The Santimaw's

My Little Laundry Helper

2009-06-17T11:04:00.003-04:00

Nathan has been doing a great job at helping me do the laundry and we finally caught him on video. I am so proud of him and his accomplishments at helping me....it's so fun to watch him learn new things everyday!!!

Joe's Home

2009-03-04T17:04:00.004-05:00

After what seemed like a long deployment, Joe made it home last night. We are so thankful that the Lord protected him while he was gone and gave us the strength to manage through another deployment...we are also thankful to all of you who continually kept us in your prayers...we appreciate all of you very much!!!

Nathan's First Boo Boo

2009-02-10T08:43:00.003-05:00

So what happens when you aren't watching your baby. He gets a hold of my Polish Pottery Heart Jewelry Box, breaks it on the tile as he is running with it then cuts himself with the sharp piece across the nose. I come out from helping my other boys in the school room to see his bloody nose and then proceed to have to hold him down to stop the bleeding all while he is screaming bloody murder because he doesn't want me holding him down. The joys of motherhood and training your child seeing as how I was just teaching him to not touch that same object. Well, we shall see what happens next!

Old Do, New Do

2009-02-09T22:43:00.003-05:00

Well, I am trying to grow out my hair for my hubby so I had to go and get it cut yesterday...thanks Jessica...and this is how is turned out. I really like it. It will make the transition to longer hair easier.

Christmas Treasure Hunt

2008-12-26T09:44:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas!! We had a wonderful day celebrating the birth of Jesus and remembering all the blessings that God has given us this year. I decided to do a treasure hunt for the boys to be able to find their presents so I was up really late on Christmas Eve making up clues and hiding everything in the right places. I started in the boys' room and then they went up and downstairs quite a bit. They had a really good time finding everything. It made for a fun day!! We were able to chat with Joe on the phone in the morning. We were suppose to have a video conference with him but unfortunately that planned failed. Joe was able to have a home cooked meal of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, and even an apple pie on Christmas Eve. Then, on Christmas morning all of his guys grilled eggs, bacon, and hash browns for a great breakfast which is something they haven't had for a while. Even though we were apart again this year, we know that there were many of you who have constantly prayed for us. I definitely felt the Lord's wonderful grace and all of your prayers yesterday. The boys and I had a great time playing with our new Wii. More of the boys playing than me. I managed to get one game of bowling in last night but I am sure I will have lots more chances soon. We pray that you all have enjoyed your Christmas too!! May the Lord continue to shine on all of you!

Decorations

2008-12-06T22:09:00.005-05:00

Well, last weekend after my family left from Thanksgiving, I spent Friday evening cleaning and making space for the Christmas tree. I decided I better get up my decorations before I didn't really want to put anything up. Then Christian and I decided that we wanted to decorate out in front of the house since we really have never done it before. So here is a picture of our work. We decided to use the red, white, and blue in honor of Joe and our country. We had a great time working together on this project and Christian is really happy with the results and most of all it was fun.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, NO! It's SUPERCLIMBER!!!

2008-11-19T07:41:00.004-05:00

Everyday I have to take a friends son to the bus stop in the morning with Nathan so when we come in I leave the stroller in the front room of our house. Well, Nathan loves to go and discover how the buckle works on the stroller. Well, I was doing dishes and I didn't see Nathan anywhere and it was really quiet. Ususally,you know what that means...TROUBLE!!! Well, the video explains it all. He had decided to climb into the stroller this time and so I decided to see if he could get himself out of it but it was hilarious to watch.
ENJOY!!!

My Walking Boy

2008-11-05T21:17:00.003-05:00

Well I thought that I would put a video of Nathan in the Nursery at church on Sunday trying to walk. As much as I don't really want him to do it yet, he is pretty much doing it on his own. This is for his daddy to see mostly since he can't be here to witness it in person.

Football, Football, and More Football

2008-10-08T12:03:00.003-04:00

I thought I would give you an update on Christian's football team, the Ft. Belvoir Bulldogs. Last Saturday, they played the Gum Spring Panthers which by far has been their toughest game. The Panthers were undefeated and we knew it would be a hard game for the boys. At halftime it was still 0 - 0. Then in the third quarter we were able to score a touchdown to make it 7 -0. That is the way it stayed. Our defense did a great job holding them off. Now, our team is 3 - 1. It looks like we might be making the playoffs. Christian is really enjoying being a part of this team and has learned a lot from the other players and coaches. The other news is that Joe was able to come home for a couple of weeks due to some military snafu's so he was able to be a part of the "chain gang" at the game on Saturday. He will be leaving to go back out on his deployment some time at the end of this week or next week. It's on a day to day basis right now, but we will deal with it when it comes, but for right now it is nice to have him home.

Fun Pictures

2008-09-25T22:03:00.002-04:00

I decided to finally download the outrageous number of photos from my camera. I hope that you enjoy them. We have been having some very busy days with school, football practice and games, piano, and karate. It helps time to go by faster and it helps us when we are missing Daddy. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers.

THANK YOU!!!

2008-09-19T22:42:00.002-04:00

Thank you all for your prayers! Joe made it safely to where he is suppose to be. We appreciate your continued prayers.

Tears of Frustration

2008-09-17T16:35:00.002-04:00

OK! This is a hard post for me as I have to tell you that my husband is leaving again tomorrow for another deployment after just getting home from the last one just six months ago. I know that there are lots of other Army wives who deal with this all of the time. This being the third deployment you think I would know how to, but, guess what, I DON'T!!!! Usually we have a few months to digest the fact that Joe would be leaving but in this case we have only had about 2 weeks. So, hence the Tears of Frustration. So, I guess I am asking you to pray for all of us and we deal with once again being separated for a lot of those special days that were missed last year, like my birthday, Isaac's bday and death anniversary, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Nathan's 1st birthday(which Joe missed his birth too!). Lord willing, I will get over my frustration and continue to know that God's grace is sufficient for me and His strength will be ever present. Even as a Christian sometimes it is hard for me not to focus on the circumstances and keep my eyes on things above as they are suppose to be. I guess I am only human and still have that sinful nature to be this way. We love all of you and thank you for always keeping us in your prayers. May God Bless all of you!!

Strawberry Picking & Camping Trip

2008-08-09T07:52:00.005-04:00

On Memorial Day Weekend, Joe decided to take the boys camping with some of our friends from church but before they left I took the boys up to Maryland to go strawberry picking. It was a really nice farm and we met another homeschooling family there to pick beautiful strawberries. The boys did a great job at picking the right ones too. We ended up with 3 very full flats of strawberries. Then we went inside and had fresh homemade ice cream and donuts. It was delicious. The following week, I decided to make jam and strawberry sauce. I ended up with 21 quart jars of jam and 8 jars of Strawberry sauce. At least I won't have to buy any for a long time!! We had a great time together.

We went home and then proceeded to get Joe and the boys ready to leave for camping. The went to a local campground, only about 5 miles from the house, but still a beautiful place. Our church holds it's picnic's there on Memorial Day weekend which is one of the reasons that they choose to go there. Joe and the boys left that afternoon and I went out to meet them later on for dinner. I did not camp with Nathan this year but by God's grace maybe next year. I think for their first camping experience they had a good time with their Dad and some of their friends that were there as well. It was a beautiful weekend too. I was just warm enough during the day and not too cold at night. Most of all, there was wonderful fellowship between believers.

Enjoy the pictures and hopefully tomorrow I will have more to come.

Updates

2008-08-07T14:59:00.001-04:00

Hi Everyone!!

Well, I know I have been a lot behind on blogging as of late but stay tuned for some updates. The life of living with three very active boys has caught up with me. So, my plan is to have a new blog for the next 5 days with updates from what has been happening for the past few months. I hope you enjoy them. Have a great day!!!

The Power of a Dollar

2008-05-21T15:38:00.004-04:00

Today, the boys and I had to go out to pick up Aaron's new eyeglasses at the mall. We did that and then went on to canvassing the mall just to have some time out of the house. We ended up hitting the Dollar Store which honestly I haven't gone to in a really long time. I was cruising around just looking and found these really cool little sunglasses for Nathan. Christian exclaims to Nathan, "Don't let her put those silly things on you!" Well, I purchased them for a dollar and when we got home I decided to try them out. As soon as I put them on he started smiling and was so excited. These will last me all summer especially the many days at the swimming pool here on post and I will be protecting his eyes. So even though the economy may be in a slump at the moment, and even though they may only be "silly" sunglasses, that dollar will go a long way for me.

Piano Recital

2008-05-15T14:08:00.004-04:00

Well, this past Saturday, the boys had their 2nd piano recital. This is the second year they have taken lessons with some time off in between to find a new piano teacher who is Mrs. Jan Z. from our church. She is a wonderful teacher and very patient with the boys. Christian actually ended up going first because the person before him was unexpectedly late. I thought that would make him more nervous but he handled it very well. Mrs. Jan was very pleased with their performances as they made no mistakes and played from memory. Joe and I were happy and proud of both of the boys and the good job they did. Hopefully, over this next year they will continue to improve. We hope you all enjoy hearing and seeing them play!!

Nathan's Dedication

2008-04-15T17:40:00.002-04:00

This past Sunday we had Nathan's Baby Dedication. We as a family brought Nathan forward with the decision to dedicate to teaching and training him in the admonition of the Lord along with the help of our pastors and church family. Pastor prayed for us and Ms. Sue presented us with his first little Bible and a certificate of dedication. We pray that Nathan will grow up knowing God's word in his heart and one day come to a working knowledge of Jesus Christ and to be saved. We continually thank the Lord for blessing us with Nathan and the joy he has brought to our family.

What's Been Happening....

2008-03-31T11:27:00.003-04:00

Well, this month has been pretty busy for us. When Joe arrived home from his deployment we decided to go down to Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg. It's our favorite place to go as a family. Anyways, as you can see from the pictures, it was Nathan's first time in the big wave pool and he seem to enjoy the warm 84 degree water. He did really well for the two times that he was in the water. They also had opened the new Wave Boarding area and Joe and the boys really liked that, especially Aaron. It was nice to all be together again and enjoying each others company. On Good Friday we decided to go down to the Air & Space Museum in downtown DC for the day. It's always fun trying to find parking which took us about an hour and half but we finally made it to the museum. It was also a very pretty day out. We enjoyed the space section of the museum, had lunch, and then went walking down through the mall. We went over to the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden and looked at the interesting pieces of Art. The boys and I have been working hard at school and our goal is to be finished by the end of May before we have our homeschool graduation on May 31st. It just means a few extra lessons here and there. Nathan turned 3 months old this week and he is smiling all of the time. He is very long. He does have his moments just like any other baby but he really enjoys having his big brothers around to entertain him and hold him. The boys love to make him laugh as much as he can but they do enjoy it. Joe has been busy back at work and I have been keeping everything on track with the boys. They are both involved in Karate as well as piano and continue to do well with their AWANAs at church on Wednesday evening. Well, I will try to do a better job at getting the blog updated, so until next time, we love you all!

Update...

2008-03-04T20:23:00.003-05:00

Well, things at the Santimaw household are pretty much back to normal. Joe took two weeks off from work and last week we enjoyed a few days at Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg. It is our favorite place to go as a family. Joe will be headed back to work next Monday and then life will really be back to normal. We all have enjoyed having him home and it has been a blessing for me to have help with all of the boys. He loves spending time with Nathan, cuddling him and talking to him. It's fun to watch him with him. I am posting the pictures from the airport the night he finally got to hold Nathan for the first time and some of us too. Thanks for your prayers they have been wonderful!! Nathan had is 2 month well baby appt. today and weighed 10 1/4 lbs and was 25.3 inches. I can't believe how long he is especially for a 2 month old. Enjoy the pics!

Home Safe and Sound

2008-02-18T13:33:00.003-05:00

Well, after four days of waiting Joe finally made it home last night to BWI. He arrived around 8:45 p.m. and the boys and I were so excited. He had to fly to Ft. Benning this morning to turn in his equipment and go through a class so he should be home for good by Wednesday or Thursday. We did get to spend the night with him in Baltimore and it was a great reunion. Thank you all for your prayers and I will post some pics later as I am feeling a little tired and Nathan is out of sorts at the moment too. We thank the Lord for His wonderful love and mercy through this time we have been separated. God is so good to us!! We love you all!

Change of Plans AGAIN!

2008-02-16T13:29:00.002-05:00

Well, Joe emailed this morning to say that they are sending in a new plane and isn't sure when they will be leaving so he doesn't know when he will be here. Please continue to keep him in your prayers and us too. It's so difficult to not know when your husband/daddy is coming home and not to get too excited knowing you may be disappointed. Anyways, thanks for your prayers and we love you all!

Update & Prayer Request

2008-02-15T21:37:00.002-05:00

Well, to begin Joe was suppose to arrive in the states on Wednesday evening, unfortunately his plane was delayed and has now been delayed for the past three days due to mechanical difficulties. So the prayer request comes in several parts. First, please pray for the plane to be fixed properly so that all of those soldiers who have been waiting to get home after their service can finally get home to their families. Secondly, pray for Joe not to get too frustrated with the whole situation.
Thirdly, pray for Christian and Aaron who have been told for the last three days, "Daddy is coming home," only to have their hopes shattered after I have to tell them he isn't coming. Lastly, please pray for me to remember the Lord's timing and know it is perfect. Also not to do things in my strength but in His as it is hard for me at this moment to not become frustrated with circumstances. Thank you in advance for your prayers as they are so appreciated by us all.

One Month Old

2008-01-30T02:51:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that Nathan is one month old already! Time is going rather quickly except for waiting for my husband to come home. Anyway,Nathan is a very good little boy and has been sleeping mostly through the night except for these last two nights but I just chalk it up to he's having a growth spurt. You can also see that he is trying to smile. You can tell he wants to but just isn't all the way there yet. Aaron and Christian are very protective of him and they love to hold him. They can't understand when he cries though what is wrong with him mostly because he is tired and ready to nap. They will get use to it eventually. Well, I am back off to bed, Nathan has nursed and now back to sleep. Enjoy the pictures!!

Ski Trip

2008-01-22T17:21:00.000-05:00

Well, this week my sister, brother-in-law, and niece flew up from Florida to come to see Nathan and to go on a ski trip to Massanutten Ski Resort. We arrived Saturday afternoon to our condo rental for the week and got settled. Everyone went skiing on Sunday except me and Nathan, of course, and they all had a great time. The boys are doing extremely well for their first time. They have improved from red group to orange group and now they are both in yellow group. My brother in law is going to try to get some video of the boys so hopefully I can put that on here in a few days. Nathan and I have been doing well. We went out to the mountain today to watch Aaron and Christian ski. We also went to the arcade room last night and played games after dinner. It's been pretty relaxing with a few bumps in the road here like a flat tire on the truck but what vacation doesn't have that. Thank the Lord for AAA. You call and they come when needed. It's been great to see my family and we are having a good time together. It's making the time until Joe gets home pass a little bit faster too. We are truly looking forward to him being home in February and we are sorry he missed being here with us this week.

Nathan's First Bath

2008-01-15T12:28:00.000-05:00

On Sunday night, I was able to give Nathan his first bath. His cord fell off Saturday afternoon. I was so excited to see how he would do in the water since Aaron and Christian both loved taking a bath and the water in general. I was glad to see that he was relaxed and mostly calm while getting cleaned by me for the first time. Christian was nice enough to take the pictures for me so enjoy them. We are all doing well and back into our normal routine of school, bowling, and piano lessons. We are expecting my sister and her family this weekend for a week of vacation and then my parents will be here the first week of February. We have about 3 1/2 weeks or so until Joe will be coming home and we are all getting excited about that especially Joe. He can't wait to hold Nathan for the first time and see him in person. Please continue to pray for Joe's safety and his safe return, we appreciate it so very much. May the Lord's grace keep you in His peace.

Welcoming our Gift from God...

2007-12-31T21:12:00.001-05:00

God has blessed our family with the arrival our son, Nathan Josiah, who was born on December 26, 2007 at 5:24 p.m. He weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz. and was 21 inches long. My labor went very quickly, I arrived at the hospital around 3:30 p.m. and had him a little less than two hours later without the help of any modern medicine. My good friend and sister in the Lord, Sue actually said when we got to the hospital, "Wouldn't it be nice if you could just do this without any medication!" My response, "Don't start with me!", because I had wanted an epidural. Honestly, I couldn't have asked the Lord for a better plan. It was actually the way I desired for everything to go quickly and smoothly. I am so thankful that God is in control and not me and that he give us women the power to overcome tremendous pain. Nathan is a beautiful, healthy little boy and he is already so loved by his big brothers as you can see. Joe has been able to see him on our web camera when we talk and he is all the more ready to come home now. We thank all of you for your continual prayers for our family especially during my pregnancy and with Joe's deployment. We know that the Lord has our best interests at heart and we are so thankful to Him for His great love and grace.

Remembering Isaac......

2007-11-15T23:54:00.000-05:00

Yesterday would have been Isaac's first birthday. I prayed for several weeks about how to remember the day, it first being difficult because Joe isn't here, and secondly, because you wonder how he would have looked and so on. The questions are endless. I was able to go to his gravesite by myself and have some time there to reflect on his short but beautiful life. Then in the evening, I was able to use it as a testimony during AWANA Counsel time. I am a leader with the Truth in Training girls/boys and that group was who I spoke with first and the second time was for the younger SPARKS club. I read them a story from one of the books we had received after Issac died about a bunny and his brother and sister where the sister bunny ends up dying. It was a very cute story and helped me to relate to the kids about Isaac's death and that babies go to heaven when they die but they have to make a choice to accept Christ as their Savior to go to heaven. After I got done with the story, I had purchased balloons for the TNT kids to go outside and let them go for Isaac as we sang Happy Birthday. It was a blessing for me. The SPARKS got to celebrate with cupcakes because of timing purposes but I pray that the Lord was glorified through my testimony time with the kids and that seeds were planted. Joe and I both have always wanted Isaac's life to be just that...a testimony of God's grace and sovereignty.

Thank you all for continuing to pray for our family during this past year and now. We constantly feel your prayers in our lives. I praise God for all our family and our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

A Dream Come True....

2007-11-03T23:14:00.000-04:00

It has always been a dream of mine to visit the White House. I always felt that it would be such an honor to visit the place where so many different Presidents have lived and worked for our country. Well, tonight that dream came true. Thanks to a very nice friend, we were able to go on a tour of the Eisenhower building and the West Wing of the White House which is not exclusively available to the public like the other tour of the East Wing. I couldn't really believe that I was actually there for a little while until I saw the Oval Office and stood in awe of the fact the this is where our President works and makes so many important decisions everyday for our country. I felt truly blessed to be there and it was neat to see all the things you get to see on television news but up close and personal. I only have a few pictures because of course certain areas are off limits to photographs but anyways it was a great evening.

AWANAs Fall Festival

2007-11-01T12:31:00.000-04:00

Last night, our AWANAs club had a Fall Festival Theme with a regular club night but with special games for game time with candy for prizes. Can't forget the candy!! They also asked all of the kids to dress up in biblical character. We decided to have Christian dress as Moses, and Aaron as his brother, Aaron. They looked so cute although they were annoyed by the beards after a while and they came off. Pastor Ben decided to goof off and use it for his new hairstyle(picture above.) Anyways, it was a fun night for all of the kids and Christian and Aaron won the prize for best costumes.

Finally....A New Post!!!

2007-10-17T14:35:00.000-04:00

Well, I know it's been a while but here is what has been happening along with a bunch of pictures. In Sept. the boys and I went on a vacation to see family and Disney World. We left on the 17th and headed to Williamsburg, Virginia for a homeschool field trip. We spent the night with Joe's brother and his family and then got up the next morning and drove 7 hours to Joe's mom's in South Carolina. The next day we drove the rest of the way to Orlando to get to the Shades of Green Resort which is the military resort on Disney property. The first night we got there it was actually my birthday and we had friends from Virginia that were there at the same time so we had planned to meet them for dinner at Planet Hollywood. We had a really good dinner and then went down to the Lego Store in Downtown Disney and did a little shopping. The next morning the boys were scheduled to go on a Disney Pirate Adventure. They went out on a boat for a couple of hours searching for clues along the way to find the hidden treasure. They had a really great time and I had fun just having some peace and quiet. That afternoon my sister, Cyndi and my niece, Samantha came up to meet us so that they could go with us to Magic Kingdom the next day. We were able to go into the park early too because we were staying at one of the resorts. It was nice because we were able to ride a lot of rides before we had to go to our Character Breakfast at the Ohana Restaurant at the Polynesian Resort with Mickey, Pluto, Lilo and Stitch. Then we went back to Magic Kingdom and finished up on some rides, went back to the hotel and went swimming for a little bit and had a nice dinner. The next morning we got up and drove down to my sister's house and met my parents and brother in law at SuperPlay USA where my dad, Neil, the boys, and Sam stayed and played for the afternoon. We spent the next few day with my parents, we went to Playmobil Land, and I was able to visit my Grandmother. Then we started home and stopped at Joe's moms house again and spent another day with her. We went to Swan Lake and had a picnic lunch and the boys played at the playground. Then we finally made it home. All in all it was a good vacation but of course, it is nice to come back home. Since then, we have tried to get back into a normal routine of school and appointments that seem to happen almost everyday sometimes. Joe is doing well were he is at just extremely busy at work. We are just very thankful that he is safe at the moment. Anyways, enjoy the pics!!!

"I'VE BEEN HAD!!!!!"

2007-09-11T08:05:00.000-04:00

On Sunday night after church I was under the impression that my friend Nicole and I were going to go to Kohl's to look for a picture frame for a cross stitch that Nicole had done and to look for shoes. Afterwards, we were going to eat at Panera Bread. Well, we left church and we were both starving so we decided to go to Panera first but it was almost 8 p.m. so I kept asking Nicole if she wanted to go to Kohl's first because I thought it would be closed by the time we got done eating. Nicole insisted we go eat and that Kohl's was opened until 9 or 10 pm. which was plenty of time. Well, we get to Kingstowne where Panera Bread is and we park the truck. As I am walking through the front, I noticed that had changed some of the tables around and then I noticed all of my friends from church sitting around this table with a birthday cake. I turned to Nicole and was like, "What have you all done!" Needless to say, I was very surprised that my wonderful sisters in the Lord had planned this special birthday surprise for me and it was a very encouraging time. Thanks to all of you for being so willing to plan this for me and for the love that you constantly show me. I am very humbled by it and Praise God for all of you.

Samantha & David's Wedding

2007-08-27T14:51:00.001-04:00

On Saturday, we had the priviledge of attending our friend Samantha's wedding where Christian was the ring bearer. He had been looking forward to it all week as well as Aaron who was given the task of having all of the guests sign the guest book. Both of the boys did a great job and received many complements on their behavior and how handsome they looked. It made me a very proud mom! We had a great time together. I hope you enjoy all of the pictures.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTIAN!!!

2007-08-09T18:38:00.000-04:00

First, let me say thank you to all of you for praying for Joe. He arrived safely at his destination early Wednesday morning and has begun get the lay of the land already. The boys and I were able to talk with him last night and it was such a blessing for all of us.

Christian celebrated his 9th birthday on Tuesday and it is hard for me to believe that he is already that old. It seems like just yesterday he was this little itty bitty baby. We had a great day which began with me finding the boys nestled together in the bed because that is how they wanted to celebrate Christian's birthday together. Then, we met our good friends Debbie and Caleb for lunch at Chicken Out. Next, it was finally seeing Shrek the Third after only seeing the first two movies in the series over the last two weeks. Finally, after the movie we took the boys to Friendly's for ice cream(seeing as how it was 100 degrees here)!!! I hadn't been to Friendly's since I was a kid in Rochester, New York. The waiters and waitresses came and sang Happy Birthday to Christian and Aaron was so embarrased that he hid under the table until they were finished(if you look closely at the picture above you can see him under the table). As usual it was yummy for the tummy and the baby was doing flips in my belly afterwards to prove it. Today, we went to the Becker's house to play with our friends Adam and Will. All the boys enjoyed being knights with swords, having some fun in the swimming pool, and eating NERDS ropes and Ring Pops which left for some interesting teeth and tongue colors. Needless to say, it has been a pretty good week considering we had to say goodbye to Daddy for a bit.

Prayer Request

2007-08-06T13:43:00.000-04:00

I would like to ask everyone to pray for traveling mercies and safety for Joe as he leaving this evening for his deployment. He has already left here and is on his way to the airport since they have to be there so many hours ahead of time. We covet all of your prayers during this time of separation and thank you all for your support.

NFL Youth Football Camp

2007-07-25T09:02:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, the boys and I had the opportunity to attend a NFL Youth Football Camp here at Fort Belvoir that was sponsored by the USO. If you know our family we are all huge football fans. The NFL Network is basically on the tv 24/7 at our house. At first, I thought that there would not be anyone from any teams that we would know but it ended up that Joe Theisman was there along with Tony Page who use to play for the Miami Dolphins. I already thought that is was pretty cool that the NFL would actually come to Fort Belvoir to begin with but then to meet some famous players was just totally awesome. The boys each got to choose which position they wanted to learn more about, Christian chose the Running Backs and Aaron chose to be a Quarterback. Christian got to work with Tony Page and Aaron got to work with Joe Theisman. They started with stretching drills and then broke off into their individual positions. At the end of the camp, all the coaches sat the kids down and gave them a great talk on doing their best at home, in school, and in football. It was very encouraging to Aaron and Christian and they had a great time. Joe was able to come over during his lunch hour to see the boys and was really impressed with the program. Joe Theisman came up to us afterwards, introduced himself, and complemented Aaron on his hard work. The boys also received a NFL Youth Football Jersey, a gym bag, an NFL Football, and a certificate of completion of the clinic. It was a big blessing for all of us to be involved in such a great event.

It's Time to Spill the Beans!!

2007-07-18T21:55:00.000-04:00

Well, I guess it's time to spill the beans that we are expecting a baby sometime around December 21. We went today to Bethesda to have our 18 week Ultrasound to check to make sure that there were no problems with the baby and the doctors were pleased to see no abnormalities and that everything looks good. We also found out that we are having ... you guessed it....another BOY!!! Needless to say, we are very thankful to the Lord that through His sovereign will we are able to have another child and that he seems to be healthy. Please pray for us as we prepare for Joe's deployment in a couple of weeks and the transition that will be for the boys. Thank you all for continually praying for our family during this time. I hope that you will be able to make out the pictures below but it is amazing to see everything on the ultrasound as they are doing it. I am truly amazed at how God forms these little ones and the blessing that they are to us.

A Week in the Outer Banks

2007-06-09T06:35:00.000-04:00

We spent the last week in North Swan Beach, North Carolina. We didn't realize that the house we rented was actually down the beach 7 miles in soft sand, but thankfully we had our 4Runner which is 4WD. Needless to say it was an adventure getting down to the house but once we got there it was so awesome. The house was so nice and the view was great. We were about 500 yards from the beach and we were able to listen to the sound of the waves as we went to sleep at night. The part of the beach that we were in the Outer Banks is also home to the Wild Horse Sanctuary. At first, I was a little sceptical that we would even see any. Well, as we were on the beach last Monday, they all of sudden just started walking out from where the house were. Then the next morning, I woke up early because of a certain dog I know(GRACIE) who was ferociously growling at something outside. Well, it was the horses and they were about 100 feet from the house just grazing on the grasses. As I sat there taking pictures of them they just kept getting closer and closer until they were in the back yard and then they went under the house. The houses there are all on stilts. I was so amazed by the horses and that they were not even bothered by any of the people around them. Joe's mom came up from South Carolina for a few days to enjoy with us and while she was there we went to the Currituck Lighthouse and the Wright Brothers Monument. We had a very relaxing time and Aaron and Christian enjoyed the beach, making sand castles, helping Dad fly the kite, and the hot tub at the house the most. We had many beautiful days at the beach decided that we will have to do it again next year after Joe gets back from his deployment.

A Special Opportunity

2007-05-21T12:17:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, we had a special opportunity to speak at Georgetown University Hospital at their annual Memorial Service for all of the babies that died in the NICU over the last year. It was a very nice service and Joe did a great job, although at times rather difficult, at presenting a message on God's Sovereignty over Issac's death. We pray that the Lord used his words to be a blessing to the other family members at the memorial. We met another family whose daughter also had a congenital diaphragmatic hernia and were able to witness to them about God being in control of Issac's life and death from the beginning. We can't really believe that it has been six months since Issac's death but God is being faithful to us and continuing to provide His wonderful comfort to us. His grace is so AMAZING!!

I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for Ice Cream

2007-04-17T19:12:00.000-04:00

Today we had the opportunity to go out to Fairfax and get free ice cream cones from the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Shop. We went with our friends Debbie and Caleb and we had a great time. You could get in line as many times as you wanted. Needless to say we all had our fill of Cherry Garcia, Strawberry Cheesecake, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Triple Caramel Chunk, and Mango Mango Sorbet. The boys ended up with 3 cones a piece but Caleb won the contest with a total of 8 ice cream cones. It was a great day and we all had fun with it. It will definitely be marked on the calender for next year. Hopefully it will be a lot warmer then too.

A Testimony of God's Amazing Grace....

2007-04-06T15:10:00.000-04:00

As we get ready for the celebration of Resurrection Day, I wanted to express my gratitude to my God for sending Jesus Christ to die for my sins on a rugged cross so that I may one day spend eternity with Him. What a glorious thought that is for me especially to see my Lord Jesus and then my son, Isaac, and my other child that the Lord brought home to be with him the year before last. I find it very humbling that sometimes when we feel that our faith is gone that the Lord is ever so faithful. When I wasn't expecting to be used by the Lord, He used me to lead a very close friend of mine and someone I had been praying for a long time, to accept Christ as Savior in her life. I was overwhelmed by God's grace and I am in awe of His great love each day. I wrote this poem shortly after Issac died and to me it is appropriate for this Easter celebration.

There is a Light so bright yet we do not see it.
It is there in the midst of the darkness;
What keeps you from it; Your sin, Your suffering, Your pain;
Though you think you cannot see it, the Light is there.
What will you do with the Light; Seek It, Touch It, Run to It;
If you do the Light will surely shine upon you.
There will be no more darkness, only the Light.
Take It, Hold It, Love It!
There is a Light so bright and now you see;
That Light came for you and for me.

The Light is Jesus Christ and to remember that He came to die for your sin and for mine. He took the punishment for us all! Please take time to reflect on this wonderful gift that Christ gave to us and accept it as your own. God loves you!
I praise God for what He has done in our lives over these last few months and how His faithfulness is always there. Our God is a Great God and I pray that each one of you will testify of that in your lives as well. We hope and pray you have a great Resurrection Day on Sunday!!! All our love to you!!

A Week in Review...

2007-03-10T21:39:00.000-05:00

Some of you knew that Joe had been at ANCOC(Advanced Non-Commissioned Officers Course; for those of you not familiar with Army Acronyms)for the last 6 weeks and last Thursday, I was able to fly to St. Louis for his graduation on Friday. Joe's brother and sister-in-law were kind enough to come and watch Christian and Aaron for us so that I was able to go. After Joe's graduation on Friday, we started our long drive back to home. We had a great two days of driving and the weather was beautiful except for the gusty winds that plagued the east coast for most of last week and into the beginning of this week. On Monday, the boys and I went to Williamsburg, Virginia for Home Educators Week and we had a great time with the other families from our church. The boys,of course, enjoyed the Gunsmith Shop the best. They also help to learn how the tables were set for dinner and then went to the kitchen to help prepare parts of the afternoon dinner meal. The liked playing sticks and hoops too, although it is harder than it looks.

The rest of this week was spent getting back into regular school work and getting ready for Joe's birthday yesterday. He is not real big on birthday's so we kept it low key and just had a Strawberry Cake. Aaron had made Joe a little floam strawberry cake with candles and gave it to him for his birthday and then Joe requested the real thing. LOL!! We also were able to go out to dinner thanks to the youth at our church putting on Parent Date Night..thanks kids!!! We had a very good week and it is very nice to have Joe back from school.

A New Adventure.....Ice Skating!

2007-02-22T10:11:00.000-05:00

On Monday, the boys and I were invited to go ice skating down at a rink in Pentagon City. This was definitely an adventure. The last time we went skating was in Germany with our friends the Dawson's and the boys were very little so it was easier for them because they could balance a lot easier being shorther then than now. At first, they were both a little apprehensive but a little bit later, Aaron shouted, "Mom, ice skating is awesome!!!!" It was a beautiful day too. We have had so many really cold days that we weren't sure how warm it would be but it was just perfect for skating. Now, the boys keep begging me to take them skating again. So, I guess we found our new adventure to be a great success!

Gracie's Playdate

2007-02-08T20:21:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone. I know it's been a few weeks since I posted anything on here but we really haven't been doing anything special except working on homeschooling. Today, I made a playdate for Gracie. Her mom, Joy came to play with her. We are blessed that we are close friends with Joy's mom and dad. They had a great time together and it got pretty loud a few times but all in all they played very well together. Gracie is still very submissive to her mom so it's funny to watch them try to figure that out even though Joy was in Gracie's territory today. We had fun watching them play in the backyard too especially since Joy doesn't really get to do that since her backyard is not fenced in. Since it was so cold we didn't let them play out there long. By the way, Gracie is wearing her winter sweater. Anyways, that was the excitement for today. :) Blessings to you all.

Our First Snow...

2007-01-21T21:01:00.000-05:00

Well, we had our first snow of the winter season today. Just after church it started to snow and we were all so excited. We had lunch at friends of ours and then the boys were able to go out and sled and have a snow ball fight. They had a blast. Then we came home and they played with there friend next door. They love playing out in the snow, they would have been out there all night if they could have been. Gracie enjoyed eating the snow mostly and was jumping up in the air trying to catch the snowflakes in her mouth. We had a wonderful day enjoying the snow!!

"How are you?"

2007-01-20T22:54:00.000-05:00

I put this question here because I know that many of you are wondering how we are doing, are deeply concerned for us, and have continually kept us in your prayers since Isaac's death. I started reading a new book today that was recommended to me by a sister in the Lord, called "Holding on to Hope" by Nancy Guthrie and she addresses this same question. After she lost her daughter, for the first year she answered this question by saying, "I'm deeply and profoundly sad." It is a question that has been frequently asked of both Joe and I over the last 6 weeks since we lost Isaac. Many times it is hard for us to discern the answer to the question. Most days I think we are both doing ok and we respond in like fashion, but on other days we aren't doing that well and I will admit that I have just put on the happy face and answered "I'm fine." when in reality I have been far from it. So, to answer the question, we are sad but more so we miss Isaac so much. We miss the chances to hold him longer, to even have brought him home from the hospital to his room where all of his things are, for him to be a part of our family with his brothers, and to take him to church with us were we worship as a family. I think as believers we sometimes think that our faith will help us hurt less(stated in the book by Mrs. Guthrie's husband)but I know that God has allowed Isaac's death to occur in our lives for us to see Him in a new way. God knows our sorrows and He understands it. I believe our hearts will heal over time through our reaching out to God and listening to Him when He answers our cries for help but until that appointed "time" we choose to cry when we need to and face our grief because the Lord has given us this task of greiving to do. Thank you all for praying for us and bearing our burden as Christ has called us all to do.

"The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." I Cor. 15:56 - 58

Bowling for Dollars....Well Not Really!!!

2007-01-12T15:30:00.000-05:00

In September 2006 we joined a homeschool bowling league. Every Friday we go to
Woodbridge and they get to bowl three games and they are on teams with other homeschoolers their age. This has been a great time for them and they really enjoy it. They still have to use bumpers but they have slowly but surely improved their games and both Aaron and Christian broke 100 today. They were really excited about that. Here are some pictures of them and their teammates. Happy Bowling!!

Our First Visit to the Gravesite

2007-01-07T21:53:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went to Quantico National Cemetery to visit Isaac's gravesite for the first time. They set his headstone during this past week and we wanted to wait for that. The site is a beautiful place on top of a hill with wooded areas around it. It was a beautiful day yesterday but as you can see from the pictures that it was quite muddy since it had rained the day before and there is no grass as of yet. In the spring it will be quite pretty. We feel so priviledged that Isaac is buried with so many veterans of this great country. As a matter of fact, to the left of Isaac is a World War II Veteran. Thank you all for continuing to pray for us as we are healing. We also wanted to update you on Issac's roommate at Georgetown. The little girl is doing very well, she has had her repair surgery and was put in the step down NICU on Christmas day. I was able to visit her this past Tuesday and talk with her mom. It was a special visit for me in that her mom called me her "Auntie Lori" and that meant so much to me. The family is doing well and I would ask that you continue to pray for them as they are still going to be there for just a little bit longer. We hope and pray that have enjoyed the first week of this new year and God Bless You!

Merry Christmas!!!

2006-12-25T13:58:00.000-05:00

Today, we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We pray that you will take the time to look at the humble way in which the Lord came to earth, born of a virgin and in a stable trough meant for animals. We have so much to be thankful for, most of all that Christ came as our gift of salvation. Please don't get wrapped up in the many gifts that you may receive but take the time to think on the gift that Jesus gives to each one of us if we choose to accept Him. Luke 2:11 says, "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Christ came to be our Savior, to save us from our sins so that we may spend eternity with Him. As you reflect this day, think about what Christ has done and is doing for you in your lives each day. We wanted to share some pictures with you from today and also from a short trip that we took to the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, Virginia a couple of weeks ago. It is a resort that has a huge indoor water park, so even when it's cold outside it's not there. We all really enjoyed it and they had the lodge beautifully decorated for Christmas. It was nice to be able to relax a little. Today, we remember Isaac as well, knowing that he is watching us from heaven with our Savior, Jesus. Thank you all for continuing to keep us in your prayers as we continue healing through this time in our lives. We know that the Lord is comforting us through His word and His people. We appreciate all of the cards and encouragement that you have provided to us. We love all of you very much and we pray that you have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Autopsy Results

2006-12-14T16:25:00.000-05:00

Today Lori and I met with Isaac's doctor at Georgetown Hospital in DC to go over the preliminary autopsy results. We authorized an autopsy so that maybe the doctors could learn something about his case and maybe out of curiosity for myself. I hoped that we could learn that everything was done possible to keep Isaac alive. Thankfully my prayer was answered. It appears to me, as well as the doctors, that Isaac really did not have much of a chance in this world. For that I am eternally thankful that Lori and I got to spend two weeks with him. A lot of parents don't even get that. Isaac was in such bad shape when he was born at Bethesda Naval and he probably would not have made the trip if the ECMO center was not so close at the time. Thinking back I am amazed at how God worked everything out so that we could spend time with him. Those two weeks were so full of stress but I would not trade it for anything in the world.
The results of the autopsy showed that he had a total absence of a diaphram on the left side and due to that his intestines, spleen, stomach, and partial liver were up in his chest. His left lung weighed only 11 grams while his right lung weighed 44 grams. Not much to work with on the left side but ultimately the pulminary hypertension, which kept his body from processing the oxygen that he needed, killed him. I know that God is sovereign over all of this but I can't help but be amazed that he was able to live for as long as he did. The doctors dont know why he was doing so well coming off of ECMO and then within a couple of days had died. His blood gases were so good, his oxygen requirements were limited on the jet(high frequency) ventilator, but his hypertension just came back and once you are off of ECMO you can't go back on. I could explain why but I dont exactly know all the terms but lets just say you pretty much have one shot at it. Isaac's doctor has to be one of the most wonderful human beings that Lori and I have ever met. You talk about a "bedside manner". She seemed to always be there. I know she invested (as well as the other doctors and ECMO nurses) a lot of hope, love, and care for Isaac and as she says it's not the ones that are easily cared for that you build an attachment to but it's the tough cases, the ones that don't make it, that affect you the most. Now that may sound simple but it is profound that these caretakers were affected by Isaac's death. Many of the nurses came to Isaac's funeral. We have offered to Georgetown that if in any way we can be a comfort to future families like us that they can contact us. I don't know if that will ever happen but we want to be there to answer questions, provide hope, and pray for others going through this ordeal. Please pray for a little girl that had to go on ECMO that was Isaac's roommate at Georgetown. I don't exactly know her medical status except to say that she is doing well. I hope and pray that she was able to have the corrective surgery and that her parents are being sustained by the Lord during their trial. Isaac's doctor is on the right and one of Isaac's faithful ECMO nurses (our heros) is on the left.

God's Grace is Amazing...

2006-12-05T22:53:00.000-05:00

Well, by God's grace we have made it through these last few difficult days. We had Isaac's funeral on Saturday and it was a blessed service. We thank all of you who were able to attend for being there to support us during that time and for those of you who sent flowers from all over, they have been a great blessing and made the house look very beautiful. We had the grave side service today at Quantico National Cemetery and it was a beautiful, crisp day. We feel honored that Isaac is buried with so many service men and women who have served this great country of ours. Thank you all again for continuing to keep us in your prayers, we know that one day we will see our son again! Praise the Lord!
The photo is of Joe's family to include Dave's (brother) family, father, and mother.

In Lieu of Flowers...

2006-12-01T14:56:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone, I have had several people ask me if they could make a donation to a charity instead of sending flowers. The following is a web address to the Research/Support group for children with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. This group only runs on donations, so if you would like to donate to them the instructions are on the web page. The address is as follows, www.cherubs-cdh.org. We again want to say thank you to all of you over the country and the world that have prayed for us continually. We will never to be able to say thank you enough for everything everyone has done for us. Please just know how much all of you are appreciated. All of our love, Joe, Lori, Christian, and Aaron.

At Peace with the Lord....

2006-11-29T21:26:00.000-05:00

We would like to say thank you to all for praying for Isaac and our family since his birth. Isaac passed away this morning around 9:30 am. Joe and I were both able to hold him for the last precious moments of his life. We are at peace knowing that Isaac is with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He was a very special little boy and he always will be. We know that Isaac touched many people while he was here so we would like to extend an invitation to anyone who would like to pay their respects to attend his funeral service at Engleside Baptist Church on Saturday, December 2, 2006 at 10:30 am. The address is 8428 Highland Lane, Alexandria, Virginia.
The phone number is 703-780-5410 if you need directions or if you would like to send flowers. You will never know how much we appreciate all of your prayers, love, and kindness to our family. Please pray that God would continue to sustain us during this time of greif. We have included the first picture of him because that is how we would like him to be remembered. God Bless all of you!!!

A Roller Coaster Day....

2006-11-28T17:06:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone: I wanted to update you on the day today. Well, Isaac wasn't doing well again this morning and the doctors were telling us that there was not much more they could do. Joe and I prayed for the Lord's will to be done for Isaac and again the Lord is continuing to sustain Isaac. They did a few things and his 02 Saturations have come back up again and his last blood gas was better as well. His last chest x-ray continues to show that his lungs are clear. Please pray that the Lord will show His will to us and spare us from these days of emotional highs and lows. I will be honest and say that these last two days have been draining on both Joe and I and we are continuing to lean on the Lord's strength throughout this trial in our lives. Thank you to all of you have been praying constantly for us, we so appreciate your love and thoughtfulness to our family during this time.

A Quick Update

2006-11-28T09:02:00.000-05:00

Good Morning! Well, it has been a long night but Isaac is still holding his own. His blood gases have improved slightly and he had come down a little on the ventilator but he is still on 100% oxygen. I think the doctors are just going to keep him stable for the day and see how he does. Please continue to pray for little Isaac as he is still fighting for his life and by God's grace he will pull through. Joe and I appreciate all of the prayers, love, and support you all have given us. It is nice to go online while here in the hospital and read your comments. Thank you!!!!

Please Pray......

2006-11-27T16:32:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone: This is an update from this morning. Issac was not doing well and around 10:30 this morning his doctor called and told us that we needed to come. The outlook was very grim and we were praying for the Lord's will to be done. The doctors and nurses have been working very hard to stabilize Issac and have given several different medications and some more Serfactant to try to open his lung buds again as he had developed some blood in his lung on the right side. At the moment his O2 Saturations have come back up and his blood pressure is at a more normal rate, and his blood gases have improved slightly little by little. We have had to lean heavily on Our Lord today as we don't really know what His will is for Isaac and we are being sustained in His great love, mercy, and grace. We ask that you would continue to pray for Isaac as it is going to be a long night for him. He is a fighter and we have seen that on more than one occasion. We just pray that the Lord's will be done and that He would give us the strength to continue to endure through this trial and the emotional roller coaster that it has been. Thank you all for continue to uphold us in your prayers daily. May God Bless all of you!!!

A Special Moment...

2006-11-27T09:34:00.000-05:00

Good Morning Everyone. I wanted to share a special moment that I had last night with Issac. After he was off of ECMO and had the lines removed from his neck, I was able to change his diaper for the first time. Cheryl, his night nurse had asked me if I wanted to change him and I, of course, jumped at the chance since we really haven't been able to touch Isaac very much or move him around because of the canulas in his neck. It was something very special to a Mom to be able to change a simple diaper when you aren't able to hold your son. I guess what I am trying to say is don't take those simple little things for granted.
Please continue to pray for Issac as he has had to go back up on the jet ventilator and to increase his oxygen this morning. I will try to update you all as soon as I can on his condition. Thank you all for continuing to pray for us, we are so encouraged by all of you.

Praise the Lord!

2006-11-26T16:40:00.000-05:00

To all our family, friends, neighbors, etc we want to thank you for praying for Isaac, especially yesterday, due to his bleeding around the canulas (surgical lines for the ECMO). He is much better now and in fact when I called this morning before church he was idleing on the ECMO. Essentially that means that his body had mostly taken over the functions and only needed the high frequency ventilator. The ECMO lines where being "pinched" off and the machine was only funtioning so that the blood in the lines would not clot. As of right now (4:45pm) the surgical team has arrived to take out the canulas so that he will be off of the ECMO for good.
Our pastor, Brad Lapiska, had started the prayer chain at our churchin Alexandria yesterday for the bleeding around his canulas (and it turns out it just looks bad) but God answered a more needy prayer and that was for him to come off of the ECMO totally. Praise the Lord! for that. I tell you I feel so unworthy of his mercy at this time and am more humbled by his grace than I think I have ever been. Why would a God so good show mercy on sinners such as us? As I ask that I know the answer as well. Because he is a loving and gracious God.
Isaac is not out of the woods yet though. Please continue to pray for him and that he continues to get healthier and that he will not have any other set backs, if it pleases our Lord. May we continue to be a blessing to Him as we are tested and may our light so shine in this dark world during this time. There is no doubt that God's goal is not to heal our baby boy but for us to glorify the Lord in so doing. Our continued thanks to those who have blessed us in the many forms that God has called them to be able to do. We are being edified daily by your prayers, blessings, and conversations. Lori and I will continue to update you all on Isaac's status as he begins another battle for life. So far we are 1 for 1. Batting a 1000. Whatever, hope my sense of humor does not offend anybody.

Prayer Request....

2006-11-25T15:55:00.000-05:00

Good Afternoon. We have a prayer request for today. Issac has had some bleeding from the site where his canulas(tubes going into his neck) are. Basically, this has been happening for the last few days but now it is more significant and they have been giving him blood which is just taking the place of what bleeding is occurring in his neck. We would ask you to pray that God would stop his bleeding in that area and to give the doctors wisdom as to what to do. They have placed some kind of surgical glue around the site to help stop it, so prayfully that will help. They have also changed his antibiotic to cover more so that he will not get an infection in that area. Thank you for you prayers and support. We are so appreciative of all of them. God Bless!

Todays photo is of some of the nurses that have been taking care of Isaac since he came to Georgetown and actually even while he was at Bethesda. On the right is Joan who escorted Isaac from Bethesda the day Isaac was born. She is a skilled Nurse Practitioner who was just as concerned about Isaac as I was when I first saw him. Lori was still recovering when I first saw him in the NICU after he was hurried away from the delivery room and at that time things looked really grim and it was up to Joan to stabilize him for the trip to Georgetown. What a pro she is and even more important she was able to ease our grief a little. Have not seen her in awhile but she might be on vacation or something. On the left is Mary Anne (hope I got the spelling right) who is probably one of the most senior ECMO nurses that is taking care of Isaac right now. She works only two days a week and when she does she works those days back to back with the next weeks days so she ends up working four days in a row. Please pray for her as she is out of town dealing with a death in the family. She has been a real source of encouragement to us. These nurses don't have to talk to you, and some don't, but I think most of them got into nursing because they care and they became specialized in NICU because they a heart for infants. It's amazing, we are so blessed by God.

Many Thanks....

2006-11-24T10:35:00.000-05:00

Good Morning! First, let me update you on Isaac. Thankfully, his condition is pretty much staying stable at this point. He has been staying at the same setting on the ECMO Machine for the past couple of days and they are continuing to monitor his right lung to see if they can get some more of the lung buds to open up and to help circulate his oxygen better. They are, at this moment, getting ready to switch out the ECMO Machine to a new one. This is not an uncommon practice as over time with the blood constantly circulating the machine doesn't necessarily work as well as it did when they first put someone on it. Please pray for a smooth transition and that Isaac will handle the change well. Secondly, we would like to thank the Lord for his continually sustaining us during this trial in our lives. He has provided the best Medical Staff possible and it is so comforting to both Joe and I to be able to come home at night knowing that Issac is well taken care of. We know that the Lord will allow Issac to come off of the ECMO machine when it is His time and not our own. The Lord has truly provided His wonderful love to us each day and for that we say, "THANK YOU, GOD!" Thirdly, we would like to say thank you to the doctors and ECMO Nurses who diligently and with much love take care of Issac each day and night. We appreciate so much the care he is receiving. Fourthly, we want to say thank you to our family, friends, and brothers and sisters in the Lord for constantly praying for our entire family and for Issac's healing. We know that it is because of your many prayers that we, as a family, are able to cope with the stress of having Issac in the NICU and on ECMO. Please continue your praying as God's word says to "Pray without ceasing." I don't think you will ever know the amount of gratitude that we have for the wonderful show of love you all have shown us during this time. We hope and pray that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. May God be glorified for what He is doing in all of our lives.

Focusing on God

2006-11-22T23:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a tough day for the Santimaws but once we got home and wrote out the days blogs we were encouraged by God to stand "in the Lord" and not in our own might. Proverbs teaches us to "trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. I think we found ourselves in need of hearing that verse again. Amazing how God can use a verse that we know and have heard many times but forget when we need to recall it. The doctors and nurses do some wonderful things but it is God who is ultimately sustaining Isaac's life right now. No human will can keep him alive unless God allows it to happen.

Isaac's health is sustaining right now and it looks as though he is going to be like most EMCO babies and stay on ECMO for 2-3 weeks. That is sitting better with us for the time being and like I said we are waiting on the Lord not man but we can obviously see that God does not want him off ECMO yet. Could change tomorrow, could change in weeks to come. Lori and I have decided to try to keep the stress to a limit and not burn the (proverbial) midnight oil. Not that we are there during the night, although next week will be night visits due to the fact that I have to go back to work, but we have spent periods of many hours up at Georgetown anticipating him coming off of ECMO. We still have Christian and Aaron to love and they need their mommy and daddy too. Isaac will probably have some of the ECMO equipment rotated before the weekend is out though as a precautionary maintenance procedure and he will probably see some stress from that but pray that he makes it through.

I wanted to comment on today's photo. Sitting beside Lori is one of the nurses. Jean is a senior nurse at Georgetown and has been doing great things her whole career to include research, education and NICU care. She was the first face I saw when I arrived to the NICU center at Georgetown and I think she sensed that I was Isaac's father. I could barely get out that fact while I was still grieving over my son's condition. Every time she sees us in the NICU she is an encouragement to us with her personality and genuine care for us as well as our son. She gets paid to care for Isaac but has been a real blessing to us as well. All the nurses and especially Isaac's doctor have been a source of comfort during this stressful event. Praise God Isaac is still alive. We are getting to know him in small ways and are thankful for that.

One Week Old

2006-11-21T22:55:00.000-05:00

Well today was a trying day in the Lord's grace. I know that sounds bad but our expectations with Isaac have been frustrated. Isaac has basically over the past few days been steady. Thank God he is not digressing however both Lori and I are frustrated that his health is not improving. Today was especially trying because his alarms were going off more than in the past. His blood pressure was going down to an unsafe level and it turned out that his ECMO catheter was leaking or oozing. This caused a blood clot on the exterior of the catheter which, although is unsightly, caused a problem later when trying to diagnose the blood pressure problem. We find ourselves somewhat knowledgeable about what the data means on the equipment however we don't understand it all in context. Thus this creates an atmosphere of just watching and waiting for the numbers to improve and when the numbers go in the opposite direction we are standing on our toes the whole time. So our prayers are that we continue to wait on the Lord and while waiting we are strengthened. I know a lot of you believe that we are being strong and have a great testimony but at times we are week in our own might. Only God can provide us the happiness that we so want right now and we have to be ready to glorify God and not anything else. Please pray for Lori as I believe she is starting to show (expectantly) more emotions than she has before. She is a Mom who just wants her baby to be alright. I know every mom out there understands that. But praise the Lord that He is still sovereign over our lives and His will be done. Please also pray for the baby next to Isaac (don't know name due to privacy) who is having problems with the same hernia Isaac has. She is not on ECMO but we overheard some of the doctors talking and she is not getting enough oxygen as of tonight. Please pray that this little child and her parents will be spared of this trial. I was encouraged to see their pastor praying with them over the baby the other day. I hope to have an opportunity to talk to the father some time soon. Please also pray for my mother who is being a blessing to us by watching our two healthy (praise God) boys while we are at the hospital. She is not used to that kind of duty. She is also taking on a lot of Lori's responsibilities around the house while we are gone. She is truly a godly woman in her testimony. Also we ask you to pray for our sister-in-law, Noemie, who lost here grandmother last week. She knows the Lord though so she is in a better place now. May Noemie find peace during this time when she is not able to go to the funeral with the rest of her family. Lastly today, I still want to thank the Lord for providing Isaac wonderful hospital care workers. These woman work crazy hours and sit at his bedside all the time making sure every vital sign is just right. They also have to deal with parents like us who keep asking "Is he okay?", every time an alarm goes off. I don't know if they know it or not but they are providing a ministry to us.

A Stable Day...

2006-11-20T20:35:00.000-05:00

Joe and I went to see Isaac this afternoon and we were amazed at the amount of fluid that he has lost, especially around his head. He is only able to lay on one side of his head (the ECMO lines are on the right side of his lower neck) and that is where the fluid was building up. Also, his color was looking more like a normal newborn baby. His chest x-ray continues to show improvement of his right lung. He has had to go back up a little bit on the flow of the ECMO machine which is basically telling the doctors and us that he is not quite ready to come off of the machine. Issac had an Echocardiogram done yesterday on his heart to check the function of the valves. It showed that one of the valves is not closing all of the way which is having some effect on the body's natural ability to process oxygen and CO 2. This is a normal function in utero and can happen in term babies but happens a lot in preemies as well as babies like Isaac. Please pray specifically that this valve would close so that there can be a normal function of his heart.

The pictures are of Big Brother Aaron watching over his brother Issac yesterday and a picture from today while he was awake.

Update on Issac's Condition

2006-11-20T11:46:00.000-05:00

Good Morning Family, Friends, and Brothers and Sisters in the Lord:

First, we would like to say thank you to all of you who have been praying for Issac and our family. Words cannot express the amount of gratitude that we have for all of you in continuing to keep us in your prayers.

To update you on Issac's condition, he is staying stable on ECMO and has made a lot of progress over the last few days. The doctors are slowly taking him down off of ECMO to see how well he can do the work of his heart and lungs. He has had to go back up a little over night but they said that would be expected since his lung is trying to work. The chest x-ray is showing that his right lung which is his good lung is starting to expand and do some of the work that it needs too. His chest tube was taken out on Friday night and he also went down on the amount for his ventilator as well and he seems to be tolerating that. The best news though for us is that he started to open his eyes and look around. This happened first Friday night with one of his nurses and then Joe and I had the experience of seeing him open his eyes and look at us and follow our voices yesterday. In speaking with the nurse this morning, she said that he was alert and stretching and watching them as well. The Lord is truly blessing this little boy everyday with His small miracles. We ask that you would continue to pray that Issac will continue to use his own lung more and more and be able to get off of the ECMO when he is ready to do so. Right now we are taking one day at a time and seeing how the Lord is working in little Issac's body.

I am including a picture for you all from yesterday when he did have his eyes open and looking around.

Thank you again for praying for Issac and for us. It is so appreciated and we know that through all of your prayers that God is answering in so many ways.

All of our love to you,

Joe, Lori, Christian, Aaron and Issac