the loud toilet

The kids seem to have enjoyed our slow holiday season. When we asked Bennett what he wanted to do for the holidays, he told us, "Stay home and play." We've been able to do that. Rhonda continues to inch forward and backwards. The result is that we both seem to be tired of talking and writing about how she's doing. One day her head pressure and legs seem better and the next day they are worse. We're not always sure why. Our main strategy right now is for Rhonda to take it easy. Fortunately, since we've been around the house most of the holidays, we've been able to accomplish that and still enjoy good family time. In addition, Rhonda was able to enjoy a few hours out of the house for Christmas at some friends.

We also have dealt with additional medical issues as well (we seem to always have at least two or three family members dealing with medical issues). Cody had surgery to have tubes in his ears this past Friday. His hearing had been quite limited due to fluid in both his ears. One of the first things he said when he got home occurred after he went to the bathroom. He came out and said, "Wow, when the toilet flushes it is really loud." We think the surgery was a success.

Thanks for your prayers and support. Please pray for our perseverence during this time. Rhonda's recovery seems quite slow at this time. After the first of the year, we may need to visit the doctor again to assess whether the recovery is stalled a bit. Right now, we're not quite sure.

a different sort of holiday season

I didn't realize it had been a whole week since I blogged last. It's felt a bit like some weeks before my trips. Rhonda has really had to scale back her activity in order to feel like she can get some relief from the head pressure. She does feel like it is better than last week. Today, however, she has felt a bit of the old vertigo that she had some time ago. We were hoping that she would be better for the holidays and possibly be able to drive in the new year but GB certainly knows how to put your hopes on a rollar coaster ride.

Please pray that Rhonda is able to get the rest and quiet she needs--especially with our two boys in the house all day for the holidays.

not quite the week we expected

I had hoped that I had turned over the blog to Rhonda for good, but it seems that things do not always quite go as we expect. This week has been one of those. Rhonda started experiencing her head pressure again after a busy Monday and Tuesday. Her legs are also really bothering her. In addition, her mom has been sick this week. So what we hoped would be a casual week with mom and dad has been a time of trying to heal. We'd appreciate your prayers. I always find the head pressure symptoms the toughest since it really effects the overall mood at our home (or perhaps its just me). Rhonda has also voiced a bit more how tired she is starting to get of the symptoms. She's really had a great attitude these past four months, but these little relapses are always difficult.

Mom and Dad are here!

Sometimes it is just nice to have your Mommy when you are sick. Do you ever get too old for that? On Monday night my parents arrived after a very eventful trip from Canada. I am amazed that they even arrived with their luggage. Since, I have often heard them comment how wonderful the weather is compared to the -25 degrees Celsius ( for those of you that don't know celsius it is very cold) in Canada. My mom is already dreading her return.

This week has been a big week for me not only because my parents are here, but also because I drove for the first time since August. Nothing too ambitious but trips to the doctor for Cody and myself as well as dropping off and picking up Cody from preschool on Wednesday. I really wanted to experiment while my parents were here because I knew they could come with me. That way if I got tired I could at least trade off. I think it went well and I feel like I can tolerate short trips. I feel like I continue to slowly improve and as long as I have times to rest in between activity I am managing. The key is not having to walk a lot and resting when I can.

The neurologist is pleased with my progress and feels like I am heading in the right direction. Amazingly, I don't have to see him until April. Makes me wonder if I will be back to normal by then.
I would appreciate your prayers for continued healing and good health. I feel like I get sick easily especially colds. I have had two in the last month and I have had terrible coughs. Thankfully it does end after about 10days. I am hoping to avoid the flu as this would really aggravate the Guillian Barre symptoms.
Thank you for continuing to support, pray and bless our family with meals. We are really enjoying having family here and even plan on making some homemade ice cream tomorrow( the boys are very excited). That sounds like a crazy thing to do in December ,but I get confused down here with the trees turning color and the warm weather. Perry often teases me that he can't believe that I grew up Canada because I was made for Texas.

What a strange day!

Have you even had one of those days when you say, "This is crazy?!!"Yesterday was one of them for me. I spent most the morning in bed because my legs felt weak and hurting and it was probably good because I had a lot of time to pray and rest. I was also on the phone back and forth to Canada because my brother had fractured a vertebrae in his neck and was in severe pain and having some numbness and weakness in his arms. They were waiting to see when he would go in for surgery. It was at the moment when my mom told me that he would have surgery as soon as they had a spot when Cody came in saying he had a stomach ache. For the next thirty minutes Cody screamed and clawed his stomach while rolling all over the floor (believe or not we have had episodes of this before). It is at this point I am calling Perry to come home because I need help and I think we need to take him in to the doctor. So with a neighbor getting Bennett from the school bus ,we are off to the doctor to find after x-ray that his intestines are full of gas with some possible constipation. The doctor is speculating that his stomach issues may have something to do with all the decongestants he has been on to try and help his chronic congestion and ear problems. Needless to say we are going to try and correct these issues as well as go to the ENT for discussion on tubes in his ears.
Thankfully today is a new day and I just heard that my brother's surgery went well and they were able to fuse two vertebraes together. He will wear a neck brace for the next three months and should recover without nerve damage. Cody is also his usual self and wanting to know when he can buy the next Star Wars toy.
So, in the midst of the craziness God is continually reminding me through his word to put my hope and trust in him. With that in mind, I will enjoy the quietness and the peace of the moment and remember a quote I read recently " Each day we are blessed by the gifts from a Father above who knows our needs befroe we voice them".
Thank you, Thank you for all the ways you remind us that you are still praying! We appreciate that so much.

So thankful

I so thankful that Perry is home now and even more thankful that he won't be making any more trips to Europe this year. No more transition sounds good to me.
I am even more thankful for friends and family who have prayed for us and helped us take care of our children, cooking, laundry, cleaning.... You have been such servants and have blessed us. Thank you for your faithfulness to us during my recovery.
I am most thankful for my husband. He has been amazing and so supportive and has been such a servant to me amidst the stress of juggling everthing. This has been a huge help.

I am inching forward and it feels so good. The last week I have had more relief than previously and it feels really good to be able to move around more. I attitribute this to of course answers to prayer but also a supplement that I have taken. I have been so sensitive to medicine that I have found it difficult to take the medicine that the doctors have wanted me to take. Of course, most of them come with quite a few side effects. I have prayed that God would show me what to do. I don't believe it was a coincidence that my best friend's husband in Canada has taken this supplement with amazing relief and encouraged me to try it. This supplement is all natural and is very effective for conditions where there is a lot of inflammation which is my problem.

So, I am grateful and hope that I will even be able to go out for Thanksgiving dinner. I am trying to take it slow and working on trying to take of the boys more so that Perry can work more. I still have to rest a lot and thankfully the boys are used to me lying in my bed while we read and play games and cuddle. They don't seem to mind.

Lastly, I want to give thanksgiving for the greatest gift of all... Christ Jesus who extended such amazing grace to us amidst our sinfulness. He suffered so much so that we might have life and forgiveness and most of all hope. I am so humbled that he would do that for me.

Transition

This week has felt challenging. I realize that even if I am not doing the greatest, as long as the boys are coping and well it seems to help tremendously. Bennett caught the cold that I had and Cody continues to struggle with congestion and drainage. Whether the cause is that or just being tried of transition I don't know. They have been particularly draining. They have been more disobedient and are constantly testing the boundaries. It has been even harder because Cody often refuses help from Grandma.
I am so thankful Perry is home today and so I pray that getting back into a regular routine will help. People frequently ask me how I am doing and quite honestly I don't know what to say. I think it is probably because this is a bit unusual. I am used to what it means to have a cold or the flu where it seems like you can see improvement more quickly after the worst is over. This is so much more gradual (so slow) and seems often like a roller coaster. I have to look at a week or month rather than a day to see the improvement.
So, emotionally and spiritually I feel like I am handling it well (of course I have my moments). Physically I think I am where I am suppose to be especially since it has only been three months. That is weird to say... only three months. I am optimistic obviously because I will recover, but sometimes quite honestly I wonder how to get from the three months to the six to nine months. That seems so gray.
Please pray that I will be able to rest in the midst of the chaos. I have no problem resting when the boys are not here. The hard part is when they are here. They need me and their lives continue despite this. Yes, for the most part they have amazingly thrived and I think that they have loved the extra cuddle and reading time. I pray that I will have the emotional energy and patience to be the parent I need to be during this time.