retirement...

My mom is officially retiring tomorrow. =) We went out last night to celebrate the beginning of this new season in her life. It was perfect timing since Jimmy has been home for the holidays. It's a little surreal thinking of her not working since I've always only known her to work. She's the kind of mom who definitely likes to keep busy, so she has been considering doing missions work in Taiwan to use this time to serve the Lord. But nothing is decided yet. She will be leaving for a trip to Taiwan in a few weeks though... to visit family. She'll be gone for a couple of months, but will be back in time for the baby's arrival. (Thank God for that, because I think we'll need lots of help!) If you remember, please say a little prayer for her. I know she would like to do something meaningful and not squander her extra time. Pray that the Lord would provide clear guidance for her. Here are some highlights from our little family celebration. (Unfortunately, Jimmy was our photographer, so there weren't any photos of him)...

We went to "Sushi Damo" for dinner. They have the best sushi there. Unfortunately, I couldn't have any. =( William enjoyed his night out on the town with Ah-ma. We ended our evening with a stop by the "Fractured Prune" for some yummy donuts!

duple happy birthdays

It is William's 10-month birthday and his Ah-ma's birthday today. Here they are enjoying a video together...

My mom, thankfully, is pretty much back to normal. After this rough year, she has been doing well and exercising more regularly. =) Wish I could get some exercise...

William has been doing well over the last month. Nothing new to report, but he is growing bigger and learning to excel in the things he already knows how to do. For example, he can do the army crawl up to 50 miles an hour when he wants to. (He hasn't gotten up on his knees, though he still likes to get on his hands and feet and poke his butt into the air, especially after ambusing one of his monkeys.) Those arms and legs sure can move now. He loves to crawl underneath the table and lock the wheels on his high-chair. Bill thinks he's a little OCD about that... He always uses his forefinger to push the tabs down.

He is also refining his pincer grasp when he eats his Cheerios and finds other small objects on the floor. Thankfully, he is hesitant about putting anything new in his mouth, so he won't eat anything he's not familiar with. But if he finds a Cheerio on the floor, he will pop it into his mouth without hesitating.

William has another sprout coming in, too. This time it's just one next to his bottom 2 teeth. And he now has some commercials he likes to watch, in addition to the Voyager opening credits. He is fascinated with the Bloom commercials (where all the clerks are dancing around in the grocery store), the Geico gecko, and the Nasonex bumblebee (maybe its Antonio Banderas' voice... it's weird hearing a Hispanic bumblebee for some reason... and no, I'm not being a racist. Jeez...).

Actually, there is something relatively new. William has taken to screaming. Mostly, it's just him playing with his voice and experimenting with it, but there are times when he does do it to protest something... usually when he wants to get out of his high chair or when he's tired. So Bill and I have talked about the need to discipline when he is doing it intentionally. Sometimes it's hard to tell. We don't want to be overly disciplinarian-ish, but then we also don't want him to get into the habit of screaming to get something he wants. Our first parenting dilemma involving discipline! =) I guess we'll figure it out as we go along, for better or worse. =) (If you happen to have any thoughts, we would most certainly welcome them!) Other than that, he is still our sweet baby boy. And we love him so much!

Happy birthday, momma and our little howler monkey!

update on momma 6

Momma had a follow-up appointment this morning with her surgeon. This was her first follow-up since going to the ER. So far so good. =) She has been slowly transitioning to soft foods from her full liquids diet. Although she has been experiencing a little cramping, the doc said it's to be expected. So she has been doing well and looks healthy. It will probably take some time for her to fully transition to her regular foods though. All in all, we are thankful that she is progressing well and that God has been watching over her and helping her to recover. The doc will see her in another few weeks. And by then, her "little William" will be here! =)

welcome home again, momma!

God provided such a beautiful day to bring my mom home in. Momma was already packed and ready to go when I got to the hospital. =) On the ride home, she enjoyed seeing all the trees with their changing colors. Momma had done extremely well yesterday on a clear liquid diet and had full liquids this morning, without any problems. So I was able to bring her home early this afternoon. We are so thankful that she will be able to recuperate at home. Hopefully, her stomach will be ok now as she eases back into eating regular foods. I truly thank God for His mercy and healing. We all have been tired of being in the hospital. It's been a long couple of weeks. We'll need the rest for little William as he will be here any day now! Many grateful thanks to those of you who have been praying for Momma. It really does mean so much to all of us.

update on momma 5

More exciting news!!! Momma was able to pass gas AND have a bowel movement early this morning. =) So the nurse disconnected her tube from the container that was draining all the liquids from her stomach. They wanted to leave the tube in her nose for 4 more hours to make sure they wouldn't need it again in case her stomach started hurting or she felt nauseous. But it kinda fell out before then. So the doc said it was ok to just leave it out as long as she felt ok. God was kind and she had been fine all afternoon. It was wonderful to see her without the tube and looking so much better. She seemed much more at ease and healthy... smiling and laughing. When her doc came to see her, he said that at this point, the swelling should have decreased enough so that if she eases herself back to eating food very gradually, everything should be ok. Theoretically, she shouldn't really be getting nauseous at all anymore. But if she does, she should stop eating and give her body some time to settle down and try again later. She was able to start on clear liquids for dinner tonight and will be on clear liquids until tomorrow. If she does fine with that, they will let her try "full liquids" (oatmeal, broth, mashed potatoes, etc.) until Thursday. And if she does fine with that, she can come home on Thursday! PRAISE GOD!





Momma is taking her first bites again. Doesn't she look great?!

update on momma 4

After our long-awaited stint from this weekend, my mom's surgeon was finally able to see her this afternoon. The tube that my mom has in her nose is removing all the liquids from her stomach into a container. The doc said that the tube will have to stay in until the output of liquids decreases to a certain number of milligrams in an 8-hour period. When her output has decreased to that level, they will remove the tube and start her over on a liquid diet. If she is able to pass the food, then it's a good sign that her intestine will have most likely healed. If she continues to have pain in her stomach and/or vomiting after eating, then they will give her a laxative to clean out her system to take more tests/x-rays. Surgery will be the last resort, depending on what they find from the tests. But it could take another couple of more days for her output to decrease to the necessary level for them to remove the tube. However, despite all this, if she can pass gas (sorry about being graphic) or have a bowel movement, then it's a good indication that the swelling has dissipated and her body is processing the nutrients she's getting from the IV. So she will be in the hospital for at least a few more days.

Momma seemed extremely discouraged yesterday, but was doing much better today. I really thank God for that. It is so hard to see her going through such an uncomfortable time at the hospital. Praise God that nothing is really painful for her right now. She was the one encouraging my brother and I today, telling us that everything will work out. And every smile that she gives is so priceless now. I have come to treasure these times with my mom more and more. It's also nice because she can feel "little William" (as she fondly calls him) move more often. She was even thinking about how to bless others in her church by seeing if I still had my old CD player to give to a family who is going through some serious trials right now. She said that being able to listen to praise music would really encourage this lady. I only pray that she herself is being encouraged and turning to the Lord for faith and perseverance.

We are in need of prayer for God's healing and mercy. Please continue to pray against any discouragement and unbelief for my mom. Pray also for Bill and I, as well as others who visit her, that we may be able to spur her on to endure and grow in her dependence on God, knowing that He is using this for her good. He is with her always and will not give her anything more than she can bear. Some of her friends were able to share a timely passage from Scripture with her:

Blessed is the one who considers the poor!

In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him;

the Lord protects him and keeps him alive;

he is called blessed in the land;

you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.

The Lord sustains him on his sickbed;

in his illness you restore him to full health.

Psalm 41:1-3

momma's surgery update 3 (ER)

I was about to write about how my mom was recovering well, but we had to take her to the ER yesterday evening. Over the last few days, she had been experiencing increasing pain in her abdomen and vomiting. She should have been able to eat soft, but solid foods, but was having a difficult time even just keeping soup or water down. The pain in her abdomen was the worst 2 nights ago and yesterday, so we decided to take her to the ER. There, they found a "partial obstruction" in her intestine that is blocking the passage of food, which is what was causing the pain and vomiting. The docs aren't sure what's causing the obsruction, but they suspect that it has become swollen from the surgery. They say that if they keep her on an IV for a few days, sometimes the body can work itself out and heal. So she has a tube in her nose that is draining all the liquids out of her stomach, and we'll be waiting to see if God will allow her body to heal. If not, then she will have to have surgery again.

Momma held up pretty well until she had to take a contrast solution for her CT scan. She broke down and just began crying because the solution was disgusting and bitter, and she had been in a lot of pain. My heart broke for her then. It's difficult to see people you love go through such trying times. I wish she didn't have to go through all this. She is also very uncomfortable with the tube in her nose and will probably have to keep that in for a couple of days. Fortunately, the nurse gave her a drug that makes her relaxed (and sleepy) so she won't notice the tube as much. I am thankful that she is now getting rest, since she had been up all night in the ER.

We would so appreciate your prayers in several areas:

• Healing for my mother, as well as pain relief (especially so that surgery will not be required).
• God's guidance and wisdom for the docs.
• Perseverance, encouragement, and faith for her during this time.

Thank you!

welcome home, momma!

Bill and I brought Momma home from the hospital early this afternoon. She was in good spirits and eager to finish her recovery there. Thankfully, she has not had much pain with her stitches unless she sneezes or coughs. =) When we got to her house, the women in her church were already there to welcome her home. And she seemed to be as active as ever talking with everyone. As much as I wanted her to stay at home with Bill and me, she had decided to remain at her own home with another church lady who was willing to stay with her, cook for her, and care for her. She really didn't want to burden me with the baby coming so soon. I would have preferred for her to stay with us anyway, but it was encouraging to see Momma back in her element, so to speak. Being active and involved in her church will probably help speed her recovery. Of course, I reminded her to take it easy though. =) Like most first-generation Asian moms, she has a hard time sitting still for very long. She will have to stay on soft foods for a bit, but I don't think it will be very long before she can be eating regular food again.

A very sincere and grateful thanks to those who have been praying for her. Please continue to pray for a speedy recovery and as little pain as possible where her stitches are. As CJ always quotes from Spurgeon, "No man can do me a truer kindness in this world than to pray for me." A deep thanks to all who have remembered to keep my mother in prayer. It really means so much to me, as well as to her. THANK YOU!!!

momma's surgery update 2

Momma is doing well today and was able to pass some you-know-what. (Thank you if you were able to pray for that.) =) She is no longer taking morphine and is on full liquids. So it looks like she'll be discharged from the hospital tomorrow sometime. Praise God! We are really excited to bring her home, but probably not as excited as she is. =) She is itching to get out of the hospital and into more familiar surroundings... and for some homecooked chinese food!

momma's surgery update

Momma and I arrived at the hospital yesterday at the crack of dawn... literally. During the pre-op, I was a bit disturbed to see how the nurse inserted her IV, but decided to keep my mouth shut and not complain. Let's just say it was quite "messy." (What really got me was that the nurse had warned us that it would be.) Her laproscopic surgery was performed successfully and took only about an hour and a half. However, she did have to wait in the recovery room for a few hours because the hospital did not have a room available for her. Her friend and I were able to see her towards the end of the few hours before they moved her into her room. She could smile and seemed to be doing well, which made me feel better about her being in this ghetto hospital. Thankfully, the morphine was evidently working well, as she was not experiencing any pain. She did want to keep looking at the incisions on her stomach though. =) Don't know why, but I thought that was pretty funny.

Today, Momma was smiling, sitting up, walking around, and beginning to drink clear liquids. Doesn't she look well? =) It was encouraging to see God slowly returning her strength back to her. The nurse (the nice one) said she was doing very well for the first day after surgery. If all goes well, she should be released on Saturday, as long as she can make a bowel movement. So though this may seem like an odd request, please pray for healing so that Momma can pass some you-know-what. =) God is sovereign, and I have been really thanking God for His every protection and watchful eyes over my mom. Things could always be a lot worse, and I am grateful for how well she is doing.

momma's no-surgery

My mom actually did not have her surgery yesterday, as was originally planned. The surgeon's office had neglected to give her the prep she needed to prepare for the surgery, so it has been re-scheduled for tomorrow, October 11, at 9 am. A very grateful thank-you to all who have been praying for her. Please continue to pray for peace, a smooth surgery, and a swift recovery. We are trusting that God has a plan in all this.

momma's upcoming surgery

It looks like my mom will have to undergo surgery to remove a recurring polyp in her colon. Barring any complications, the procedure will be done laproscopically (instead of making a large incision on her stomach, the doc will remove the targeted area of the intestine using 5 small holes), which should make her recovery time shorter. The surgery is scheduled for Monday, October 9th at 2 pm. She will have to stay in the hospital for a few days and then rest at home for a couple of weeks. Momma seems to be handling things well and trusting God.

Please pray that the Lord would continue to give her peace. In John 14:27 Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." The peace here that Jesus refers to is true reconciliation with God, made available because of the shed blood on the cross for our sins. (see also Acts 10:36; Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:14-17; Phil. 4:6-7) This is a peace that should remedy all fears, since our greatest need has already been met on the cross of Calvary. And God knows our other needs, but He calls us to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matt. 6:25-33).

In addition, please pray that God would allow the surgery to go smoothly, as well as for a quick recovery. Also, pray that baby William would not come early so that Bill and I can care for Momma as best we can when she goes home. Thank you for your prayers!

happy birthday, momma!

On this day, -- years ago, =) God fearfully and wonderfully brought my momma into the world. Unfortunately, this birthday probably will not be at the top of Momma's happy birthdays. We went to speak to a surgeon regarding possible surgery she may need. The whole ordeal was a debacle, which left her feeling discouraged. Without going into too much detail, please pray for wisdom to know how to proceed and trust in God's sovereignty and care for her.

We love you, momma! Thank you for how you serve us and all that you do for us!