Don’t forget to pack:

• Diapers for Noah
• Diapers for Samuel
• Wipes
• Extra change of clothes for Noah
• Extra change of clothes for Renée
• Bib for Noah
• Bib for Samuel
• Burp clothes for Noah
• Formula for Noah
• Formula warming container
• Ice pack
• Noah’s medicine (on ice)
• Syringe
• Infusion pump
• A/C power adapter for pump
• Collapsible pole
• Feeding bag
• Gastrostomy tube for Noah
• Blanket for Noah
• Blanket for Samuel
• Cell phone
• Daddy and Mommy’s brains
• … and sanities

(and in case you were wondering, this list is really for our benefit, because we are prone to lose paper amidst all the rest of the craziness ’round these parts!)

Well, you know you’ve had a long day when this happens:

I was handing out the plates, filling drinks and just about to sit down to dinner when I realized I forgot to grab Samuel’s bib. I’m trying and trying to get it on and snap it together, but it just won’t fit! And I pause in frustration when I realize why I’m having issues. Here I am, struggling to put Sammy’s bib on my husband’s neck! And the sweet guy is so nice and patient, just waiting for me to clue in to what I’m doing. So we both about die laughing.

In other news, Samuel and I have had a wonderful time playing together in the last week. We had a few days of rain (shocking for these parts), and we made the best of being stuck inside. We sat by the patio doors under his blanket and told stories about bears with a flashlight. What fun! He loved the thunder and would call loud bursts “Daddy!” thunder and softer ones “Baby” thunder. And consistently cried out for more, he wasn’t scared at all. So we had good talks about God and how He brings us rain for our flowers and makes everything beautiful. The next several days we’ve had a ball crawling all over the house like bears, roaring and following each other around.

Did you know I’ve also had many encounters with Superman lately? Oh yeah. If Sam had it his way, he’s wear his Superman PJs all day every day. I think the cape helps him do super speedy chores. He helps me with the dishes and sweeping and washing clothes. (I have to be careful with that one though, because he’ll run a load that’s already been washed just to play with the buttons)! He looks so cute running around the house in his cape. I’m thinking of getting one myself!

The following is from a blog I read from a Pastor’s wife in town. Considering our present trial with a child who cannot eat on his own and the difficulties that presents each day, I found it sobering and encouraging. I just had to post it for our readers, too:

Are there situations in your life that seems irreconcilable? Is there a circumstance that continually chafes? Is the Lord taking you through a trial that appears to have no end? Does it sometimes feel easier just to despair than to trust?

I was thinking and praying through my own responses to these questions today. As I pleaded with the Lord to change circumstance, people, relationships, I sensed my hardening of heart as I could not see, through Ruth-colored lenses, any resolution or reprieve within reach. The sclerosis gave way to humility as the Lord reminded me that He never promised to spare us from the valley of the shadow of death, but rather that we may walk through it with Him.

Details do not matter here…the Apostle Paul never told us what his thorn was, instead he simply encouraged:

So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messeger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships,

persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10, ESV)

Therein lies the resolution, the reprieve, the response: That I may rejoice all the more in hurt and trials, that my God might be made more beautiful in my life and undeniably sufficient in the face of the seemingly insurmountable.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers out there who do such a wonderful job of raising children.  I am especially thankful for my wife today.  Seeing how she cares for our two children is amazing and lovely, and I am honored to raise a family with her.  Not only that, but she is my best friend, and it’s a lot easier to do things together when you love being together so much!

Have a wonderful day today, my bride!

You know I’m feeling better when I’m sewing again. Granted it’s going to take me forever to finish this dress with two children, therapy and hospital appointments to go to all the time. But at least I have a creative outlet again for those few minutes here and there that I’m not yearning for a nap, haha. I’ve never sewn a dress with a lining before, but so far it’s going well. I almost have the top half finished. I love summer and fun skirts and dresses to match the season. So lovely compared to jeans and flip flops! Here’s a picture of the pattern I’m using (I’m sewing the orange one with the tie in front)!

Yes, this speaks to the geek in me, but it’s also a fun fusion of video games and music (and techno, at that, ha!) Enjoy.

Or, read the original story.