Days One and Two at Cincinnati

Whew what a day! Kaylan asked me (her hubby) if I could post an update for her. I am not nearly as good at this kind of thing as Kaylan is, so please bare with me. All three of us are exhausted from our adventure at the hospital. None of us slept much last night. Beckett and I took a good afternoon nap after the hospital visit. As usual his anxious mother did not rest that much. Hopefully we can all "catch up" tonight!
Everything went wonderfully with Beckett today. He is such a trooper. We have been amazed at how friendly and personable everyone has been to us. When I say everyone, I mean everyone! All the way from the time we stepped foot inside the Houston airport until the lady that escorted us back to our car after Beckett's procedure. I really feel like the good Lord has been leading us through our entire Journey and allowing us to meet some amazing people! Even the maintenance man that fixed the heater in our hotel room asked if he could pray with us for little Beckett, and if he could add him to his prayer chain at his church....and he did! He prayed right there in our hotel room with us! God taught me an awesome lesson...he showed me what it looks like to be bold and share your faith in Him no matter what the situation or who your company is. We as Christians need to always treat our brothers and sisters like brothers and sisters and not be afraid to ask if we can pray with them, and truly mean it! I have often told people that I would pray for them, but I have never asked if I could pray WITH them...especially complete strangers! I hope one day I can demonstrate that level of boldness. The maintenance man is just one of several who have told us they would pray for us that we have met while on our journey. I really appreciate knowing that my family is surrounded by other Christian families while we are away from home, going through what we are going through, and knowing that they are praying for us. Oh, and I am also thankful the maintenance man was able to fix our hotel room heater...ha! Texas folks and 20 degree weather don't mix that well.

Beckett Preparing for his procedure.

Beckett Showing off his awesome dress!


Beckett and Mommy



Beckett and Daddy after their 2 hour nap!


Showing off his Christmas jammies

December 8

Beckett's surgical biopsy is tentatively set for December 8 in Cincinnati. We are looking forward to getting their opinion (and hopefully some answers) regarding Beckett's digestive problems. They are working to schedule the other testing around this date, and the week of bowel management will follow the surgery. We are excited at the possibility of answers and solutions, but I think with that excitement comes some nerves. It is easy to get side-tracked by the negative questions running through my head...What if they cannot figure it out? What if there is nothing they can do about it either? What if we just have to continue on this schedule of bottle feeding formula indefinitely? But, then I stop myself...or at least attempt to. I know that worrying about what will happen does not help anything. There is no productivity in worry. In fact, worry just eats away at you and makes everything harder, so I am working to choose not to worry. Not always easy...but worry is sin. It is a sin that so easily creeps in and takes a hold of our hearts. It has always been a struggle for me. I can so easily be caught in the grip of worry. It is one of Satan's attempts to "devour" me. But I refuse to give Satan that power and live in constant worry. I want to place all my trust in God and remind myself constantly that He is in control. He is bigger than all of this. He is bigger than tests and doctors and answers. He is our Creator and the one who holds us all. So I daily..hourly...work to push worry out and give it all to God. I am so thankful for a God who cares for us and loves us. We are very hopeful that this trip will bring us new options for Beckett. This hospital is number one in the country for pediatric gastroenterology after all! We are praying for solutions. I know that regardless of the outcome of our trip to Cincinnati, our God, the same God who created the sun, moon, and stars, is taking care of my sweet Beckett and our family. And He always will.

1 Peter 5:7-11
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.

Too Many Antibiotics

After a very fussy weekend, B is on yet another antibiotic. Since we moved about 5 or 6 weeks ago, Beckett has been on three antibiotics for ear infections. I realize there are way bigger things in life than antibiotics and ear infections, but it does somehow compound what we are dealing with. Let me explain. A week and a half ago, the little guy was diagnosed with a bacteria infection in his digestive system. When I asked how this happened, the nurse told me it was more than likely from being on antibiotics (2 seperate ones for his double ear infection in March). These antibiotics kill off the good bacteria in the system. His system ended up developing an infection. So he is on a compounded antibiotic for that bacterial infection. Now, today he is diagnosed with yet another ear infection. The question is: What kind of antibiotic do you give a baby who is being treated for a bacterial infection due to antibiotics...? See the problem. So after trying to contact his GI (who is taking care of the bacterial infection), the pediatrician was able to contact Infectious Diseases, who informed her that there is not great research pointing to a solution. So we move foward with yet another antibiotic for his ears while still on an antibiotic for his colon in hopes that his little system can handle it and the ear infection will be resolved. I think I see tubes in our future... It is easy to feel defeated after a day like today... Again, I know that ear infections and antibiotics are not so bad, but it just feels like one more thing to add to the pile. And I can't explain how weird it feels to have Infectious Disease contacted before an antibiotic can be prescribed to your baby. I heard a song this afternoon when I got back in my car that talked about how we don't have to be strong enough to do "this" (whatever it may be for each individual) on our own. What a good reminder it was to me at that time of feeling defeated. I often don't feel strong enough, and it is nice to remember that I don't have to be, nor can I be, on my own. I am so thankful that our God is so big and loves us so much and continues to give me and my family strength. Please pray that Beckett's ear infection and bacteria infection heal quickly. Thanks for checking on us. We really are thankful for the prayers.

Being Still

No, I haven't completely forgotten to update the blog. We still haven't gotten the results yet. I talked to a nurse yesterday and she said we would probably be getting the results on Monday. So we are still waiting...

"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalms 46:10

I think in this time of waiting, we have been given the opportunity to just be still. We are not running around wondering what we need to do next, or how to make the next step happen. We are not planning care for Brant or figuring out the best way to handle another hospital stay. We aren't juggling Kyle's work schedule with appointments and testing. We are just being still, and knowing that God is God, and we are not. We know that both our boys were fearfully and wonderfully made. His works are wonderful. (Psalms 139) We know that God has a plan for us, plans to prosper us, and not to harm us. Plans to give us a hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29) We know that the same God that created the heavens and the earth, made our little guys. We know that our heavenly Father loves us an immeasurable amount, and we know we love Him.

I am ready to know if Beckett has Hirschsprung's Disease, and if his little colon can be "fixed," or if we need to continue investigating why his tummy hurts and why he is slow to gain weight. But I think in this time of waiting, we can be thankful for this time to be still and focus on what we know about God- all powerful, all knowing God.

Thanks for checking on us. I hope to have an update for you soon, but for now we are just being still.