The latest from Karl

I'll leave out the mushy stuff. ;o)

"I'm discovering that my job here is very busy. I'm the deputy chief for the night shift, which means that I gather data from everyone else, make slides to be briefed by the morning shift folks and try to put out any "fires" that come up during the night. Both of the past two nights have been extremely busy, so I'm guessing that isn't likely to change....ugh, very very ugh. After my shift, I dropped off the laptop to get reworked for the network here, but they said it may take 2-3 weeks to get it back due to the backlog of laptops they got when the new rotation came through! I guess I'll have to stay after work and try to get my schoolwork done. Let's see; then I came back to camp and did a bit of reading, ate tacos for lunch, came back to my room, swapped out my uniform for a clean one, read a little more, and now I'm about to go to bed so I can get up and do it all again tomorrow."

From there it gets sappy.

Any laptop that comes into camp must have everything deleted from the hard drive and have approved software installed by the guys there. Because Karl had stuff he couldn't afford to lose on his personal laptop, he borrowed one from the squadron here to take with him. Once it's done, he can check email and work on his masters classes from his room. He also mentioned last night that it's hot there....not too much of a surprise.

I also got this email from a friend whose best friend is Jared's mom. I am so thankful my husband is not a Marine!

"Hello everyone, Jared has called a couple of times this week. Usually 2 minute calls, they are having some phone problems. They are being especially carefully with information they share now. Their calls are monitored, and some guy was caught giving to much information, not only did he get in trouble, but the all got punished. It is really hot there, 115 to 130, I'm told by him and some of the parents. He had to go to the medic yesterday for IV fluids. He drinks a lot, like they are supposed too, but must have gotten behind. My Mother's day call, which was a nice surprise, was hi mom, Happy Mother's day, I got shot at last night. Bet none of you got such an exciting card. lol. They are all safe, no major injuries in Jared's immediate group, which is a blessing for sure. Stray dogs are a big problem there. They had a little puppy show up with a broken leg. The Sgt said they could keep it for a while. I think it gives them a taste of home. Something normal, among the abnormal. The pup is well fed needless to say. I do know they are a little short staffed, when he called on Thursday he had been up for 32 hours. He had 8 power drinks to stay awake. I told him I was sure his heart appreciated it. He mentioned they had to keep hitting the driver in the back of the head to help him stay awake. Poor guys. They are usually averaging about 4 hours of sleep a night. I won't complain about being tired, or my work conditions for a while. Please continue to pray for Jared and all of our Military, and their families. Pray for Christian friends and support for Jared, Bryant and Craig, especially. Blessings to all of you for a wonder Memorial Day weekend. When Mike and I went to the movie last night, they had a small reminder of what this weekend is for. It is for remembering those who have lost their lives while serving in the Armed Forces for our freedoms. They had a momenet of silence, and played God Bless America. That was pretty awesome. So as we enjoy our weekend, let us stop for a moment and remember the sacrifices and high price paid so we can enjoy our freedom. Freedom isn't free. Blessings to all, and thank you for your prayers and support.Kim"

Annie is taking prednisone like crazy and made a huge puddle in the kitchen last night. I have taken the new kitchen rug up until we lower her dose and given her a beach towel to sleep on. She had an accident on the old rug the last time her prednisone was high, and I ended up having to toss it. No amount of steam cleaning would take the smell out. I am keeping her confined in the kitchen at night, so there are no accidents that can't be cleaned up, but I started the morning with a bucket of bleach water and a mop. We have been fighting terrible infections in both of her back feet for four months. They were much, much better (finally) before our trip back home. The people at the kennel decided to take of her booties, against our instructions, and she licked them until they were bloody and blistered all over. They also went several days without giving her her medicine. By the time we got home, they were swollen huge - to the point that she could have lost her left foot. I still can't believe that they did that...or that they didn't call us or the vet when she got bad. I took her in Saturday morning to put her down. She was getting worse even with her medicine. The doctor asked me to try upping the prednisone for a week and then decide. Thankfully, she is showing improvement already!

Garin slept all night! His temper is in overdrive, but it's hard for adults who can talk and reason to behave well when they are stressed out. I'm sure it's many times harder for a 15-month-old. Growing up is stressful enough without the upheaval of a deployment, so I just keep holding him and kissing him and talking to him. I tell him that Daddy has to be gone because he has a very important job, and he and lots of other mamas and daddies help keep the world safe. I tell him that Daddy is keeping us safe while he's gone and that he doesn't want to be away, but he has to do it. I don't know how much he understands, but he gets a lot more than I realize sometimes, so I'll just keep telling him.

Wiped Out

The Pooh-bear was exhausted after church and fell asleep, as usual, on the way home. I took this picture for his daddy and thought the rest of you might enjoy it as well.

Reasons to Smile!

It has been an inspiring and enjoyable day so far! Garin has been having a hard time with Daddy's absence, and his sleep was very disturbed last night. He was up three times during the night. He hasn't been like that since Karl's last mission. I hope that this will not last too long.

We got up around 7 am and got ready for church. I somehow, miraculously, even had time to water all of the potted plants and straighten up the house before we left for the 9:45 service at church! I was so moved by the number of people who asked how we are doing and how Karl is. A little girl in our church who is normally very shy and whom I barely know just ran up and hugged me when I sat down. Her mother was shocked. She was the only one who could calm Garin in the nursery a few weeks ago, and she mentioned that she knows how hard it can be to have a little one with such separation anxiety. She gave me her phone number and offered to watch Garin if I ever just want to get away. Another young mom with three little ones and one on the way said she'd like to get together, too. I'm so thankful for such kindness. There was a touching Memorial Day video and prayer at the start of the service. I tried so hard not to cry, but it eventually got the better of me. Kari, our pastor, was so thoughtful to sit with me (and cry with me) through it and our musical worship. We had an amazing sermon about Pentecost and the power of the Holy Spirit to move among His people and reach others with the message of hope we have in Christ. I was soaring when I left.

I was telling Kari this morning that my loneliest time is after Garin goes to bed at night, and she said that it could be a great time to spend with the Lord. Now why didn't I think of that?!?! I have been trying to fill the time with busy-ness to keep my mind off of things when I could really take advantage of the quiet to listen to God and worship Him! Why is it that we rush through a morning quiet time the same way we rush through all of the other duties of the day instead of seeing it as a privilege like we do our uninterrupted moments with others we love? I am excited about making evenings about fellowship with my Savior. Thanks, Kari, for stating the obvious to the oblivious!

After church, we ran to the craft store for beading supplies, and I got back to work on my hummingbird feeders when Garin went down for a nap. I've had jars and stoppers sitting around for months waiting to be put together!

Garin should be getting up soon, and we're going to just enjoy a relaxing evening together. I think I'll make Mexican Mess (a fancy term for taco salad for those who aren't familiar with our family's terminology) for supper.

I've been text-messaging with Karl all afternoon. (For anyone who travels internationally, Blackberry's PIN messaging is free except for the monthly cost of a data package.... WAY cheaper than the cost of phone calls....and you can keep up throughout the day, whenever the mood strikes.) Anyway, Karl made it to the contemporary service this morning, and although he says it is definitely not Connection, it was nice for the middle of the desert. He said they have no one on keyboard, so he's going to see how his schedule goes as far as getting out of work on time. If it is consistent, he's going to volunteer to play keyboards for them. What an answer to my prayers that would be! It would be so good for him to have a group of believers to spend time with and to be able to do something he really enjoys! I know it would give him something to look forward to, each practice and worship, and help the time pass more quickly for him.

I have a mailing address for Karl now. I don't want to post it on the internet, but send me an email or comment on this post if you want it, and I'll send it to you via email.

Love to you all and thanks again for your prayers! I miss Karl very much of course, but my biggest prayer requests now would be for Karl to be able to get involved in the chapel or otherwise involved in a group of believers, as God desires, and for Garin to begin to adjust to Daddy's absence.

He's there....

Karl called tonight. He's met the person he's replacing and learned a bit about his job. He also got to see his room - a 10x10 box in a trailer, equipped with bunk beds and cabinets. It's small and sparse, but it's luxurious compared to the 14-man-tent he was in there when the war started. He will be working the night shift, for which he is thankful; he will be out and about when it is coolest (though still hot) and can sleep through the 120-degree afternoons. He is tired and hungry but otherwise fine. He has a friend from Dover who is on the same shift, so he will have someone to eat and work out with. I am praying that there will be a godly man there (perhaps this guy, I don't know him well) with whom he can spend time and share. We're counting down to his return....only 19 more weeks to go.

Home Sweet Home

Here's a lovely shot of the base that is Karl's home-away-from-home for the next few months. Don't you wish you were there? Kind of makes me appreciate having all those weeds to pull out of the flowerbeds!

Fun stuff!

I had a great time golfing this morning! I have a long way to go to be any good, but it is a beautiful morning, and my long drive definitely improved during our lesson!

Kim had my awards from our bowling league's banquet, which I missed in order to have some family time on Karl's last day home. That's right...I said awards! I thought I would win the High Game with Handicap award, which I did, and we go our team placement award, but I also got two others!!! They are Most Improved Average and High Team Game (Scratch). I ended up $81 richer!

Haven't heard from Karl yet. I thought he was going to text me at his first stop, but he must not have been able to. I'll probably hear from him sometime tonight, and I'll let you guys know when I do.

Sad Goodbyes

I took these pictures just before Karl left today. Garin was "helping" Daddy to arrange his pen and pencil in his uniform pockets. We had a hard time saying goodbye, but I think that we did very well under the circumstances. I had a good cry while I fed lunch to Garin, and then we both went to bed for a nap. Garin seems a little out of sorts....you can't convince me the little ones don't know something's up. I am fine except for the headache that always lingers after a good cry. Karl was scanning radio stations right after he left and ran across one that was playing a Green Day song called "Wake Me Up When September's Over." It made him laugh (he returns in early October), and he gave me a call to tell me about it. I am golfing with friends tomorrow morning at the base golf course, so that will be a good chance to have some fun and get back to normal, such as it is.

I have said from the start that I would rather be married to Karl and only see him some of the time than to be married to someone else who is home every night but doesn't love me the way Karl does. It is so true. I am a blessed woman. I am so proud of him.

Well, the deployment is barreling down on us. Time disappears so quickly. We are now counting down hours rather than days. There just aren't enough days left to count. Four and a half months seem short when you look back on them, but I think they will seem longer while we wait for Karl's return. We'll stay busy, and we're thankful that it isn't a longer deployment or a more dangerous assignment, such as the ones the Army and Marines have. Still it doesn't make this easy.

We spent last week back home with family and came back exhausted, but it was so good to see everyone. Now we're doing all the last minute stuff that needs to be taken care of before Karl leaves.

I'll write more once he's gone, I promise. For now, I just don't feel much like blogging. Please keep us (and all of the families going through separation due to deployments) in your prayers.

Progress!

I'm starting to really like Mondays! That seems to be when the breakthroughs happen for us. Today we got word that the "powers that be" in great state of Texas see no problem with granting us a variance. This means that the rule about not adopting from an agency where a relative works will not apply. Because my bro-in-law is not under the Adoption and Maternity Services umbrella at Buckner and especially because our home study is being done by an agency here in Delaware (where we have ZERO relatives), they do not feel there is any conflict of interest. We also were excited to have found a great Christian agency with which to do the home study! The agency we originally thought would be great doesn't seem to have much concern about client support and post-placement services. Because we will need the support of other families who have been and are in the same boat, as well as the advice of professionals, as our adoptive children assimilate to family life, a new culture and a new language, this is a very important part of the big picture. We met today with the social worker who will handle our case and were impressed by her candor and thoroughness. After our meeting with her, we went to the State Police office to apply for our criminal background checks...woohoo!...and do fingerprints. There is so much yet to do and so much still to pray about. Thank you all for lifting us and these children up to the Lord. We can see His hand at work.

In other news, we checked off a few last-minute things from Karl's pre-deployment list this morning. We went to Base Legal to make some minor changes to our wills, which we'll sign and pick up Thursday; then we ran by the Family Support Center, where they gave Karl phone cards to call home. They also signed us up for Hearts Apart, a program where I can call the base at designated times twice a week, and they'll patch me through to Karl for a 15-minute free phone call. Boy it really hit home then. I was given vouchers for a free oil change and free child care from 10-2 on the second Saturday of every month at the Child Development Center. That may come in really handy! Karl has handgun training tomorrow and simulators every evening until we head for TX/OK on Friday. It's hard to believe that this is all really happening. I just don't know how I'm going to drive home after our goodbyes and come home to an empty house. God will give us all the strength we need, but the day will be a testament to the Holy Spirit as Comforter, the One who envelopes us in our sorrow. Someday, we will look back with wonder at how God met our needs in those moments, but it may be hard to appreciate it on that day.

Yesterday at church, they had us come up front, and they laid hands on us and prayed for our whole family, even D and K. It was beautiful and special, and God gave Kari just the right words to pray for what we need. We are so thankful for our church family and their love and support.

Prayer Needs

We are feeling much more positive the last couple of days after talking more with our caseworker. He is obviously a man who cares very much for the children and families he works with, and he is personable and always open to answer questions or hear ideas. Unfortunately, we have hit the first of probably many snags and ask that you all continue to pray with us that God will guide all who are involved, so that the right decisions are made.

The biggest issue at this point is a rule in Texas that says an agency cannot adopt to members of an employee's family. The good news is that because my bro-in-law works in a different part of the state and is not involved in the adoption program, and because the children are special needs and have been waiting for so long, there is a good chance that we can receive a variance. This would basically negate that rule in our adoption. Phil is trying to get that taken care of now, so please pray that those making the decision will place the welfare of D and K above the rules.

Also, Phil is having difficulty getting the information he needs about the home study agency in order for us to proceed, and his attempts to find another agency are not proving fruitful yet. I have passed along information on another one that I know of, so he is going to contact them too.

We know that this is in God's hands. Please pray with us that He will open doors and make a way.

Also, recent x-rays show that Matt's scoliosis is 11.6 degrees and that it is probably the result of a lopsided (my very technical term) pelvis, with the left side being higher than the right. He has been referred to a sports medicine clinic for further examination, but there are no plans for surgery at this point.

Love to you all...

Reality Sets In!

After the crazy highs of yesterday, we now have to get back to the walking in faith part of the adoption process. We received a call this morning from our caseworker, who was very nice, thorough and helpful. He was also very clear that we have a lot left to do and that D and K are still anyone's kids, basically. After the home study, we will be evaluated as to whether we are a suitable match. Then the Russian government has to agree, too.

Of course we already knew all of this, and we have given the process to God, but this is where we put faith into practice. We hung up the phone feeling like the pre-approval means nothing really, and we're starting all over. That's okay....just a reality check.

I had planned to take the application to the home study folks today, but our caseworker wants to talk to them first to determine whether they will be approved to do the home study. He is going to get back to us today or tomorrow, so we'll wait until then to take the application in.

Please keep us all in your prayers.

PRAISE GOD!!!!!

Wonderful news!!! We have been rather quiet about our plans thus far because we were waiting to be pre-approved by Buckner as potential adoptive parents to these two precious Russian siblings, but we got the good word today! We want to share our joy with you and even more to testify to the amazing power and grace of God!

Karl and I have known for some time that we would someday adopt older children, probably a sibling group. It is something that has been on my heart for years and that God has placed on Karl's heart over time. I have always told him that until we both felt called, I would not be willing to move forward. I didn't want him to make the choice to adopt out of a desire to please me; I wanted it to happen out of our mutual desire to obey God's call. We had come to the conclusion that we would adopt U.S. children because of the cost of international adoption, but sometimes we underestimate God's ability to make a way where there seem to be no way.

Karl and I both felt that we were supposed to pursue D & K, and we contacted Buckner. Then we got word of Karl's deployment. One week later, we sent our pre-application and questionnaire to them and have waited for approval, wondering how on earth this will happen when he can't be here for the home study. That's the catch, I guess. It's not about "how on earth" at all; it's about how in heaven. We don't have to be bound by the seeming limitations of earth!

Yesterday, our pastors spoke about the abundance of God's spiritual blessings that we don't even tap into. We live in spiritual poverty when all we have to do is jump into that "stream of living water," the abundance that we have through Christ and the Holy Spirit. Hello! And then one of the verses that popped up on the screen, mid-sermon, was from John 14:16-18: "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." As you can imagine, something inside me broke....broke in a wonderful way....and I knew that this was meant to encourage us. As the service ended, I prayed and told God that I knew He could do this and that all of the glory would be His because there was nothing we could do about the obstacles in our way.

After calling a number of home study agencies, I found one this morning that was willing to work with our situation, to do home visits with us before we had all of our paperwork complete (which is a 2-3 month process), so that they could do the necessary interviews with Karl before he leaves and complete our home study in his absence. Then this afternoon we received word that we had been approved by Buckner. So here we go....Final approval will not come until our home study is approved and we have traveled to Russia to declare our intention to adopt them. Then there will be another wait before we can go back and finalize the adoption.

God has the power to move, and move quickly, when we get out of His way! I am so thankful for the way that He has reminded us of His faithfulness. We are so blessed and ask that you continue to pray with us throughout the months ahead, that God will accomplish His will for us and for these children, and that He will give us strength through this process and the deployment.

And always, in all things......

PRAISE GOD!

Did you know???

If you open the dishwasher and stand on the door, you can reach a whole new world of wonderful electronics?!?!?! There are lots of buttons and numbers, beeping and doors that open and close!

I was on the phone when I walked into the kitchen and discovered this......

First Salon Haircut

Having done a rather poor job cutting Garin's hair the last two times, I decided to take him to a professional yesterday. As you can see, he was overjoyed at the prospect and found it all very enjoyable. Okay, so maybe not. He screamed the whole time and may be traumatized for life, but his hair looks good! I was only able to get one photo because I spent most of the time cheek-to-cheek with him, trying to calm him and keep his head still.

Busted!

Garin's obsession with the stereo has led to some creative ideas for overcoming the obstacles we place in his way. Here's the latest....

Grandpa's Little Aggie

Grandpa Charles took advantage of the equal-opportunity endorsment offer and sent Garin an Aggie outfit. Now the weather has finally warmed up enough for him to wear it!

We're hanging out at home this morning and getting Karl packed up, since he has to leave shortly to catch his flight.

WOW!

I just looked back at my post on April 12....the double rainbow....

April 12 was the day that Karl and I committed ourselves to pursue the adoption of D and K. It was the very day that we sent an email asking for more information on adopting them.

I can't believe I didn't realize this before, but WOW!

Exciting Developments

I've fallen behind with my blogging, but we've been so busy! We've got to get wills, powers of attorney, etc. all up-to-date before Karl deploys. Not to mention all of the extra briefings and training he has to do. And now he has to spend a week out of state, training to do the job he'll be doing while he's deployed. And in case all that's not enough, there's more.....

Karl and I have known for a long time that we wanted to someday adopt older, harder-to-place siblings. We just didn't know when. Recently, a number of things have occurred that have led us toward two particular children in Russia. It has been a series of what non-believers would call coincidences. For us, it has been the gentle (and sometimes not-so-gentle) prodding of the Holy Spirit. Russian families (or American either, for that matter) do not usually adopt older children. At the age of 16, they are no longer eligible for international adoption. These are sad things to hear but not necessarily a reason for us to rush to adopt them. But sometimes God has a way of pressing something into two hearts at the same time and making it clear that He has plans. We don't know what those plans are, but we know that we are supposed to look into this and follow wherever it leads. We are in the very early stages of asking questions and learning what is expected. Please pray with us that God will guide everyone involved in the process and that we would all be sensitive to His leading. It is our hope and prayer that God will provide a home for these precious ones. It is our desire that we be the ones to provide that home. We have committed to pursuing the call and letting God lead, knowing that there is always a purpose when He calls us to action, no matter the outcome. We are choosing to love them and call them our children in the hope that they will someday be a part of our earthly family. We are choosing to love them and call them our children believing that they will be a part of our heavenly family.

The Heat Is On!

Finally, after 9 days of this! I have gotten so used to being cold that I've had to actually turn the heat down because I'm overly warm!!! The guy left the space heaters just to be safe and avoid jinxing anything. He said he'd pick them up tomorrow. I'm so thankful to be done with this!

Brrrr...

Still no heat. The maintenance guys swear that they know now what the problem is, and they're waiting for another part that will arrive in the morning. I've heard this before, so I'll believe it when the heat is blowing through the vents and not a moment before. One of the maintenance guys mentioned that he expected that the new officer housing would be done sooner than we'd originally been told, and he thinks we'll be moving over the summer. Oh joy! This means I'll once again get to move without my husband here to help. I'm going to go talk to the property manager tomorrow to find out what the current timeline is for moving, so I can work around it for going to Texas. I'm just going to take a moment to whine....I have got to figure out what to do with the dogs in order to go to Texas for a lengthy period of time during Karl's deployment. That has me totally stressed out, as there are no easy answers. I wish I could just find a new home for them permanently. I really don't want to stay here for much of the deployment. Seven of my friends are moving away in May, and it will get lonely here I'm afraid. That's not to say that I don't have other friends, but it will get very quiet when these gals are gone. It would be sad even if Karl was still here, but this will make it worse.

On a happier note, I taught Garin how to 'high-five' during dinner Friday night, and we've had so much fun with it! He thinks it's so funny and loves to do it. We'll hold up a hand and say 'high-five,' and he'll grin, wrinkle up his nose, and slap our hand. Yesterday, I had a deja vu moment. Garin is now tall enough to reach new drawers and counters, and I discovered him holding a big black permanent marker from Daddy's desk drawer. For those who don't remember, when Matt was two years old, he found a black permanent marker when I thought he was asleep in his bed and 'colored' all over the walls, doors and furniture in my bedroom. I spent many, many hours, repainting, sanding, staining and varnishing to remove the evidence of his artistic adventure.

On another happy note...but not so good for the diet...the new Dover Sonic finally opened today! Karl is picking up dinner as we speak. He had a volleyball game tonight (which they won). It's their championship tournament, so he'll be playing at least a couple more nights this week, more if they keep winning like they have been.

Hope everyone is happy and safe tonight!

God's Faithfulness

There is so much going on right now: Karl's deployment and our plans surrounding that, a dog who is becoming a money pit of problems, our heat is out again tonight, and decisions to be made that will affect our future, among other things. I have spent the day getting increasingly anxious over getting things done and finding solutions, and then this happened....

A double rainbow.

Most of you know of my special attachment to double rainbows and how God has repeatedly blessed me with them when I was facing and dealing with hard times. There was one on a mountaintop in Colorado after a particularly painful year in college. Another one appeared when Tim and I first separated, and I was feeling lost and alone. Then there was one when I first started going to Shiloh, and I was trying to find my place in the world. I saw one after a very painful break-up in 2003. Each of these came at a time when I needed to know that God was in control and that He hadn't forgotten me. Each of them gave me hope for the future and peace that it was in His hands. Each one overwhelmed me with joy and emotion and soothed my spirit. And then this happened....

The top photo is looking to the right out our front door; the other is straight across the street. Both rainbows were visible from end to end and incredibly vibrant. Just amazing! I am humbled, thankful and relieved.

Such excitement....

Matt's dad is not exactly conscientious about getting him appropriate medical and dental care most of the time. Thankfully, Matt's grandmother will pick up the slack where necessary. She took Matt to the dentist today, since it had been 8 months since his last visit. She called me yesterday to ask me about Matt's teeth grinding. She and Tim have never heard it. I guess Tim sleeps too soundly, and she's never slept in the room with Matt. She had them check it out, and the dentist says Matt's teeth aren't meeting right, so his jaw is trying to compensate, hence the grinding. So Matt needs braces. His teeth are almost straight, but not quite, but the dentist had been putting off considering braces until all the teeth were in and settled. So here we go...

Also, my heat is out again. Just isn't working at all. Won't come on. Don't know why. Ugh. Hopefully they'll figure it out today, so we don't have to use space heaters tonight. We had a terrible windstorm (and rain, but the wind is so loud) last night that kept me up from 4 am on, and the wind blows right around the windows and doors in this old house. It's rather chilly in here this morning.

We're all fine, though. I shouldn't complain. It's just a pain. Hope everyone is having a happy and healthy day!

Deployment

It was bound to happen eventually....

We learned late yesterday that Karl will be deployed to the desert from May until October. You know it's going to happen eventually, but you're never quite ready for that phone call. Garin, Matt and I will spend some time visiting family this summer. We don't have any firm plans yet, as I need to figure out when I have to be here for OSC stuff (I will be serving as President next year.), and I have to make some kind of arrangements for the dogs. We will still make our May trip to Texas/Oklahoma, so Karl can spend some time with everyone too. Beyond that, we'll trust God to get us through. I'm just so thankful that he isn't Army; they deploy for 12-15 months. This will be hard for me but so much harder for Karl, as he will be separated from his little boy, too, and stuck in a very hot, dusty climate through the summer.

Please keep us in your prayers.

Homeward Bound!

We have scheduled a trip back home for May 11-May 20!!! As I mentioned yesterday, my grandparents are dealing with some health issues, and my parents are unable to come see us, so we're taking the show on the road. Garin and I haven't seen them since November when we made a short trip home for my Papaw's funeral, and Karl hasn't been home since last summer. Mom and Dad were kind enough to pay our airfare since they would have been paying theirs to come here had they been able to travel. I am excited because the first Saturday we're there is the "cemetery working" at Woods. This is an annual event for the tiny community, and many people return from all over to be there. We will spruce up the cemetery and then share a potluck lunch on the grounds. I remember it from my childhood and am so happy to be going back to see all of our relatives, close and distant, on Dad's side! Karl has never seen my grandparents' farm or the cemetery where we will someday be buried. I know it must sound morbid, but it is a very special place where many generations are buried. It is all family or very dear friends of my grandparents, great- and great-great- grandparents.) There is history there, and I am so excited to share it with Karl. And I can't wait to see our families!!!!

Snuggle Up!

Our heat's out until tomorrow, but I'm just thankful our house didn't burn down. The heater started making a loud noise everytime it came on, and I was watching it really carefully. This afternoon it started sounding more like an explosion, so I called the maintenance line for base housing. Usually you wait a long time for a response because they're so busy, but you oughta see how fast they come running when you tell them that you think the furnace is filling up with gas before it ignites! They were here in 15 minutes, and the poor guy took the cover off and had me turn the furnace on. It didn't do it the first couple of times, but the third time, flames shot about 20" (his guesstimate, with which I concur) straight out at his face. He ducked fast, thankfully. I thought he was about to lose his hair and eyebrows. He said that was definitely an emergency, and he was glad I called. He has to wait a day for the part, but he's bringing us four electric space heaters to get us through the night. MUCH better service than we got last spring when Karl was gone and the fan went out at the old house and 2-month-old Garin and I hibernated in my room with our bathroom heater for over a week.

Developments

We had a lovely little Easter! I baked a ham and made some veggies and fruit salad, so we came home from church and ate and then spent the rest of the afternoon just being lazy and enjoying some quiet family time. There never seems to be enough of that!

Karl learned today that his last day as the Wing AFSO21 Coordinator will be April 30th, so he gets to go back to the squadron in May. Yay! Rumor has it that his new desk job will be as a Flight Commander in the squadron. That will be a nice change for him, I think.

As great as it sounds to be the Worship Leader for the base chapel, I don't think it is what God has in mind for me right now. Our church is beginning plans for a second worship location here in Dover and will need worship leaders here, and even though we love the people at the base service, it isn't a true contemporary service. It's more like a traditional service with contemporary music. I have prayed about it and wanted it to be God's will, but I just don't feel a calling to it at all. I don't want to accept it just because it's ministry if it isn't the place I'm supposed to be ministering. I have a real peace about continuing to volunteer with the OSC and work on school for now.

Sadly, Karl's mother lost her cousin this week in a car accident. He was a Methodist pastor in his early 50's. Please keep his parents and the family in your prayers.

My grandparents are also dealing with some health issues and need prayer. Karl is hoping to get some leave in May so that we can make a trip down to see our families before our scheduled trip in July. Sometimes you just need to be home.

That's about all I know for now.

HMMMM...

Captain Garin is considering how to resolve the latest issue that has jeopardized his mission.

(I took this last night when Daddy got home. It's a new routine to greet Daddy at the door - actually, it's more like jumping out from behind the wall to 'surprise' him. Garin hugs Daddy and steals his hat and sunglasses.)

Karl's Got a New Ride!

I haven't felt like writing for few days. Matt flew out a couple of days ago, and I've had a hard time since. I usually am a little blue after he leaves, but this time was especially hard for some reason. Garin and I drove him to the airport through an awful storm, but thankfully we all got there safely. The ride home wasn't as bad. It's been cold ever since, and this morning we had an inch or two of snow!!! Thankfully, we had less than was forecasted, and it melted quickly as temps warmed up much faster and a little higher than they expected.

We've been looking at used trucks at the dealerships and online, and Karl found one he really liked. It is fairly simple, but it has the features he really wanted: cruise, CD, A/C. He likes the simplicity of the interior as well as the extended cab, which has room for all of his flying gear (those huge duffel-baggish things he has to take along). He emailed the dealer for a price yesterday, and they wrote back with a ridiculously high price ($2800+ above blue book retail), so I emailed them and told them that was too steep for us and asked about a different truck that he also liked, just not as much as the first one. This morning, they emailed back and said that if we would buy today, they would take $3500 off the price they originally quoted on Karl's favorite one. Obviously, we jumped in the car and took off to the dealership! So Karl now has a nice 2004 Ford Ranger 4X4 with just 15,000 miles!!! We even miraculously got $1600 for our trade in, which is $500 less than blue book, but it was a great deal considering it needs over $2000 in repairs. Here are some pics of the new wheels.

Height Comparison

I had a request for a photo of us all that shows Matt's height compared to ours. Here it is! It's nothing special, just a quick shot we took before dinner, but it will give you an idea of how tall Matt is.

Today, we went bowling and had gelatis at 'Rita's. Tonight, we're just taking it easy and getting laundry done.

Jealousy rears its ugly head

I flopped on the bed (which I'm ashamed to say I didn't bother to make yesterday) between our impromptu car-shopping trip and Karl's volleyball game last night to rest a minute, and Matt plopped beside me. Garin also joined us but found that sharing Mama wasn't his favorite thing. At first, he was stationed between us, adorably laying his head over on top of his big brother's and giggling.....SO precious to this mom. Then as Matt got snuggly, Garin started fussing and trying to wedge himself between us and push Matt away. It was rather funny to watch the two vie for position. Matt kindly gave in and Garin put his head on my chest and did more snuggling than he ever does in broad daylight, holding onto me very tightly. Of course, we missed the funniest moments, but Karl took a few photos after the fact. I look drugged in all of them, but they're good of the boys.

Back to the car shopping....We took the Regal in for an estimate on fixing the window, which wasn't rolling down right, and to see what was up with the "check engine" light. Turns out, the car's a mess all of a sudden, and the repairs will cost more than the car is worth. So we're looking for something else. We're torn between getting a minivan (practical, great for other moms, but ugh, I have such a thing about driving one) or a pickup truck. Either way it will be something a year or two old, but I think we're leaning toward the truck.

Music Lesson

Matt and Garin sat down to play at the keyboard yesterday and had a great time. I tried to get a few pics. As you see, Garin had some strong opinions about what Matt should be doing....he seems to have a lot of opinions in general. Note the one picture in which they both have their tongues out. Yep, they definitely belong to THIS family!

Need More Clorox

Well, I talk about how I miss being a day-in, day-out Mom to Matt. I guess I shouldn't complain then when I end up staying up with him half the night while he throws up. Yup, that's right. Another one down with the stomach bug. I don't know how I keep missing out, but I'm thankful. I am, however, no longer deluding myself that I am some kind of antiviral superwoman. As they say, the third time is the charm, and I'm just waiting for it to hit me. But I am prayed up, and God has been informed of just how much I don't want to be sick with Matt here...or at all. Either way, we'll get through it. I've been through more Clorox wipes this week than in the entire year previous, wiping down everything after each episode. And my hands are screaming for mercy from all the handwashing. I feel like the last six months have been a test of my endurance with all the colds and tummy bugs we've seen, but spring is here, and I am claiming this round as the very last of the illness for our family this year. Except for feeling tired today, Matt's almost back to normal and making plans for the rest of his time here. I made some chicken noodle soup at his request, and he ate a full bowl. He feels that homemade chocolate chip cookies will bring him back to his normal self, so we're working on those now. There isn't much else to tell, as this has been a very lazy but not altogether horrible day for us.

No More Curry!

We had a great day at the beach and bought Matt two pairs of shoes and a lot of summer clothes. We had what could have been a wonderful lunch at Seaside Thai, except that in the middle of the meal, Garin hurled everywhere. Thank goodness I had a change of clothes still in his diaper bag from when he had his stomach bug last week! He ate a great breakfast, post-lunch meal and dinner and had no problems whatsoever, so it seems that curry does not agree with him, no matter how mild and minimal.

I have been inundated with requests for photos. We have been so busy enjoying our family time that I haven't taken many pictures, but we will get more in the next few days. For now, I hope this will do. I took them this afternoon after we returned from the beach.

P.S. Garin held onto Matt's finger for much of the ride to Rehoboth this afternoon....too sweet!

Passover Plans

It's been a good day! We got some things done that Matt has been needing and ran a few errands. We had salad for lunch and fajitas for supper and managed to somehow stick to our diets fairly well. Garin thinks his big brother is pretty cool, especially when he blows his train whistle. There is something he loves about whistles, and Matt won him over all over again the moment he blew it. Garin was laughing and playing with it. It is so neat to watch them together. Matt carried him around and pushed the stroller all afternoon on our errands, and he did all of the buckling in and unbuckling of the car seat, too.

Matt has requested that we observe the traditional Passover Seder on Tuesday night. We have friends in Illinois who do it every year and find it very meaningful, and we've often talked of doing it over the years. I have found a Passover Haggadah for Believers in Messiah that we will follow, as well as some traditional recipes. We will plan and go shopping for ingredients Sunday or Monday. I should say that we are not converting to Judaism or attempting to somehow please God by obedience to the Law. We were set free from the Law by of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. The Law, however, prepared the way for Jesus, and He was born to the Jews. We are very excited to experience in some small way a celebration observed by Christ our Savior and the faithful children of God throughout the Old Testament. I think it will bring special significance to Good Friday and Easter as we follow in the traditions that led up to the day of crucifixion. I would like to perhaps invite a couple of other families of believers to join us if possible.

It's Just...It's Just....Weird

Something just isn't right about a mother having to stand on her tiptoes to hug her "little boy." It's even stranger to kiss your son goodnight and have him lean over and kiss you on the forehead. It is, however, wonderful to have him here. Matt's plane arrived a few minutes early at 10:15 last night, and we made it home about 12:30 am. Garin has been exceedingly crabby, but otherwise everything about today is exceptionally pleasant. We're taking it slowly this morning and plan to do a little running this afternoon. Tomorrow we'll hit the outlet malls and the boardwalk at Rehoboth Beach. The rest of our week together is still up in the air....to be determined.

Hope you're all enjoying your Friday!

Mind blowing week so far....

So I caught a cold and have been sick for three days, although I do seem to be a little better this evening. Garin had a stomach bug all day yesterday, which made for a lot of clothing and bedding changes when all I really wanted to do was go to bed, but I thought we were both better today. It got up in the 80's this afternoon, and Garin and I went out to sit in the grass and play after his nap. Soon, Kim drove by and saw us, so she stopped in and stayed almost two hours, sitting in the grass with us. Just after she sat down, Carla and her dog, Glory, came out and joined us. Then Jaclyn drove by and saw us, so she parked in her driveway and walked over. Next, Tammy walked down with her dog, Sophie, for a chat. She and Carla left to walk the dogs, and Stacey drove by and stopped to talk a while. It was a really fun time. Karl got home early, around 3:30, and Stacey needed someone to help her move her old TV out and hook up the fancy new one, so Karl grabbed his box of miscellaneous wires, and we drove down to help her. (Her hubby has been in Afghanistan since November.) We had a good visit with her, which opened a whole can of worms I'll talk about in a minute. We went to the mall afterward to pick up Karl's mess-dress shoes, which we had re-soled, and we had dinner. We had Japanese food and were eating with chopsticks, which Garin found hilarious. Every time Karl took a bite, Garin would laugh hysterically, throwing his head back and shaking. We had a blast! Well, just as we were finishing dinner, Garin's illness returned, overflowing his diaper, all over his clothes and in the high chair. We did a very impressive job of cleaning up the highchair and sneaking him out of the mall before laying him on plastic shopping bags in the back of the car, bagging up all of his clothes, cleaning him with wipes and taking him home in just a diaper. It was truly impressive and something we will reminisce about someday. He's bathed and asleep in bed now.

Back to Stacey.....As you know, I have been of the mindset that I would be open to God's calling with regard to how He wants me to serve Him through ministry. I have no preconceived ideas about how it will happen, or what I will be doing. I am committed to remaining open to His call as He leads me on this journey. Stacey is the worship leader for the contemporary worship service at the base chapel. She is responsible for planning the music and flow of the service. She also sings in the band, but (and this is a very important point) there is someone else who is responsible for the musical direction of the band. In other words, she plans and he executes. Stacey says that he is excellent and that he is a joy to work with. The chapel is looking for someone to fill her position starting this summer, as her husband is being reassigned. She has asked me to consider the job. It is a part-time, paid position, and other than one night a week in rehearsal, one Sunday morning service, and meetings now and then with the chaplain, it is a job she does from home. It would be a very mom-friendly position and is something I think I could do. It is definitely something I need to pray about and learn more about before making any decisions, though. It would mean declining the President position in the OSC, so I could still keep my commitment to school, but it would be something Karl and I could do together some, too. The base chapel understands the unpredictability of military life better than local churches, and Karl could serve more easily. (Plus, they could use another bass player!) So please pray with us as we seek God's will in this.

Tomorrow is bowling...yay! Karl has the day in crew rest....yay again!

The Birthday Boy and His Pooh-Bear

Karl turns 31 today! We came home from church and had leftovers for lunch, but Karl is craving Sonic for a birthday treat, so we're making the 30 mile drive to Seaford this afternoon for dinner.
Now everyone in the family has their own computer! A few weeks ago, Karl pulled his ancient laptop out of the attic for Garin, so he'll leave ours alone. Here he is, working on his latest "project". Honestly, he's made that computer do things neither of us knew it could!

Battle of Wills

Garin kept turning the TV on today after lunch, but he is not supposed to touch the buttons, so Karl kept saying no and moving him across the room. The child has a stubborn streak a mile long. He kept crawling back over to do it again. Eventually, he started shaking his head no as he crawled over, and instead of pushing the power button, he would touch all over the TV around the power button. When no one fussed, he'd then gently tap the power button, but not hard enough to turn it on. So Daddy would say no again and move him. Over and over and over again. Finally, Daddy blocked him with his body. Here are some photos of the battle.......I'm still laughing.

Our big fuzzwad, Harvey

Proud Mama...

Watching a child grow physically is awe-inspiring, but nothing could be more meaningful to a parent than to see them growing spiritually and becoming mature. Matthew and some friends from his track team started a Bible study between their early morning track practice and school on Friday. They asked a teacher whom they knew to be a believer if she would allow them to meet in her classroom, and she agreed. It is open to anyone, and they are having about 10 track kids and 10 others, plus there are two teachers who are sitting in on the study as well. It brings my soul such joy to know that Matt is growing in his faith and is bold in sharing it. He also mentioned that he had a cool experience this week when some troubled boys were taunting the runners at a track meet, and he chose to walk away without saying anything. When he walked past them again a few minutes later, they got nervous and were afraid that he had told someone in authority and that they were in trouble. They couldn't believe he hadn't done anything. Then that night, he was reading his chapters for the Bible study, and there were Paul's words about not repaying evil for evil, turning the other cheek and blessing those who curse you. He was very touched by those verses, and I just think that is cool! He has become so responsible and accountable for himself, and I am amazed that this young man is my baby.

Garin is so cute these days. He is trying so hard to talk. He imitates what we say, and he is even trying to sing with his music videos now! Today, he kept humming along and trying to make his mouth do the words. It was precious! He also was standing beside me tonight as I cooked dinner and reached up and pulled something off of the kitchen cabinet!!! When did he get so tall??? He says hi and waves at everyone he meets, and he loves to flirt. He is becoming more pleasant everyday; there is much less whining and fussing and much more laughter in our home. When Susan was here, he was watching Sesame Street and starting laughing hysterically at a skit where Ruth Buzzy was making a 'recipe' for the number 6 and chunking things into a huge pot (6 sticks of butter, 6 spoons of sour cream, six handfuls of salt and 6 whole onions). Every time she chunked something in there, he laughed. Eventually he was laughing so hard he was snorting. Thanks to DVR, we saved it and continue to watch it whenever we want to hear that sweet laughter. I wish you all could see him; he's changed so much!

Catching Up!

New York was fabulous!!! I loved Times Square, the restaurants, the shopping, and seeing all of those landmarks and famous places that I've seen all my life on TV and in movies. My favorite part by far, though, was Broadway! We saw Les Miserables, and I was amazed by the talent of the actors and the power of the show to completely enthrall. I am hooked and have told Karl that as long as we live on the East Coast, I want all of my birthday, Christmas and Mother's Day gifts to be tickets to a Broadway show. There are so many I want to see while I have the chance to take day trips into NYC.

Susan (my mom-in-law) arrived Sunday and left this morning. We had a wonderful visit, and I truly hated to see her leave. We got to do some fun girly stuff, like a trip to Wilmington yesterday to the ULTA store to purchase the latest craze in makeup, bareminerals. I'm loving it so far. I'm still using my Mary Kay skincare, of course, but this makeup is all powder. It isn't normal powder, but crushed minerals. Somehow it actually provides the coverage of a liquid or creme foundation without the heaviness. It almost feels like no makeup at all, and it makes the skin glow! I'll let you know how I like it after I've used it awhile. Susan also got a great hairstyle at the salon there.

Monday, I took Susan to Byler's (the Amish market) to get orange slices (one of my two favorite candies...I didn't buy any, if you can believe it!), snacks, etc. Tuesday we all took a trip to Rehoboth Beach to walk on the sand and listen to the waves. Susan got some homemade salt-water taffy (my other favorite candy) on the boardwalk; somehow I resisted the temptation. I am learning that she and I have very similar tastes in food! We all watched Karl play volleyball Monday night, and last night we all went to his game. They only had five guys show up, so I ended up running home and changing really fast so they would have a full team and get to play. I was pretty rusty, but it was fun anyway. Garin has figured out that you are supposed to clap and yell when you watch volleyball, and he did so with great gusto!!! We took Karl out to La Fontana last night for an early birthday dinner and had a delicious Italian meal, accompanied by a very talented classical guitarist. Then we came home and had homemade cheesecake with fresh strawberries and raspberries. I did not even try to resist that temptation!!!

By the way, Susan is a wonderful lady in her early 50's who has a full life. She has everything she wants or needs except a great man to share it with, so if any of you knows a good-hearted, faithful, honest, Christian man who deserves someone special, please let me know!!!


Now we're back to life as usual, and I have laundry to do, so I guess I'll run. Have a great day!

Disclaimer

Okay, so I'm looking at these pictures I just posted and noticing an ear wax issue. Just thought I'd mention that he had just finished a bath, and I always clean out his ears as best I can when I bathe him. I just can't reach down that far into his squirmy little head, and I'm a little nervous about jabbing a Q-tip in there, as he isn't known for being exceptionally still and cautious. Suggestions are appreciated.

Also, yes, I know he needs a haircut. Again, the whole wiggle-worm issue. To be fair, his hair is still wet in the pics, so it looks worse than normal. Last time I cut it is wasn't exactly straight, and I shudder to think of what he would do in a barber's chair. Karl isn't loving the long locks, so I assume we'll make another effort to trim it soon.

Equal Opportunity Endorsements

Before I offend any Aggies out there, let me just state that the policy of the Heinrich family is to show no preferential treatment to the athletic program or alumni of any university attended by members of our extended family. Clothing from all qualified schools (t-sips do not qualify) is welcomed and will receive equal wear-time. Now....on with the show!

Grammy Su sent Garin an OSU t-shirt for Christmas. It is finally warm enough for shortsleeves, so I tried to get a few pictures of him in it for his Grammy to see. He really just wanted to 'repair' the closet, but here are a few mediocre shots for you all.

I'm just getting things done around the house today, and we have a family squadron get-together tonight at the bowling alley. Tomorrow, I'll be packing for NYC and cleaning, I imagine. Have a great day!

Karl's Job

We got some good news yesterday! It looks like Karl will soon be back to the squadron! While the Wing job has been a great learning opportunity and career-building experience for him, it has kept him so busy that he hasn't flown enough. It has also taken a huge bite out of family time. He got word yesterday that they are looking for his replacement. (Wing jobs that use "borrowed" people like this usually only last one year, and Karl's hits the year mark in May.) They have wisely decided to use a non-flyer in this position until they can hire a civilian to fill it. Karl has repeatedly told him that this is not a job for a flyer unless there is an assistant who is in the office full-time. It is nearly impossible for him to go on missions because the job demands daily attention. We are looking forward to him settling back into a squadron desk job and flying more, so he can get his Instructor Pilot rating before we leave Dover!

Garin and I are headed to Rehoboth Beach today to do a little outlet-mall shopping. They have three big Tanger Outlet Malls there; I'm sure we won't have time to hit them all, unfortunately. I know which stores I most want to see, so we'll start there.

Guess What We Had For Dinner!!!

It was a mess, and I believe that Garin may be permanently stained (as in green-food-dye-in-Mom's-makeup-will-make-a-great-ghost-face-for-the-kids type of stain), but we had fun! We were slow getting started this morning and ended up attending the 11:00 service at church. We grabbed Applebee's for lunch and headed home. Most of the drive was spent singing and clapping loudly to the DVD Garin was watching in an almost futile effort to keep him awake until we got home for a nap. His eyes were rolling back in his head toward the end, but we did make it home before he conked out. He took a nice, long nap, and I washed both cars and cleaned the inside of the SUV. Karl cleaned the inside of his car and straightened up our outdoor storage. I made spaghetti while Karl went through some of his things to decide what can go to Goodwill, and then we had supper. Tonight will be vacuuming for me, cleaning doggie-doo out of the backyard for Karl, and hopefully some rest for all of us on the couch before bedtime!

The very best news of the day, though, is that Eli got to go home today!!!!!

Windy Day in Dover....

.....Of course most days are, but it was 65 degrees here today. We couldn't pass up the chance to take a walk after several days in the teens-thirties. Here are a few photos of our fun. We made the whole round of base housing and stopped at one of the playgrounds to let Garin swing and slide for the first time. If you look at the photo of him on the swings, his face says it all. There is little point in purchasing a tree swing for this child. From the moment it started swinging, he looked like he was nauseous, and he was none too reluctant when we pulled him back out. On the other hand, the round-and-round slide, as my sister and I used to call them when we were kids, was a huge hit! I took him up and slid down with him. Then Daddy took him down. Then he wanted to climb back up, so Daddy followed him, and I grabbed him at the top. He didn't want to be held; he just wanted to GO! He ended up going down several times by himself, with me at the top to get him flat on his back and let him go, and Daddy at the bottom to catch him. He loved it!!!

Great News!

Eli got the tube out of his stomach this morning and has been more alert and talkative today. The doctor stopped by this afternoon and told him that he could have a popsicle, juice and jello for dinner. This will be the first food or drink he's had since Monday. He is being moved out of ICU and into his own room later tonight!!! Also, his and Sandra's birth family is driving down tonight to visit him this weekend. I think his grandma, Maria; aunts, Rachel and Debbie; birthmother, Natalia; biological siblings, Rachel, Joseph and Genevie; and several cousins are all coming! It should be a crazy weekend, but I think it will be so good for Eli to know that they care enough to make the trip down from Dallas to be there for him. And may I say again how proud I am of my sister and brother (in law) for being the kind of parents who are willing to not only allow contact with the birth family but also to embrace them, love them and show such compassion and forgiveness to the birth mother. I'm sure it is a tough road to travel for adoptive parents sometimes, but it is truly unconditional love for your children that leads you down it, and the rewards for those children, and the entire family, are immeasurable. How wonderful to know that you are loved by the parents who gave birth to you even though they couldn't care for you and also by the parents who chose you.

Improvement

Thanks to everyone for your concern for Eli. I'm trying to cover it all on the blog rather than clogging inboxes. Last night, he got up and watched a movie in his chair. He also read a magazine. They got the pathology report this morning, and there was nothing of concern. There was some blood and tissue which caused the blockage, but they are uncertain as to whether the blockage caused the telescoping or vice versa. It was a very good thing that the surgeon opted to go ahead and remove the appendix while he was in there. It looked fine on the outside, but the inside was showing signs of infection, which may have been caused by the intussusception. The doctor said that if the surgeon had left it, they'd have been right back in the hospital in a few weeks for an appendectomy. Eli got up this morning for awhile to sit, but he had some pain medicine afterward and is sleeping now. He is afraid every time he feels any pain that it's going to get bad again like it was before the surgery, so they have to keep reassuring him that there will be some pain as he heals but nothing like what he was experiencing Monday. The doctor said they would give them 24-hour notice before moving him to a room, so it will probably not be tomorrow. Marci said his NG tube (the one through his nose into his stomach) is bringing out clearer fluid, less green and bilious. Once it runs clear, they'll know things are working again, she said. I guess that's kind of the determiner for when he leaves ICU....well, that and flatulence. His fever finally broke in the night. Greg stayed with him overnight. He asked one of them to stay; now that he's alert, he wants to know they're there, of course.

The Latest

Eli is more alert today. They took out his catheter and got him up to the bathroom. He still has the bile tube from his stomach, though. The doctor is hearing bowel sounds, which is great. The nurse snuck him a little ice because his throat was so dry. He's trying to be tough and not asking for pain medicine, and after Monday, the pain doesn't seem so bad. The nurse had to explain to him that he had to ask for pain medicine because he breathes shallowly when he's hurting, and he needs to breathe deeply to avoid fluid in his lungs. He was upset this morning, and Marci told them that she knew all the tubes and pain were scary, but that he is fixed and is getting better. He was asking about schoolwork, and she told him not to worry about it. (That's the only time he'll hear that from her!) He was confused about the day, and she told him it was Wednesday and that he had surgery on Monday. He asked her which Monday; he had no idea how long he'd been out. She told him two days ago Monday. He's upset and didn't want to talk about why because he was afraid he'd cry and make it hurt. I'm sure this experience is very scary for him; please pray that he will be peaceful in spirit.

It's snowing here today! Has been since early this morning. I am SO ready for spring! Monday and Tuesday were pretty, but Garin and I stuck around the house. I had nothing on the calendar, and he had a fever, which is now gone. I got some studying done and had plenty of time to pray. Today was bowling. I did okay...not fabulous, but over my average. This afternoon I am making dinner for a friend who is having knee surgery today. Also, a couple of friends that were in our squadron in Illinois just got here, and they need some help unloading some furniture, so we're going to get a small crew of guys together and head over to say hello and help them out. Hope you're all having a great day!

Eli's Recovery

Thank you all for you prayers and kind emails about Eli. I'll try to sum up the situation briefly. He came out of surgery last night around 1 am and is in ICU until at least Thursday, but he is doing well under the circumstances. The affected area of the small intestine had begun to turn black and was leaking blood into the abdomen. The surgeon had to remove one foot of the intestine and repair it. He said that if they had waited until morning, it might have been too late. Eli had a high pulse rate and high blood pressure today because he had lost so much blood through the intestine prior to the surgery. Because the red blood cell count was low, his circulatory system was having to work extra hard to get oxygen to the body. After a blood transfusion this afternoon, his heart rate and blood pressure were back down. They sat him up in a chair this afternoon for about 15 minutes to get him into a new position for awhile. He's very groggy, thanks to the pain medicine, but he is giving short responses to some questions. My parents went down this morning to help with the girls, and numerous friends and neighbors have come through for them. Marci called Eli's birth family, and they are going down to see him this weekend. It's amazing to think how so many people had to make the right decisions about Eli's care for him to be alive right now. God's handprints are just all over it. Even the surgeon said that when Eli's doctor called him last night about Eli, he just "coincidentally" was reading up on the very condition Eli had, even though he knew nothing of Eli or the possibility of doing the surgery that very night. You'll never convince me that this was a coincidence!!! Thanks for your prayers, and please keep praying for him as he recovers.

Update on Eli

Eli has been diagnosed with intussusception, which means the intestine telescopes into itself and creates a bowel obstruction. He is having emergency surgery tonight to try to correct it. My sister, brother-in-law and the kids are all really scared. Please keep them in your prayers tonight.

They also said he has horshoe kidneys, which will need to be discussed once he's out of the woods with this problem. Don't know what that means yet.

Our Nephew

Eli, my 11-year-old nephew (some of you will remember him as the ring bearer in our wedding), went to the hospital today with terrible abdominal pain. He had been vomiting since sometime in the night. The doctor thought the symptoms were similar to appendicitis, but she was puzzled by the lack of fever. He had an ultrasound this afternoon, and the technician said there was a large mass that looked like an eggplant. He said that he wasn't sure what he was looking at and that if it was the appendix, it was huge. They did a CT scan to get a better look at it, but we still haven't heard the results. Eli finally got some pain medication a little while ago (I can't imagine why they waited so long!). The poor little guy is just miserable. Please keep him, my sister, brother-in-law, and nieces in your prayers tonight. They are worried about whether he'll need surgery tonight or if the mass could be something else that would be even scarier.

It's Been a While...

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to write. It's been a busy week, and I keep thinking I'll get to it "tomorrow." Karl got home late Wednesday night and has been in crew rest since then. He'll go back to work Monday. Thursday, I had an OSC board meeting in the morning. We went bowling (for practice) Thursday afternoon, and then I went for a hair appointment. I made stuffed peppers and collard greens for dinner, and we watched the American Idol results show. Yesterday was my quarterly appointment with the rheumatologist in Lewes, so Karl and Garin went with me, and we spent a beautiful afternoon (no coats!) at the outlet malls in Rehoboth Beach. Today was a 9-pin bowling tournament. I totally tanked, but it was fun anyway! We walked down the street to Carl and Mel's house and sat by their fire pit with them, the Weigners, and Carla. It was a nice way to spend Saturday evening, but we headed home early because Garin was so tired and crabby. Tomorrow afternoon, I'm going shopping in Newark with Kim. We're looking for something cute to wear on our girls' weekend to NYC on St. Patrick's Day. There are 10 of us going, and we have rooms at the Marriott in Times Square on Saturday night. I can hardly wait! We're going to see a Broadway show, take a trip to Little Italy, and see some of the sites around the city. And my mother-in-law is coming that weekend too and staying a few days, so it promises to be a really good week! Guess that's life in a nutshell for now. G'night, and I'll try to write again soon!