So long thyroid...

So this is the front view of the thyroid.  Something I never would've cared about until this year.  I honestly didn't really know much about it, either.  I discovered a lump on my neck about 3 weeks after I had Seth and, of course, freaked out.  I went to the doctor, not really knowing what this lump was on or how bad it was.  When the doctor said it's probably a goiter (enlarged lobe of the thyroid), I thought...ok, thyroid...I know I can live without that. 

The long process of having a sonogram, being referred to a specialist, having a biopsy, and now surgery has been quite a journey.  My doctors discovered that I have a nodule, which I believe is kind of like a tumor, on that center part of the thyroid called the isthmus.  The right lobe of my thyroid is also enlarged and has multiple smaller nodules on it.  Honestly, I didn't really feel anything when I first discovered it.  Now that time has gone on, the pressure and discomfort has increased.  I have a slight choking feeling all the time.  I've even felt a few times that food has a hard time going down.  The anticipation and trying to plan for what's ahead has been kind of hard.  So now I believe I'm just ready to get this done and move on.  I'm not real excited about having to take medication for the rest of my life.  Maybe it's a pride thing..I was really glad that I've never had to take medication on a regular basis.  I've really not been one to take medicine at all.  I try to tough out pain and only take something if it's too hard to get through.  I'm thankful, though, that there is a medicine I can take and that God has provided a way for me to get relief. 

So now I'm thinking about tomorrow.  I've got to pack us up and we're heading to my parent's house so we can drop of the kids.  I'll miss them.  We're taking little Seth with us.  I'll have to pump for 24 hours after the surgery but I'll be nursing him right up until we go to the hospital.  Some old friends from Thailand are helping us while we're in Augusta, GA for the surgery.  These are some American friends that I was a missionary with years ago.  They are providing a place for us to stay as well as taking care of Seth for us the day of surgery.  What a blessing!  God continues to meet our needs and I'm thankful.  I have also been so grateful for the doctors and medical care I've received.  I truly believe that God has provided me with the best doctors possible.  After the surgery I won't be able to pick up anything for about 10 days...including the baby...so I'll have to have a lot of help from family.  It may be the rest I've needed, but it's not easy to know I'll be pretty helpless.

I know I ask for prayer a lot, but it's powerful.  I would be grateful to have your prayers as we travel, take care of the baby before/after surgery, and do the pre-op and surgery. 

Thanks!

Stacey

Reading...

I'm not sure when I find the time to read so much.  Maybe it's because I stay up too late and I read sometimes while I'm feeding the baby, while the kids are watching a movie, etc.  When I get into a good book and feel like I'm stepping right into its world...the time flies.  So I guess it's kind of my escape. 

So what am I reading right now?  Well...let me tell you!  I think I'm kind of on a western kick right now.  I found The Inheritance by Tamera Alexander and the Montana Marriages trilogy by Mary Connealy on sale at Lifeway and splurged.  It was a good splurge, for sure.  I just got Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer in the mail the other day from Bethany House!  This was totally unplanned.  After I did the author spotlight on Karen, I received her book as one of the options to review.  I jumped at the chance because I've loved all of the books I've read by her.  That means you'll be seeing a review by me before too long!

I started off reading The Inheritance and loved it.  Here's the synopsis from Amazon...

An unexpected inheritance. An unknown future. An unending love.

Determined to tame her younger brother's rebellious streak, McKenna Ashford accepts her cousin's invitation to move west and to begin again. But she quickly discovers that life in Copper Creek, Colorado is far from what she expected. Shouldering burdens beyond her years, McKenna tries to be the parent Robert needs, instead of the older sister he resents. But an "untimely inheritance" challenges her resolve at every turn, while also offering a second chance to restore her trust--and perhaps even her heart.
U.S. Marshal Wyatt Caradon is dedicated to bringing fugitives to justice, yet years of living on the trail have taken their toll. When his path intersects with that of McKenna, he comes face-to-face with a past he never wanted to relive--and the one woman who can help him find the future he's been longing for.
As McKenna struggles to let go of her independence and Wyatt considers opening his heart again, they discover an inheritance beyond imagination. But it will come at a price.

I've read two of the Montana Marriages books...and I believe these are my favorite Mary Connealy books.  Sweet love stories, characters with depth, and the wild west.  Be still my heart! : )  I had to stop myself from starting the last book in the trilogy so I could start Short-Straw Bride.  I'm hoping to finish over the weekend so I can post the review before we head out for my surgery pre-op on Tuesday. 

Please keep me in your prayers as I await my surgery on Wednesday.  I'm just ready to do this and start recuperating.  It's been a 4 month process but it feels like it's been going on for much longer.  I'd appreciate it!!

God bless~Stacey

Four months...

 Has it been 4 months already?!  It's going by fast....especially with everything we've had going on.  From sicknesses to a small toilet overflow...our cup has runneth over.  Literally.  But we press on. I'm trying to remind myself of the truth and find joy in the many ways that God has provided for us and met our needs.  See that sonogram picture up there?  That's my Sethy when he was 4 months old in my tummy.  I remember that day.  We were convinced that he was going to be a girl before we went in.  We just had a "feeling" about it.  Boy, were we wrong!  It was no question that this little one was a boy...I could even tell in the sonogram...and I can never tell.  It was that obvious!  And now our little guy has come and we've had 4 wonderful months with him.  He's sleeping good at night now, he's still spitting up, and he smiles and coos and I'm loving every minute.  Well, almost every minute.  I'm so thankful for my kiddos!

 Here are the brothers.  I think Isaac is just starting to really get interactive with Seth.  I hope they grow up to be close.

And my Sophie.  Her little motherly instincts have kicked into high gear.  She loves to take care of Seth, play with him, talk and sing to him and she is such a big help to me.  I think I see a little resemblance between the two of them.

Children are a blessing from the Lord...and I am VERY blessed!

A Tribute to My Friends

I heard this song as I was on my way home from renting a movie with the kids.  It immediately brought tears to my eyes as I thought about all of the encouragement, prayers, acts of love, phone calls, messages and more that so many of you have sent my way.  It has blessed me so much and this song is a thank you to all of you!  The video is, I think, done by a cancer survivor, which isn't exactly where I'm coming from, but there were so many good verses and pictures on there that I had to use it.  Love to all of you!  Stacey

A Great Baby Tip

Life remains pretty crazy for us right now...but there's definitely been some good moments the last week or so.  I had a birthday...the big 35...and enjoyed time with family and friends.  I've started a tutoring job that I enjoy, went to a high school friend's wedding and got to visit with some old friends (great fun!), and I also have a date set for thyroid surgery.  I honestly think this has been one of the busiest, hardest years of my life...but I must say that God has provided strength and endurance that I've never experienced before. 

One thing that has really helped our littlest guy is this great stuff called Gripe Water.  It's natural and it helps babies with gassiness, fussiness, and hiccups.  Just perfect for our little gassy, hiccuppy boy : ).  It is a little pricey in my opinion, so I try to make it last longer by just giving it to him at night before bedtime and using the cheaper mylicon drops during the day as needed.  We give our baby a bottle of formula at night (long story) so I often put the gripe water in that, but when I started tutoring he got his bottle earlier in the night.  I ended up giving him the stuff later with the provided dropper, but some of it would spill out.  Then I saw this little tip on Pinterest.  Have I mentioned that I LOVE Pinterest?! : )

So....Pinterest.  It's awesome.  Every idea I've gotten from there has been great.  First of all, before I share the idea, I would like to say that this pacifier is my fav.  I think we got these from the hospital so I'm not sure where you buy them.  On the actual pacifier it's labeled "Soothie".  It says it's made by Children's Medical Ventures (http://www.childmed.com/).  We had two of them and have lost one of them so I will do just about anything to make sure we don't lose this one!  I was never a big paci person with my other two kids.  In fact, they always spit it out so I didn't push it.  We didn't have to go through any traumatic pacifier withdrawals.  With Seth, he seems to take it more and it definitely soothes him when he's tired.  This is the paci he likes the most...and we have tried several.  We even got one of these in purple with Sophie that is a good bit smaller because she was in the NICU.  It has a vanilla taste built into it which is said to soothe babies.  Seth didn't care for the small one much, but he really likes the regular sized one.

The tip.  If you take a sharp, pointed knife and cut a little hole in the tip of the "soothie", you can drop medicine in the other side of it, which is open, and the baby can suck the medicine through.  It's not messy, it doesn't spill, and if you keep the hole just right, it provides just the right amount of flow so that the baby doesn't choke and gets to take it at his/her own pace.  I give the baby the grip water with this now.  It's awesome!  Hope this helps some of you!  It's definitely helped us.

Please keep us in your prayers as I will be having part of my thyroid and a nodule that is growing on my thyroid removed.  I am very pleased with the medical care I've received so far, so I feel confident that the surgery will go well. There is a chance the nodule could be cancerous, so I'm asking for prayer that it won't be.  I appreciate it!  August 1st is my surgery date.

God bless~Stacey