Cousins: Best Friends or Double Trouble?

Here are some pictures of Levi and Henry from this past week - you be the judge!

Two kids, one cart - great idea in theory! They look so innocent now...just give it a few minutes!

Notice all the mints on the floor? Levi made the mess, but Henry was happy to help play in it. Monkey see, monkey do!

Hangin' out in Levi's crib after morning naps. Don't worry, the naps were in separate cribs!

Levi was getting ready to pull Henry down from the edge of the crib...

...but instead Henry took a swing and threw Levi down to the crib mattress!

I think these two cousins are going to have a lot of fun together in the years to come!

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

We moved into our house 3 years ago this month. There are some boxes in our storage area that have not been touched since we moved in. I have had really good intentions (for 3 years) to go through all the boxes in the storage area and re-label them, put the contents away or get them ready for a garage sale. Due to some plumbing issues at our house this week, it turns out that today was the day to finally make some headway in the storage area. We had to empty out a third of the boxes to fix the plumbing clog, so instead of just putting them back and shutting the door (trust me, the thought was in the forefront of my mind as I took a rest on the couch) I organized the storage area. It felt good when I was done - I found a lot of junk in there to trash and now there is a clean walkway to get to all of the boxes!

While I was going through the boxes, I found a poster that I used to have hanging in my college door room. It struck me again today in the same way I remember it struck me when I bought it in college. The title of the poster is "The Fellowship of the Unashamed"

I am part of the "Fellowship of the Unashamed".

The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line.

The decision has been made. I am a disciple of

Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down,

back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present

makes sense, and my future is secure.

I am finished and done with low living, sight walking,

small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams,

chinzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position,

promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I now live by

presence, lean by faith, love by patience,

lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace

is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my

road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few,

my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought,

compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back,

diluted, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the

presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy,

ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander

in the maze of mediocrity.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until

Heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know,

and work until He comes. And when He comes to get

His own, He will have no problem recognizing me.

My colors will be clear.

I am not ashamed of the gospel...Romans 1:16

Wow - I read through that and want to be a part of that fellowship, but I know that I have more to clean up than just a storage room! Praise God that He's not finished with me yet.

I think I'll move the poster to some place I spend more time in than the storage area...

Tired Little Tiger

It's been a long day for all three of us, but we are home again and Levi is doing great! A huge thanks to everyone who prayed for us and thought about us today. We truly felt the effects of prayer today, as well as in the events leading up to today.

We started out at shortly after 7 AM today in the outpatient center of the DeVos Children's Hospital and Levi got changed into his little hospital gown (covered with "tired little tigers"). After getting his vitals checked, we were taken to the Meijer Heart Center for his procedure. Just before 8:30 AM, we met the anesthesiologist and he took us to the cath lab where Levi would have the procedure. We were able to stay with Levi while he was being sedated (which took no more than a minute using a "gas mask" of sorts) and then Levi's cardiologist met us to go over the procedure one last time. It was a good thing that it had been explained to us before, because I don't think either Matt or I could hear him through our tears. We just had to trust that we weren't just giving Levi over to the doctor, we were giving him over to God.

Then we waited... After 1-1/2 hours we got our first update that things were going well and that they had the catheter in, had taken their first pictures and measurements, and that they were getting ready to insert the plug. Then another hour or so later, the nurse came out to tell us that they were done. After that we met with the cardiologist who explained what he did and assured us that everything went great, that the PDA was able to be fixed with this procedure and that Levi did great during the procedure. He even mentioned that now that his PDA is fixed, Levi might act a bit differently - he might have MORE energy (I wonder if that is really possible, but we'll have to wait and see)!

Finally, we got to see Levi again in the anesthesia recovery area. After about 45 minutes there (and a bit too many liquids for Levi, resulting in a mess all over him and me!), we were brought up to a room in the outpatient center where we started the day. We spent the afternoon there and Levi went from groggy to napping to sitting up and playing with toys from the playroom. His recovery has been amazing! Around 5:30 PM the nurse removed the bandages from Levi's groin and he was able to get down and walk around in the playroom. We were discharged shortly after 6 PM and we were back home by about 6:30 PM. Levi had a burst of energy right when we got home - he wanted to play with the special Pooh Bear balloon that was waiting at home from Grandma! By 7 PM though, he was sucking on his fingers, rubbing his eyes and ready for bed - he fell asleep right away and hasn't moved much since.

According to the cardiologist, Levi doesn't have any real restrictions and can resume normal activities tomorrow - but we have a low-key day planned just in case. We're just so thankful that today is done and that we can start to put the issue of Levi's PDA behind us!

Here are some pictures from our day...

A Big Day Ahead

Tomorrow is a big day for this little guy...

When Levi was two weeks old, his pediatrician noticed that Levi had a heart murmer. At two months, Levi had his first visit with his pediatric cardiologist and we found out that Levi has a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Basically, before a baby is born, there is a blood vessel in the baby's heart that goes between the pulmonary and aortic arteries. Shortly after birth the blood vessel is supposed to close, however in Levi's case it did not close. He has had periodic check-ups with the cardiologist and since the PDA has not closed on its own, tomorrow Levi is having a heart catheterization procedure to insert a plug in the blood vessel to permanently close his PDA.

Today we spent a few hours at the hospital in preparation for tomorrow's procedure. Levi was a real trooper with all the testing, needle poking and X-rays, but he was tuckered out when it was all done - he fell asleep in the van within minutes of getting on the road.

The procedure tomorrow is outpatient and technically not a surgery, but Levi will be totally sedated for it. We have to be at the hospital at 7 AM and the procedure is scheduled for 8:30 AM. It should take approximately 2 hours (but it could be up to 4 hours) and then Levi has to be in recovery/observation for about 5 hours (or until the doctor says we can take him home). During the recovery time at the hospital Levi won't be able to walk or crawl, so we're hoping that he will still be sleepy from the sedation since he's quite the active toddler these days!

We have already felt the prayers of our family, friends and church family and we covet them especially as we prepare for and go through the day tomorrow. We trust that God will watch over and take care of Levi, that He will guide the doctors and nurses during the procedure, and that He will give Matt and I the patience and strength to get through the day tomorrow.

Happy Day!

Today is my Grandpa & Grandma's 55th Wedding Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary Grandpa & Grandma!

We love you and wish you many more years together!

Happy Birthday to Grandpa today as well!!

We praise God for the Christian heritage we celebrate today and we give thanks for the loving and Christ-like role models we have in our grandparents!