Christmas pics..

Just a few pictures of what Christmas was like at the Brians'. We had a wonderful time with my parents. Cade got way too much of course, but he got everything he asked for. He actually woke up late Christmas morning, but was ready to open his gifts. The night before I read him the Christmas story. He knew the story of Christmas from school, but we read it together as a family. I love the book because it illustrates the best gift that was given and the best gift that we can give Jesus..."ourselves." The last page of the book is a mirror to illustrate the gift. Love that!!

A few favorite things Cade got for Christmas: Tonka remote control car, ambulance and police car, garbage truck, WWE figurines-Triple H and Randy Orton, and his hungry hippos game.

We are very thankful for all of our family in Tennessee, Ohio, and Texas and wish we could all be together for Christmas one day! Thank you for making this day so special for us! We love you all!!

Cousins...

So one of the great things about our trip to Ohio last week was that I was able to see my sister. We don't get to see each other that much so it is always a joy when we are together. Cade and Holland are four months apart and obviously they haven't seen each other in quite some time. It didn't matter, the two hit it off immediately. As we sat in the waiting room for our second appointment, the two played football-all out I might add. In fact, they were playing so hard they hit another patient with the football who was waiting as well. That did not go over so well-the patient actually took the football with them back to their room as the boys cried. I thought surely he was just kidding with the boys, but no, he was furious and told us we needed to control our kids...Chris' response was so funny: "They are three, get over it!"
Anyway, I did happen to get a few pics of the boys at Hill's house and of course my new niece Addison. They played so well together and wish we all lived closer. Love you all! Mom, I hope you enjoy these!

A Temporary Distress....

"..your difficulty can be seen as a slight, temporary distress that is producing for you a transcendent Glory never to cease!" (Sarah Young)

We arrived at Dr. Holland's office at 9:30, appointment was at 10:00. We were not sure how long it would take so we came well prepared to keep Cade entertained. He had a backpack full of books and toys and I brought my laptop. Thank goodness...we were there for 4 hours. Cade did great! He was such a trooper. We met with Dr. Holland and he layed out a plan for Cade.
Our next appointment was with the plastics specialist at 2:00, so we hurried out and arrived just in time. We met up with my sister, her son, and her new baby. She is so cute and little. Holland and Cade played with each other the whole time. We then met with Dr. Nerad and he also layed out a plan along with Dr. Holland. At this point, we were somewhat overwhelmed with what had to be done to remove the scarring from the cornea. I will try to describe it the best I can:

Dr. Holland will be using donor cornea to replace the scar tissue on the eye that has developed on the cornea. This scar tissue is also attached to the inside of Cade's eyelid. Dr. Nerad will resect the eyelid away from the tissue using mucous membrane to keep the lid from re-attaching to the donor cornea. The mucous membrane will come from the inside of Cade's mouth-either the inside of his bottom lip or the inside of his jaw. Dr. Nerad will then put a ring/doughnut shape device in Cade's eye that will keep the eyelid and cornea from re-attaching while they both heal. There is also a possibility that they will stitch the eyelids shut for a week so that nothing interferes with the device or Cade rubs it or whatever. They also might put a stint in his tear duct to help the watering of his eye. We will have to return a week after surgery and then 3 weeks out and then 6 weeks out.

So you can see that we were overwhelmed, but we were very confident at the same time. Both of these doctors are the best at what they do and they both spoke very highly of Cade's doctor here in Nashville. In fact, they all know each other's work and have the ultimate respect for what they do.

We haven't set a date yet and will wait to hear from them in the next two weeks. Looks like we will be making a few trips back to Ohio and that I will be seeing alot of my sister in the months to come which I am grateful for!

So here is what Jesus said to me the morning of our doctor appointments via "Jesus Calling:"
"When you are plagued by a persistent problem-one that goes on and on-view it as a rich opportunity. An ongoing problem is like a tutor who is always by your side. The learning possibilities are limited only by your willingness to be teachable. In faith, thank Me for your problem. Ask Me to open your eyes and your heart to all that I am accomplishing through this difficulty. Once you have become grateful for a problem, it loses its power to drag you down. On the contrary, your thankful attitude will lift you up into heavenly places with Me. From this perspective, your difficulty can be seen as a "slight, temporary distress that is producing for you a transcendent Glory never to cease!"

Love that Jesus was speaking to me before I even had a clue about the day at hand and how even in overwhelming moments He is there to reassure us and remind us that this is just a temporary distress. We should open our eyes and hearts to what He is accomplishing through this difficulty.

To God alone be the glory!

carlee

Another step in our Journey...

When we visited NYC in January of '08, Dr. Fay removed a portion of the VM from white part of his eyeball and eyelid. It was a very successful surgery, but a very difficult recovery for Cade. When the VM was removed Dr. Fay used an amniotic membrane graft that would work like a bandaid on the white part of Cade's eyeball. About three hours post-op, Cade begin to get very agitated and upset. We think he might have been in some pain, not sure, but his eye began to bleed profusely. It is something Chris and I will never forget as we watched the blood go through his bandage and down his face...practically everywhere. Once things were under control the doctor came in to tell us that the graft probably did not hold and we would have to make a trip back to NYC to repair it.

Our prayers were answered when they examined him the next morning and the graft was still there. Over the course of the year, this graft has led to some scarring on his cornea that needs to be removed.

So this is where we are in our journey. Our surgeon here suggested that we see a cornea specialist in Ohio. We will be heading up to the Cincinnati Eye Institute this week to meet with the best-Dr. Holland-a cornea specialist and we will also see a plastics specialist.

We are praying that the Lord will give the doctors wisdom and discernment in what needs to take place regarding Cade's cornea. From this point, I am not quite sure what the next step will be, but I know that the Lord has been walking with us through this journey all along. He has been our provider, healer, protector, encourager, etc.
through it all.

"In everything, in everything, we will shout for your glory....In everything, in everything, we will shout for your praise!" This was one of our worship songs this past Sunday.. I love it!! It is a reminder to give Him praise and glory through our highs and lows and it points us to the One who gave His everything for us..what a great reminder this Christmas!!!

Addison Kaye Young

Today, at 10:16 I became another proud Aunt of a new niece...Addison Kaye Young. My sister delivered a healthy baby girl, 8 lbs. 9 oz and 20 1/2 inches long. She is the cutest...and the biggest little girl I have seen. No wonder Hillary was having so much trouble toward the end of her pregnancy. She is absolutely adorable with so much hair.. I love it!! I cannot wait to meet her and hold her! Both Hillary and Addison are doing great and Holland is going to be the best big brother. Congrats to all of them and we are praying for you all!! We love you baby Addison!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.....

Well, we survived Thanksgiving with the family, but didn't go without some type of event in regards to Cade. Evidently, he is allergic to dogs. My dad's dog licked him in the eye and it immediately began to swell... not good. It was irritating him so much because of the itchiness. We gave him some Benadryl and it helped quite a bit, but it took all day for the swelling to go down. Anyways, it never fails... We had a great time with my brother and his family. My sister could not come due to the fact that is about to deliver her 2nd child..Addison..at any time. (can't wait to meet her)
I actually went shopping on Black Friday this year, but didn't go until about 10. I went to Walmart to try to find some of Cade's things he had asked for Christmas, and all of them were on sale! It was awesome! I thought for sure everything would be gone. Got some great deals!
Cannot believe it is December already! This morning it was 29 degrees...yep it's December alright!! Chris and I have already put up our tree and my friend Jennifer came over and helped me decorate my home for Christmas.. it looks awesome! She is so good and I am awful...so awful!
Last year after Christmas we bought some decorations that were half off, including 2 houses that light up. I put one in Cade's room. You should have seen his face when he saw it. He loves it! He just stares at it and watches the little people skate around the tree. I am so excited to watch him interact with us during Christmas. He loves everything about this time of the year... he gets that from his dad!! He still calls Santa Clause, Christmas.. so cute.
We are heading to Ohio on the 16th of this month to meet with two doctors in regards to the scarring on Cade's cornea, Dr. Holland, the cornea specialist and Dr. Nerad, the plastics specialist. Please pray for wisdom for us as we determine the next step for Cade. Although this is just the next step, I am very thankful that we are nearing the end of this process. We also received a very positive report on his vision last month..Praise the Lord!! Cade kept saying very excitedly," My eye gettin' better!"
Praise Him from whom all blessings flow!

carlee