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Prayer Request Update

Prayer Request Update

Please continue to pray for my mother-in-law.

Dom writes an update on his blog:

My mom�s situation has gotten even more serious. Her doctor is going to have to open up her knee tomorrow or Thursday; not just arthroscopic surgery, but the real deal.

He�s looking for one of two situations. Either the strep infection in her blood has caused the problems with her replacement knee (the inflammation, fluid, and swelling) or the the replacement knee is the source of the problem. If it�s the former then she�ll have to keep on the antibiotics until the infection is gone, but if it�s the latter, then the doctor will have to take out the knee, sew her back up, wait six weeks, and only then put yet another knee in.

Adding to all these complications is my mom�s other physical frailties, including diabetes and high blood pressure.

You may have guessed that it�s now virtually certain that my mom will be in the hospital on Christmas, which understandably distresses her. Making everything more difficult is the fact that she�s in Portland, Maine, which is at least 2 hours away from four of her five kids.

We�re now scrambling to figure out how we�re going to celebrate Christmas and visit with her.

So I thank you all for your prayers and ask you to keep at it. This is a very difficult situation for my family and this is a very dangerous illness for my mom. Put simply, we�re worried and working hard to put all this in the Lord�s capable hands.

Please keep her in your prayers .

Also, while you’re at it say a little prayer for my sister who has pneumonia.

 

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9 comments
  • Melanie,

    I think what you are describing are those sacrifices mothers of young children have to make sometimes. I know what you mean about Advent too. The last 3 1/2 weeks have been so difficult for me I have a hard time not crying daily from feeling overwhelmed so you can well imagine how I feel like I have failed this Advent. Between my 23 month old, 1 month old and myself we have had 3 colds, an ear infection, a urinary tract infection, one other infection and teething. I should be eagerly anticipating the Christ child and all I can think about is just trying to get everyone healthy in time for Christmas.

    Of course I recognize I am probably still a bit hormonal and you should remember that plays into your feelings as well. We do the best we can and simply have to leave the rest to God and just doing that is emptying ourselves for Christ as well. I need to remember that myself.

    If I don’t post again, hope you and Dom and Bella have a very Blessed Christmas!

  • I think this is almost the first year in 22 of marriage that I got my cards out in time for Christmas.  So many years when I was pregnant, nursing sick ones, moving, or whatever—as someone once told me “living out Advent”.  Anyway, I could sympathize with all you wrote.  And I loved the quote—that is one to remember.

  • I know this is kind of beside the point to your post, but you could just make some chocolate chip cookies and put them on a dollar store plate, or other dollar store container, or if you really want to be thrifty, just use a regular paper plate and wrap with a bow.    If even cookies or chocolate covered pretzels seem like too much work right now, you could always throw together a box mix or two of brownies.    Also, ecard out that cute pic of Bella – for free!

    Believe me, I know how difficult it is to put something extra on our to do lists at certain points in our lives, so throw these ideas out the window if you’re so inclined, but sometimes, it’s easier for me to welcome Christ when I feel I’ve properly welcomed others in my family’s life, so I’d figured I’d mention them just in case.

  • I am hoping to get some baking in tomorrow, after I get to the grocery store for restocking of the pantry and Target for restocking of the diapers (not looking forward to braving Target this close to Christmas). That’s after the plumber comes to install the new water heater.

    Though I hear my brother-in-law’s family has four of six kids throwing up. And still not sure what to do for my mother-in-law in the hospital. Even if she were feeling up to eating delicious baked goods, I shouldn’t tempt her with her diabetes and all.

    Anyway, thanks for all the words of encouragement. It seems there are plenty of moms out there in similar cases. I read today on Regina Doman’s blog that they only got out the Advent wreath this week.

    It’s nice to know I’m not alone.

  • Melanie,

    your post made me wonder, how is Bella responding to the decorations? I actually didn’t put any candy canes up because Cecilia found one, broke off the hook part and sat just sucking on the stick through the opening in the plastic. lol.

    I did put non breakable ornaments on the bottom part of the tree (it has plenty bare parts too) so she couldn’t hurt herself but we are having a hard time getting her to leave the ornaments on the tree. It is really cute though when she tries to put them back by simply resting them on a branch and then gets frustrated when they fall through to the floor.

    Jen, Thank you SO much for reminding me it gets easier as they get older. I am the only one in my family with little ones so I have no reminder or example. Cecilia can bring me things but that is about it in terms of really helping. She does like to think she helps though by wiping the walls and giving me blankets for Felicity.

  • Well, I’ll have to get back to you. We haven’t actually put any decorations where she can reach them yet. So far just some garlands on the curtain rods, christmas cards on the closet door and a nativity scene on a shelf where she can’t get at it. (I actually put it on a lower shelf but elevated it with an empty diaper box covered with a pillow case so that she can’t get to the figurines. So far she’s tugged at the cloth once but after I admonished her hasn’t gone back.

    I’m actually not too worried. She tends to be pretty good at leaving things alone she’s not supposed to touch. We simply have too many books and things to have totally baby-proof our house, so we’ve relied quite a bit on the firm repetition and redirection to keep her away from things.

    In fact, as I recall I first discovered that she understood the word “no” last Christmas at my parents house when I firmly told her no every time she approached the Christmas tree. She was surprisingly responsive and would stop her scooting and reaching and look abashed when admonished.

    Famous last words, I know. We may be having to do some radical rearrangement of ornaments and the candy canes may still be a bust.

  • Melanie – THANK YOU for posting this. I just wrote some similar sentiments. I kind of felt like I was the only one who didn’t have it all together this Christmas. I keep reminding myself that moms of big families always say that these first years are tough, when your oldest is still a toddler. I’m sure that in a few years we’ll have a smooth routine going where more Christmas-y stuff gets done. But until then I’ve just had to make peace that I cannot do it all—in fact, I can’t even do a little bit of what I’d hoped to do. smile

    Thanks for a great post.

  • Thanks Jennifer,

    I just finished posting on your blog entry, actually. I liked what you had to say too.

    I think you’ve definitely got a point about things getting smoother as the kids get older. In just a few years these babies and toddlers who take so much of our energy now will be eager helpers who will help bake cookies, help clean, help entertain their younger siblings and help us to see this season through new eyes.

    I just look at my sister-in-law (the mother of four) whose oldest is now six and is doing loads of laundry and getting her own meals and amusing the baby and I know that Bella will be just like that before I know it. Meanwhile, despite my moments of lowness, I really don’t feel like I need to have it all together this year.  I’m working on acquiring decorations a few at a time, for example. For now I fill in the blank spaces on the tree with candy canes (12 for $1) and think it looks lovely. The last few years I’ve been getting ornaments from various friends and family. Before I know it it’ll be like at my parents’ house where we have to decide which ones to leave off the overcrowded tree.

    Advent and Christmas traditions are the same way. You will acquire them gradually, one by one.  It will be an organic process and the practices that you add you will make your own. Some of the things you read about, lovely as they sound, might not be for you. Don’t feel bad about rejecting anything that doesn’t work for you or to put it off for another season if you can’t fit it in now.

     

  • I second the idea of an e-card!  That’s all I’m able to accomplish this year as well… and remember—you still have until Jan. 6th to do even that! grin

    One year I sent out Valentine’s Day cards with the passage from First Corinthians on Love.

    I am constantly reminding myself that Christmas is not an event that I put on for my children…or anyone else in the family!  Yes, it’s nice to have decorations and presents and pictures and cards, but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t!

    Be safe in the snow and cold!  Merry Christmas!

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