Sweet Baby James

I'm writing this post and pleading with you for your prayers. One of my closest friends, Lisa, today found out that her sweet James, 2 1/2 yrs old, has leukemia. The doctors have told Lisa and her husband Denny that it is a treatable kind and should not return however there is a 2-2 1/2 year process to recovery. To make the situation even harder on them, they have two older children, Thomas (about 7) and Avery (about 5) and Lisa is pregnant with their fourth child and due on Christmas day. She was thinking this baby might come early as James was two weeks early. The stress can't help. She is such a thoughtful friend and wonderful mother. It breaks my heart for her to have to watch her son go through all the treatments and appointments I've just been through with my mom and little James won't even know why. He begins chemo tomorrow and will have a spinal tap at 10:00am. Please pray!!

Overgrown Carseat

These pictures just amaze me. The way God created humans to grow from a newborn infant into a full-grown adult should be enough to convince anyone of His presence. We've only had Philip in our lives for 10 months and his changes are astounding. Once a little, warm, helpless lump and now a babbling, toddling little guy with a funny, adventurous personality. Thank you Jesus again for this miracle!! Guess we should put "carseat" on Philip's Christmas list.

Thanksgiving Day

Well it's about time I posted some Thanksgiving photos. We had a really great day. As is our tradition, we enjoyed the holiday at my mother-in-law Ruth Ann's house. Matthew's aunt Elise and uncle Arden brought the turkey which Matthew deep-fried in the driveway. Yummy! Matthew's Grandma, cousins Mollie and Paul and Mollie's fiance Michael were also there. Two years ago, my parents moved to town and actually live on Ruth Ann's street -- just at opposite ends. It's made holidays pretty easy and so they've joined the Brooks' clan the last few years. This year was especially nice for them to come because Mom hasn't been out of the house other than to the doctor's office for the last several weeks. She ate a small plate of room-temperature turkey, dressing and green beans. Dad enjoyed it all! My plan was for Philip to enjoy food cubes of the same thing we were eating, but his turkey cubes ran out a few days before. He feasted on ham, pineapple and turnip greens. He did love eating a piece of sweet potato pie (minus the crust) later that afternoon.


The family enjoying our Thanksgiving meal


Great-grandma feeds Philip in his classy high-chair


This is a four generation picture with Elise sitting in her brother Bill's place. Matthew's dad Bill is greatly missed and it is with sadness that I say I never met him. It's an incredible thought to think that his blood runs through my little Philip. A few people at church have said they see Bill in Philip! I am already praying for Philip to one day receive Jesus as his savior. One of the extra benefits will be meeting Grandpa Bill in heaven!!

Philip's Favorite Things

Philip is growing and changing almost daily! He is a quite active boy, but just not as mobile as some babies his age. He always hated being laid on his stomach so we unfortunately delayed his crawling abilities. They are coming along slowly but surely. His attempts at crawling resemble a crippled inch-worm. However, the boy LOVES to be on his feet. He has mastered cruising (walking along while holding the edge of the couch or coffee table) and is getting quite brave which scares his mommy. He's bound to get bumps and bruises during this learning process, but that comes with the territory especially being a BOY!
One of his favorite things is to open and close kitchen cabinets (the top ones while I hold him standing on the counter) or his changing table drawers. He would open and close a drawer 100 times if I let him!
Also he's quite good at getting us to mimic him. While sitting in his feeding chair mainly, he'll throw both arms up in the air and wait until Matthew or I copy him and say "Yeah!" He then gives us a big smile. So cute!!

A Good Day

Monday was my 30th birthday! Last week I wasn't looking forward to it and was fine with just letting it pass on by. However when Monday came, I actually felt really good. Empowered to put it one way. Being in your 20's some people still see you as still growing up. Being 30 sounds like a bonafide ADULT!! No one can question my reasonings but yet I'm held more responsible too. Saturday, my brother, sister-in-law, aunt and uncle came to town to visit with Mom and Dad. Matthew and I stopped by for a while and then left Philip with them. We had dinner at Red Lobster for my birthday. Being 30 and feeling "in charge", I took it upon myself to make my own birthday cake. I'll leave the professionalism to my other sister-in-law Lori, but this cake held special meaning for Mom and me nonetheless!
Anyway, back to Monday... That afternoon, Mom and Dad picked up me and Philip for Mom's LAST radiation treatment. It was a mixture of emotions as going to the Cancer Center had become part of our daily routine and we've met so many nice people there. However, Mom's body definitely needs the rest that not having radiation will bring.



Plaque beside the bell


There is a bell which hangs in the hallway just outside the radiation area. Each patient rings the bell after her last treatment. The nurses celebrate in the moment with the patient. It's hard knowing our friends, Cecil and Sam, who were watching still have several treatments to go themselves.



Philip says goodbye to his buddy, Michael


Mom's surgery will hopefully be December 28. That gives her 6 weeks to avoid doctors, needles, hospital gowns, etc. and enjoy Thanksgiving, Christmas, and cuddling with her favorite boy, Philip. Thank you Lord!

No more Chemo!! No more Chemo!!

My mom just called me ecstatically saying she and Dad had met with her chemo doctor and he decided to cancel her 5 doses of chemo which she was scheduled for next week! He said that the minimal amount of good that it would do was not worth the risk of causing her the tremendous diarrhea problems she's had over the last several weeks. She is beyond thrilled and is giving God all the glory. She told her doctor that many friends and family were praying so she accounts his decision directly to the wisdom which God has given him. The countdown now... radiation treatments tomorrow and Monday and she's done!! Her surgery date is still unknown as her surgeon wants her body almost completely healed from the trauma it's been through. Thank you again as I know most of you reading this have been praying!! Thank you Jesus!!

Latest Update on Mom

Here we go again... more changes to her treatment schedule. Unfortunately Mom is not coming to the end of her chemo week. She met with her chemo doctor last week and he decided to push her 5 chemo treatments back until after she's done with the radiation. This is how things will play out if God-willing she doesn't have any more breaks in radiation. Radiation today and all next week (Nov. 7-11) and a final dose the following Monday (Nov. 14). Chemo will also start that Monday and be each day that week (Nov. 14-18). Surgery is still scheduled for Dec. 20, but it will likely be pushed back to the week after Christmas as her surgeon likes to wait a full 6-7 weeks after treatment to let all the swelling go down. Mom is feeling great today -- the best she has felt in weeks she says!! Please just pray that fear would not steal her present happiness. As she has felt so bad recently, she worries she'll feel like that again. I try to encourage her to only think of the current day or hour if need be. I thank you Jesus for being with Mom daily through this trial!!!

Philip's First Halloween

Well, from reading some other blogs and talking to friends, our Halloween wasn't the only one to go not as planned. Our church has a Harvest Fest on Halloween at which our ferrets have made an appearance for the last 4 years. Not thinking it through, I signed us up to have a Ferret Trunk (church members decorate their car trunks as the event is in our parking lot and the kids get to "trunk-or-treat" from car to car!). I also had high hopes as this was Philip's first Halloween and was excited for him to see all the festivities. In all the excitement, I forgot to take photos of our actual trunk, but I had this sign taped to Christmas lights which adorned our trunk.

Well (can you hear the sigh in my voice?), Matthew and I got tied down at our trunk introducing Griffin and Samson to many kids and adults who thought it was just great to pet a ferret, many for the first time. Luckily, Philip was rescued by his loving Grandma Ruth Ann, who took him around the rest of the festival. She came back after an hour or so saying Philip had a wonderful time singing and dancing (bouncing) with "The Skittles" (i.e. our pastors dress-up like the Wiggles and lip-sync their songs!), watching the kiddie rides, and showing everyone his costume. I was so upset I had missed my son's first concert due to my "not-my-babies-anymore" ferrets. Needless to say, Matthew decided the ferrets are retired from the Harvest Fest gig so we can enjoy Halloween with Philip next year.

Since my mom didn't come out for Halloween, I dressed Philip in his giraffe suit on Tuesday for her radiation treatment. The nurses and other patients all gave a big smile when they saw the baby giraffe strolling through the cancer center.