Is Philip destined for the Ministry?

Philip's grandpa Bill was a Minister of Music. His uncle is a Youth Minister and soon-to-be Interim Pastor (Jonathan, we'll be praying for you!!). And just recently, cousin Paul (Matthew's cousin) accepted a position of Youth Minister which he'll be starting in a few weeks. Who knows what the Lord has in store for Philip, but we may just be seeing early glimpses of the next Billy Graham! Honestly, my prayers have already started (and did while I was pregnant) for Philip to know Christ as his own Lord and Savior. There's really nothing I want more for Philip than that he live according to God's will for him.

WARNING: If you are reading this in a public place (i.e. school or office), you might soon be laughing out loud!! Click here to see Philip "preach it"!

Weekend in recap...

After visiting Mom at the hospital on Friday morning, Philip and I headed around the corner to the health department for his belated 15 month shots (his 16-month "birthday" was Monday). Five yucky shots in one visit! Philip was a very brave boy and endured one shot in each arm, one in the right leg and two in the left leg. He was crying throughout the process, but I gave him his beloved paci and it settled him down. By the time we arrived home, this silly little boy was ready for a round of golf -- his favorite activity these days.

That evening, Philip and I accompanied Daddy to his work picnic. Philip enjoyed baked beans and fritos for dinner, danced a little with the band and went on a train ride with Matthew. He began getting fussy and a little warm around 8:00pm so we headed home.

Saturday Philip woke up very hot (102.4 F), but we had a busy day ahead of us so I hoped Tylenol would do the trick. I was pleased and honored to help put together a bridal shower for Matthew's cousin Mollie and her fiance. Matthew, Philip and I ran around town Saturday morning getting last minute details together before enjoying the shower. Philip was super clingy to Daddy for the first half of the shower as he felt pretty crummy. I guess the excitement along with some punch perked him up and he and Grandma went outside to run around (Philip doing the running, Ruth Ann keeping him away from the street). That evening, Philip stayed at Grandma's house while Matthew and I attended a graduation party for one of the guys Matthew has taught in Sunday School in 9th and 10th grade. Upon returning to Ruth Ann's house, we found Philip full of energy. He grabbed a pole by her front door and began full-on preaching (loud, boisterous voice and hand raised in the air) to an invisible congregation outside the glass storm door! It was hilarious. I'll try to get a snip of the video posted soon.

Sunday morning came and we still had a feverish boy. Luckily, Philip could rest longer at home today as we headed to Inman Mills Baptist Church to celebrate the 50th year of ministry of Rev. Jack Hames (long-time pastor of Boiling Springs First Baptist, close family friend to the Brooks' and the man who officiated our wedding). Philip cried as we left him in the unfamiliar nursery, but we were told he was fine after we left. The service was touching and the outside luncheon was enjoyable. Philip however was very sleepy and still warm so he ate just a bite before he and Grandma headed to the playground to try and pass the time.

Next stop, my parents' house to spent time with Mom now that she's home from the hospital and my grandparents. Philip went to bed around 1:45pm while Matthew, Grandma Diemer, and I played some croquet outside. Around 5:00pm, I checked on Philip as I didn't want him to be awake all night. He was roasting (it was a little stuffy in their house) and his temp was up to 104.5 F!! Those darn shots. I put him in a lukewarm bath and followed it up with a banana popsicle. For the next 45 minutes, Philip's wardrobe consisted of diaper and bib! Once the Tylenol kicked, he was back to his normal self.

Monday morning the fever was 101.3F, but faded away as the day went on. What a weekend!

Mom Came Home!

This round at the hospital was a much shorter, more pleasant stay for Mom. Her surgery was Thursday; she spent Thursday and Friday night and was discharged Saturday at 7:00pm! That's nothing compared to the 12 days she spent there back in January. Thank you Lord!! Mom has really benefitted from all the prayers offered for her as she was feeling wonderful Thursday evening and Friday. She cannot stop praising God for her ileostomy bag being gone. Her surgeon Dr. Dunn said he would release her after she had passed gas or had a bowel movement (sorry if this is t.m.i.!). When Saturday afternoon came, she did both and was thrilled! Her stomach hurt somewhat before that, but she felt no pain in going to the bathroom. It was a slight fear as she had such a horrible time back in November when the radiation affected her insides terribly. We are all so grateful for such a short hospital stay especially her parents as they will be staying with her and Dad through Thursday. They were hoping to have several days of taking care of Mom without driving back and forth to the hospital.

Again thanks so much for praying. The Lord heard your prayers and is restoring Mom to health. I'm posting this from my parents' house. I'll post some photos of Mom soon.

She did great!

Mom is resting comfortably (hopefully) in her hospital bed with her surgery behind her now. God really blessed us yet again with a great surgery. We were told it might take 2-3 hours so we were shocked when Dr. Dunn met Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Liz and me in the waiting room just an hour and a half after he first came to tell us they were about to begin! He said everything went well and Mom could possibly be discharged on Saturday. That alone would be such a blessing to Mom.

Here's a recap of the day. Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Liz got to the hospital at 9:00am. Mom was taken to a room to get changed into her hospital gown. One of our church pastors, Keith, came to pray with them. At 10:00am, they all walked with Mom down the hall into surgery. I made it to the hospital at 11:30am after tending to some things around the house and getting Philip and his carseat strapped into Mollie's car. Thankfully, Matthew's cousin Mollie took care of Philip today. In the surgery waiting room at 11:50am, Dr. Dunn came out to tell us they were just about to start Mom's operation. We then headed down to the cafeteria.

Back to the waiting room by 12:45pm, we sat expecting another few hours to entertain ourselves. We were pleasantly surprised to see Dr. Dunn again at 1:30pm saying everything was done and Mom was resting in recovery. We waited for another 30 minutes until being told she would be in room 623. Dad wasn't sure if he should go be with Mom in recovery or not, but we were told just to go on to her room and wait there.

The wait began again, but finally around 3:45pm Mom was rolled into her room. Unfortunately, she said this surgery was not like the other one at all and that she felt a lot of pain. Last time she had an epidural and was feeling almost tipsy after surgery. Her nurse said a morphine pump would be here soon. After giving Mom some ice chips, Dad and I went down to his car to get all their personal items. I headed home after telling Mom that Philip and I will see her tomorrow.

Thank you for your prayers. God definitely heard and answered them. Please pray that Mom will be complication-free (no infections or blockages) and Mom and Dad will both sleep peacefully while in the hospital.

Tomorrow is the day!

Mom will have surgery to reverse her ileostomy tomorrow at 11:30am. Thank you for keeping her and the rest of our family in your prayers. Here are some specific requests:

1. Safety for my grandparents Jim and Elsie and aunt Liz as they drive here from Atlanta today.
2. Mom to have a good night of sleep tonight and awake tomorrow feeling at peace.
3. Guidance for Mom's surgeon Dr. Dunn's hands tomorrow during the operation.
4. A short stay in the hospital (predicting 3-4 days).
5. NO NG TUBE (tube down Mom's throat which she HATED last time); this would only be needed if her intestines don't process food correctly.

Thank you for remembering us. May the Lord be glorified through Mom's situation!

Philip's "Birthday" Present

Our friends and neighbors Brian and Jessie bought their son Jayce a cool sand and water play table for his 1st birthday last month. When they picked it up from the store, they were given a large cardboard box. When Jessie opened it at home, she realized there were actually two play tables in the box. Matthew and I attended Jayce's birthday party and found it strange to see two of the same play tables on their back porch. Jessie told us the story of finding two in the box so I mentioned to her that if she were stuck with them, Philip would probably love one for himself. After she called the store and was told it was a mistake on their part, she said the extra table was all ours whenever we wanted to pick it up. Brian helped Matthew carry it across the street and I gave him a check to help defer the cost they had paid ($70!!).

Philip was excited and soon began to play in the sand. As Matthew and I watched him playing like a big boy, Matthew said, "Well, Philip, happy birthday." For those new to the blog, this is May and Philip's birthday is January 22. Back around December, I had my eye on the Incrediblock from Fisher Price for his 1st birthday present. Well, with it being Christmas time, everyone was sold out. Christmas and his birthday came and went and many new toys populated our house. The Incrediblock slipped my mind as did the fact that we NEVER bought our son a gift for his birthday!! Such bad parents, or maybe subconsciously we are trying to keep him grounded and not become materialistic! Either way, the sand/water table will be lots of fun throughout the summer! Glad you like your present, Philip!!

Philip's Newest Achievements

Philip had his 15-month check-up this morning. He weighs in at 22 lbs. 1 oz. and is 29.9" (let's just say 30") tall. His doctor said he was looking great and very smart. He panted like a dog for her! Here are Philip's newest skills:

Words he can say:
Mama
Dada
Nana (usually comes out "Da Nana")
Bird
Shoes
Please

"Signs" he can do:
More
All done
Able to nod "yes" and shake head "no" appropriately
(we need suggestions for others because that's all he learned from his cousin Hannah!)

Funny things:
Able to blow nose upon request
Learning to "kick" and "throw" balls (I use those terms loosely)

Animal sounds he knows:
Cow
Wolf
Monkey
Gorilla (growling and beating chest with fists!)
Dog (panting)

My mom was over when I first heard Philip say "please" (click here for the video). Matthew had asked him to say it the day before so I knew he had done it. I was so excited to hear his little voice (which is actually kind of deep for a toddler) begin to actually speak English and not just baby babble.

Videos -- take two!

Until, I figure out what I'm doing wrong or what I need to change on my camera and/or computer, maybe this will work. To view a funny short video of Philip in the tub, click here. To see Philip "jamming" with the radio, click here.

Mom's 2nd Surgery

Mom will be having her second surgery on Thursday, May 18 at 11:30am. It is the Thursday after Mother's Day (close enough now to say next Thursday!). She actually is quite ready for this surgery and not nearly as anxious as she was last time. She is predicting a much easier surgery and much shorter hospital stay. Mom has really been through a lot over the last five months and I believe it has made her stronger emotionally. She might not agree, but I can tell. This surgery her doctor will make an incision around her stoma (the small intestine protruding from her stomach). He will then make a clean cut on each end of the intestine that has been separated and reattach the ends. This sounds much easier than removing the tumor from her rectum and moving all her organs around to get to it. We also pray that her bladder will not be affected at all during this surgery or during the recovery. After her January 10th surgery, Mom was on a catheter in the hospital for 12 days, two more weeks at home, and then catheterized herself throughout the day for another week. Thank the Lord, her bladder is operating properly now and please pray that it will remain as such. Also pray for safety during surgery, minimal pain during recovery, and patience as her digestive tract adjusts over the next several weeks.

Philip's head injury!

Yesterday without thinking, I stood Philip in the laundry basket while I vacuumed around him in my bedroom. Before I knew it, he was leaning on the side of it and it quickly turned over dumping him out. Unfortunately, he was facing the bathroom and his forehead landed on the metal strip connecting the carpet and vinyl floors. I quickly picked up by screaming baby and apologized over and over for letting him get hurt. My sweet Philip had a dent in his forehead! Within 5 minutes, he was off running and playing, but after about 30 minutes the dent swelled to a quarter-sized lump.



After I laid him down for his afternoon nap, I decided to call our hospital on-call nurse because I knew there was something about checking a sleeping child after he had bumped his head. The nurse addressed the situation as a "head injury" (I was thinking of it as a little bump, but it's better to be safe than sorry). She told me to look for a black eye, vomitting and confusion as signs of a concusion. She also said that I should sleep in Philip's room for the next two nights and wake him every four hours. He thankfully showed no other problems yesterday afternoon and evening yet Matthew said the rest of Philip's life is definitely worth two nights of my sleep. Therefore, last night Philip had Mommy for a roommate.

We decided to leave a twin bed in Philip's room to have an extra bed in the house and for just such occasions as we knew sickness / accidents would probably occur sooner or later. This is where the fun began. We put Philip to bed around 8:30pm. Matthew suggested we go ahead and wake him at 11:30pm as we were going to bed so I would only have to get up once during the night. The nurse told us to look for coherentness and ability to walk upon waking him. Let me ask you, how many people are coherent and walking straight upon being woken up out of a deep sleep? Now think of that person being a little 15-month-old who just learned to walk at all 2 months ago!! Matthew and I were trying not to laugh as bleary-eyed Philip tottered around in his room and then suddenly took off in a slow run heading down the hall. Maybe he thought it was morning all ready!! Well, the 3:30am wake-up was just precious. I rubbed his back in his crib and then picked him up. He just melted onto my shoulder. His room was only lit by the nightlight in the bathroom around the corner. I stood him on the floor, but he just reached for me as if saying, "Mommy, what are you doing? Don't you know what time it is?" I thought being able to stand showed enough body control. He easily went back to sleep as soon as I laid him back in the crib. Thank you, thank you On Becoming Baby Wise for helping Matthew and I develop Philip into a great sleeper. This is definitely the one book I advise all expecting moms to read as it will help you create a great schedule for your little one and make him/her that much more easier to care for.

The Many Faces of Philip

Philip is such a funny little boy. He is getting really good at copying facial expressions. One of the cutest things he is doing is blinking. It becomes a game to see if he will keep blinking back at whoever is blinking at him.




He also loves to sing along if Matthew or I am singing. It was reinforced when we began teaching him animal sounds. The wolf says "Hoooooo."




Here's Philip at his best: blinking and singing!!