In the trenches...

of potty training that is!! Yes, this week we have begun the monumental task of potty training. Our first two days went well. Day 1 went down with 2 accidents, not too bad I thought!! Day 2 went down with 0 accidents but our little guy didn't go #2 at all that day. I was preparing myself for lots of poo on Day 3 because of that!! Well, Day 3 didn't disappoint on the poo factor, however the accidents did!! We had 4 that day!! There were some highlights though. Like when Zeke peed on the floor he stopped because he knew it was wrong and finished doing his business on the potty. We did make it to church and out for pie and ice cream after in big boy underwear without any accidents!! Praise God for the wonderful ladies in the nursery at church who kept on top of the potty training!! Praise God also for the two positives despite all the accidents, half of which were poopy!! Day 4 went down with 3 accidents and frankly him just not even caring. He peed twice outside in his pants and was like, "yeah I peed my pants!" Ugh, potty training!!

I've really struggled the past two days with "is he ready? Maybe he's not so we should just give up!" Then my stubbornness kicks in and I say, "No, we can't give up, we have to keep persevering!!" Then I get frustrated and think back to the two times we've tried before!! Like right before he turned two when he was telling us he had to go and actually going, then he got bronchitis and that streak ended as quick as it began!! Then, last year in October, when he was doing so well. At the time we were living with Arnett's parents and then they moved out. Once again, the streak was over!! So, if he could do it then, why can't he do it now?? Maybe it's because that same stubbornness that keeps me pushing forward is the same stubbornness in him that keeps him saying, "no way!!"

I've really been praying about it this week, especially this morning. I'm currently reading through Luke and this is the verse I came across today, Luke 11:9:

“So I say to you, keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you."


Lord, THANK YOU for your word! Thank you for the encouragement it brings!! Thank you that is so readily available to me, as are you!! So, here we are...asking, searching, and knocking that he'll get it!! 


Just in Praise...He just woke up for the 2nd day in a row with a dry pull-up on after sleeping all night!! Thank you Lord!! Also, I think we've stumbled upon a reward system that he's digging at the moment!!! Last night as I was brushing his teeth we had some money sitting on the bathroom counter, he started playing with it so I told him if he'd pee in the potty I'd give him some money for his piggy bank. As soon as we got done with the teeth brushing he wanted to sit on the potty!! This morning I told him we need to sit on the potty and he started protesting! I told him, "If you pee on the potty you can get some money for your piggy bank" Bam! He was up and eagerly headed to the potty!! He's now playing with his piggy bank!! Another, thank you Lord!! 

Also, just to update you all on my mom..she came through surgery well. PRAISE THE LORD her lymp-nodes were clean!!! She now has to go through the healing process and reconstruction. They weren't able to do the reconstruction during the surgery as they first thought, so that will happen in a month or so. Thank you all for your prayers!! Until next time...

So much I want to say...

But oh so little time!!! That pretty much sums up how I feel these days. I want to blog about several different things but I feel there is no time and when there is, I just don't feel like it!! So, please bare with me if this post jumps all over the place!!

Update on my mom...she has not had surgery yet! We were orignailly told it would be soon but due to scheduling conflicts it will not happen until next Wednesday, April 11th. She has decided to go with the mastectomy with reconstructive surgery after. We are extremely thankful that this can all happen at the same time and shouldn't require two surgeries. However, they will do a lymph-node biopsy at the time of the surgery and run a preliminary test on it in the operating room, if the test comes back positive, they will postpone the 2nd half of the surgery until a later date. Please pray for my mom as she prepares for next Wednesday. Pray that the lymph-nodes will be clear and the surgery will go smoothly!!

Nema Grace, Nema turned 2 months old the 23rd of last month! Her rash that she got last month is gone and she's doing great!! She weighed 10 pounds 14 ounces at her appointment and got a great report!!! She's growing so fast!! Here's a few recent pics...

Serious face!!

Happy girl!! 

2 months old!!

Zeke, is sick at the moment. A couple days after Nema's 2 month appointment he started coughing and then he spiked a pretty good fever. I took him to the doctor last Thursday and the doc said it was croup. We had had croup before so I knew the only treatment was to put him on steroids to control the inflammation in his throat. I also knew that the last time we tried that he threw up the steroids every time we gave them to him. The doc said they had tab that you put on your tongue and it would dissolve that we could try but it was only available in name brand and thus more expensive. Praise the Lord, the doc had a sample in his office so we tried that. Needless to say, we were cleaning throw up off the exam table! UGH!! Option 3, a shot!! So, we got the shot and went home! Over the weekend he didn't get any better. So Monday morning, Arnett took him back to the doctor (more on why Arnett took him and not I in a minute!!). He now had an ear infection and the doc ordered chest x-rays to rule out anything more serious. Praise the Lord, the chest x-rays came back clear!! So, we are treating the ear infection (the first one he's ever had, Praise the Lord!!) with antibiotics. He's still coughing pretty bad, so if that's not better in a day or so I guess we'll be headed back to the doctor. Please pray for our little guy, the cough is so bad at times he's throwing up and it's keeping him up at night!! Thankfully, the fever is gone!! 

Me, well, one of the joys of being a Mommy is that when the babies get sick your chances of getting sick are pretty good!! Well, this past Saturday, I started coming down with the same junk Zeke had!! So, while Arnett was at the doctor with Zeke, I was at the doctor for me! I have some respiratory infection and am on a 7 day course of antibiotics. I sound horrible and have a cough that sounds like I've been smoking for 30+ years!! This morning I felt pretty rotten but as the day has gone on I am feeling a tad better, Praise the Lord!! 

Arnett, well, of course once Mommy has the bug, Daddy's ultimately next!! So, Tuesday, Arnett headed to the doctor and got himself a round of antibiotics. He too felt pretty rotten this morning but is feeling a tad better this afternoon. Another, Thank you Jesus!! Another praise is that, so far, Nema Grace has been spared from this rotten, awful, nasty bug!! Please pray, that we'll all feel better soon and that Nema will be spared all together!! 

This past Monday was a pretty special day, even though we spent it at the doctors office and in the bed sick! Arnett and I celebrated 7 years of wedded bliss!! I can't believe it's been 7 years already. Since Nema Grace is pretty attached to Mommy right now, we knew we couldn't have a romantic getaway just the two of us, so we had decided to take the kids to Sea World, of course, we stayed home!! It's kinda funny, last year we did the same thing! Zeke and Arnett were both sick, so we couldn't do anything then either, so strange!! Guess we'll have to reschedule that Sea World trip!! 

Mali, is so very heavy on our hearts right now. If you've gotten our recent e-mail updates or seen it on the news you know that things are not good right now!! The week of the 22nd, Mali experienced a coup! Some of the military were not happy with the way the current president was handling the Tuareg rebels in the northern part of the country, so they over threw him and the current constitution. They then, shut down the boarders and implemented a curfew throughout the capital city. Thankfully, our friends stayed put in their houses and were all safe. About a week after the coup happened, the rebels in the North started making advances on taking over 3 key cities in the northern part of the country. By this past Sunday, they had successfully captured all 3 cities. In the meantime, ECOWAS (a group made up of West African countries) was threatening sanctions if the coup leaders did not step down and restore order. Those sanctions were put into effect yesterday and will remain until some sort of agreement is reached between the coup leaders and ECOWAS. The sanctions restrict goods from entering the country and also money being sent to the country via the central bank in Dakar. Needless to say things are going to get nasty really quick since  Mali is land locked and depends on it's neighbors for good and services, especially gas!! In light of all the happenings our friends decided it would be best to evacuate, so on Sunday, they all "flew the coup!" Praise God, after long hours in the car they are all safe in other countries and doing ok. Please pray for our friends, the reality of what has happened is really starting to sink in. Also, the reality of the unknown is starting to sink in. Like a dear friend wrote today, "We don't know when we'll be able to return or IF we're able to return!" Pray also for Mali. That peace and order will be restored soon. 

So, as you can see, there's never a dull moment around here. I told Arnett Monday night I felt like we were back in Africa!! Seems like lately, it's been one thing after another!! Thankfully, God is in control and I'm being reminded daily to just trust Him and His plan!! 

So, I just re-read this post and it sounds like I live in a fantasy world of "Hallelujah's! Praise the Lord! Thank You Jesus!!" You know, always being grateful and thankful for everything that God throws our way. I just wanted to let you know, that's so NOT true!! In fact, I've spent the past 4 days kinda frustrated at God for letting us all get sick! And truth be told, when I'm sick I tend to be a big baby and a little dramatic, or maybe even more dramatic than I already am, at least I think that's what Arnett would say!! :) So, after my 4 day stint from being upset with God and ignoring him, this morning I sat down with my Bible and my journal.  God, whom I'm so grateful to for loving me unconditionally, met me right where I was!! I'm such a failure at this whole trusting God thing! When things get rough, I tend to want a magic cure all and I always look to God to give that to me, when He doesn't I get mad! I know God's not some cosmic genie in the sky waiting to grant my every wish, desire, or demand...which I know in hindsight is a good thing!! For example, I had asked my mom to come take care of us this week and both days she couldn't come because of conflicts at work. Now, seeing how quickly this bug has swept through almost our entire house, I know that Mom so didn't need to come take care of us!! She's got enough going on her body right now and doesn't need to get sick a week before her surgery!!! Thank you Lord, for knowing exactly what we need or in this case didn't need!! Ok, back to my time with the Lord...so, God had to point out this failure in my life which let me tell you that's not always fun either!! But, thankfully, God is merciful and gentle!! I'm currently reading through the New Testament and I'm in Mark right now. Today in my reading, the disciples have tried to cast out a demon in a child but have been unsuccessful. Jesus then steps in, casts out the demon and the boy is well again. The disciples want to know why they couldn't do it! Jesus replies, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer [and fasting]." (Mark 9:14-29) I love His reply. While God can offer us an instant cure at times, often times, it will only come by nothing but prayer and fasting!  It was a good reminder of how much time I need to be spending in prayer!! For example, Zeke's behavior, I mean, I don't think God's going to give me a instant cure and Zeke will all the sudden be obedient and do everything I say!! No, that one is definitely one of those kinds that can only come out by prayer and fasting! And lots of it!! :~) So, I encourage you, be steadfast in your prayer life!! And always, despite the bad, look for some good and Praise God for it!! Sometimes, it will be a sacrifice to praise Him but He'll reward you for it!! 

Until next time...