-05:00

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!!!

2008-11-05T12:26:00.004-05:00

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

2008-11-04T16:10:00.000-05:00

Help!!!???!!!

Anyone!!!???!!!

Not a baby anymore. Tear

2008-11-04T15:22:00.003-05:00

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

2008-10-31T14:00:00.002-04:00

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!

2008-10-31T11:51:00.001-04:00

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....

2008-10-30T12:26:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-20T20:15:00.002-04:00

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.....

2008-10-20T12:05:00.004-04:00

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.

2008-10-20T10:28:00.004-04:00

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????

2008-10-20T10:12:00.003-04:00

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.

2008-10-15T12:35:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-11T15:00:00.003-04:00

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!!!

2008-10-11T14:47:00.003-04:00

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?)

2008-10-05T22:55:00.001-04:00

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

Who Am I?

2008-10-04T22:35:00.001-04:00

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!!!

2008-10-04T12:07:00.001-04:00

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

2008-10-03T15:50:00.002-04:00

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

2008-09-27T15:17:00.002-04:00

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!!

2008-09-25T23:29:00.005-04:00

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"

2008-09-22T23:03:00.004-04:00

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

2008-09-22T22:28:00.002-04:00

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.

2008-09-21T15:49:00.004-04:00

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

2008-09-20T21:57:00.003-04:00

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.

2008-09-19T20:28:00.006-04:00

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

2008-09-19T20:22:00.005-04:00

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......

2008-09-15T19:20:00.007-04:00

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....

2008-09-10T14:29:00.002-04:00

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!!!

2008-09-09T11:35:00.002-04:00

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!

2008-09-09T11:22:00.005-04:00

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!

2008-09-08T19:01:00.001-04:00

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

2008-09-07T10:50:00.002-04:00

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!!!!

2008-09-06T07:53:00.000-04:00

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!!!!....

2008-09-05T19:27:00.000-04:00

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.

2008-09-05T16:13:00.000-04:00

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

2008-09-05T07:36:00.002-04:00

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.

2008-09-04T16:49:00.001-04:00

still at the hospital......

2008-09-03T14:03:00.002-04:00

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

2008-09-03T02:49:00.004-04:00

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)?

2008-09-01T19:44:00.002-04:00

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!

2008-08-31T21:17:00.002-04:00

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.

2008-08-28T22:02:00.001-04:00

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......

2008-08-26T10:15:00.000-04:00

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.....

2008-08-25T20:07:00.003-04:00

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....

2008-08-25T19:58:00.004-04:00

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)

It's been a week....

2008-08-24T19:19:00.003-04:00

Well, it's been a week and no major "scares". As many of you remember, (as prayers circled Asher, and were heard ALL over the country,) Asher had a FEBRILE seizure, and was rushed to the ER. Now, the seizure was caused by nothing more than a high fever, but it was still scary. Just two days before that we were at the doctors office because of stomach "problems." We had taken up to the ER/Hospital at A.I.Dupont on Wilmington, and they found nothing. Then during his 15 month well-baby check up the doctor noticed that his stomach was distended. He did not know why it was that way and all of the tests were inconclusive, and showed nothing wrong, but there IS something wrong, and he wakes up pretty much the same time EVERY time night screaming in pain. Tylenol doesn't work, and neither does Little Tummies (Mylecon). When I told that to the doctor he was a bit concerned and told me to closley monitor Asher, so I have been doing that for this week, and will continue to do so.
It may be nothing more than a severe food allergy, but it seems no one seems to know what is wrong.
Please pray that the doctors will have wisdom as they tackle the what seems like impossible task of trying to find out what is wrong with Asher. Please pray with us as we figure it out together.

More Pictures...

2008-08-22T22:22:00.010-04:00

In the last post I posted some pics of Asher and myself in the backyard by my favorite tree. So, then I decided to post some of Asher and Kent "bonding" one afternoon. Notice how happy they are

Like Father, like son.

Daddy, your soo funny!

Pictures

2008-08-22T22:14:00.010-04:00

Here are some pictures that we took in the backyard with my favorite tree, right before Asher turned 1. (Too bad the pedals are pink.). Now there is a swing there for Asher and a soon tire swing. It's also the perfect climbing tree (according to my husband who used to LOVE to climb trees)

Elmo

2008-08-20T16:30:00.003-04:00

Well, Asher has a new "favorite" , it's his elmo doll which he calls "melmo. He takes "melmo" everywhere he goes, to the store, to church, outside. "Melmo" even went with us to the hospital this weekend. I think it is his "security blanket". I was not able to capture him toddling along carrying elmo (even though it happens very often.) Here is one picture of him.

Notice the coaster in his hand as well. He also has found a fascination with coasters, and so I find them all over my house now.

I will post more later when I get some of him actually looking at me carrying him.

15 months

2008-08-20T16:24:00.003-04:00

Well, Asher had his 15 month well-baby check up this morning at 9:00 and he was okay as far as the fever goes, so they did give him a shot (which I was not in the room for, I will have you know), but the doctor came in before the nurse gave him his shot and said the same thing that I did. He noticed that his belly was distended, and to keep an eye on it. I told him my concern of what we were told this weekend, and we went over this weekends events, he agreed with me (finally....a doctor that really truly is going to be honest with us, and not just tell us something and send us on our way), and told me to keep an eye on him closely. So, I am going to do that, and pray that we don't have any more "episodes" like we did on Sunday night. His ear and throat are getting a little better, but still red and infected, but the antibiotics is definitley helping.

So, please continue to pray for Asher and his little body! I know God will heal his little body!

Our unexpected trip to the ER last night with Asher.

2008-08-18T09:58:00.000-04:00

Thank you for the continues prayers. We are still battling the "stomach" stuff, but had an unexpectd visit to the ER last night. It all started last night at about 8:00 pm. Kent and I were watching TV in the living room and Asher had been sleeping since about 5:30 that afternoon. (He had had a long day, swimming, playing outside, going out to lunch....etc,) We heard him through the baby monitor, he was rustling around almost like he was struggling to find a comfortable position, so I was going to go get him and bring him out in the living room to snuggle and watch TV with us (which I don't usually do, I usually just let him get more comfortable, and fall back asleep, so I know that without a doubt God had His hand on Asher), so I went in, turned on his light and saw him face down struggling. I picked him up and noticed that he needed a diaper changed, so I layed him down on his changing table. When I layed him down, his lips were purple and he was shaking uncontrollably, and barely breathing. I immediatley called for Kent who came running back to the nursery. He took Asher and held him close to him, while I immediatley got on the phone with our pastor (who is also the EMS captain for the fire dept., so I knew that he would be here before the ambulance) He and his wife got to our house in record time with thier blue lights on, and sped into our driveway. This whole time I was on the phone with 911 who was talking me and trying to keep me calm while the sent the EMS/Ambulance to our house.Once Charlie and Erica got to our house...they told me to let the the person on the phone know they were there, so when they heard that....they were pretty confident and got off the phone. During that time, Charlie and Erica were trying to get oxygen to him in order to get him breathing again. Again, God was watching over him and speaking to me and having me do things that was VERY random. I all the sudden said, take his socks off, when we did...he had no color in his toes/feet at all. From his knees down was all blue. Then the ambulance came, and while keeping the oxygen on him and trying to get his color back, they put him in the ambulance (they had a little carseat in there that they strapped to the stretcher, so that was cool. We went to the ER and they took us in, got us checked in and took us to the room. By the time we got to the hospital, his breathing was better, and his color came back, so that was good. They took his temp. which was 104, so immediatley gave him a tylenol supository, they also did a cath for a urinology (which came back good), and they also did an x-ray on his chest to check for pnemonia (which they did not find). Then after about 30-45 min. of having the tylenol in him, the nurse came back in and checked him over again, his temp. at that point was 100.7 (so it went down dramaticall, so that is good), we did the whole "hurry up and wait" thing for about 3-4 hours and then finally the dr. came back in and checked him over (his ears, eyes, nose, and throat). His righ ear was really red, and so was his throat. So, they gave us amoxicillin for the middle ear infection.They prescribed amoxicillian for his middle ear infection, and the ibuprofen for the high fever. The dr. diagnosed his "episode" as a Febrile Seizure, which was broughtn by his high fever. A Febrils Seizure (which was really, really scary to walk into my sons room to him not breathing, shaking really bad, and turing blue) is brought on by a high fever. Which apparantley, this type of seizure is very common in children up to 7 years old. 1 child in 20 will have this type of seizure, and are more likley to happen if a close relepiative has also had a febril seizure. These sezuires are not usually caused by a disorder of the nervous system (i.e epilipsy or a brain infection). Due to his high fever, there are a couple things we need to do in order to keep his fever down. He is sleeping now, but a little fussy. He has had his medications (he is on 3 different ones: ibuprofen, amoxicillin, and miralax), and hopefully whatever is going on will not keep him from getting sleep this morning (as you might guess, we had a rough night)Well, thank you for your prayers, but please continue them as we are still in the middle of all the antibiotics/medications. Our prayer for today is that there will be no "episodes'" for a while

Asher update

2008-08-16T23:16:00.000-04:00

Well, we got back from A.I.Dupont tonight and well...yeah.....We arrived at the hospital at about 9:00 am and we were pretty much taken right back (I guess it pays to know people who know people huh?) We saw all sorts of nurses, staff and interns, etc. and FINALLY after waiting about 2 hours we saw the attending pysician that was assigned to us. He came in asked some questions, checked out Asher. Rather than having the catscan done, he just wanted to do more in-depth x-rays (he didn't want to subject Asher to that radiation and sedation if he didn't have to). So, he left and ordered a series of x-rays for us. it took us almost 30 min to go back and get the x-rays. So, after that we went back to the room and waited for the radiologist/attending to look at the films.If you have ever been to the ER with a 15 month old....yeah, it's not the easiest. Luckily I brought A LOT of toys for him to play with and there were crayons and a color paper there for him to color on. He got restless being in the room after a while, so we started to walk up and down ALL the halls (meeting ALL the ER staff-at least twice-needless to say they ALL knew Asher before the day was over, he also became thier favorite patient.) then, Asher spotted a little wagon for patients (children) and he just thought he HAD to have it. We went back to the room, got some toys, put them and him in the wagon, and then proceeded to take a walk/"ride" up and down the hallways. He had a blast. He loved the wagon.Well, almost 4 hours past and we FINALLY saw the nurse(after Kent, the guy that went up there with us, and myself saying something) who looked at the films with the doctor and the radiologist. They concluded that there was NO blockag or anything else that they saw of any MAJOR concern. So they just said they saw that he had really bad constipation with gas behind it. So, they sent us home with a prescription for Miralax (a powder substance to be added to 8 oz of juice or water) and then follow up with our pediatrician on Mon.Like I mentioned, they found nothing of major concern. But, I am still concerned, and frustrated because my baby is in A LOT of pain, and no one seems to see anything or know anything.Please continue to pray for wisdom for us and the doctors, as it has been a long road, but hopefully we will be able to nail down a cause for all the pain he has.I know God is in control, and he will heal Asher, and His will is going to be done in this situation

A.I.Dupont

2008-08-15T18:00:00.001-04:00

Asher had a dr. appt. today with his pediatrician who told us that she still was not sure what was going on with him, but that his white blood cell count was elevated, so she gave us two options. The first being we could go and get his tests run again (both of them) and if they are still inconclusive or "abnormal" go up to A.I.Dupont, OR we can just go straight up to A.I.Dupont with the test results and get CATSCAN! So rather than, subject Asher to more poking and proding and x-rays we thought it best to just go up to A.I.Dupont and get the CATSCAN done and get a "second" opinion. So we are :leaving our house here at about 7:15 am tommorrow morning to go up north to the Children's Hospital.
Please pray that God would allow His will to be done.

Another dr. appt.

2008-08-14T22:22:00.003-04:00

Asher has another dr. appt. tomorrow morning at 11:00 am, please continue to pray for him. I haven't seen the "bulge" yet, but yesterday, that daycare told me they saw it, and where it was. (Right above his belly button when he "flexes"). The also noticed that his belly lopped to one side (the left side-his left). Then tonight when we woke him up to feed him and let him get something to drink. He was really wobbly (couldn't walk straight), and his eyes would sometimes looked glazed over. I am kinda scared.
I am not really sure what is going on, but I know that God is the Great Physican and can take care of this.

sidewalk chalk

2008-08-13T19:18:00.008-04:00

He did not write his name...just to let you know.
My son is advanced, but not like that.

As promised here are some of the pics of the artwork on our driveway and front porch.

Update....

2008-08-13T15:55:00.000-04:00

When I spoke with the doctor not to long ago, they informed me there was no blockage or anything, but that his bloodwork was abnormal, she said she saw a virus or something. I am just going to watch out for anything more, but when I went to the daycare today to pick him up they did tell me of a bulge above his belly button that they did see, and also his belly was off to the left side. They recommended that we get a second opinion and check and make sure everything is okay. I don't know what to do. Not sure if the "virus" that the doctor saw is going to pass of if that is something that needs a second opinion. If we get a second opinion it will require going up to A.I.Dupont. I am just really worried. Not sure what to do. He is soo little

Can't think of a title....anyone got one?

2008-08-12T21:57:00.003-04:00

Well, we went to the dr. this morning to get Asher's belly checked out because it looked "irregular". Our appointment was at 10:15 this morning and we got home at nearly 1:00 in the afternoon. We didn't see his doctor rather we saw the nurse practioner today. They came into the room asked several questions and then proceeded to do the regular exam on him with a little bit of pushing and poking his tummy (which he didn't like at all). After the examination was over we were told to go over to Beebe Medical Campus (the outpatient lab potion of Beebe Hospital) and get blood work done and an x-ray on his abdomen.
For those of you that don't have kids, trying to get blood from an almost 15 month old is pretty near impossible. I had to sit in the chair with him and cross my legs over his to keep him from squirming and hurting any further. It pained me SO much to see him get poked with a needle, but I just kept reminding myself that it was for his own good, and that it was necessary if we were to find out what is wrong with him.
The x-ray was a little better, but I still had to hold his hands above his head and hold his legs down so they could get a good "picture" of his belly. He did NOT like that at all.
After that ordeal was over we went home (thankfully). I know it was not under the best of circumstances, but I got some cuddles from him, so I can't complain.

Now, let me back up. The reason that we went to the dr. in the first place was because Kent and I had noticed his belly looking "irregular", but honestly didn't think anything of it. Asher has always had a good appitite, so I didn't think anything of it. I just chalked it up to him liking to eat. So, then there were two people at the daycare that mentioned that it looked like there was a possible hernia or something, so they requested that we get it checked out. Then, the last couple days, Asher has been really fussy and waking up at the same time a night screaming in pain. (I sat up with him in the rocking chair, and again, got cuddles from him). On top of that, the last two days has been throwing up alot latley. Yesterday, I was noticing it was un-digested, so that really worried me.

Now, back to our appointment today. As we were in the office waiting on the nurse to come back into the room after consulting with the doctors as to what to do with this situation. They also said there WAS a little concern about a hernia or some kind of blockage. The reason we went to get the bloodwork done was to make sure everything was normal, and the x-ray on his belly to make sure that was no blockage. The nurse told us that when they get the results back they will give us a call, and if there is not a blockage then they will probably send us up to A.I.Dupont (which is a really good Children's Hospital in Wilmington) for a sonogram. (Apparantley, they don't do sonograms for hernia's around here 'children's hernia's anyway')

Sorry for some of the graphic words I used in some of the description.

Well, we had a very productive day otherwise, so that was good.

In the middle of the afternoon, early evening, he was feeling better and hadn't thrown up since that morning and wanted to go outside, so we had our first experience with sidewalk chalk. Let me tell you. He loved it. Pictures in the next post, coming soon.

Inspitation

2008-08-06T12:20:00.002-04:00

This is the song to which I though of when I was writing my last post.
Alot of times God asks us to "step out of the boat"
Are you willing to?

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out his hand
But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. 'Boy, you'll never win!'"You'll never win"
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
Oh what I would do to haveThe kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a Sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand
But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again "boy, you'll never win!"You'll never win"
But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

words/lyrics from http://www.elyrics.net/read/c/casting-crowns-lyrics/voice-of-truth-lyrics.html

FAITH

2008-08-05T22:30:00.003-04:00

Forsaking

All

I

Trust

Him

I was reminded of that acronym last night as I was talking to my friend from TX. When talking to her I was also reminded not to worry about ANYTHING! God is in control of EVERYTHING!! They are willing to give up what they have and follow God's plan for thier lives with no question of whether they should or not. It reminds me of when Kent and I left what we had in TX to come out here and except the postition here as a youth pastor of our church voluntarily and having faith that God would provide for us. I will admit that I did get angry with the state and hate living here and sometimes take it out on the ones around me, but then I realize that God is in control of EVERYTHING and have to rely on Him no matter what. This is just a gentle reminder to everyone reading this that God does provide and if you follow God's Will for your life you will NEVER be disappointed! I promise!

Ps. 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted among the earth.

The Dollar Store and a little bit of attitude

2008-08-02T22:19:00.002-04:00

Well, I was in the dollar store the other day getting a little basket thing to put in Asher's room to organize his toys/cars. Asher is feeling a little independent these days, so I let him walk, but not before I put a monkey "harness" on him so I could keep a tight reign on him. We were in the cleaning isle just looking around when we were "rudely" approached by a lady that asked me "do you believe in thos things?" I'm thinking to myself "no I don't, I just have one on him for the fun of it." I politley held my tounge while she repeated herself again, as if I didn't hear her the first time. I just smiled at her, and we continued on our way. We then saw her again, to which she said again, "do you really believe in those things, because I don't" "NOT AT ALL" I didn't say anything to here, I was getting a little frustrated with her at that point. I just thought that best thing to do at this point was to just walk away. Well, then a little later we finally found what we were looking for and made our way to the front of the store to check out. Well, guess what, we saw her again at the front of the store, and then she just gave me a look and didn't say anything. We just paid for what we bought and then decided to leave. Why do people have to be so rude. I know how to raise my son. She was trying to tell me that I was doing it wrong. Can you believe that?

Asher is WALKING!!!!

2008-07-30T21:26:00.003-04:00

Well it has been two weeks since my life changed forever. (HaHa) My 14 month old son finally did it. He is finally walking by himself. Of course, Kent and I weren't there to witness it (sadness), as it was at daycare, that he took off. It was any ordinary day as I went into the day care to pick him up. As I went into his room and got his stuff out of his cubby his teacher saw that I was there to pick him up(as she always does), and so then she said "Asher, mommy is here, go see mommy" (again, as she always does), I didn't think anything of it, so I just continued to get his stuff together. Then as I turned around, here comes Asher, RUNNING to me (which he had never done before).

Of course, I knew that when he started walking, he was going to take off. And, well, it has been two weeks (a LONG two weeks), and he has not stopped moving since!

I posted the only picture for now that I was able to capture (this one he looks like he is flying), he will not slow down long enough for me to get a good one.

Coasters are soo much fun...

2008-07-18T21:32:00.003-04:00

You know how they say that kids pick up what they see you do. Well, I guess he's been watching the cats too much, because this morning, I came into the living room to him "eating" the coasters. Too funny huh?

More please....

2008-07-18T21:17:00.005-04:00

Tonight for dinner we had Pizza Pasta. It's one of those "homestyle bakes" from Banquet meals. It was a big hit with Asher. So much so that he would whine if I didn't feed him fast enough! The peas didn't go over to well though. Oh well, there are other veggies that he will eat. He loves friut to, so I guess I can't complain to much.

I hope you enjoy these pics.....

Pasta with fingers is soo much better than eating from a fork!

More please!
Dinner and a Movie. What more could a kid ask for?
Ummm...Pasta is fun to eat!

I know...I know...it doesn't look apealing, but I promise you. It was good.

Mowing the.......carpet?

2008-07-12T19:38:00.005-04:00

Yeah, I said the carpet. Asher just learned how to do this by himself without any help. I am soo proud of him. It just means that he is that much closer to walking.

He was also in the kitchen with me tonight, and now that he can stand up...he reached for his sippy cup that was on the counter, and since he is not quite tall enough to reach it yet, he just wined and looked at me. (What do you think....do you think that means he wanted it?)--Don't worry I did gave it to him.

A Vacuum=hours of entertainment

2008-07-12T19:22:00.013-04:00

I was doing some housecleaning and came into the living room and Asher had decided he wanted to help me out.

I find it amazing how entertained he was over the vacuum. Then he got himself tangled in the cord and thought that was fun. He started trying to put the attachments back (in the couch cushions, the entertainment center, etc 'pretty much everywhere but where they were supposed to go')

The apple of my eye!

2008-07-11T19:04:00.002-04:00

How cute is he?

Apparantley something was funny! I think daddy told a joke or something.

New Look and cutest baby EVER

2008-07-10T22:57:00.013-04:00

As you may have noticed....

our blog has a new look.

I just also want to post this pic....

Is he not the CUTEST baby EVER!!!!

I just thought I would let the world know!!!!!

Who are you working for....?

2008-07-10T08:58:00.007-04:00

I heard this song this morning by Casting Crowns (my favorite band EVER), and I thought I would share the words to this song. Just take a minute to reflect on the words.

All work no play may have made Jack a dull boy
But all work no God has left Jack with a lost soul
But he's moving on full steam
He's chasing the American dream
And he's gonna give his family the finer things

Not this time son I've no time to waste
Maybe tomorrow we'll have time to play
And then he slips into his new BMW
And drives farther and farther and farther away

So He works all day and tries to sleep at night
He says things will get better;
Better in time

And he works and he builds with his own two hands
And he pours all he has in a castle made with sand
But the wind and the rain are comin' crashing in
Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands
His kingdom stands

His American Dream is beginning to seem
More and more like a nightmare
With every passing day
"Daddy, can you come to my game?"
"Oh Baby, please don't work late."
Another wasted weekend
And they are slipping away'

Cause he works all day and lies awake at night
He tells them things will get better
It'll just take a little more time

He used to say, "Whoever dies with the most toys wins"
But if he loses his soul, what has he gained in the end
I'll take a shack on the rockOver a castle in the sand
Now he works all day and cries alone at night
It's not getting any better
Looks like he's running out of time'
Cause he worked and he built with his own two hands
And he poured all he had in a castle made with sand
But the wind and the rain are coming crashing in
Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands
His kingdom stands

All they really wanted was You
All they really wanted was You
All they really wanted was You

That song just really makes me think....we shouldn't put all our effort and time into triviel things 'cuz in the light of eternity IT DOESN'T MATTER.

If you haven't heard this song....I really encourage you to listen to it.

Asher is.....

2008-07-09T21:29:00.001-04:00

not walking yet. But almost. He will stand for about a min. and a half by himself, and even take three or four steps himself, but just wont do more than that. He is now just being stubborn I think (he gets it from his daddy;0) I think that it will happen in the next couple of weeks though, I haven't figured out if things in my life are going to get easier or harder. Part of me thinks that it will be easier because I won't have to carry him everywhere. But then again...the other part of me is not sure if I want him to walk everywhere, because then I will have to "grow" another set of eyes. LoL

Attitudes

2008-07-08T21:22:00.004-04:00

As I sit here reflecting on today's events and watching CSI. I reflect back on the dr. appt. we had today with the pediatrician. I have come to realize there are way too many things going around the daycare and there are soo many unnecessary trips that we take to the pediatrician just because the daycare wants us too. That being said...today was one of those unnecessary trips just because Asher was sent home yesterday with a temp of 101.2. He has been given tylenol since then about every 4 hours so when they took it this morning it was only 98.6, so any fever that was there was masked by the tylenol. He was also tugging at his ear, which had me a little concerned because that would make 3 ear infections in the span of only 6 months. Much to my suprise, there was no infection, which I was very thankful for because that was not what I needed. He has also been very very cranky latley, which if you know my son is NOT usual, since he is generally a happy baby. He slept with us last night, and didn't even sleep very well, and finally fell asleep about 12:00am, which means we didn't sleep very well.

Well, if all that is not enough for one day, Asher is developing his own attitued. We were in the dr. office this morning, after the dr. checked him over and confirmed that everything was okay, and just wanted us to keep the tylenol every 4 hours due to a virus going around, he proceeded to crawl and toddle around the doctors office with just his diaper on. He then proceeded to tell us all that he had enough of that, and decided to show us all his "ATTITUDE" . He didn't want to be held or want to be down, we don't think he knows what he wants. He threw himself down anad threw a "fit", and then bumped his head and got more upset. It just seemed to go around and around from there.

Don't get me wrong, it is a such a fun age, I love, love, love, spending ALL the time that I can get with him, but at the same time, sometimes his "ATTITUDE" is more than I can handle.

I can't believe that he is growing up so fast. If anyone knows any secrets of how to keep little him forever, let me know, I would sure like to know ;)

Happy 4th and my little fireman!!!

2008-07-04T17:18:00.012-04:00

Today we went to 2nd Street to celebrate the 4th of July. We had so much fun. There were french fries, ice cream, games, and lots of fun. I wasn't sure how Asher was going to do the whole day (8:30-1:00), but he did really well. We didn't stay for the games because it was nap time and for those of you that know what it's like with a cranky child that's hot and wants to nap....I thought it best to leave.

We also went and saw the fire truck for the Dept. that Kent and I are volunteers at. Asher loved it. Here are a few pics. I don't have many, and will update the blog later. As you can tell there are a few that he is more interested in the truck and the lights on the truck, than on the camera.

6 Teeth, 2 Steps, and The Beach!!!

2008-07-01T15:37:00.003-04:00

Asher took his first TWO steps today. They were to my sister. We were in the living room and she was calling Asher and I put him on the ground, and he actually walked to her! Yay! He won't do it anymore since then, but it was exciting to see him getting that much closer, ya know? Well, I think it's more of a confidence issue, and he could do it, if he just would, but he hasn't conquered that fear yet.

When we were eating lunch today, he had his usual favorite, a hot dog. He was giggling and laughing and noticed TWO MORE teeth, for a grand total of 6. How fun. So now, there are 4 on top and 2 on the bottom. They are the 2 on the bottom center and the 4 on the top (all in a row) right above those on that bottom.

Also, on my vacation last week, we went to the beach and he had his first expereince with the carousel, and also chocolate ice cream. He LOVED it!

Spaghetti, Jello and Swimming

2008-06-26T19:46:00.004-04:00

I was on vacation for a week while my mother-in-law and sister-in-law were here, and we went swimming several times.

I can't believe that Asher is such a little fish. He didn't want to get out of the pool even when he was cold. He was shivering, and screaming when we took him out because he wanted to go back in. He takes after me with his fair skin, and so I didn't want hime to be out very long as he might get a bad burn, but boy did he have fun.

I got brave and decided to try giving him spaghetti, since that was what we were having for dinner that night. I didn't give him the sauce, but he still had fun with the noodles. They were EVERYWHERE (i.e. the walls, the floor, mama Joan's chair, his chair, my chair), including on Belle (our 8 week old kitten).
We also gave him some jello, boy did he love that! He smeared it all over his tray and in his hair, then we decided to put it on a spoon and give it to him that way. Boy, he didn't want anything to do with that.

First Blog

2008-06-26T19:40:00.001-04:00

This is my first blog, so bare with me. I was introduced to this, and have some friends on here, so I thought I would give this a try. I will start out by introducing the family:

Kent: a student minister

Jodie: an assitant manager at Gold Toe

Asher: our little 13 month old bundle of joy that loves life and loves to be outside.

This is mainly a way for us to be connected with the outside world (we are thousands of miles from friends and family)

I will be posting pics of the family, and mostly Asher, but that is later to come in a different post.