Arrows in the Hand
• Dec. 24, 2009 - Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to all of you! We are counting our Christmas blessings here and just loving being together as a family. Noah isn't as stable as we would like and is needing a boatload of extra medical care every day, but he is handling it like a real hero and being a very good sport about it all.
We were able to do some Christmas shopping for the children thanks to the generosity of some of you - thank you so very, very much! A precious friend just came by with a lovely hot lunch for us to enjoy, giving me some extra time with my precious family - thank you, Zana! We also just got a call from some dear friends who did something amazing for us. There is a zoo not far from Greenville where they train animals for movies and things. The animals are tamer than most zoo animals, and they have ZEBRAS that will eat out of your hand. We've wanted for a long time to take Noah there, and hoped to do so this fall - but Noah was too sick. Now we can't even think about affording the tickets. Well, as a surprise, our friends called the zoo and told them a bit about Noah. We got a call this morning saying that the zoo wants to wish Noah a merry Christmas and that we can bring our WHOLE family there next week for free - and our friends can come too! I am just blown away by the generosity of people who have never met my son but want to give him the chance to meet a zebra up close and personal. PLEASE pray that he is well enough and stable enough to go. Please pray for our little friend Eithene (link in sidebar) who is HOME for Christmas but is also struggling with multiple issues at home. Little Emerson (link in sidebar) is very gravely ill and in PICU right now.
We (actually our company) "adopted" a lonely senior citizen and bought her a few simple Christmas gifts which need to be delivered after lunch. We'll be heading to my parent's in a little while for presents and fun, then we will drive around and look at lights (finally LOL) on our way home. Tomorrow morning will be the best sort of hunkering down together to enjoy being together, opening gifts, and just treasuring each other. Then we'll head to my mom's for a big Christmas dinner - Jeff is smoking some chicken (yum) and I'm sure we'll all eat more than we need to. :-) Doesn't that sound like the most lovely couple of days possible???
Please just continue to pray that Noah will hold his own and start to do better. Also please pray for joy for him today and tomorrow. He is pretty clingy because of not feeling too good. He is also convinced that he is getting "Spike the Ultra Dinosaur" which he saw and played with in the store once - it is a very expensive Fisher Price remote control dinosaur that we just couldn't possibly afford. He is getting some very nice toys and we are praying that he will be happy with them and not upset about Spike. He really truly doesn't need a Spike but we haven't been successful in explaining to him that he isn't getting it. (He is a pretty typical 3 year old with a pretty determined mindset LOL) We are just praying for a spirit of contentment and joy and excitement for him and we know that the Lord can do this for him!! We did find Spike's "little brother" for $15 but haven't decided if we are better off giving it to him and hoping that he will accept it as a smaller, more basic version of Spike - or if it will just upset him because it isn't really want he wanted - we are praying for wisdom there and know we will get it.
Timothy had a wonderful, happy 11th birthday yesterday. I have a bunch of photos of our December birthdays, cookie fun, and (will have) pictures of tonight and tomorrow. I hope to get photos and/or a slideshow up this weekend!!!
Merry Christmas to all of you dear friends.
Blessings,
Kate |
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• Dec. 24, 2009 - No Homeschooling, No Christmas for the Johansson Family
Posted By Gena Suarez, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
As you celebrate Christmas this year, please remember all the parents who are still fighting for their right to homeschool, and for parents who have had their children taken from them by force without just cause because they homeschooled their children--like the Johansson family of Sweden. This Christmas we can rest easy knowing that the gifts that we bought for our children will help further their education or offer a new way for your family to have fun together. The Johanssons have been denied Christmas with their only child, and so much more.
Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB |
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• Dec. 24, 2009 - Communication Corner ~ Last Few Days of my Video Countdown to Christmas!
I've done this each year for a few years now. These are the final days of my Video Countdown to Christmas that started on December 15th. Each day I'm uploading an inspirational or comedic video that shares the spirit of Christmas with my readers. Check it out on Communication FUNdamentals!
And Merry CHRISTmas everyone! |
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• Dec. 23, 2009 - Homeschooling Through High School ~ Merry Christmas!
 Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!
I want to share a couple of video clips which I located on YouTube...they are from a Public Television show that I have seen many Decembers over, titled, "Rick Steve's Christmas in Europe." These two clips share my favorite parts of the show. I love the peacefulness, the simplicity, and the picture of the family generations coming together. I hope you enjoy it, too!
Rick Steve's Christmas in Europe ~ Part 9
Rick Steve's Christmas in Europe ~ Part 10
May God bless you and your families as you focus on the beauty of God's plan for His children, and all that "Emmanuel" means to you.
~Lori
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• Dec. 20, 2009 - There and back again
Soooo . . . Noah was indeed discharged on Friday night. Got home, got him settled, made cookie dough, and then I collapsed gratefully in my own bed. :-) Got up Saturday and baked a bazillion (actually about 250) sugar and gingerbread cookies and made 18 graham cracker gingerbread houses with my children. A little while later our friends arrived and we all had a blast decorating and eating and laughing.
As the evening wore on, Noah's output from his g-tube increased a lot and we realized he hadn't really been wetting his diapers as much as he should. A round of phone calls between us and his nurse and some doctors resulted in Noah being admitted to Greenville last night. Yep - home Friday, back Saturday.
We had a long and tiring night, but after a lot of fluid his labs looked good this morning and his output was waaaay down - so much so that his g-tube drainage bag was removed to see if he could manage without it. He's had some retching and gagging but hasn't vomited, so we are going home! Yep - home Friday, back Saturday, home Sunday.
We don't actually have a plan right now. We just have a boy who is once again stable enough to leave. We don't know what will happen when he is allowed to drink or eat, we don't know if we can restart g-tube feeds or what will happen if we do. Half of his medications are given by g-tube and he hasn't had them in a week and a half, and we still don't know if he will be able to tolerate them, BUT we can try to figure this stuff out at home rather than sitting here for who knows how long trying to figure it out while inpatient.
The wonderful Dr. B, (Noah's pediatrician) is going to be in contact with GI tomorrow to start figuring out a plan. We just don't know if we are in the clear here, and it's possible that we will keep yo-yo-ing from home to hospital. We just don't know yet. If he starts to throw up or if he is retching enough to be miserable, Dr. B wants him brought to Abbeville hospital (the one much closer to home).
I've got to tell you that it is really and truly exhausting to keep being catapulted from home life to hospital life over and over without warning, but I would still rather go home knowing that we could end up back inpatient as opposed to staying here. Noah looks "OK." His nurse and I noticed that he was, for back of a better word, "wobbly" on his feet yesterday. He slept in until 11:30 this morning which was fair enough considering his rough night - but he's had lots of rough nights without sleeping in that late, AND he is sleeping again now. He played on his bed for a little while then just wanted to lie down and fell asleep. This isn't typical, but it also isn't a big enough deal for us to keep him here. It's just going to be a matter of watching and waiting and seeing how he does.
I'll try to post some photos of our cookie and gingerbread house decorating fun. Even Noah got into it and really enjoyed himself. :-)
Please pray for crystal clear guidance for and from the doctors and for peace and healing for Noah. He hasn't been able to eat since a week ago Thursday, and he hasn't been able to even sip water since last night - and won't be able to drink anything until we get a plan worked out at some point tomorrow. I'm praying that we don't have some sort of meltdown with him asking for a drink and being denied, and I'm hoping that he will be able to drink tomorrow without vomiting or retching. (His TPN keeps him hydrated if he has no other fluid loss but he still enjoys drinking.)
Off to finish getting ready to leave.
Blessings,
Kate |
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• Dec. 18, 2009 - Featured Blogger ~ TOSAffiliatesCorner
How many of you are TOS Affiliates? Ever think about becoming one? I'm sure you have a lot of questions about it. Let's find out with this week's Featured Blogger the TOS Affiliates Corner!
How do you become a TOS affiliate? Find the answer on the first blog post, Welcome to the TOS Affiliate Blog!
If you become an affiliate, what kinds of ads have to go on your blog? Check out the latest TOS promotion for When I Grow Up I Wanna Be A Police Officer.
As a TOS affiliate you won't always be asking your readers to buy something. TOS loves go give away freebies! While you don't make any money off of these promotions being able to tell your readers about free gifts is always a bonus!
So if you aren't a TOS affiliate yet, what are you waiting for? Christmas break is a great time to get started because in 2010 TOS has a lot of great products coming out!
Say hi to Cheryl, the TOS affiliate coordinator and if you have any questions you can ask her in a comment.
Would you like to nominate a HSB blogger for Featured Blogger of the Week? Email me at tlinschied@thehomeschoolmagazine.com. Please keep in mind that Featured Bloggers must be at least 18 years of age and their blog must be encouraging, uplifting, and/or inspiring.
Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB |
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• Dec. 18, 2009 - Heading home
We are heading home today! Noah's GI issues are not resolved or even really improved, but the doctors agreed to give us a chance to manage them at home. His care will be a lot more complicated, and we'll be in very close (daily) contact with the doctors and almost daily labs with his home health nurse. It makes me a little nervous, but if we don't try this at home, Noah will be in for quite a while longer. I feel like I owe it to him and the rest of the children to try.
It's a pretty sure bet that I won't update again for a couple of days unless there is a problem. We had scheduled our annual cookie decorating day with friends for last Saturday, but Noah was in Abbeville so we had rescheduled for tomorrow. Since we are coming home today, I'm going to bite the bullet and proceed with the fun for tomorrow. I just hate to disappoint the children since they put great stock in this tradition. (I can always sleep when my children grow up, right??) Between a pretty complicated new regime for Noah and a bazillion cookies to bake, I'm going to be busy - happily busy AT HOME!
Please pray that we will manage Noah's care well and that we can do a good enough job that he can stay home and not have to come back in. If you get this quickly, please also pray for him - we are heading to the treatment room in a few minutes to do a dressing change on the new line and the cauterized old line site - these dressing changes will really hurt and he is already pretty emotionally fragile from yesterday.
Thank you all so much!
Blessings,
Kate |
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• Dec. 18, 2009 - Special Words for Special Needs ~ A Beautiful Christmas Project
Merry Christmas (very soon)!! It's time to talk about Christmas!
How do you run your homeschooling around Christmas? The season has plenty to do, but my kids demand structure. This time of year I tend to turn to my Christmas unit study. The art time in the afternoon will get turned into present making time or ornament making time. Though being Christmas time I search for more meaning in our days.
This time of year I also try to fit in outside service projects. In talking with a homeschooling mom recently she shared how they use this season to help train their children in service to others and keep it Jesus focused.
The day after Thanksgiving she and her family settle on a family that is in great need. They each give part of their Christmas gifts to feed and care for this family. Then a week before Christmas they drop this package off at the needy family's home.
You may say well there are groups out there that do that. Yes, there are. I would argue though that it is our duty as Christians to help others and what better way than just a simple exchange in love and covered in prayer. You show very clearly to your children that it IS better to give than to receive.
Thank you my friend for sharing that with me!
Think of a way you can share the love of Christ with others. What does your family do at Christmas to make Christ an active, real part?
I pray blessings to you and may your Christmas time be productive for the Lord!
Heather lives in West Virginia. She and her husband have been homeschooling their 5 children for 8 years. Due to a genetic disorder their children have multiple special needs. Heather is also dealing with personal health difficulties. Living life to the fullest for the glory of God is their goal! Visit Heather's page at www.homeschoolblogger.com/gfcfmomofmany/ or at Special Needs Homeschooling. |
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• Dec. 17, 2009 - Special Needs Children: Bring Them Home Where They Belong
Posted By Gena Suarez, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
More abusive teachers are in the news, this time two teachers tortured and abused several special needs children in their care--children who couldn't speak out about what was happening to them.
Parents, even your special needs children deserve to be at home where it is safe, and where you can be there to protect them. Homeschooling special needs children can be done!
Check out these resources to start:
You can find many more resources by searching online, and don't be afraid to ask questions! Trust is a huge thing for children with special needs. Your child trusts and needs you, not a person that neither you nor your child has never met before. You wouldn't just leave your child with strangers otherwise, why do so just because that stranger works for a public school?
Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB |
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• Dec. 17, 2009 - A rough go of it
Noah is in his room resting comfortably, but I'm sorry to say he had a pretty rough go of it today.
He was scheduled for surgery at 2:30, but the surgeons came in at about 9 this morning and said that there was an opening and that Noah would be going down right away. I called Jeff (on the way with the children) and he turned back and went home. I sat with Noah and waited . . . and waited . . . and waited. One of the Child Life Specialists came in and did some medical play with Noah - he made a doll then used OR equipment to do procedures on the doll such as sticking on cardiac leads and an 02 sat monitor, using the anesthesia mask on the doll, etc. We also looked at lots of photos of the OR to open discussions of what would happen. He's been having increasing anxiety with each surgery and this was done to help demystify the process.
The surgical team finally came for him at about noon and took him down to the holding area where we sat for 2 hours. Everyone was really kind to Noah, but he was very nervous and stressed about sitting down there knowing what was coming next. A nurse brought him a coloring book and crayons and several little toys that he could play with and that he could keep - this helped, but he was still pretty sad. When the OR was almost ready for him, the nurse started giving him versed (at my request) to help calm him down (it usually knocks him out) and to cause him to forget the trauma. I don't know what happened, but they gave him 4 doses and it didn't phase him a bit. As soon as we headed toward the OR he started crying, telling me he was scared, begging me not to leave him, etc. Once I had to hand him to the nurse the sobbing started in earnest and I could hear him screaming for me until I got on the elevators.
I hate that.
I really, really hate that. It's one thing to stand in the treatment room watching him suffer - at least he knows I am there for him. Handing him off to OR nurses while he sobs is the hardest thing I have to do.
Ultimately the surgery went well. It took a lot longer than usual, and the infected tissue around the old broviac site had to be cauterized (burned) off - an extra owie. He's got sutures in his shoulder and the center of his chest where the new line comes out. When I got to recovery, he was crying and sobbing uncontrollably. It's an unusual reaction for him but not unheard of, and even if he is upset he calms down immediately once I hold him. Not this time - he screamed in my lap for over half an hour. At first I couldn't figure out why he was in so much pain - granted, he had three significant "ouchie" areas, but he's had broviacs before. Then I looked at his face. He's had his typical Noah reaction to infection, which is incredibly red swollen eyes and big red welts all over his body (not hives). When they taped his eyes shut for surgery, they didn't take that fragile, compromised skin into consideration, so when they took the tape off it ripped all of the skin off one of his eyelids. Every time Noah would try to snuggle in against me (or even blink) it would cause that poor eye to hurt. It looks awful - red and weeping - and I can only imagine how much it hurts.
2 more doses of morphine later he calmed down enough to stop crying, and when we got him back into the room a massive dose of IV benadryl finally nudged him off to sleep. I prayed so much for him to be peaceful instead of hurting and afraid, and admit that I don't understand why he had such a hard time. I know it hurt God to see Noah hurting as well. The Lord is very near to me with the comfort and empathy of One who had to watch His son hurting unfairly as well. It doesn't make things OK, but I know that when I go to Him with my pain and questions and doubts, He understands.
My mom came up here this morning and, blessedly, Noah settled down right before Jeff got up here with the children this afternoon. (I even had a few minutes for a shower before Jeff got here.) She sat up here with Noah so I could spend some time downstairs with the rest of the crew. Matthew enjoyed opening his presents (We got him the Clue Secrets and Spies game, and his siblings got him the Deal or No Deal DVD game), then we took some pictures in front of the big Christmas tree. My mom slipped Jeff some money so the children could all get a treat at Starbucks and they really enjoyed that! The time was over all too soon, but I am deeply thankful that I got to love on my birthday boy even for a little while. I still can't believe that I have three teenagers now!
Please pray that Noah sleeps well tonight. He was very uncomfortable and restless last night as the welts on his face and body hurt and itch. Funny/sad story - in the middle of the night a nurses aide came in to check Noah's vitals. He'd been in and out of sleep because he was so uncomfortable and he was just settling down when she came in and flipped on the BRIGHT overhead light. In all of our visits here, no one has ever done that unless Noah was in distress and doctors needed the lights on. Anyway, Noah hates bright light and this was a total shock to a just-dozing-off boy. I quickly told her to turn off the lights, and he looked at her with a hurt expression and said, "You maked my widdle (little) tears come out!" Talk about twisting the knife - I don't think she will make that mistake again!
I'm hoping that somehow he'll be able to rest well tonight. The sheriff's department came by with big presents for all of the children - Noah got a Diego Dinosaur Rescue set. He's never seen Diego but he LOVES dinosaurs and this includes not only a dino but an alligator - big thrill! He hasn't seen it yet so it should be good for a smile when he wakes up.
We are working on a plan to get Noah home ASAP. He is still draining tons of bile out of his g-tube and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. It needs to be managed with replacement IV fluids but we want to do that at home if we can - he isn't actually sick per se and it would make everyone happy if we could care for him at home. The doctor warned me that between daily labs, custom replacement IV fluids, and additional IV meds it would be a lot of work, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes as long as Noah doesn't actually need hospital care. I don't know if it will be possible to manage him at home or not - if he has to be managed here we may be in for a long haul. Please pray for wisdom and clarity and for a peaceful good attitude for me if I have to accept staying here longer. My heart is pretty bruised after today and my flesh just wants to gather ALL of my children around me safe at home - but Noah's needs come first. I just need to find rest in knowing that the Lord knows what those needs really are.
Blessings,
Kate |
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