Monday, February 28, 2011

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here.

"One Thousand Gifts":
1232. baby thighs
1233. a pregnant friend {which leads to a new baby . . . with cute baby thighs -- what a delightful cycle}
1234. coffee cake with friends
1235. dry roads
1236. sunshine
1237. a rousing game of farkle
1238. fabulous teachers
1239. an occupied guest bed
1240. clean laundry
1241. a little bit of crafting time

Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.


Friday, February 25, 2011

flashback friday

This post was originally written in February of 2009 after my nephew, Haddon's, dedication service. Having his little brother's dedicated recently reminded me of it. So, here's a flashback from my thoughts a couple years ago!

__________________________________________


Yesterday my sweet nephew, Haddon, was dedicated (in case you aren't up on baby dedication it's kind of in the same spirit as infant baptism in many churches . . . just without the water. The parents dedicate their child to the Lord and dedicated themselves to raising him (or her) to know and love the Lord and do their best to be godly parents.) I had never been to my brother and sister-in-law's church so it was great to see where they worship and be able to better picture them at church and with their congregation! It was a great service and we were so glad to be there! Haddon had quite the fan club there cheering him on and encouraging and supporting his great parents . . . 9 members of the Carlson family ( since there's 7 of us it's adds up fast, plus my parents were there . . . they wouldn't miss it for the world!), 7 members of the Erickson family (Jenn's family) and 8 of Jenn & Luke's closest friends. Afterward we had a celebration at a nearby restaurant. Good food and great times together. Haddon, we love you so much and are thrilled to know that you will be raised in a godly home!

Here are a couple pictures of the cute family and some of the thoughts behind dedication that I appreciated! (note: the pictures aren't great! The lighting wasn't the best . . . they meet in an elementary school gym . . . and we were far away. Plus, Joe spilled apple juice on my camera the other day and it's acting a little funny!)



The sermon brought up some things that had been stirring in my mind already for a little while. We were taught from I Corinthians 13 and although I didn't hear all of the sermon (I was on Joe patrol since the nursery was only for kids under 3, and he's not used to sitting with us in church) I did catch part of it that stuck with me. "Love is patient." The word used in this passage for patient is a word that means patience with people as opposed to patience with circumstances. I think I'd heard this before, but it struck me yesterday because it hit close to home due to some things I had been thinking about lately. I completely understand how patience with people and patience with circumstances are very different things . . . if only our language had different words for them too!

So, this is where it resonated with me: one of our kiddos (who will remain nameless!) usually wakes up pretty grumpy. She (that narrows it down for you) stomps around, slams doors, grunts, screams, cries and generally carries on for quite a while each morning . . . she wants to sleep longer, her clothes don't fit right, she doesn't want to finish her homework, her hair is too poofy (that may have given it away . . . oops!), the jeans she does want to wear are dirty, she doesn't want to practice her piano, her sister didn't pick up her crap in their shared room, she ran out of time and didn't get any breakfast and on and on it goes. It drives me crazy!!!! I talk to her constantly about changing her attitude, trying to not be so grumpy, etc. It's like I'm stuck in movie "Groundhog Day." Literally, we go through the same stuff almost every morning! Almost always, later in the day she will come up to me (sometimes as soon as before she goes to school, but often in the evening sometime or right before bed) and say, in complete sincerity, "Mom, I'm sorry for the way I acted." Every time I tell her that I forgive her and give her a hug . . . but sometimes I also continue the "better attitude" lecture from the morning and get a little grumpy myself trying to get through to her that if she really is sorry she should change her behavior. WOW! So much like my relationship with God. I do the same gross stuff over and over and sincerely am sorry about it later. But, his love is patient . . . patient with people . . . and he loves and forgives me each time without the lecture. I try to learn from that and follow His example, but it's tough!! I feel like if she really was sorry for being a grump that she would do better next time. But she's a child . . . and she really is sorry; I can tell. That's how God thinks of me, I imagine. I am thankful for his boundless love and forgiveness. So, I will keep trying to work on forgiving and wiping the slate clean each and every time . . . and pray for more peaceful mornings!


I designed this fun layout of I Corinthians 13 a few years back when we were challenged to memorize this whole chapter during a Bible Study I was part of. I handed out copies to all the girls in my group, because it's always more fun to work on something if it's cute and colorful, right? {Click on it to make it big enough to actually read.}

Thursday, February 24, 2011

thankful thursday

A good book::

How I LOVE a good book!

I mostly read fiction. I just love a good story. Lately, though, I've been reading a string of non-fiction books that really are rocking my world! {A couple I requested months ago from the library and they "just happened" to come in now. One I found in the basement. I'd gotten as a gift years ago and had never read it. One I pre-ordered LONG before the date it was to hit the shelves and waited and waited and waited some more for it to arrive at my house. Some I'd read about online. Other people were talking about how they had impacted their lives. Friends had suggested some. One or two I just happened to stumble upon . . . at this divine time . . . when all the messages would work together to have compounded impact on my life.} Thus, I've read quite a few books in the past month or so that really have had an impact on my thinking . . . and hopefully my life too. So, I thought I'd share them with you too, just in case your life could use a little impact right about now.

As a side note, I also VERY RARELY buy books. I'm a huge fan of the library and make tremendous use of the one in our neighborhood! I get SO many books from there. If my library doesn't have it, I request an ILL {inter-library loan} from another library in the consortium, so I feel very little need to actually own books. But, I have purchased {actually spent money on!} about 15 books this year -- not the past 12 months, mind you. This. Year. 2011. Since we flipped the calendar over. {granted 10 of them were copies of the very same book!}. That's a really big deal for me! Usually, once I read a book once, I'm done with it. My general philosophy is: check it out from the library. Read it. {Enjoy!} And then return it to the library. This works out great because:
  1. I love to read
  2. I don't need one more thing taking up space in my house
  3. I don't have gobs of extra money to spend on books. {And, as much as I love them, most books are only of temporary use to me.}
  4. And, hello! They are free to use with a quick trip down the block {and, if you time it right the trip can also include entertainment for you kids and a free outing. And what mom doesn't love that? Thus, we are also HUGE fans of library storytime! -- and Miss Jennifer}
Plus, I have this weird quirk where I don't actually read books I own. Library books have a due date. I'm {generally} a rule follower. That means I need to return them on time {or renew -- thank goodness for renewal!}. I don't like to pay fines, you know. Plus, I can't start a book and not finish it. Even books I don't like, I finish. So, I need to get them read before they are due. Books I own don't have due dates. Ahhh, yes. Even if I know I would LOVE a book and have been looking forward to reading it, the minute it belongs to me, it goes to the bottom of the priority list. It'll always be there, so there is no rush. But not so this time. These books are mine and I still read them {and am planning to start one of them for the 2nd time real soon!}

So, what are these amazing, life-altering books you might wonder? Well, here goes. In no particular order, here are some of the books that have been hitting me straight in the heart lately. Check them out too, if you dare::
  • Crazy Love by Francis Chan {own it!}
  • One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp {own it!} I think Ann is my kindred spirit. The Canadian version! Oh, how I'd love to meet her in person. Although we have emailed a time or two. And I got something in my actual mailbox {the one almost completely buried in snow} from her yesterday. Hand addressed in her super cute handwriting. I saved it all. Envelope and everything. It totally made my day!
  • The Jesus Storybook Bible by God -- and Sally Lloyd Jones {own it!} It might seem surprising that I'm so impacted by a children's Bible storybook, but I am! I have read the unabridged version of the Bible and it has impacted me greatly too, but the simplicity of this story, the amazing illustrations and the thread of Jesus through every. single. story. has really had more of an impact on me than I expected. I thought I was buying it for the kids {Anna and Sara, especially} but I have found it to be more for me than them, even. I love it!
  • Quotidian Mysteries by Kathleen Norris {own it}
  • Complaint Free World by Will Bowen
  • Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider {own it -- this one I haven't actually started yet, but it's next on my list and I plan to read it and put in into action as soon as I finish Crazy Love. But with all that I've read about it, I know it's going to be a great one!}

Monday, February 21, 2011

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here.

"One Thousand Gifts":

1214. a beautiful full moon . . . and a daughter who notices and points out its beauty too
1215. Anna sitting on the couch, paging through a book {"reading"} and singing "Jesus loves me"
1216. the beauty of fresh snow::1217. watching the snow fall
1218. a sale I'd been {mostly patiently} waiting for
1219. online shopping {and free shipping}
1220. crossing things off my list
1221. slumber parties {especially ones not at my house!}
1222. a couple school-less days with the kiddos
1223. finished projects
1224. taking time to clean off my desk {feels good!}
1225. homemade crayon valentine's::1226. sleeping without socks
1227. thermometers climbing past 50. in Minnesota. in February!
1228. snow-day activities::
1229. antibiotics {first time ever for little miss Sara who has an ear infection}::1230. the absurdity of the size of the snow piles around town
1231. being warm and cozy at home with my family

Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.


Friday, February 18, 2011

flashback friday

brotherly love!
man, that looks SO much like Sara, I can hardly believe it! . . . it's a shallow gene pool, I guess!
{and nope, we didn't hypnotize Joe for the picture. He just looks that way!}

July 2008
{Anna is the same age here as Sara is now}

Thursday, February 17, 2011

thankful thursday

I am so thankful, this week, for the glorious, unseasonable weather! The thermometer blew past the 50 degree mark yesterday by a couple degrees. In February. In Minnesota. Crazy! Grace! Things have been melting. Patches of grass {brown though it is} can be seen again. Puddles are everywhere. People are coatless {today I even saw a FedEx man in shorts and a short sleeved shirt!} The kids are walking to school without shivering. Doors stay open a while to let in the fresh air. I know it won't last, but for the time it is such a gift. Grace {as I'm learning from Ann}! And so, I give thanks! I hope you are giving thanks too and are enjoying springish weather, as well -- wherever it is you are in this big {and often small} world.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

verse 4

Our 4th verse is here already. Rebekah and I are taking part in Beth Moore's Scripture Memory Challenge this year. Here is my verse for the next couple weeks:
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.{(I Peter 4.8}

And here is Rebekah's next verse:
May those who pass by not say to them: 'The blessings of the Lord be on you; we bless you in the name of the Lord.' {Psalm 129.8}
It's so great to be doing this together this year!

If you want to join us in memorizing 24 verses in 2011, that's great! You can "register" the fact that you are taking part in it on Beth's blog. That's where you can log your verses each month and just generally be encouraged by all the other people resolving to do something so beneficial along with you. Blessings on you!

Monday, February 14, 2011

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here.

"One Thousand Gifts":

1196. 48 degrees!
1197. the sound of melting snow
1198. a beautiful dedication service for my {extra-adorable, smiley} nephew::1199. new babies
1200. celebrating love
1201. making it through a really busy weekend
1202. a puke-free week
1203. cousins swimming::1204. 4 months of Sara::1205. being ok with things that aren't going as I would have hoped or planned
1206. an encouraging, loving, understanding husband
1207. yummy pizza
1208. the nose frida . . . worth every penny {and not as gross as you might think}
1209. a great sermon
1210. extra-silly 2-year-olds who dress themselves::1211. sunshine
1212. no need for a coat
1213. registering self-dressing 2-year-old from #1210 for preschool . . . how can it be?

Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.


Friday, February 11, 2011

flashback friday

Remember summer? . . .

. . . me neither!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

thankful thursday

I'm so thankful for the cute, funny things that my kids say. Especially when the day hasn't been quite what you expected {or hoped for}. Today we were kind of in a rush and Anna was working on getting her boots off and she said to her foot {in a very sweet voice}:
Come out of there little fella.

After that I wasn't quite as crabby. Thanks Anna!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

four::

guess who's 4 months old today?
can you believe it?
that's 1/3 of a year.
someone slow this thing down . . .









we couldn't be happier with our sweet, sweet girl!

diaper dilema

Help!

Clearly I'm no stranger to diapering. I've had someone {at times multiple kiddos} in diapers almost constantly for a dozen years {how is it that my "baby" is turning 12 next month? That doesn't seem possible!}. I've changed WAY more diapers than I would care to calculate. I'd like to think that I know what I'm doing by now!

Sweet, adorable Sara has really thrown me off my game lately. 9 out of 10 diapers I put on her in the past week or two leaks. I'm super fed up. As a general rule, we use a combination of cloth and disposable {cloth at home, disposable when we are out and about -- I'm not hard-core enough to cloth diaper on-the-go}. Anyway, I've tried all our cloth diapers {different styles, brands and sizes} and they leak. I've tried 3 brands of disposables. Even moved up a size. Still leaking! She weighs about 13 pounds and, I would think, should wear a size 2 disposable diaper. 2's leak. 3's leak. I'm not sure what to try next!

I really don't mind doing laundry. And, who doesn't like to "play dress up" with a sweet little girl and adorable, tiny clothes? But really, enough already! I'm getting a bit sick of changing her outfit {and often her sheets} with every change of her diaper!

I'm thinking maybe it's anatomical? She always leaks out the top front of the diaper. Maybe she pees straight up her belly and right out the top? Who knows. I guess I'll ask the doctor next time we're in . . . or maybe call her today even. I've changed enough diapers to know how much those suckers can hold, and these leakers are NOT at capacity, I'll tell you that!

It is now 4-something in the morning. I fed her. I changed her diaper. I changed her onesie. I changed her jammies. I need to change her sheets, but I can't do that without waking up her roomie. {Please, no!} So I just put her back to bed laying on a towel so she's not on a cold, damp sheet in the middle of winter . . . with her crib in the corner where 2 outside walls meet. In a house built in the 20's . . . not so toasty!} I guess I know what I'll be doing this morning!

Anyway, if you have any hints, ideas, suggestions or thoughts, bring 'em on! Please!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

My Review of One Thousand Gifts - Ann Voskamp

Originally submitted at DaySpring

One Thousand Gifts beckons you to leave the parched ground of pride, fear, and white-knuckle control and abandon yourself to the God who overflows your cup. It invites you to wake up to God's everyday blessings, and discover, as Ann did, that in giving thanks for the life you already ha...

Life-changing book

By shana from st. paul, MN on 2/9/2011

5out of 5

What a fabulous book. I've purchased tons of copies (7 actually) to give as gifts already. Ann's style of writing is like nothing else I've ever read. Her words are powerful and resonate with my soul. Wonderful, wonderful book. Couldn't recommend it more highly!

(legalese)

Monday, February 7, 2011

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here.

"One Thousand Gifts":

1176. winter fun1177. great family time
1178. speeding down the tubing hill screaming! {I was the one screaming . . . that tube goes really FAST! -- and I'm a bit of a wimp!}
1179. time with friends
1180. my dad's amazing work {a labor of love if ever there was one!}1181. an email that made my day week life
1182. moving past some uncertainty
1183. making things for people and having them really like them
1184. a table-full of girlfriends hanging out all night at Granite City {and the poor waitress who, on a busy night, was gracious enough to not be outwardly annoyed that we took up more than one of her tables for 5 nearly hours}
1185. hard {really loud} laughter and how good it feels {although it's quite possible that the rest of the restaurant was a bit bothered by it}
1186. friends
1187. tow ropes!1188. freshly washed snow clothes to start the week
1189. catching the last little bit of 6th grade honors chorus rehearsal {they sound GREAT!}
1190. the fact that my kids have really great friends
1191. a new month . . . one that is closer to spring than the one we just left behind
1192. my wonderful parents
1193. a girl who is pretty cheerful in between puking bouts {it's been over 2 weeks now and we can't figure out what exactly is wrong with her}
1194. a fabulous, smart, understanding pediatrician who honestly cares about, and really knows us!
1195. thought-shifting, life-changing books!

Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.


Friday, February 4, 2011

flashback friday

I thought today for "Flashback Friday" we would continue in the spirit of last week by highlighting Joe's unfortunate, unique and quite random nose injuries::
{This is a fabulous picture. One that I would say is worth your time to click on so you can see it really big. Joe might possibly be the most facially (is that a word?) expressive kid I've ever met!}::

February 2009::
This particular injury happened EXACTLY one year after last weeks highlighted nose injury. {We got through February of 2010 without a nose injury, so hopefully we'll be safe this February too}.

This one left quite the scar.
Are you wondering what happened to him?
Well, I was standing right there, so let me tell you::
He was standing on the floor.
Pretty much just standing still.
Then he fell.
On the carpet!
There was nothing sharp anywhere near him.
There was nothing at all anywhere near him.
Weird!
And this is how he looked when he got up from his fall {except right then it was gushing with blood}::
I have no idea how the soft-ish carpet sliced through his nose like that. But it did! Only Joe, I tell you. Only him! {I also have no idea why this is such a terrible picture. He hadn't been drinking. Or smoking anything. Despite how it looks. It's just a bad picture. However, it does show his nasty boo-boo quite well. Or at least better than any other pictures I had -- click to see it big to get the full effect!}

Enjoy the weekend!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

expectations . . . and thankful thursday

The following was written 5 weeks ago and will be followed by what I am ever-so-thankful for this week::


I was recently pregnant. When you are pregnant they check out all sorts of stuff: they ask for little jars of your pee quite often. They drain blood from your veins and check it all out. They push on your {big!} belly. Sometimes it seems like a bit much, but I understand why they do it all {well, I'm not doctor, but I mostly understand why they do it.}

Toward the end of my pregnancy with Sara the platelets were low in my blood. They figured it was gestational. The bummer of the whole thing was that when your platelets are low you can't get an epidural. Ok, I can live with that. Not ideal, but doable. I've had epidurals before a couple times and found them to be quite nice, but I've also delivered a few babies without them and that went ok too. This time around the labor was less "ok" than any of the other times, but still I survived. No epidural. Quite a bit more pain but still a fabulous, wonderful, healthy, miracle of a little girl in the end.

I stopped thinking about my platelets.

My 6-week check up came and went and I didn't even ask about them. They hadn't been re-checked and I wasn't concerned and didn't even think about it. The guess was that, since they became low during pregnancy and hadn't ever been before, that it was a gestational problem and would resolve itself after sweet Sara's birth.

Fast forward a bit and I was at the doctor {different doctor} for a completely different matter. She looked in my records and asked if my platelets had been re-checked. I said no and she said that before I left I should just swing into the lab and have them take some blood so we could make sure the situation had been resolved. I gave my blood donation and headed home. Later that afternoon {actually, I think it may have even been considered evening by then} the doctor called me at home and said that my platelets were lower even than they were when Sara was born. She said that I should see a hematologist to figure out what was going on. A scheduler would call me to set up the appointment. The scheduler called and said that my clinic didn't have a hematologist and I could either go to Maplewood or St. Paul. I said I'd go to Maplewood. I'd been to the Maplewood clinic and knew right where it was. Plus, I'd have to pay for parking at the St. Paul location and I'm cheap, so that sealed the deal.

The scheduler gave me the name of the doctor and told me the appointment was at their location at 1580 Beam. I almost didn't write the address down. I'd been there before and knew right where the Maplewood clinic was. And it was on Beam. But, I was writing down the time and the doctors name in my calendar anyway, so I made note of "1580 Beam" in my calendar.

Fast forward to the afternoon of January 4th. The day of my appointment. Kirb comes home from work early to watch the kids and leaves his car running so I can be on my way. I give him a little "kid handoff" speech about who has eaten what, when and how the day has gone. I grab my purse and a book {you know how doctor appointments often lead to a bit of waiting} and head out. I drive for 10 minutes or so and find myself on Beam Ave. I haven't been to the Maplewood clinic in probably almost 10 years, so I start looking at the numbers on the buildings. I'm in the 1600's, so it shouldn't be much farther. But wait, the numbers are getting bigger. Weird. So, I turn around and go the other way. But I know the building I am expecting to go to is farther up the road in the direction I was originally going. Still, I turn around. I get to 1580 Beam and as it turns out, it is not the Aspen Clinic in Maplewood. It is a building that I have had a view of 4 times in my life. Each time I delivered a precious little bundle at St. John's Hospital. A building that I'd spent 8 days of my life looking at. And thinking about. Never assuming I would need to go there. Assuming I would have no reason to ever step food inside it. Vaguely praying for the people that I saw heading in there from my maternity wing hospital room. Nursing, holding, loving and taking in sweet baby Rebekah. And Joe. And Anna. And, just recently, Sara.

Minnesota Oncology: Maplewood Cancer Center.

What? Really? Why on earth is my appointment here?

At this point I'm a little shook up. So, I head in. I check in at the front desk and sure enough, I'm at the right place. Why did the schedule lady tell me my appointment was at "our location at 1580 Beam". It would have been a nice heads up to know I was going to the "Maplewood Cancer Center".

The lady at the front desk hands me a clipboard of about 10 pages of papers to fill out and sign. Also she takes my insurance card and a picture ID {that's a new one} to photocopy. One of the first questions following name/address/birthdate/contact person was "Have you had any previous cancer treatments?" Yikes. That question sounds suspiciously like I am here for cancer treatment. Which I'm not! Clearly. I'm just here to check on a minor blood issue. Or at least that was my understanding. I fill out all the papers. How old was my grandpa Fletcher when he died? I write 70 with a question mark. How do you spell "emphysema"? I never can remember. Can you write heartbreak as the cause of death? I think that's what my grandma Carlson died of after spending 2 years without my grandmpa following his death -- which at 96 I listed as "natural causes". I debated between that and "old age", but "natural causes" seemed more "correct", more medical. And, you know me, I like to get the answers right.

I was called back by the nurse. She weighed me {always a joy! -- at least it doesn't start with a "2" anymore}, checked my height and brought me in to the room. Room 5. She took my blood pressure. Twice. Then my pulse. For a pretty long time. She said both were high and maybe it was a little anxiety about seeing a new doctor. Really? Do you think? This building says "cancer" on the outside of it. Doesn't that make everyone's blood pressure go up? Then the doctor came in. His first name was Vladimir. His voice reminded me of the Doorman/Butler/Bellhop/whatever-he-was guy from the Curious George movie {think "You are kick-ed from building." if you've seen the movie. That's totally what he sounded like.} I had a hard time not giggling. Which would have been altogether inappropriate on many levels. He tapped on my back up and down my spine. Looked at my ankles. Pushed on my {not quite as big} belly. To a non-doctor some of the things doctors check seem completely random. Anyway, he had no good thoughts on why I would have low platelets. He said he would look into Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and other auto-immune diseases and then if that showed nothing he would investigate to see if it was something "bad".

We have a nurse friend who gets so mad when people search on the internet to find out about medical stuff. I know this and yet what did I do? Google to find out what "bad" might mean. I should have been clued in from the letters on the outside of the building, I guess. Here's what I found::

Definition By Mayo Clinic staff

Thrombocytopenia is the medical term for a low blood platelet count. Platelets (thrombocytes) are colorless blood cells that play an important role in blood clotting. Platelets stop blood loss by clumping and forming plugs in blood vessel holes.

Thrombocytopenia often occurs as a result of a separate disorder, such as leukemia or an immune system malfunction, or as a medication side effect. Thrombocytopenia may be mild and cause few signs or symptoms. In rare cases, the number of platelets may be so low that dangerous internal bleeding can occur.

Thrombocytopenia usually improves when the underlying cause is treated. Sometimes medications, surgery or a blood transfusion can help treat chronic thrombocytopenia.

Anyway, the plan was to have me come in for weekly blood draws to see how things change {or don't} from week to week and then have an appointment with Dr. Vladimir again 4 weeks later.

From my non-medical understanding of what he explained to me -- and what I learned on the internet {sorry Dan!} -- platelets have a very short life-span. Your body is constantly making them. They "live" about 8-10 days. New platelets are bigger and older ones are smaller. A normal platelet count is between 150,000 and 450,000 {but doctors disregard the 3 zeros at the end when they tell you your numbers}. I was just under 100 {the cutoff for an epidural} when Sara was born. I was down to 51 when they checked around Christmas-time. I was 58 at my first appointment at the cancer center. The majority of my platelets were big. That means that my body is making them just fine, but something is killing them earlier than normal, thus the lower count. All of that doesn't mean too much to me, but hopefully somehow soon some answers will be found!

__________________________________________

Thankful Thursday Update::

I had my appointment with Vlad {that's the way Kirby has referred to the hematologist the past month or so since we've "known" him} this week. My platelets are still low, but have been trending upward over the past 5 weeks of lab results that we've been monitoring. This week they were 73. Still less than halfway to the bottom range of normal, but heading in the right direction at least. So, here's what we found out {in a nutshell} at the appointment this week::Before I get too long winded, I'll just say that it's basically wonderful news. Phew! At their lowest my platelets were 51 (normal is 150-450) and at their highest, during this whole business, they were 73. That was this week. The doctor said the fact that they are trending upward is a good sign. It might take months or even a year to get back up to normal levels -- and they may not get all the way back up to that point ever, but that's ok I guess. Not ideal, obviously, but ok! He said that he ruled out everything that he suspected might be the culprit {Lupus, Rheumatoid arthritis, other auto-immune diseases} and my low platelets aren't caused by any of those systemic-type problems. So that's good . . . and a little bad, since he really has no idea what is causing the low platelets. He mentioned a few possibilities that were interesting, but in the end inconsequential. I guess maybe there might have been a compatability issue with my blood and Sara's when I was still pregnant that would cause my body to fight against my platelets and kill them off as if they were something bad to fight against. Also, sometimes after a respiratory illness your platelets can drop and although it's usually a short-lived drop, sometimes it's long-term. So, the long and short of it is that we know what it's NOT, but we still don't know what it IS. Overall, he said that I am pretty healthy with the exception of the platelet thing, which shouldn't pose too much of a problem, but is still a mystery. He wants to recheck my blood in 3 months to see what change there has been. The biggest danger to having ongoing low platelets would be if I was pregnant again; then it might cause additional problems and complications. Although we'd pretty much decided this already, that would seem to be a sign that Sara will be our last little bundle {at least of the biological sort}.

This verse has been often in my mind throughout this whole ordeal {it's one I memorized in 2009 and have come back to often since then}::

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Romans 15.13

So today I am thankful for health. For perspective that comes only from a scare like this. Over the past 5 weeks I've had a couple days of freaking out and crying, but amazingly, overall, I've felt peace. I know this has come from the Lord and is due to all the support, encouragement, love and prayers I've felt from the smallish handful of people who knew about the whole business. I am blessed and so grateful for all of it!

So, the verse that I'm working on for the next couple weeks is so very appropriate::
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." (Psalm 100.4)
I would like to think that I would "give thanks to him and praise his name" even if the outcome had been different, but I wasn't, so that's something I won't know, I guess. For now I will give thanks for the good news and be thankful for a healthy body. I am continually amazed by our bodies and how we are made. {"fearfully and wonderfully" as it says in Psalm 139}. Praise God!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

verse 3

Verse 3 already! Yikes. Rebekah and I are taking part in Beth Moore's Scripture Memory Challenge this year. Life circumstances and the book I just finished lead me to this verse to memorize for the next couple weeks:
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. (Psalm 100.4)

And here is Rebekah's third verse:
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (I Peter 5.7)
It's so great to be doing this together this year!

If you want to join us in memorizing 24 verses in 2011, that's great! You can "register" the fact that you are taking part in it on Beth's blog. That's where you can log your verses each month and just generally be encouraged by all the other people resolving to do something so beneficial along with you. Blessings on you!