A Week of Thankfulness - Tuesday & Wednesday

I've heard it said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Well, I wouldn't exactly go that far, BUT I had good intentions of blogging yesterday.  However, my blogging plans got shoved to the side when I decided to go do some wedding planning/shopping with my baby sister.

So, here is the Thankful Installment for Tuesday & Wednesday!

4.  I am thakful for my sisters!  All 4 of them! We had a lot of fun growing up together, but I think we are having even more fun being adults together!  Love those girls!  ♥

5.  My Mommy!  She is also my friend & my biggest encourager.  She loves the Lord & encourages & challenges me to be in the Word.  Love her so much!

6.  My Daddy!  He provided such a wonderful, secure, loving environment for us growing up.  He is such a good Daddy, & an ever better Granddaddy to my baby boy!  ♥

7.  First Family Photos!  Some families are formed easily & without heartache.  Ours was not!  But with much pain & heartache, came joy & love & hope!

8.  Friends!!!  I am thankful for friends who have shown their love & care & support throughout our adoption & Walker's recent medical scare.  It is times like those ............ the "thick" ......... where I am reminded in a fresh way of the dearest friends with whom the Lord has graciously blessed me.  These friends are few in number, but are worth their weight in gold!  ♥

9.  Thankful that my baby boy's cousins are Ugandan!  What a wonderful bond they have!  I love that the Lord was working & forming our family so perfectly long before Walker was home with us. 

A Week of Thankfulness - Monday

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving week is upon us.

I just love this time of year.

All the smells, the sights, sounds, & tastes.

The gathering of family & friends.

Fires & fuzzy socks.

Scarves & sweaters.

Pumpkin pie & peanut butter balls.

And although I try to be thankful all year long, I am rarely as thankful as I ought to be.

I want to set aside a few days this week to list a few of those things for which I'm thankful.

I encourage you to do the same!  Just leave your list in a comment below!  ♥

TODAY I AM THANKFUL............... for so many things........... but here are just three!

1.  Because we are now a family of 3!!!!  I waited & prayed and waited & prayed a long time for the Lord to fulfill this hope.  And now that He has, I am so very, very thankful to finally be a Mommy!

2.  That people loved on & knew my little boy before he was ever in my arms!  As most of you know, we became a family of 3 this summer.  Walker is 5, & had a life & experiences before we became a family.  While much of his story is sad & heart-breaking, the Lord was so kind to place missionaries & missionary teams who would visit & help out his orphanage --- bringing joy & happiness to the children.  A few of these people loved on our boy, & we are now blessed with MANY pictures of him in his younger years.

3.  For my husband.  He has taught me so much in our years of marriage.  He loves the Lord.  He loves me.  He adores our son.  He is kind.  He is gentle.  He is faithful.  He is compassionate.  There is no one I'd rather kiss for the rest of my life than him!

Friday Foto Op

A few weeks ago, we took a field trip to the Fernbank Science Center.

We went with friends, & had such a wonderful day.

We took advantage of the beautiful weather, & let the kids have a picnic and play at the park.

It was fall perfection at its finest.

Here are a few photos of my youngin' that I snapped on that day.

A Semi-Update Update.

We've been taking it S-L-O-W this week.

This waiting game has been so hard on my heart, & I've been doing good just to get dinner on the table & the laundry done.

Even though I don't really think anything is wrong with Walker, there is still that little aggravating thought in the back of my head that sometimes pops up & says, "Well, Beffie, you're not a doctor.  What if......."

I got a call this week from Walker's pediatrician with the MRI results.  They found something, but there is no way to tell if this is what is causing Walker's tics........ or even be able to confirm that we are actually dealing with tics.  The ped told us that what they found was "minor" and more than likely a past injury of sorts from a concussion or severe malnutrition.......... BOTH of which are highly likely.  The severe malnutrition is a definite thing, & the concussion thing is very probable considering a non-baby-proofed orphanage.  She told us to be sure to follow-up with our neurologist; which we are already doing.  The panic-ky Mother in me asked if the findings were something we needed to pay immediate attention to, & she assured me that we were fine to keep on the schedule we are on with the neurologist.  That made me feel both better & a little worse............ we still know nothing.

However, Walkie continues to be himself, which is very reassuring to me.  He continues to have full conversations with me, be very engaged, play well, eat well, learning new letters, remembering well. 

His tics have seemed to lessen some this week.  And we've think we've noticed that when he gets really excited they seem to start up more frequently.  The neurologist told us that most anything can be a trigger for an "episode" of tics --- being excited, nervous, anxious, worried, bored, concentrating, playing, etc.

I am just ready for all of this to be OVER & us have good results.  I'm growing weary.

My husband said we were in a race to spend as much money as we could this month on medical bills, & it SURE does feel that way.

This was the year we decided to go with a high deductible in order to help save money for Walker's adoption.

Ha, ha, ha!  The joke's on us.

However, God is kind & loving.  He has provided for every single step of the way on our journey TO Walker, & I know He continues to be with us through all of this.

Despite all the unknown, the waiting, & the worry, I've had some really sweet, precious times in Bible study & prayer, & that alone has been so comforting & sustaining to me during this time.  God alone is sufficient for all our needs!

And so we start another week..........

It's Monday.

It's a new week.

And we are cuddled up in bed watching TV.

Little Bit has just told me he wants to watch Rachael Ray over Dinosaur Train.

We'll see how long this lasts. 

On Friday morning, we woke up before the crack of dawn, & went for Walker's MRI.

My Mom went with us, so that made everything more bearable.  There's just something calming about having your Mommy with you.

I was a little nervous because they had to sedate Walkie for the MRI.

At his age, he's just too young to be able to stay still for the entire scan.

However, he did great!!!  He's such a champ!

He was a little loopy on the drive home, but he provided some great entertainment.

This week I expect to hear results on his blood tests & his MRI.

We also have an EEG scheduled for later in the week.

Overall, I am thinking that this week will be a little less busy than last week.

I want to do a few fun things with Walker since last week all we did was go to the doctor.

I want to do a fun craft or two with him & take him to the library for the first time.

We are just gonna enjoy being Mommy & Baby this week!!!!

We're gonna soak it in!

 

Update on Walker

Yesterday we had a neurologist appointment for Little Man.

I was a little freaked out by the word "neurologist."

Having to see a specialist for your child is a little frightening.

However, I was relieved after yesterday's visit.  Walker's doc didn't over-react or cry "wolf" or talk down to us or assume our child was dying......... which is what I feared most.

He was calm, asked lots of questions, & then told us that he really thinks we are just dealing with tics.

However, he wants Walker to do an EEG & an MRI.

I think the EEG is to check for seizure activity, & the MRI to check a little deeper since we don't know Walkie's health history.

Over the next several days we'll be busy getting those things done & then waiting for the results & then going to more doctor visits.

I feel so out of sorts!  I'm getting exhausted & cranky.  I grocery shopped, but who knows if I actually bought a coherent grouping of foods for us to eat.  We haven't done school all week.  The house isn't clean, & I just found a load of wet laundry from Saturday still sitting in the washing machine.

Send help, send food, & please keep praying!

I am SO thankful for so many of you emailing, calling, texting, praying............

The Lord graciously blessed us with this baby boy, & we will continue to trust Him through the unknown.

Life can Change in a Moment

I am reminded of how quickly things can change.

It was only last week that I snapped these photos..............

Before we knew we'd spend the weekend at the hospital.

Before we knew we'd be spending the week at doctor & hospital visits trying to figure out what's going on with our precious little one.

Before we learned that our child has an intense fear of needles!  :(

I remember exactly what was going on when I snapped these photos............

Our house was cold, & so we stayed bundled up in our PJs all day.

Walker was wearing his spaceship footie pajamas.

We were in the middle of home school, & Walkie just decided to quit listening & paying attention.

To avoid becoming a frustrated teacher, I told him that we needed to take a break.  He went, picked out a book, & sat in the Big Brown Chair while Mommy {probably} checked Facebook.

He just looked too cute for me to not grab the camera & start snapping.

The following photos are the results.

I love this boy to Uganda & beyond!

 

 

The Waiting Game!

 

Yesterday was a full day of doctor's visits & tests.

It was exhausting!

Walker SCREAMED bloody murder when he saw the needle for the blood test.  :(

It took Daddy & a nurse to hold him down.

Mommy almost cried.

The only reason I didn't cry was because it would've freaked Walker out!

We are waiting to hear back about scheduling a CT scan & an MRI.

We were referred to a neurologist, & we have that appointment later in the week.

Walker still appears fine!  He's acting normal & happy & laughing, and he says that nothing hurts.  But we've just gotta figure out why he's having these uncontrolled head & eye movements.  I *hope* it's as simple as tics, but only time will tell.

We are praying over our boy & just enjoying our moments with him.

We are changing his diet some.  Limiting all processed foods & processed sugars.  Also pulling back on the gluten........... just.in.case.

He's getting as much TV time as he wants, & lots of special treatment.

Isn't that the way it should be?

We are thankful for all the calls & texts & Facebook messages.

We may not respond quickly or thoroughly, BUT we really appreciate all the concern for our baby boy.

Today we get to just stay around the house & relax.............. praying for a good day AND for answers & healing for my sweet boy!

A Weekend at the Hospital = Zero Fun

Two hospital visits were NOT what I had planned for this weekend!

But fo' real!  Who plans that kind of thing? 

Um, not normal people.

On a good day, I like to consider myself normal.

My siblings would probably disagree.......... but their vote doesn't count.

Normal people take their children to the ER when they start exhibiting unusual symptoms.

And so that is what we did.

The ER doctor at a local children's hospital was very attentive & thorough & listened to everything this crazy Mommy had to say, but ultimately he sent us home saying that he thought everything was gonna be fine.  Only telling us to come back if his symptoms persisted or worsened.

Unfortunately, that's what happened today.

Walker's symptoms persisted & even seemed to worsen.

Fearing the worst, we took him to Urgent Care.

That doctor was THE WORST!  Rude, rude, rude!  Bascially telling us that who knows what's wrong with our kid.  Since he was "adopted internationally" a million things could be wrong......... a million things he had no idea about, so we should go on home.  {while I believe there was probably some wisdom & truth hidden underneath the long list of asinine things he said.......... there's a better way to say it, buddy!}

So, we start off this week with a BANG........... making doctor appointments, getting blood drawn, & all that jazz!

Fun, fun, fun!

Don't be jealous!!!

 

ps - I am scared to death!  We don't really know what's wrong with him.  I don't *think* it's very serious, but I'm not a medical professional!  In spite of our fears, we cast our cares on the Lord, & trust in His goodness & love!

 

pps - Your prayers would be much appreciated!

 

Psalm 73:28  "But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works."

Friday Foto Op

Another Friday.

Another Friday Foto Op.

Have a great weekend!

Go Dawgs......... beat Ole Miss!

Tell your babies you love them.

Tell your husband how happy you are to be his!

Captain America, Y'all!

It was SO much fun for me to help Walker pick out his costume.

We browsed on-line {because that's how I roll}, & I let him pick his favorite, Mommy-approved costume.

He picked Captain America.

Now, he nor I have ever seen Captain America.

My knowledge of CA is that he is a superhero.

Walker's knowledge of CA was that he loved the shield pictured with the costume............ the one that didn't actually come with the costume, & I didn't realize it until the costume was delivered.  However, once Walker saw the muscles on the costume, he forgot about the shield.  {whew!!!!}

While I was getting all dolled up for our church's Fall Festival, Daddy took Walkie out back & had this adorable little photo shoot!  ♥ ♥ ♥

The Fall Festival was a crazy, sweet time with a bunch of kiddos running all over the place.

Playing games.

Jumping in bouncy thing-a-ma-jigs.

Parents eating their children's candy.............. oh, wait!  That was just me.

And some good cousin time for Walkie Talkie.

It was a GREAT evening............ and I'm sure it was just wild & crazy enough for me to get a nap out of Walker tomorrow!  Woohoo!