THANK YOU ABC....

Wow! I just watched an episode of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition via YouTube. The makeover was for the Stockdale family. They have four children with Eosinophilic Enteropathy, and the dad is going back to school in the field of Immunology in hopes to find a cure for his children and others with Eosinophilic Disease. It was an amazing episode and I encourage those of you who would like insight into this disease to watch it. If you view it through YouTube, it is split into 5 parts. Here is the first of five: http://youtube.com/watch?v=vDazFr6d-bY. Let me close with..."Welcome Home Stockdale Family," and thank you ABC for sharing with the world what Eosinophilic Disease is and how it affects our lives!

*Ross just showed me an easier way to view this espisode, directly from ABC's site http://abc.go.com/player/?channel=27718. Enjoy!

Neurology Appointment

Abigail's neurology appointment went well yesterday. The doctor felt like Abigail was actually doing quite well, and thought that her gross motor delay was due to the fact that she has been chronically ill since birth (even though we didn't know it). However, she was a little concerned about her speech delay; so she is going to have an MRI in a couple of weeks to check the side of the brain that controls speaking. I know your are probably thinking that appointment went way too smoothly...well, yes the appointment did. The trip home and the day after were a bit chaotic. Apparently we either drove through something or Abigail came into contact with something that caused her to have a mild anaphylatic reaction. So, after giving Benadryl, the inhaler, Dr. Lovell, and more inhalers, she is doing fine. Hopefully we are back on track and headed for a wonderful weekend!

How We Are "Holding it All Together"

I have people tell me they don't know how our family is handling the news of Abigail's disease so well. I have pondered on this for a while and the only answer I have, is the Lord. He is our Strength, our Provider, our Healer, our Defender, our Rock. He is Majestic; Oh, Lord our Lord, how excellent is your name! He is the Beginning and the End, He is All-Knowing.

"All-Knowing" this may be the most satisfying name of the Lord when we get overwhelmed with the unknown. He does know all, and it is perfect. He knows every minute of every day, He has a plan and a purpose for Abigail's life. We have peace in knowing that although it is a very real possibility that Abigail may never eat; and even if she does it will be very limited, but that's okay. It is okay because God has ordained it all. He knew that Abigail would have Eosinophilic Esophagitis. He knew that Ross and I would be the best parents for her. He knew that Mary Grace and Hannah would be the most wonderful, protective big sisters to her. He knew that Cincinnati would be an option for us, and He knows the answers to the unknown.

There is comfort in knowing that there is a purpose for Abigail having this disease. If that purpose is to bring God the glory alone, what other purpose do we need? Jesus said this in Bethany when he was talking to Mary and Martha about Lazarus before he raised Lazarus from the dead. Jesus said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." John 4:11 The Lord blessed me with the verse right after Abigail's diagnosis. What a wonderful thing for Him to show me! Abigail's sickness will bring glory to God! He and He alone is why we are able to "keep it together," without Him we would all be utter messes.

A Much Needed Break

Ross and I went to Branson; that's right, Ross and I. No kids. It was a much needed break! We headed to Branson Friday after Ross got off work early. We booked a room at the Quality Inn off the strip. It wasn't a beauty, but I could have handled it. However, there were 10 different little league baseball teams staying there for a tournament. So, at 10:45pm after complaining about the noise and the fact that the boys were running by, knocking on the door, and running off we switched hotels! Let me just tell you, my husband has great taste and oh, what an upgrade it was. He took us to the Hilton in the Convention Center by the Landing. It was SOOO NICE! We checked in and walked down to the Landing; which seems to be a happen' place in the evening hours. We went for french fies and ranch and back to the room we went.

Earlier that day, we went to Silver Dollar City and five minutes before we got there, it poured down rain. We decided that it would be worth getting a little wet for some taffy; so into the park we went. I'm sure people thought were crazy because the trolley was packed with people leaving and there was only one other couple (elderly) entering the park with us. Surprisingly the rain let up and we were able to get our taffy without getting too wet.

The next day we spent our time walking around the Landing and the Outlet Malls. We found an amazing Mexican food place, Cantina Laredo. The food was delicious and they make fresh guacamole at your table. Yum! I have to confess, it was so good that we ate there twice in the same day. Why is it that when we go out of town all we do is eat? Anyway, we had a wonderful time, and although I would have loved to stay there another night it was very much worth it. Thank you mom and dad for watching the girls!!

Playing Pretend

What do you do when your children play pretend? Do you sit back in amazement as you see their little inventive minds at work? Do you reminisce to when you were a child? Are you excited when you realize they have reached a developmental milestone? (Yes, playing pretend is a milestone). Does it bring you joy? Or, do you take it for granted? Do you neglect to notice? Do you pay attention to the inquisitiveness of their thought process and actions?

If you ponder on these questions for a moment, the answers may surprise you. I have been guilty of both, seeing joy and being inattentive as I watch my children pretend. What has stirred all of this up, you may ask? Yesterday, the girls and I met Ross for lunch at the Promenade Mall in Rogers. While we were eating we noticed that Abigail acted like she had gotten a bite of something. Half in panic, we inspected her and much to our liking there was not a trace of food. As I watched her out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that she was pretending to grab a piece of food off of her daddy's tray, brought the "food" to her mouth, and proceeded to smack and chew. She did this several times throughout our meal.

My immediate reaction was excitement and "awe how cute" because she was playing pretend. Then the reality set in. This may be her life. Forever. She may always sample food this way. By pretend. My answer to this reality in a pretend world was to join in. I ate her pretend food, and liked every "bite" of it. Several bites later, she was done and so was I. And so we made it through another meal without pointing, crying, and the longing look of "why can I not eat"? I will gladly join in a game of pretend to make the dinner table a more comfortable place for my daughter who cannot eat.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Today is Ross' birthday. He turned 28 today...such a young one ;). The girls and I got up early and surpised Daddy by taking him to breakfast at Cathy's Corner. When I took MG and Han there on Tuesday they decided that it would be a wonderul idea to take daddy to breakfast for his birthday. They were right, it was wonderful and hopefully a good start to his day. Happy Birthday Husband, Daddy, Son, and Friend!!

Suzy Homemaker

WoW! That Housework post has really got me going. I was a busy little bee today. First of all, we got up early, took Abigail to therapy, and then I took the "big girls" to Cathy's Corner for breakfast. That was the first time I have taken the girls to breakfast. It was a lot of fun and the food was yummy. After breakfast, Mary Grace and Hannah went to their first day of swim lessons. The girls had a blast, and Hannah got to move up to MG's class.

Swim class ended, we picked up Abigail, and went to Wal-Mart. I usually dread this task with three children, but it actually went very well. We got our groceries; which I might add is steadily increasing as the gas prices rise. They aren't rising a few cents at a time, but rather 50 cents at a time. When everything increases by 50 cents; the result is a much higher grocery bill than I had originally anticipated. Sorry. Back on track.

Once we got home and the groceries were brought inside, I made the girls lunch. Then they laid down for a rest. While the girls were resting, I made dinner for three nights, baked two loaves of banana bread and banana mini muffins, cleaned house, and did a few loads of laundry. Yeah, for my productive day! I hope your day was as productive as mine.