more info

at 1030 my dad called and said that the surgery never happened because her white blood count was high. soooo, no surgery. she will have it on wednesday if they can't figure out the source of the infection...i'll keep you posted...

keep praying

bekah just called. she's having surgery at 715 to place another shunt. we are supposed to go on vacation soon. she is desperate to go and we, of course, will not go without her!! so this may be the solution to her seepage issues. 

we've been holding up alright. that seems to be the big question. you guys have been so great with check-ins and everything. thanks...

on a light note....yesterday i hugged bekah so hard when she was leaving for the hospital that she said she felt a gush of fluid from her incision. 

KEEP PRAYING!!

like father like son

i was checking the weather on the computer and max was trying to get my attention. he grabbed the rag that i used to clean up after we painted some pictures and shoved it up the back of my shirt. i screeched because it was cold and he laughed his head off...then in true chris fashion, he saw that the fan was on and threw it into the fan. he's been trying to do this forever...today it happened. he almost (actually did) pee(d) his pants. it hit the blades and flew onto the curtains....he laughed harder than i've ever heard him laugh....so priceless....

how's that carly??? now you have to worry about both of them.....

funny story

i forgot this story that happened the last time i was in johnstown.

 i threw a load of laundry in my parent's house. chris, max, nina, and i were playing in the living room and my parent's  were out. 

max went to get his sippy cup and said "mama, what's wrong with the kitchen?" 

i said "what do you mean?" 

he said "there is water everywhere on the floor. i was splashing in it." 

we jumped up and found several inches of water on the floor and suds were everywhere. long story short. it took almost two hours to clean up the soap. the lock on the washer wasn't working and it kept gushing open and spraying bubbles everywhere. it was exactly the same situation that mike teevee's mom went through in charlie and the chocolate factory (the original) when she was sloshed with soap on the wonka-car. max rubbed my back as i held the machine shut through the rinse cycle. 

some more classic comments from wells:

erin (sis in law and chief babysitter) was questioning him several times about his poopy smells coming from his diaper. he apparently just had wicked gas...

erin: are you sure you didn't poop max?

max: no erin, (very frustrated) i think you did...

mama: max stand up. we need to put your shorts on...

max: stand up, stand up for what you believe in believe in believe in God. He's the one to back you up. He'll stand wif you, He'll stand wif you. 

(classic veggie tales song)

daddy: do you want a sister or a brother? 

max: a sister named nina. 

max: nina's crying

mama: why?

max: i pushed her down really hard.

mama: why did you do that? 

max: she took my turn away from me and then

she took my train so i hit her.

mama: go sit for a time-out

we going to the beach and it's gonna be so much fun!!! (jumping up and down)

lets go see bekah in the hospital. i miss her.

i told him to say "bye poppy" (to pop-pop) 

he said snickering "bye poppy" and started laughing so hard 

because it was the wrong person.

he has so many classic things and i feel like this smattering is a such a disservice to his multi-dimensional communication....

keep praying for bekah. 

she's sprung another leak...

we are all in johnstown. we came in last night and this morning bekah started leaking again. so mum and bek are headed back....please pray. she may get a lumbar shunt....ugh. 

sick obsession

a week in pictures

nina's hair gets "picked out" every morning. i went a little overboard. 

the end result...

isn't she the sweetest little thing...

this hat was a gift from granny (chris' mum) and clearly she didn't consider the recipient's huge head. so...

so chris tricked it out. now he calls him gilligan. but he looks really cute in it. 

best friends...worst enemies.

this isn't the best picture of them but you can see the scrape on max's chin and nina's shiner.

both occurred unrelated to the other. max fell and hit his face on a cement bench and 

nina fell down the stairs. 

they hurt each other often but tend to not leave any marks...

nina's visit

what a week! bekah, nina, and my mum left for johnstown yesterday. it was so sad, when max woke up from his nap he asked me "is nina still sleeping? shhhh!" i told him that she went to johnstown he started crying. it was heart breaking. he recovered though when i told him that we were going swimming. we then celebrated chris' birthday with his family. we had a fun relaxing night. it was the first night we hadn't been in the hospital for 2 weeks. my poor mum, she didn't leave the hospital but to sleep.

bekah is sore but seems so much better. spending time with nina was such an eye-opening experience. she is so strong willed. my mum always says that she's a lot like me...she is really outgoing and loves people...me too :)...but wow this week, we went rounds. she is demanding...me too....when i was pregnant with max, we went on a family vacation and i was in the back seat on the trip down. i kept saying "hot!" when i was uncomfortable and the air conditioning would get turned up to high. well, my bald brother was driving and he at one point said to olga, "my forehead is numb from the ac." i still get teased about that. WELL, nina does that stuff. it was definitely a taste of my own medicine. whew. i always knew i loved her for a reason. she is me....

in the midst of the chaos, i had another doctor's appt and heard the heartbeat. it was terrific. i just love that wooshing sound. i'll go back at 18 weeks and then have my ultrasound at the beginning of august. really exciting....

i'm in two weddings, august and november. i'm so hoping that i look ok in the dresses....

thanks again for alll the support you guys have given over the past few weeks. i got more VM's and texts than ever before. thanks, we truly felt so supported. a woman told us that bekah was the most popular person at her church. she belongs to several prayer groups and bekah was the focus of all of them. incredible. thanks....

 

my sista

last night bekah noticed that she was "seeping" from her incision. at 430 this morning they discovered that she was leaking cerebral spinal fluid. she was sooo upset. she had been desperate to check out today at noon and go home. she was as low as i've ever seen her. she was really cynical and hopeless. she was moody and really grouchy. she didn't sleep for almost 24 hours. 

so we cried out to God for mercy and He provided more than we could have ever imagined. she feels amazing! she is happy and cheerful and full of life. she has not been this way for months!! she said "i knew God was telling to get my head on straight! so i stopped crying and went into surgery with a level head and they didn't have to overmedicate me." she says that she had an amazing meal (hospital food?!?!) and she has a newly remodeled fancy single room. she really is doing amazing. 

i was nervous that she would be in a lot of pain today but she's not at all....praise Him for giving her the comfort necessary to get her through this tumultuous time. 

Psalm 31

"To you, O LORD, I called;

to the Lord I cried for mercy:

"What gain is there in my destruction,

in my going down to the pit?

will the dust praise you?

will it proclaim your faithfulness?

Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me;

O LORD, be my help"

You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.

O LORD my God, I will give thanks to YOU forever.

this week has been crazy. we have been on the go alllll week. we have been home for a few minutes and then off again. we are so anxious for bekah to go home so she can be comfortable and we can visit her in a place that we aren't all sitting on straight back chairs and chasing the kids around germy nasty rooms. that being said, bekah is being a bit difficult about wanting to leave AMA because she feels her PT at southside hospital is worthless. she says that they say "ok play with this playdough and then take a break". then they leave her for 20 minutes for a break. she said "i can play with playdough at home!" please just focus your prayer around her becoming compliant to what the doctor wants which is for her to stay til friday. she wants to check out on tuesday and we don't want that decision to set her back. ugh..

please pray that her heart will soften to the idea....

ps...nina is freakin hilarious. max and i are loving having her here. my last day of school is tuesday. so we'll be painting this town red. i can't wait....

birthday girl

"hey, i'm one!"

little sweetpea turned one this weekend on father's day. we had a fun family party. she was hilarious. sasha was born to walk. she used to be a little fussy and as soon as she started walking she became the happiest kid i've ever seen. she smiles all the time. this is a laugh that i caught. she is a sweetheart and i love the crap outta her.

busy weekend

this is mamere. chris' grandmother. she is fabulous. she turned 80 and all nine of her children gathered for a surprise party for her. she said "wow, i thought everyone had forgotten!" it was terrific. chris' aunts and uncles flew in from all over the country. it was at an aunt's house and it is a perfect party place. there was a HUUUGGGE yard, pond with boats, fishing poles, and bull frogs. there also was a bonfire. i had said the only thing missing from this celebration was fireworks. on the way home we saw some. such a fun day. 

here is chris, max, and mikey. mikey and chris grew up together and he has a son that is a smidgen older than max. it was so neat for chris to be with his cousins for the day after they had been apart so long.

this is leah. she is really great with max. she was teaching him how to fish...

this is a thrown in extra. chris and i had been wanting max to have loooong hair for awhile now. so we decided to grow it out this summer. we often pull it into a ponytail, a samurai ponytail, and he had been called a girl many times. but we don't care. 

on sunday morning after the party, chris' mom told us that one of the cousin's at mamere's party had LICE!! we were told what the protocol was about searching every inch of someone's hair to ensure that they don't have eggs. it was frightening to think about searching each of his hairs. so....

we buzzed him...

he looks fabulous.

update on bekah...

well, i went to see her at 630 this morning and she seemed good. we both cried a little but mainly because we were nervous. i left her and went to work. the doctors had told us that she would probably not be out of surgery at 1145 like the schedule read but she was. my dad called at 1151 saying that she was in recovery and that we could see her at 300.  i walked in and our friend todd warned me about her state. he said that she was in a lot of pain and that she was swollen. she was...it was tough to see her suffering that way but with a little time and vicadin, she can't have IV meds because they would knock her out, she was able to calm down and talk a bit. she seemed ok for a few hours and then she started hurting again. 

as for the procedure, they placed a shunt in her brain and removed part of her skull. she has a titanium plate in her head as a protector where they removed the skull bone. i can't believe that i don't have more details about the actual tumor removal. i'll let you know when i ask my dad later tonite. i completely forgot to ask.

feel free to call her cell and maybe come to visit. she should be a lot better tomorrow.....thanks for praying...it means the world to us...

pray hard...

tomorrow is the big day. my little sister's brain surgery. for months we have been dealing with the awful tumor and tomorrow is going to be the end of all that. we are believing that 

"through His stripes we were healed"

the amazing part of that scripture is that it's past tense.  i believe that scripture for everyone who is "afflicted" with any kind of infirmity. but this is my sister!! i want facts, statistics, likelihoods, past experiences, everything that will give me hope! the doctors have been anything but definitive with her outcome. therefore, i must depend on her Creator. he has given me all of those things but yet i struggle with wanting to "see" what will happen and not depend on being certain of we don't see. i have never wanted control of something so bad in all of my life. for those of you who know me well, control is something i like to have most of the time. nothing has compared to this and knowing that my role is to surrender has been so difficult. 

please pray all day tomorrow. we don't have a schedule for her surgery yet. it is all based on tests and that kind of stuff so just pray all day. thanks...

silver lining

the time has come for bekah's surgery. on monday she will have a long day most of which will consist of a few tests. the details will be clear tomorrow. we are believing that a complete healing will take place. please pray for all of us but especially bekah that she will continue to be at peace during this weekend. it'll be a good one for her. she's spending time with her friends at idlewild and then sunday sasha turns 1 on sunday so we'll have a lot of family fun this week. her estimated rehab time is two weeks. 

the silver lining....nina will stay with us during the time bek is in rehab. 

idlewild park

bekah wanted to have her birthday party at idlewild park. we had our family reunions at idlewild when we were growing up and it was fabulous. we thought maybe it would be lame since so much changes when you go back to a favorite childhood destination but it was FABULOUS!! we had a great day. everyone said it was one of their favorite days ever! wow...and for it to be bekah's birthday celebration was so much more exciting. it was like 84 degrees. really hot but the kids LOVED the day. the rides, the pool, everything was great. all three babes didn't nap but they were so well behaved and really appropriate. max was the perfect height to ride everything with us. i rode some rides..i know, i know....pregnant women not allowed to ride but i rode everything that didn't have a harness or would be rough. i rode the paratroopers, ferris wheel, that kind of stuff.  it was so fun...i missed the rollercoasters and the tilt a whirl. i love that stuff...

sasha and daddy on the ferris wheel...

here is wells on a car that i rode when i was a little older than him. we are looking for the picture. he doesn't look happy but he cried every time the ride ended...it was really sad.

little darling sweetpea was nervous initially but when she saw that max was ok...she joined in

so fun...two steering wheels....those idlewild folks know kids

dang that centrifugal force....better him than her....

he's a fish just like his mama. we had to wrestle him out of the pool to get him to this kiddy play area. he really liked it but definitely preferred the pool. nina and sasha loved this play area...

"uncah topher is hoddin me"

he cried getting out of the pool but fell asleep sitting up in his wagon

she crashed as soon as her bum hit the stroller

she never crashed at all...so hilarious. tired but not grouchy...

If...

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Rudyard Kipling