"We're getting better"!

A huge "thank you" to all of you who have read my blog and have prayed for our family over the last few weeks.  Jay finally recovered from his stomach virus, although it knocked him off his feet for about 5 days.  Elijah Brooks unfortunately got a touch of the same virus and had an upset tummy for about a week, but he is finally better.  His acid reflux seems to be getting better also. He still has a flare up every now and then, but it is nothing like it was a month ago after being on medicine. He is not screaming in pain during feedings like he was.  Now it seems that when he does cry during a feeding, it's usually from gas pains.  His pediatrician wants to leave him on his medicine for awhile to keep the reflux under control.  I am most certainly fine with that!!  My hands are getting better too.  They are still sore and feel very weak, but they seem to be getting alittle better. I am still wearing my braces because I don't feel safe lifting Elijah Brooks without them yet.  Please continue to pray for their healing. I am really ready to toss these braces into the trash can never to put them on again!  I have fully recovered from the delivery too, so that's great news.  All in all, we are on the road to recovery.  So, here's to a new year!! 

"Update"

I suppose the phrase, "what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger" must be true.  So, here's my  update.  My hands are still in pretty bad shape. I did have cortisone injections in both thumb joints 4 days ago. I was expecting a miracle overnight, but apparently it takes time for the cortisone to kick in.  I do not have relief yet, but I pray that it is coming.  Both hands are still in braces so I am having to have alot of help in the house lifting and holding Elijah Brooks. Honestly, I never realized how much a person needs their thumbs!! It's so hard, but God is faithful and I trust His promises to give me strength..., His strength.   I was very upset last week and cried daily, but now I am just learning how to manage. I am learning  how to change a diaper without using my thumbs and am learning how to nurse my child with my hands in braces. I am learning how to pick him  up from his crib using my forearms rather than my hands.  It's not easy, but where there's a will, there's a way.  People think I am crazy for still trying to nurse him, but I am determined not to let my situation rob me of that wonderful joy.   Jay has been my rock. He comes home from work daily to help me. He has given me so much courage to keep trying to take care of my baby the very best way that I know how to..., even if it's alittle different than how I wanted to. Well, what do you do when your "rock" gets sick??  You call your mother in-law!!!   Thursday night, Jay and I were getting ready for bed and we realized that every week for 6 weeks, someone in our family has been out of commission.  We were kind of  laughing about it (notice I said, "kind of"),  until Jay awoke throwing up!!  Yep, he had the full-blown stomach flu!  So, one may ask, "how did you take care of your baby and your sick husband with your hands in braces while trying to keep your distance from a very contagious virus"?  The answer yet again, "you call your mother in-law"!!   I called Jay's parents at 3:45 in the  morning and told them that I was in desperate need of help.  They got in the car and drove 4 hours to  help me.  They have been so wonderful.  I honestly do not know what I would have done had I not had help in the house. I haven't seen Jay this sick in a very long time.  Hopefully, he is turning a corner today. 

I just keep reminding myself that God said there would be trouble in this world, but He has promised not to give us more than we can handle.  None of these things would be that difficult in and of themselves. It's just the compounding effect of the past 6 weeks. However, I thank God daily that we have our health and each other.  All of these minor inconveniences are temporary and they will go away.  It helps so much to take a step back and get things back in proper perspective.  Our marriage is stronger than it ever has been and we have a beautiful,  healthy baby boy.  As Jay says, "it's all good"! 

"Again"??

Well, if it's not one thing it's been another since the birth of Elijah.  I will spare the details, but just suffice it to say my recovery from a 36 hour labor and delivery was very, very difficult and painful. Fortunately, my sweet mom was with me for 2 weeks to help. She was my angel. Once I got up on my feet again, I was hit with another medical issue requiring me to take antibiotics. Elijah Brooks did not like mommy taking antibiotics either.  Well, I got over that issue and then we landed ourselves in the ER only for our baby to be diagnosed with painful acid reflux. Thank the Lord that the medicine is beginning to help him now. We can definitely see an improvement and we are so grateful. It's the worse thing ever to see your child suffering.  Would you believe that I have now had another medical issue to surface?  For the past week, my hands have been getting increasingly more painful..., mainly in my thumb joints of both hands.  I thought my hands were just tired seeing that I lift a 12 lb baby twenty-four hours a day and nurse him 8 x's a day. The pain got so bad this past Thursday night that I couldn't stand it anymore. I realized that I could no longer lift Elijah Brooks without help.  All of you moms out there realize what this means. I am disabled with a 5 week old baby. I went to the doctor only to be told that I have "acute tendonitits of the thumb joints".  They told me to "rest my hands and let the joints heal".  I must say that I laughed out loud when they told me this.  I mean, how can a mom rest her hands with a 5 week old infant?  Both of my hands are in braces keeping the thumb joints stable. I am taking anti-inflammatory drugs which are not helping at all.  I am miserable and in terrible pain..., not to mention I am emotionally drained from this. I am just ready to be well and to be able to care for my son without needing someone in my house all of the time with me. Don't get me wrong, I thank GOD for my dear church family and husband, for without them I would not be able to handle this and would have a breakdown. I have had plenty of breakdowns, but I fear if I didn't have my sweet church family and Jay, I would go under.  I wish that we lived closer to family, but we don't.  I am just so grateful that our church is being the hands and feet of Christ to us right now.  I have been trying to keep my spirits up, but I won't lie, I have cried more than my share of tears in the last 5 days. When the baby cries, I cry because I can't pick him up.  SO HARD. 

Anyway, today I am putting a call in to the doctor and will be begging them to get me in to a hand doctor for cortisone injections in my thumb joints. If you are reading this today, please pray that I can get some relief SOON.  I am not excited about having a needle inserted into my joints, but I must remember that I just pushed a 9 lb baby out and had a large needle inserted into my spinal column!!  I think I can handle this!!! 

"Family Photo"

                                      Mommy loves her baby boy 

                                         Merry Christmas! 

"Wonderful Neighbors"

Jay and I live in one of the two mission houses on our church's property.  The other house is where a wonderful family from Monterey, Mexico lives.  Marco, Diana, and Marc Escalante moved to town the same month that we did in 2007.  Marco is taking Seminary classes with Jay and they are also serving at our church like we are.  They will return to Mexico after Marco graduates. We have developed a wonderful relationship with them and they would truly do anything in the world for us.  They prayed fervently for Elijah Brooks as he was developing and they continue to pray for him daily now that he is here. Diana will be helping to care for him a few hours here and there once I resume work in January.  She always tells him how much she loves him and she loves to sing lullaby's to him in Spanish!  She calls him her "neighbor baby"! We thank God for our wonderful neighbors and friends. 

"First Bath"

You may be wondering why Elijah Brooks is just now getting his first bath.  Well, his umbilical cord didn't fall off until he turned 4 weeks old!  We have been giving him a sponge bath until it fell off so don't worry..., we were cleaning our child!  The pictures speak for themselves about how he enjoyed his first bath! 

"Reflux"

Well, we have officially joined the ranks with other parents who must watch their children suffer with painful acid reflux.  Our sweet baby boy developed reflux the day he turned 3 weeks old. We remember the exact night that we knew something was wrong.  We awoke to a new cry, a painful cry, a heartbreaking cry.  We took our son to the ER (that was the only way that we could get help for him over the weekend), and he was given Zantac to be taken 2 x's a day.  I didn't want him to have to go another 2 days over the weekend in so much pain.  I really didn't want to take him to the ER, but we bundled him up and kept a blanket over his carrier so that he wasn't exposed to anything there.  The doctor who treated him was wonderful. She was a caring doctor and mother of 3 boys who also went through this.  He has been on his new medicine for 3 days now and it seems like there might be some improvement.  He still screams in pain during some feedings, but not every feeding like he did a few days ago.  We pray that the medicine will take effect soon.  I never realized how much parents suffer when their precious children suffer.  Now I do. 

"My Baby Boy"

I decided to stage my own "photo shoot" of Elijah Brooks today. I was attempting to take pictures for his birth announcement. I took about 100 pictures and he was very cooperative! We did choose a picture, but I am not going to post that one. You will just have to wait for yours to come in the mail!! 

"Baby Update"

Today, Elijah Brooks is 3 weeks old.  It's strange because it feels as though he has always been here.  The phrase, "love at first sight", surely must have been coined by a mother looking at her newborn child for the first time.  I feel as though I have loved him all of my life.  It's so amazing to look into his eyes now and know that this is the exact child that I dreamed of, longed for, and prayed for for so many years. He is the exact child that God planned for me long before the creation of the world. He is my son who is loved unconditionally. 

He has already changed so much in 3 weeks!  He looked so much like Jay when he was first born, but now I am starting to see more of me in his face and his eyes. He is doing so well adjusting to his new life. He is approximately 9 1/2 lbs now and is such a good eater! We have had no problems in that department for which I am grateful. He is starting to get the hang of a 3 hour schedule and is napping very well during the day.  We are working hard to keep his days and nights from getting confused.  Some nights he does better than others.  We know it will just take time for him to adjust.  I love to just stare at him!  He makes the sweetest and funniest faces sometimes!  Every now and then, he even smiles!  It's probably gas, but I'll take it!!  The funniest thing that he does is snore "baby style".  It's the cutest little noise I have ever heard! In fact, even as I write this, he is making that noise while he sleeps peacefully.  

Jay is the most wonderful father.  It has been such a wonderful experience for me to watch him love and care for his son. I find myself drawing on Jay's wisdom constantly as I learn to parent. He helps me constantly in caring for Elijah Brooks' needs.  As Jay says, "you are in charge of input and I am in charge of output"!!  If you ask me, I think I got the better end of that deal!! 

The past 3 weeks have been the most joyous 3 weeks of my life. My heart feels like it is going to explode every time I look at my precious son. "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him" Psalm 127:3.  As I read those words, I find myself asking, "what did I ever do to deserve such a reward from the Lord"?  The answer is nothing. Elijah Brooks is a gift of God's grace. 

"Happy Thanksgiving"

Happy Thanksgiving!  It is so hard to believe that this wonderful season is already here.  I love having a day to do nothing but focus on the countless blessings that God has graciously given to me.  I know I should be focusing on those things each and every day, but I am thankful to have a day set apart to remember and reflect on God's abundant grace shown to an unworthy woman like myself.  Each Thanksgiving is special to me, but my heart is about to explode with thanksgiving to the Lord for the birth of my son, Elijah Brooks.   My wonderful friend Joel said it so well when he said, "consider this, God gave you YOUR life, then He gave you NEW BIRTH in Him, and now He has given you the birth of YOUR SON. He has given you LIFE, NEW LIFE, and LIFE AGAIN"!    How could our hearts not burst open with thankfulness for life and new life given to us in Christ? 

This is the first Thanksgiving that Jay and I have not been with our families. We are spending a very quiet, but wonderful Thanksgiving together with our new baby boy. We are celebrating his new life and thanking God once again for blessing us with the gift of His son and our son. Happy and blessed Thanksgiving to you all!  

Elijah Brooks

Uncle Chris, Aunt Elliot, Daddy, and Mommy waving in the background! 

                             Bebe, E-Daddy, Mommy, and Elijah Brooks 

                                                Gammy and Elijah Brooks 

                                                      On my way home! 

                                             Home, Sweet, Home! 

Elijah Brooks Joye

ELIJAH BROOKS JOYE

We would like to introduce our son, Elijah Brooks Joye.  He was born on Friday Nov. 7, 2008 at 7:23 pm.  He weighed 8lbs 15oz and was 21 inches long.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow! 

"I am a Mom"

As my previous entry said, I was induced on Thursday morning, Nov. 6 at 5:30am.  Jay and I arrived at the hospital so excited to finally meet our son.  We were expecting him to make his grand debut by that afternoon or early evening.  However, things did not go according to our plan.  I was having contractions every 2-3 minutes all day long, however I was not progressing like we had hoped.  Finally at 5:00 that evening, the doctor told me that our son would probably not be born until the next day.  I was devastated, frustrated, disappointed, and exhausted.  I had labored all day long hoping that it was going to get me one step closer to meeting my son.  As the Bible reminds me, "man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps".  This verse has never been more clear to me until now.  I continued contracting through the night, but the Lord was gracious and allowed both me and the baby somewhat of a break as the contractions slowed down enough that we could both rest.  The next morning, Friday Nov. 7, my doctor, (who is WONDERFUL), broke my water at 6:00am.   Within minutes, I was in hard, active labor.  I labored hard for another 5 hours.  There were 6 people ahead of me to get their epidural so I just had to breathe through it all and wait patiently.  Jay was an amazing birth coach.  The  nurses later told us that they wanted to hire him at the hospital because he was so good!  He breathed with me on every contraction and rubbed my back until I thought his hand was going to fall off.   Finally about 10:45, the anesthesiologist came in to give me my epidural.  I was thrilled to see him!!  Unfortunately, the epidural didn't take the first time and I was having terrible back labor.  I don't remember much, but I do remember looking up at Jay and I just said, "pray".  The doctor said, "back labor is hard to get rid of".  I thought to myself, he just can't leave me like this.  We were both praying and all of a sudden, the doctor pulled out my epidural and put in a 2nd one.  Within minutes, I had relief..., sweet relief!  I continued to labor for 6 more hours until 5:30pm when it was time to push.  I pushed for well over an hour, but the baby's head didn't want to budge. We could see his head, but it just seemed stuck.  My contractions were doubling so instead of pushing 3 times and resting, I was pushing 6 times..., one right after the other.  There was no time to rest.  They put an oxygen mask on me and I remember trying to take it off because I felt smothered.  At that point, Jay heard the doctor say, "we will give her 20 more minutes and then we'll have to do a C-section".  I don't remember hearing that, but I must have heard it sub-consciously because everyone in the room marveled at the intensity with which I started pushing.  I didn't think I could physically handle a C-section after everything else I had already been through. Jay had texted our family in the waiting room to tell them to pray like they have never prayed before over the next 20 minutes.  Later I found out that my whole family stopped everything that they were doing and prayed in the waiting room.  During those 20 minutes,  our sweet son was ushered safely into our arms after 36 hours of labor.   I remembered asking the doctor, "is he okay, is he okay", and after that, I must have passed out from exhaustion because I do not remember anything else.   I have no doubt that God heard the prayers of His saints and guided our baby boy safely to our arms.  Jay and I wept and praised God aloud as we marveled at our beautiful son, Elijah Brooks Joye.  

"It's Time"

The time has finally come for us to meet our precious little boy.  I will be induced tomorrow morning!  I have to be at the hospital at 5:30 in the morning!  The way I look at it is that sleep is way over rated any way and I haven't been sleeping well the past 4 weeks and I certainly won't be sleeping much in the months to come...., so why not leave my house at 4:45 in the morning to have a baby!!!  YIPPEE!!  We're having a baby tomorrow!  I am feeling every emotion that a "soon to be mom" could possibly feel all at one time.   I am so excited I can hardly stand it, but would be lying if I didn't say that I was abit anxious about labor and delivery.  But, my sweet little boy and my pregnancy have been covered in prayer for 9 months and those prayers certainly won't stop now. We have so many people praying for us it's overwhelming.  I trust my God to safely usher our son into our arms tomorrow.  I will be posting pictures as soon as I can!  

"Still Waiting"

Hooray! It's November!  Our baby is coming in 5 days or less!  This time next weekend, we will be holding our baby in our arms. I was watching the clock yesterday very closely hoping that this little guy would not make his debut on Halloween. Once I got to 9:00 last night, I figured that we were in the clear and there was no way he could be born on Halloween!  This pregnancy has been the most amazing journey for me. I am so ready to meet my son, but at the same time, I am grieving that this pregnancy is almost over. I know, I know...., "grieving that this pregnancy is almost over"?  I have loved being pregnant. I have waited so long for this and have truly loved every minute of it..., yes, even the aches, pains, frequent trips to the bathroom, and lack of sleep. Feeling my son kicking inside of me and developing a bond with him that no one else will ever have has been the most humbling and beautiful experience of my life. I look forward to a lifetime of more bonding...., and I must admit, getting my body back!! 

"Unexpected Blessing"

Today after church, Jay and I had the pleasure of having lunch with a dear old man from our church.  His name is John Knox.  Mr. Knox just turned 81 years old yesterday and we wanted to treat him to lunch in honor of his birthday.  He has no family. He has never been married and has no children and most of his other relatives have passed away.  He is a lonely man.  But, he loves the Lord so much.  You can see the glimmer in his eye.  He and Jay have formed a very special bond over the past year and he looks at him as the "son he never had".  He brags on him when we are out in public and tells everyone that he meets that Jay is a minister, before they even ask!  Jay is a "minister in training", but according to Mr. Knox, he has already arrived!  

Well, Mr. Knox has decided that his time on earth is quickly coming to a close.  To our knowledge, he is not sick, but he talks constantly about how he is going to die soon.  Jay always asks him if he knows something that we do not know, to which he answers, "No".   

Today after lunch, we received an unexpected blessing.  Mr. Knox called us over to his car to give us something before we parted ways.  He placed a large book into our hands called, "The Precious Gift, Bible Stories for Children".  We opened it up and read the inscription on the front cover.  It read, "To Johnnie Knox, from Mother on his third birthday. October 18, 1930".  

We continued reading the following words: 

"Notice: After 78 years of ownership of this Bible Story Book, I am giving it to Erin and Jay Joye one day after my 81st birthday which was on October 18, 2008. Since they are expecting their first child, a son, in early November, and since Jay has already devoted his life as a minister of the Gospel, I wanted them to have it, and since I am now in my twilight years and my life will soon come to a close".  John Knox, October 19, 2008 

Needless to say, we were both in tears reading this. What a precious, priceless gift was given to us today. What an unexpected blessing!   We took Mr. Knox out to lunch wanting to bless him and in turn, we received the blessing.  It truly is amazing what happens when you slow down long enough to get involved in someone's life that you otherwise might not. I was reminded today that all people everywhere long for the same thing.  Everyone wants to be loved and to feel like they matter to someone.  Mr. Knox is lonely, but he matters to us and he is loved. 

"The Nursery"

We have been overwhelmed by the generosity shown to us throughout this pregnancy.  All we are missing now is our baby! 

"Baby Boy Joye"

Here I am! Mommy and Daddy decided to have some special pictures taken of me before I am born.  My favorite position during the photo shoot was with my feet in my eyes!  You are lucky that I didn't have BOTH feet in BOTH eyes in this picture!  

"Mommy in waiting"

Mommy, with a belly that very closely resembles the pumpkin next to me (the big pumpkin, which happens to be hiding behind the belly..., not the small pumpkin)! This picture was taken on October 5, and I was 35 weeks pregnant.  

"My First Blog"

Well, I finally did it.  I gave in to the pressure and finally created a blog!  Apparently I didn't realize how out of the loop I was by not having a blog or being on Facebook.  So to all of you who gave me a hard time about not being on Facebook, hopefully this will help!! 

I don't have too much to say at the moment (well, I can always talk, but will not bore you with random details of my life right now), but I am sure that I will have plenty to write about once my baby boy arrives since I will have so much "free time".   That was a lame attempt at a joke by the way!! 

Stay tuned.