Happy Mother's Day

Thank you for the butterflies

I apologize for being M.I.A. from the blog. This past month or so has been very hectic and emotional for me. I can't say it's any particular thing but putting my heart on paper wasn't an option. Mason is doing great!!! It's amazing to me how God chooses to bless you even when you're questioning His every move. Mason had his adenoid surgery two weeks ago. We didn't think much of this surgery as far as recovery went. This by far has been the hardest one for him to bounce back from. We ended up in the ER the day after b/c he was throwing up blood. We are finally on the up swing of it and he is feeling MUCH better. I'm so excited to share with you all the blessings we've seen in his life. Drum roll please....... He rolled over for the first time Friday night! We've put the video below. Three weeks ago he was sitting on his boppy looking at the toys hanging in front of him. For the first time he reached for a toy and put it in his mouth!!! Finally, last night we were watching him on the monitor and he spit out his pacifier and figured out how to use his fists to get it back in his mouth!!!! In all the crazy emotions I've been feeling, I can't ignore the blessings God is pouring out on our family.

We did meet with the invetro doctor and we had some positive and disappointing news. In a nutshell, he had me get tested for the genetic disorder. I will receive the results in 2 weeks from that test. When I met with the genetic counselor she did say she feels they will come back positive. That has been alot to swallow. Even though I felt that I had good grip on my emotions, it is still alot to work through. The only way Kevin and I could have a child together is to create an embryo first and then test it. We believe life begins at conception and therefore this is not an option for our family. We do have a couple of options that are not our first choice but we will continue to pray for God's perfect will.

My heart has also been heavy this month for our precious friends Lindsey and Adam. I put her blog address on the entry below. I want to share a story she shared on her blog. Today is the one year anniversary that Landon was laid in the arms of Jesus. Last Wednesday was his birthday. Lindsey was praying the night before his birthday that God would send a butterfly to them when they went to visit his graveside the next day. She didn't share this with her husband b/c she thought it was a silly request. When they went to visit Landon low and behold on his headstone was a beautiful butterfly. As she looked around, this butterfly was the only one she saw and the entire time they were there it flew around the place where they were standing. Coincidence??? Not a chance. This is a beautiful reminder of God's amazing love for us. Even when life hurts so deeply that we can't breathe, God is there to carry us. His love never ceases to amaze me. He and I have had many heart to hearts this month. It has been one of those times I just needed him to carry me. He has done that in an amazing way. Today, if you need a butterfly moment, don't hesitate to ask b/c He has one waiting for you!

Thank you for the butterflies

Happy Birthday Landon

I love when God brings people into your life to make an impact that will last forever. That is what happened when Adam and Lindsey Bricker came to Clearwater Florida. Lindsey and I were pregnant together and were both excited that we were having boys. Landon was born a year ago today. Six days after He was born, they had to do the unthinkable place their precious boy into the arms of God. I have watched them walk through this year with amazing grace and praise to the Lord. I would love for you to take the time and read her blog. http://ourhopeenduresforever.blogspot.com We realize that even in our darkest hours God's grace is enough. Thank you Adam and Lindsey for allowing us to walk this journey with you. Praying for you always!!!

Easter With Mason

We had a wonderful Easter. We were able to have some girls and guys from our Bible Study over to spend the day with us. You will see my dad was out and about. This was His first outing after His surgery. To God be the Glory for Great things He has done. He is risen just as He said!!!

Stella Dare Schank

I've been so excited about sharing this story with you. These are my precious friends Laura and Chris Schank. We met in college and share an amazing bond. Laura has been my prayer warrior and encourager. When Mason was born and I called to tell her what had happened, she dropped everything took the train all night from N.C to be with me in the hospital. She has shared some of the most difficult hours with Kevin and I. For 4 1/2 years she and Chris have tried to have a baby. They tried various avenues to have child but God continued to close all doors. I've watched both of them stay so faithful to the Lord even with life hurt so deeply. Last June they put their names in to adopt a baby. A month ago they received a call on a Monday that they would become parents that Friday. You can imagine the many emotions they felt. That Friday they became parents to a beautiful baby girl. God always has an amazing plan for our lives. Even when we don't understand why or how, He is working. What I love most about this couple is the honor and praise they gave to the Lord even when life hurt most. To think that precious Stella will now be raised in a Christian home with parents that will show her God's truth and love. I know God will use her to change the world for Him. This story is an encouragement to all of us that God is in control. Even when life seems out of control and we don't understand His plan. We do know that He loves us and when the time is right He will unfold His perfect will for our lives. I love you Stella Dare Schank!!! You are a blessed little girl and we're so excited you are here!!! Hugs and kisses!

The boys are doing great!

Wanted to give you a quick update that dad and Mason are doing great. Dad's blood pressure has evened out a bit. We went to see him today and he was up and walking around. He is looking more like himself and his cough has subsided. Recovery is a slow process for him and therefore we need to continue to pray for patience. He's ready to get life back to normal so keeping him down is going to be a challenge :).
Mason had a general checkup today and he is doing awesome. He is 15.6 pounds and 27 1/2 inches. We continue to praise God for his steady weight gain. We've been trying to reintroduce oral feedings and we've had our ups and downs. Trying not to get discouraged. We go next week to check in with Dr. W our GI doctor. We'll see what he tells us to do about oral feedings. We will also be heading to Shriners on Thursday to see Dr. Garcia about Mason's hands.
Kevin and I are going to begin the process of discussing invetro and figuring out our options. If you could please keep us in your prayers as we seek God's perfect will for our family. In two short months Mason will be 1 year old!! I can't believe how fast the time has gone. Kevin and I stand in awe at all the amazing things God has taught us this year. God's grace and love is fresh and new everyday. We look forward to the miracles He will continue to perform in Mason's life. Praying that you have a blessed week! Wendy

Dad and Mason Update

Dad is doing much better!!! He is beginning to look better as well. They moved him out of ICU yesterday afternoon. This morning they were able to remove the tubes from his stomach and lungs. He was able to get up and move around this am. Now he would love a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. Hopefully, tonight he can get some. He should be able to go home tuesday or wednesday. Then he will have 24 hour care for a week. Even with all of the pain he has still managed to keep a sense of humor. Many of the negative side effects they warned us about have not seem to bother him. We are praising God for all the blessings that have come from this. Deborah was able to come down from N.C. for a few days. Her employees came together to cover her shifts for Thur. and Fri. Her friend Stephanie (manager w/ her) put everything together w/o her knowing. It meant so much to her and all of us. It's been nice having all of our siblings up at the hospital. It has been a long time since we were all together. We told Dad next time just tell us you want us to get together. No need to go to extreme measures. :)

Mason is doing much better today. It takes him a couple days to get off the anesthesia. One problem we've been having with him is throwing up this brown mucus stuff. While they were putting in the tube yesterday they saw that he developed esophogitus (not sure of the spelling). They've changed his reflux meds to help solve this problem. He was throwing up dried blood so this will hopefully change soon. He's enjoyed hanging out with his Grandpa at the hospital. He feels right at home. All the boys in our family are starting to feel better. Thank you for your continued prayers. We are praying that our lives will be very boring soon and we won't need to visit a hospital for awhile. :) Have a blessed week. I will be posting pics of Mason's new friend Stella in the next couple of days. It is an amazing story that I've waited a long time to tell.

Dad's Surgery

Well it's amazing how a day can have a turn of events. My dad has had heart disease for a number of years. He has had several heart attacks and many stints put in his heart. Today we thought he was going in for another angioplasty and stint. When they went in they saw that all of the previous stints were clogged as well as arteries. Tomorrow morning he will be having triple or quadruple bypass surgery. They are not sure with the fourth ventricle until they open him up. They will be taking veins from his leg and arms to put around his heart. They said that it would be a 4 hour procedure and he will remain in the hospital for the next week. I'm asking that you will please keep him in your prayers. We are shocked as a family and worried. Mason still has his surgery on Friday so this week is a little stressful. You all have been so faithful to pray and we cannot thank you enough. We continue to trust God in all things.

We have been enjoying life outside of the hospital. We've had a couple hiccups with our tube but overall we're seeing amazing progress. Mason is almost at 15 pounds. This is the most weight he's gained since December. We are praising God for all the good things that have come out of our hospital stay. One of the biggest blessings is being able to play with him and move him around. We've seen him make great improvements in therapy since being out. The other day for the first time he reached for my face. This is the first time he has ever reached out for anything. Of course, I was a puddle of tears and just amazed over what God is doing. We go back this Friday to replace his tubing with the button. Not sure what time surgery is but will probably be in the morning. Hopefully, Saturday we can begin to orally feed him again. We also went to an ENT specialist last Friday and we're going to be doing a sinus probe and removing his adenoids on April 20th. This should help with the mucus problem he has been experiencing. We can't believe he is already 9 mths old. Where has the time gone? Thank you again for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. Have a blessed week!