Gone Fishin'!

On Friday afternoon I was working on finishing a project quickly before putting my sweet boys down for a nap.  At precisely the time I was ready to call them up, Elliott comes upstairs to show me what he had been diligently working on at the kitchen table for the last few minutes.  My little monkey had found a very large stick, resourcefully gotten the kite string down from its basket in the garage, and constructed his very own version of a fishing pole. 

So what did we do? 

 We abandoned naps for the day and headed down the street to the duck pond.

To say they were excited is an understatement!

 All of these ducks had been resting peacefully on the bank but quickly fled to the safe confines of the water as my anything-but-quiet brood of boys announced their arrival. 

 Elliott immediately sat down and got to work.  He was excited because, "See, Mom!  There's even a hook on the end that the fish will get caught on." 

 Gabe got to work quickly as well.  He hastily tossed in our entire package of bait, upsetting his brothers and himself that there was nothing left.  (It should be noted that our bait was hot dog buns.  I insisted we not waste time looking for worms in our parched, cracked soil before we left the house.) 

 After Gabe had disposed of our bait, we realized we had another problem.  Somehow, in the 3 minutes it took us to get from our house to the pond, Caleb had misplaced his paperclip.  "There's no way I will catch a fish without it, Mom.  The paperclip was going to hook the fish."  I agreed to head home but made them sit by each other first so I could get this photo.  I only got one shot because no sooner had they heard the shutter and they were back on their bikes, Gabe in the stroller, and we were headed back home to gather more equipment. 

 We put together another line with a new paperclip for C-man.  He could hardly contain his excitement.  I grabbed a stale loaf of bread so we could have more bait and we headed back out the door. 

 Caleb wasted no time casting his "line" and as you can see Gabe was already busy at work tossing in bread.  (This time I tore up the pieces into tiny chunks in hopes that it would last longer!)  There are some seriously large fish in this pond.  You can see one to the right of Caleb's line, coming up to eat some of the bread.  The boys inform me that they are small mouth bass.  It could be, for all I know, which is nothing. 

 I desperately wanted to capture the fish as they surfaced but the little boogers are too fast for me.  You can see the dark shadow of one underneath the ripples. 

 Gabe was a faithful bait distributor the entire time.  "FISH!" He would yell with each toss.  The amount of bread he gave them might have something to do with their size. 

 Though Elliott was the mastermind behind this entire plan, he didn't have the capacity to maintain the life of a fisherman for long.  It might be that he can't sit still (except for but a second for me to snap these cute photos of him) or it might be that he is always hatching another plan, or it might be that he is three and is part monkey or part squirrel or both. 

  

 Caleb, on the other hand, could have stayed here until next Friday. Though at firstI had to convince him that he needed to leave his paperclip hook in until he felt something tugging, it didn't take long for him to catch on. This boy of mine was convinced that he would actually catch a fish with his make-shift equipment. And boy did he try.  And he looked so cute doing it! 

 We finally had to call it quits when Gabers reached in and grabbed the last piece of bread. No more bait meant no more fish. 

 I requsted they all it together for one last shot.  They obliged! 

No one caught any fish on Friday, but I caught a whole bunch of memories on my camera so that they might not ever forget the Friday when mom let them skip naps! 

My Summer Delight

Summer has been an especially delightful time with my sweet Caleb! 

Shortly after Caleb turned one he started getting cyclical fevers.  The fever would come each month on the 27th, spike to as high as 105.6, last 5 days (3 days of high fever, a break for one day, and then one more day of a lower fever), and would be accompanied by mouth blisters on the inside of his mouth.  My poor baby, though unaware of the calendar, was able to tell us the day before his fever would come that is was coming.  For nearly 4 years, there was rarely a month that he didn't have his fever.  And since his birthday is on the 27th, he had never celebrated a birthday without an accompanying fever.  Caleb has what is known as PFAPA (Periodic Fever Aphthous Stomatitis, Pharyngitis, Adenitis Syndrome).  You might imagine how this has affected his short life! 

Nearing the end of his fours, the fevers started to become a little less predictable and further apart.  Praise the Lord, our sweet boy got celebrate his 5th birthday fever free! 

(These were from Caleb's 5th Wild Kratts Birthday we had for him at an aquarium!)

Instead of his fevers, however, we started to see our boy display uncharacteristic behavior for him.  He would feel as though he was getting a fever, his eyes would become dark and sunken, he would be highly irritable, extremely hyper, unattentive, destructive, obnoxiously loud, generally defiant and abnormally emotional. During these days, he would rarely smile.  Then as quick as it set in, it would leave and Caleb would be "himself."

I didn't understand what was happening for quite some time.  I was quick to think he was just "rebelling" and even quicker to assume that something was severely affecting his body and we needed to figure it out.  It took me a while to discover that while he was experiencing such odd behavior, he also had a mouth full of blisters just like the ones he has during his cyclical fever.  This was so helpful for me.  Instead of  the constant battle inside me of fearing the state of his little heart or fearing what others thought of his behavior or my parenting, I grew in compassion for this boy of mine.  I finally started to see that a lot of what was going on with him, he couldn't help.  And we worked together to cope with what he could. 

What does this all have to do with this summer, you might be wondering, afterall that is what I started with at the beginning of this post?  Good question.  Last summer, Caleb was affected the. entire. summer. by these crazy blisters and disturbing behavior.  Last summer I was also battling a deep depression that wouldn't seem to lift.  These two things were an especially challenging (overwhelming) combo! 

This summer I am delighting in the ability to delight.  I used to take joy for granted; but this summer I am consistently overwhelmed that God is helping me to experience joy again.  I used to pompously think, "Just hope in the Lord."  Now I know that it isn't as easy as that sounds.  This summer I am overwhelmed by the truth that though I felt nothing last summer (except sadness and despair and sometimes not even those), that as a child of God, redeemed by grace, my lot was always secure in Jesus.  

This summer I am delighting in domino races....

....and battleship challenges...

...and waterslides at the pool, and sprinklers and buckets of water on these very hot days...

This summer I am delighting in this sweet boy and the blissful blisterless last six weeks. 

These Faces

These are the faces that I love: 

 these sparkly-blue-eyed-smiley faces,

 these I'm-so-cool-now-without-training-wheels faces,

these I'm-gonna-get-you faces

 these do-you-have-to-take-another-one faces,

 these check-out-THIS-strawberry faces,

 these handsome-as-a-devil faces,

 these deteremined-to-get-this-done-on-my-own faces,

these filled-with-awe-at-the-post-game-fireworks faces,

 these silly-willy faces,

 these swinging-is-so-fun faces,

 these you-finally-wore-me out faces,

 these cheesy-peesy-I-love-balloons faces,

 these what-is-on-my-head faces,

and even these pouty-pants faces.

I just love these faces of all my guys! 

Big Brother

I hope you got to see yesterday's post about the mighty work God has done in Gabe's life!  But healing him from LQT isn't the only thing God has been up to in Gabe.  

Come January, he is going to be a big brother!  

 Gabe couldn't be happier about it.  

 Neither could Elliott.

Neither could Caleb.  

And neither could we.  

Though I have been much more sick this time around than with my other pregnancies,  I am starting to feel much better now that we have hit 12 weeks.  One weird side effect from the pregnancy is that I lost my voice 7 weeks ago (it went away when morning/all day sickness set in!)  For those of you who have so faithfully been asking and caring about my voice--thanks for understanding now why I kept telling you I hadn't seen a doctor for it!  I haven't gone to the ENT because my OB says no need :)  It should return soon!  

We are thanking God for this new life--we would absolutely love for it to be a girl--and mostly convinced that it will be a boy.  Thanks for rejoicing with us in these good gifts our Father has given.  

"The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad."

Psalm 126:3

Normal

“Gabe, you aren’t just cute, you’re SUPER cute.  And you don’t need a cardiologist until you’re 80,” said Dr. O at the end of our visit with him last week.  It was my favorite thing he said the entire appointment, though each thing he said was music to my ears. 

             

Things like, “Your EKGs are becoming increasingly boring.”

And, “If he were my son I’d consider him normal.”

Normal?  Hardly what I’d imagined Dr. O EVER saying 2 years ago when he was telling us how a defibrillator would be carefully installed beneath the ribs of our baby should his QT interval grow increasingly prolonged and we have episodes of fainting and cardiac arrest. 

Normal?  Not exactly what I expected to hear after 2 years of rocking the sleepless baby in the night who was wakened by stomach upset and night terrors as a result of the meds we had to administer around the clock. 

Normal?  Never occurred to me as a word someone would describe my son as because I had long since made it a habit to locate the AEDs (automatic external defibrillators) as soon as I entered a public building. 

Normal?  Not what I would have guessed any doctor might tell me as I experienced grief when I thought about all of the things Gabe would never get to do in his life because of his chronic heart condition that was characterized by fainting and sudden death.  He wouldn’t get to plunge into hotel pools with his brother on a dare, or play any competitive athletic sports.  We wouldn’t vacation in the mountains due to lower oxygen levels.  He wouldn't get to rough house in quite the same way his brothers did without the possibility of serious side effects.  

I’m not sure you have caught it yet and I can hardly resist waiting any longer to tell you what has happened: God has healed Gabe of his heart condition!

He no longer has Long QT.  His doctors consider him normal.  He does not need a cardiologist until he is 80.  The Giver of life, and health, and breath has done just that for our baby boy.  Praise Him!

Let me recount the specific events that led up to this last appointment.  I will include dates because it amazes me:

April 10^th, 2010-we welcomed our precious Gabey Baby into the world. 

April 11^th, 2010- he was diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome

(You can read about all God accomplished in my heart through Gabe’s first year of life on previous blog posts.) 

February 11^th, 2012-we pursued genetic testing for Gabe’s condition.  There are 13 genes to test. 

April 10^th, 2012-Gabe celebrated his second birthday, we continued to marvel at God’s kindness to keep our son alive

April 11^th, 2012-Dr. O calls me on the phone and says, “All 13 tests came back negative for LQT.”  With cautious optimism, we continue to pray that God has healed Gabe.  The confirmation will come if he has some EKGs done that show that his QT interval is in the normal range. 

Finally, last week we went for our long awaited visit with Dr. O.  This doctor has been the most kind, most humble, most helpful, most wonderful doctor we have ever met.  He is also very cautious and careful.  Though we have appreciated his carefulness throughout our time doctoring with him, I was worried that this very characteristic might lead him to never give Gabe the all clear.  We prayed that God would lead Dr. O clearly and that we would be able to trust his leading without hesitation.

As Gabe sat motionless on the bed while the technician did an EKG, I excitedly hoped that this familiar sight would become a distant memory.  Though many times he screamed at the leads being placed all over his bare skin—feet, hands, and chest—this time he enjoyed playing “the sticker game” with the kind tech.  He sat so still that she only had to do it once.  And then I saw the number and my heart sank.  He had had 2 normal EKGs—but I knew what this number meant.  It was a number considered “borderline.”  As the tech left and we waited for the doctor, I lamented to Ben at how Dr. O would never consider him healed if his number was borderline.  Ben gently reminded me that my hope wasn’t in that number or in what Dr. O had to say AND that I had no idea what Dr. O would have to say anyway. 

Dr. O came in and quietly studied the printout the tech had put on Gabe’s chart.  He got out his little ruler and pen.  Oh, how could I have forgotten this deliberate task that routinely happened at each appointment—Dr. O didn’t like how the computer averaged numbers to figure out the QT interval.  He always refigured it himself.  After a few chicken scratches, some long division, and a recheck on his calculator—he scratched out the number that had sent me into panic and wrote “Normal.” 

“Normal.”  Confirmed what we longed to see God do since Gabe was diagnosed. 

“Normal.”  Confirmed what we had wonderfully suspected God had done for Gabe.  

“Normal.”  Confirmed what we cautiously hoped the doctor would say that day. 

We can’t begin to describe the emotions we feel as we consider the things God has done.  

Psalm 69:13 says, “But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.  At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.” 

I have prayed this prayer so many times for my precious Gabe since he was born.  But the amazing thing about God is that whether or not He had chosen to heal Gabe of LQT or not, He was still showing us an abundance of his steadfast love and saving faithfulness.  Each moment of each day that he upheld Gabe’s life he was showing it.  In the way he kindly helped me to trust him, in the lessons that he taught me Gabe’s first year, He was answering with saving faithfulness.  In the way that He provided strength to continue after sleepless nights, He was answering.  When Caleb and Elliott asked time after time, “How is it God’s good for Gabe to have a heart condition?”  and he gave Ben and I faith to respond that though we can’t always understand the ways of God, that God is always good and faithful and so somehow this was too—God was answering.  And oh how He has shown an abundance of steadfast love to our sweet Caleb who diligently prayed multiple times a day that “God would heal Gabey of his heart condition."  He would have been just as good and faithful had He chosen not to answer this prayer.  But out of the abundance of His steadfast love He has given Caleb the sweet gift of seeing how He answers prayers.  God didn’t have to, but He did. 

Our God still heals.

Our God still does miracles. 

Just look at this sweet boy and consider the works that He has done!

Oh how we look forward with hopeful anticipation that one day God will give our precious son a new heart spiritually as well--That out of the abundance of His steadfast love He will open Gabe’s eyes to the Gospel!  

This is the song I have sung for Gabe since the day he was born: 

VERSE 1

O great God of highest heaven
Occupy my lowly heart
Own it all and reign supreme
Conquer every rebel power
Let no vice or sin remain
That resists Your holy war
You have loved and purchased me
Make me Yours forevermore

VERSE 2
I was blinded by my sin
Had no ears to hear Your voice
Did not know Your love within
Had no taste for heaven’s joys
Then Your Spirit gave me life
Opened up Your Word to me
Through the gospel of Your Son
Gave me endless hope and peace

VERSE 3
Help me now to live a life
That’s dependent on Your grace
Keep my heart and guard my soul
From the evils that I face
You are worthy to be praised
With my every thought and deed
O great God of highest heaven
Glorify Your Name through me

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for more on what God is doing in Gabe's life!