Going Forward

We have had some great news this week! First, her hip looked great! He wants to take the plate out with in the next 7-8 months because it has served it's purpose and the hip looks like it should! Second, her feet are responding well to her casts and the doctor does not think another surgery is necessary at this point! Praise the Lord!! Third, she is functioning well with the recovery of her arm. She has not lost much motion at this point and we are expecting all she had plus more to come in the next 12-18 months!! I was very nervous about all of these follow-up appointments but God has gone before us and things are going smoothly!
We are enjoying some time with family and getting into a routine at our home away from home. Addie has one more set of casts next week and then we get them off the following week and will be able to travel home again! Praising our God. The road has been long but He has been faithful!

First Casts!

Second set!

Continues to be Faithful

What a faithful God we serve! Once again He has answered our prayers! When we met with the Doctor he said that he was able to clearly see which nerve to take and which nerve to connect to it that would give us our best chance of extra motion. There was no debate but a very definite answer! We are now on our way to my brother's house to relax for the weekend before we head to my Aunt's. She has been feeling well so far with no nausea and no significant pain. We are so thankful for your prayers! Even though it was mentally tiring and physically exhausting our God has been with us. We know our God is working though now we must wait for the end results we are so thankful for His direct answer to our prayers for wisdom and clarity today. Psalm 46:11" The Lord Almighty is with us; the God fo Jacob is our fortress."

Surgery #11

What is a year without a surgery? We wouldn't know! Once again we are headed to Cincinnati trying to give Addie her best chance at function with her arm. The doctor has determined we have another chance at a nerve transfer into her deltoid from her tricep. So tomorrow morning after much prayer and wrestling if this was the right decision we are putting our sweet Addie under again. We asking for prayers that the doctor is able make the best decision on which nerve to take from the tricep and where to connect it on the deltoid. We will have a loss of function at first and won't see the full results or possibly any improvements for 12-18 months as we wait for the nerves to grow. We are trusting in the Great Physician to do what only He can do and to get glory through this trial. We covet your prayers for a successful surgery and especially no nausea after as she has struggled with that the past few surgeries. If there is no nausea we will be able to head to our family and recover for a few days before we head to St. Louis for more casting/ possible surgery and hip follow-up. Before her first arm surgery God gave me this two verses Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for he who promised is faithful." And  Hebrews 10:36 " You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God you will reciere what He has promised." While we have had multiple surgeries since then these verses are still true. Our hope is eternity and His will is to walk through this with praise so that we can glorify His name to all we come in contact with.

2019 A New Beginning

Is it wrong to say I am so glad 2018 is over??? Seriously it was probably one of the hardest years of my life. We have dealt with 2 surgeries in St. Louis. 16+ weeks of casting, traveling almost every month for some reason or another, multiple therapy sessions a week, and multiple chiropractic appointments a week. For the past 10 or so weeks we have had 5 appointments a week! Not to mention homeschooling or the boys Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The balancing act we have had going on trying to get Addie the best care we possibly can, teach the boys what they need to learn, and still allow them all time to be kids has been exhausting. I don't know if part of it is their ages or just how long we have been dealing with all of this but this year I lost it. I have dealt with exhaustion and anxiety to a degree I have never dealt with before. And yet I know God has seen me. I had to deal with the crazy traveling and surgeries this year like never before but Mike was able to be with me for most of it. I don't know how I would have made it through without him. We also have had multiple people those we know and random strangers who have blessed in many different ways. We were able to sneak in an extra beach vacation with my Aunt, Uncle and cousins this year right when we needed it. We have had people come and clean our house, do our laundry, bring us food, and give us money. This year has been a great reminder of how we need to listen to God even when it doesn't make sense because you don't know what doing or saying something He tells you will do for the person who is receiving it. We have had Words of Life spoken into us. We have had small phrases spoken to us that God has used to remind us of His faithfulness and that while we are here in the waiting so is He. While our time is not His time, He is still working. That even when life hurts and I can't understand why He doesn't just fix it now like I know He could, He has a plan. Sometimes I get so stuck on my plan that I forget to wait patiently for His plan. My verse for 2019 is Romans 12:12 " Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer." I know 2019 will have ups and it will have downs but I am going to hold strong to Jesus through joy, hope and faith! He is the only thing that is worth holding onto each and every year!
Addie is doing well. Her hip surgery and the chiropractor have really helped her stand up much straighter. Her arm is functional yet we are desirous of so much more! There is a potential surgery in Jan 2019 to see if we can get any more function out of it. Her feet looked perfect when we got out casts in November sadly though her right foot is already starting to turn in. We also follow up with that in January. I won't be surprised if we have to do some more casting in order to correct it.
Regardless of the ups and downs I will choose to sing praise! 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
My planner for 2019 because I am sure I will need the daily reminders!

 

Faithful and True

Feet that couldn't walk

Arms that didn't move

Mouth that didn't talk 

And a jaw that couldn't chew

She prays and she fasts

Trusting that it would happen at last

Movement would come

Talking would start

God would be felt

Deep in her heart

Little by little change did appear

Proving her God had once again drawn near

The sorrow is strong

Tears have fallen down 

She holds on so long

For her God has promised a crown

Trusting one day the storm will be past

His hope holds her steadfast

Yet for now the storm rages on

Traveling here and traveling there

As foreward we go

 Castings and surgeries are done everywhere

Hard it may be yet it is not just her story

The end of it all is to show the world His Glory

 

God will shine bright

Then there will be no night!

He is Faithful and True

And as always will follow through

He has promised rest

As we stand strong through the test

2 Weeks Post Op

Addie is two weeks post-op. She is doing amazing!!! Her pain is under control and she is pretty happy overall.  The doctor in St. Louis said if the doctor at home was comfortable taking over some of her care we would not have to travel back to him until this summer. So we went Monday for her 2 week post-op X-ray with our doctor down here. He was more than willing to take off her cast for us so that was set for May 7th! He is happy to work with the doctor in St. Louis to make sure Addie gets the best care she possibly can without us making unnecessary trips back and forth to St. Louis. We have truly been blessed with great doctors and nurses that are willing to care for Addie and make things as simple as possible for us! Even in the middle of the crazy year we have had full of surgeries and casting God has blessed us with people who are doing their best for Addie!

Don't Lose Heart

I think the thing I have learned most during our life lately is perseverance. Perseverance according to dictionary.com is "a steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement." I've learned I can't do it alone and by my strength but only by God's. I've learned that whether life feels up, down, or sideways I can rely on Him. I sometimes think 'why God don't you just fix this or fix that' but He has been showing me the beauty that comes through perseverance. This past year has been one of the hardest of my life. We moved 1000+ miles away from our home, and family, and friends. Mike has worked crazy hours at his new job trying to get thing sorted there. We had no church, no friends, no activities, no doctors, no therapists. It was intense just getting settled and sorted but I saw God's hand of blessing through it all. Then, we had two surgeries both up north which resulted in a 5 week journey of traveling and house bouncing for me and the kids and Addie being in cast upper body then lower body for about 13 weeks total. Things finally had settled down and it was the holidays. We made it through that to be hit with an unplanned trip up north to follow up on her feet and hips. That lead to another surgery. We found out that Addie will need an intensive hip reconstruction followed by 5-6 weeks in a spica cast. Which will be followed by 2-3 weeks of foot casting again to stretch the feet back out. We are also in the process of relocating yet again. We are not sure what exactly our future will hold but we know Who hold our future. 
This is where the perseverance really kicks in. We must stay steady, I can't give up hope, I have to keep pressing on and trusting that in the midst of this God has a plan. That some how He is working it out for good. It may hurt now but He has a plan. I must keep this as my focus in spite of the difficulties, obstacles and discouragements we are facing. I can't lose heart. God brought me to a couple of verses this week as I digested and prepared for the next step of Addie's journey.  One verse was John 16:33 "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Sometimes when we are facing so many difficult things it is easy to feel like we must have done something wrong. This can't be what God wants for us. It should be easy and comfortable when we are doing the right thing, but this verse reminds us that is not always the case. Just because life is difficult doesn't mean we aren't exactly where we should be! We WILL have trouble not if, not maybe, but we WILL. This is normal, this is okay. God is still good, He knew this was coming and He has a plan. I have to persevere and hold on to that truth and not get pushed around by the ups and downs of life.
The other verses He lead me to are Hebrews 10:36 "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God you will receive what he has promised." & Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." We have to persevere and hold onto the hope that He gives us because He is faithful through it all! Continue to pray for us as we travel back and forth and go through this surgery and recovery time. We will be doing our best to hold unswervingly to Him, but as you all know in the midst of the trials it is easy to be swept away in the emotions and exhaustion of the day to day. We know God is faithful and He will carry us through each step as He always has. We must not lose heart!