"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!!