Baby J is on her way!!

Looks like this Thursday, December 6 is the big day! Today we had a doctor's appointment...I have been progressing a little over the past few weeks but she is still extremely high so we've been waiting for her to "drop". She doesn't seem interested in dropping at the moment! Our doctor has let it be known since early on that Baby J is going to be on the big side and since I am on the small side, that could be the reason she has not dropped - she can't fit. So today she ordered another sonogram which is estimating her weight currently at 8lbs 9oz. Of course, this can be up to a pound off in either direction - so she could be anywhere from 7.5 to 9.5 pounds!!! Yikes! Because of that, we have scheduled an induction. There is a chance that we may end up with a c-section but at this point realize that having a healthy baby is the most important thing. We are excited to meet our Baby J very soon!!

What a whirlwind!!

Sorry for the long absence from the world of blog. We have been busy...I mean we have been BUSY. Probably the busiest that we have ever been. Some good, some not so good, mostly necessary and all exhausting! This is going to be a long one...bear with me.

Since returning from Minnesota at the end of July, life pretty much went from 0 to 60 in a moment's passing. From finding out that we are having a baby girl, to news that my brother was going to be having brain surgery, to a wonderful vacation to Destin (that really is such a blur...we sure don't feel like we had a vacation just a short 6 weeks ago!!), to kicking off the most successful start to Young Life so far, to planning and executing our Annual Fundraising Banquet, to me working 2 jobs and lots of drama thrown into it...that's been our last 10 weeks!

So here are some updates...and some pictures.

Dustin - since the last update regarding his status...he ended up having a 2nd brain surgery the day before he was supposed to go home. They found that he was leaking brain fluid and had to go in and install a drainage tube. This put him back in ICU for another 3 days and then a regular hospital room for 3 more days. This was a hard one for all of us...talk about a set back. BUT he is home now and doing amazingly well!! He was sent home and was told that he was "homebound" and would reevaluate in 2 to 3 weeks. For any of you that know Dustin, you are aware that "homebound" is not an option for him. He was convincing people to take him out for car rides, etc. pretty much the day after he got home. He was quickly moved to "outpatient" status and is continuing his physical and occupational therapy a couple of times a week. He has made tremendous progress but is still having problems with his hands. His therapy is really focusing on his hands right now. He has started running again...it's definitely not easy for him right now but he is sticking to it. There has even been talk of him running the marathon relay with my dad, Kyle and a couple of other folks in February in Austin. He'll be back to the full marathon in no time!!

As far as treatment goes...his neurosurgeon, Dr. Jackson, referred him to a neurooncologist to assess further necessary treatment. She has seen one other case like his. Since he still has some other "spots" or tumors in his spine and the top of his brain, she is planning on doing a chemo-type of treatment with him. She was adamant that it is not chemo but to the lay person, it pretty much is just that. He goes in tomorrow for an MRI - if the spots have started shrinking or changing properties on their own, then they may decide to forego this treatment and just monitor them. If they have not changed any, then he will go back in on Monday of this next week for his first treatment. He will then go in every other week for the IV treatment. She said that he should not experience any side effects.

Young Life is full steam ahead at this point. We have had the most successful start to a new year of Young Life in the history of Carrollton Young Life. That is not to say that there has not been some BIG struggles in the midst of it, though. God has been teaching Kyle and I ALOT these last couple of months...I don't even know where to begin. There has been lots of tears (mostly mine!!), heartache, frustration but also a renewed hope. We are pretty vulnerable right now but rest in knowing that we are right where God wants us to be. He has been so gentle and has been revealing His power and presence in moments where we are at our wits end and ready to give up. He has revealed over and over to us that His had is actively moving upon this ministry. Last weekend was our Annual Fundraising Banquet and it was a huge success! Seems that God is really working to get all of the details out of the way so that ministry can happen with no distractions...

Baby J....will be here soon! 6 more weeks to go!! Kyle seems to think she is coming sooner than that. I sure would love for her to! I am currently 34 weeks a long...yesterday I had a doctors appointment and all is well. Thank God that this has been a boring pregnancy...no problems at all!! With all that has been going on in other areas of our lives, we are grateful that God has protected Baby J from the stresses that we have been in the midst of... We often wonder what our reflections will be when we look back at this time of our lives...we are busier than ever, have experienced more heartache (personally and with many around us experiencing the difficulties of life) and stress while preparing for one of the most joyous experiences that we will ever encounter on this earth. I keep thinking that Baby J is going to be the beautiful bow that ties up all of the loose ends.

I will continue to work full time until this next Friday then will have good month (maybe) to get things ready for her arrival. I am hoping to continue training up for another 3 weeks just a couple of night a week.

Here are a some pictures that capture some of the joyous times of the last month!

My baby shower on October 6...

Baby J decided to show off a little and kick for her Honey (Kyle's mom) and Auntie Rebecca!

My mom and I. Neither of us can wait to see Baby J's face!

One of the many adorable outfits that we received.

The hostesses...my best friends...I am so blessed!

Last but not least, this last Wednesday, Kyle and I went in for a 3D/4D sonogram. What a treat to get a sneak peek at her sweet little face! Check out those chubby cheeks!

That is her foot just above her left eye...she's flexible...our little yoga baby!

You can also see her toe in this picture just in front of her nose. Oh and the black at the top of her head is not hair! Some have been a bit freaked out by that when they see it...the top part of her head is cut off by the soundwaves of the sonogram.

Thanks for enduring this LONG update...hopefully I will be back sooner than later with more updates!

Latest News on Baby J

I am 28 weeks along now...just beginning my 3rd trimester! Time is flying by...we have a lot to get done in the next 3 months!! I had a doctor's appointment today and everything is still looking good. I have been measuring big consistently since the beginning of the pregnancy. Today I measured at 33cm...Dr. W says that that just means that I will be having a big baby. I also got to do the Glucose Screening Test today...so hopefully that will come back normal in the next couple of days. I also received my first shot of Rhogam for being RH-... Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful appointment!!

Also, a quick update on Dustin...he is continuing his therapy sessions several times a day. Tomorrow his therapists as well as the doctor in charge of rehab will meet to discuss a discharge date for him. Today the doctor made it seem as if this Friday was very likely...please pray that this will happen!! He still has a long road to recovery, but we all think that just getting out of the hospital (depressing!) can help boost his spirits and keep him encouraged as he continues to improve. He will do outpatient therapy for as long as needed... Tomorrow they are also supposed to remove his staples...so he is pretty much in the clear as far as being a surgical patient goes - amazing!

Thanks for your continued prayers!!

God is good!

Thanks to all of you for your prayers for Dustin and for the rest of our family! We received more good news...the 2nd pathology report came back as benign!! As of now, they are not planning on Dustin enduring any radiation or chemotherapy for the other "spots" that they had previously detected. They are going to closely monitor them in hopes that by removing the large tumor, that there "source" has been cut off and that they will be rendered ineffective. His neurosurgeon, Dr. Jackson, told him that he will probably be released as a surgical patient within the next day or so. They are still somewhat baffled at the outcome of the pathology report because the symptoms don't match up with diagnosis which doesn't match up to what was actually found in his body...but we are grateful and are receiving it as a miracle!! We do believe that God revealed Himself to us in His mercies to spare Dustin cancer...it's a miracle!!
Dustin has now been in the Rehabilitation wing of the hospital for 2 days...they are working him HARD!! He has physical and occupational therapy for 5-6 hours a day. The doctor that heads up this department had indicated that he expects Dustin to be there for 2 weeks. Then of course, there will be some outpatient therapy for a while once he is able to go home. It's pretty humbling to see my big brother have to relearn some of the basic life skills that we all take for granted...tying his shoes, buckling his belt, feeding himself, brushing his teeth...etc. A couple of days ago, I was feeding him a baked potato and he looked at me and said "you hate doing this, don't you?". I quickly explained to him that of course that I wish that I didn't HAVE to do it, never before had I dreamed that I would be feeding my 36 year old brother!! But I told him that I was grateful that he was a much cleaner eater than any of his boys!
We are confident that he will be restored 100% physically... Kyle and my dad have actually told Dustin that they need to use this time to their advantage and try to get a head start on their running so that they might actually be able to beat him for once!! (Dustin is a phenomenal runner...a very natural athlete, the kind that makes the rest of us sick with envy!!) They better hurry up...he's going to be running with extra incentive in a couple of months!!

Please continue to pray for his spirits to be lifted. That he will not lose perspective in the midst of the trials he is currently enduring...

For thanksgiving to the Lord to flow freely for the mercies that He has shown us!

For his wife, Kristy, and their boys, Hunter, Evan and Jacob as they continue on in the regular details of life without him at home. (By the way, Happy 3rd Birthday, Jacob!! We love you!!)

Thanks to each of you for your committment to praying on his behalf...

Dustin's Surgery

Dustin went in for surgery early Friday morning. After waiting for 7 1/2 hours, the doctor came and met with his wife, Kristy, and my parents. He said that they are still somewhat puzzled over what exactly it is that Dustin has/had. They removed almost all of the tumor at the base of his brain. The biopsy that they ran at the hospital showed it to be a benign tumor!! Praise the Lord!! They have sent out for another more detailed biopsy from a lab that we should get back some time in the next few days. The doctor was a bit puzzled because it appears that although the tumor was testing benign, there were properties of the tumor that are definitely more consistent with a malignancy. He also said that he had to leave a small portion of the tumor entact because it was extremely close to an artery and could have sent Dustin into a stroke. Yet when they ran an MRI after the surgery, the MRI did not pick up traces of the remainder of the tumor. My aunt, who is a nurse, explained that possibly when they were irrigating the area that perhaps the tumor was washed away. Anyway, we are giving all credit to all of the POSITIVE news to the Lord!! Although, there is still a bit of a mystery regarding the official diagnosis and even the course of treatment from this point on (if even necessary at all), the doctor said that he is optimistic with how everything is going.
Dustin is now in ICU...hopefully they will move him to a regular room today. He is doing quite well. The main concern at this point is that he is having some difficulty controlling his arms, especially his left arm. The doctor saw him yesterday and told my parents that they will continue to monitor his progress with his arm. The nerve that controls this function was being pressed on by the tumor, so the doctor was not completely surprised with the fact that he is having problems with it. An occupation therapist that came by yesterday also communicated to us that a lot of the difficulty is due to the swelling of his brain and that as the swelling goes down it may help with his ability to control his arm.
Thanks to all of you for praying with us thoughout this ordeal!! Someday, I will write a post detailing ways that we have seen God's hand in this! It has really been amazing to watch and experience!! He has been with us each step of the way! There are literally hundreds of people across the county praying for Dustin!! Kyle and I went to see him on Thursday night before surgery and he was amazed by how many people were praying for him that he was aware of...and then knowing that there are many more that we do not even know!! So, thank you!

Please continue to pray for....
*a speedy recovery!
*his arms - for him to have peace of mind that this is part of the process of healing, patience and diligence in this
*a good pathology report this week that shows NO MALIGNANCY
*us to all continue to see God's hand in this...especially Dustin!!

Another update...

Well, no good news today...seems as if Dustin also has some "spots" on his spine. My prayer is to have a good, non-eventful next week. This weekend, one of Dustin's best friends and his family are coming to see them. Pray that they have lots of fun and that Dustin feels encouraged and refreshed. Sunday is going to be Dustin's youngest son, Jacob's 3rd birthday party...pray that this day will also be a day of lots of fun! Next Friday is the day of surgery...will post more at that time.

Update on Dustin

Thanks for the many warm wishes and lots of prayers! We are in the midst of a battle but I trust that the Lord will show Himself faithful as he always does...yesterday Dustin received his second opinion from the doctor at The Mayo Clinic. His news was pretty hard to take. His opinion is that Dustin has a malignant tumor. Today Dustin met with his neurosurgeon here in Dallas again...they have set his surgery for Sept. 7. They are also going to do another MRI tomorrow at 1pm but this one will be of his spine to make sure that his spine is as healthy as it should be (no growths). PLEASE pray for this specifically...we could all use some GOOD news right now!

"Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Please pray....

Please be praying for my oldest brother, Dustin. He is 36 years old, married with 3 feisty boys (Hunter (6), Evan (4) and Jacob (almost 3)). He has been having some random health issues for the past 9 months or so and this last week we got some potentially scary news. I'll save all of the details and cut to the chase. He has a growth of some sort at the base of his brain. Due to the location of the growth, they are not able to do a biopsy externally...so as of now, he will be going in for major surgery most likely on Sept. 7. The surgery is going to entail having 3 doctors there to do biopsies on the spot and determine what this mass is exactly then proceed with the appropriate treatment at that time. Dustin is most hesitant with the idea of not knowing what he will wake up to once he comes out of surgery. The surgery is very invasive and will probably last 6-8 hours and will require an 8-10 inch incision. He will then be in ICU for a couple of days then the hospital for a few more days after that. Fortunately, Dustin's sister-in-law and brother-in-law have a connection to the Mayo Clinic. We are anxiously awaiting their observations and conclusions based on Dustin's MRI and files.

My prayers are many but please pray specifically for the following:

PEACE especially for Dustin and for the rest of our family.

WISDOM on behalf of the doctors.

HEALING - I know that God can do this!

FAITH for all of us to remember that God is in control of all of this and to trust Him throughout this season of our lives.

For Dustin to feel especially loved, valued and cared for during this time.

That all of us will draw our strength from the Lord.

Dustin and Kristy

Our Baby Girl

Well most everyone that reads this blog knows by now that we are having a baby girl!! We are excited! We were a bit shocked - but really I would have been shocked with a boy, too!! I really haven't had any inclination regarding the sex - but practically everyone else really felt strongly in their beliefs that it was a boy. (except Molly and TK!) Here is her picture...she sure looks cute! Kyle's mom and both of my parents have already begun their grandparent duties of spoiling her by filling up her closet! Can't wait to see what she looks like in her new clothes!

Halfway Point

Wow...tomorrow I am officially 20 weeks pregnant...we are halfway there! I cannot believe it! So far everything has been great. These past 3 weeks in Minnesota have been great for me...I have gotten to sleep ALOT, sit in the sun and read, forget about work and other stressors and just focus on God and the babe. Seriously it consumes my mind.
Physically, I am feeling so much better than I did even just a month ago. I had pretty major back pain consistently up until that time. Since I have been here, I have felt twinges of pain here and there but nothing like it was...thank you, Jesus!

We go to the doctor the day after we return home from Castaway to find out the sex of the baby! (Monday, July 30) I cannot wait! I am so ready to be able to fully embrace the idea of boy or girl...soccer or dance...blue or pink. Below is a pic that Kyle took of me last weekend for our moms who have been earnestly waiting a pic to see their grandbaby. I feel much larger than the picture shows...

We have officially started our second week at Castaway Club! We are settled in and enjoying all that the camp has to offer! It has been a learning experience for us...camp up here is different than what we have experienced at other camps! I am so use to being surrounded by mountains while at camp...takes a while to get used to being surrounded by water! We have had a great time getting to know our fellow assigned team...we are definitely the lone southerners! Our team hails from the North and Northwest (Chicago, Wisconsin, Washington State, Montana). For those of you who were not already aware...our camp director for the month, Brett, was Kyle's Area Director when he was in high school. Brett also babysat Kyle when he was a kiddo. He is now the Regional Director in Chicago. It is a blessing to be able to be here with him and his family. I could go on and on...and I am sure I will in posts to follow. Here are some pics from out time here so far...

This is Kyle and his friend, Jason from Kansas City. Jason was one of Kyle's Young Life leaders when he was in high school. We didn't know that Jason was going to be an Adult Guest for week 1. Kyle had a blast reconnecting with him.

Hmmm...well not the best picture of me...but this is pretty typical of what I look like while on assignment. Hopefully we'll get a better picture while we are here and you can bet that I will post it!

This is the deck right outside of our house by about 100 feet.

This is our home for the month...sorry it's a little hard to see. This picture was taken while standing on the deck seen in the previous picture. Our house is called "Ketch". We are sharing it with 3 other families as well as 3 of our single staff members and a mouse. Yes, a mouse. I am hopeful that maybe it is a chipmunk (there are thousands of chipmunks here) that has found it's way in through a hole. We shall see...

There is another assigned team house next door, "The Dory", which houses another 3 or 4 families as well as some single staffers.

That is all for now...be watching for updates!

Summer is here!!

(please forgive sporadic use of capitalization...the left shift key on our keyboard has decided not to work and i am out of practice in using the one on the right...)

part 1: Frontier Ranch
kyle left on saturday with a group of kiddos from hebron high school to go to camp at frontier ranch. from the daily reports that i have been receiving from kyle, sounds like they are having a great time.

please be praying for...

+Their continued safety

+Negative thoughts and attitudes to quickly be replaced with attitudes of thankfulness and most importantly awe of God and His creation.

+Lots of energy for the leaders.

+That each and every one of the kids and leaders will encounter God this week and that their lives will be forever changed!

as i have mentioned on this blog before, kyle became a christian at frontier ranch (in the water slide, no less!!). many, many lives have been given to our Lord at that camp. it's unbelievably powerful to step onto that property - you can really sense God's presence there as well as be humbled in realizing how many kids have stepped from that soil in Buena Vista, CO into the Kingdom of God.

part 2: Castaway Club

kyle will be leaving frontier a day early and will be flying out to meet me in minneapolis for our assignment at castaway club in detroit lakes, mn. we are both looking forward to our time on assignment.

please be praying for us during that time as well...

+pray that we stay healthy!!

+pray for unity among the assigned team as well as the work crew and summer staff!

+pray that everything runs smoothly for the 4 weeks that we are there...that campers and leaders will have an amazing time at camp and that God's name is proclaimed in all that is done behind the scenes as well as at Club.

+pray for joyfulness and peace among the whole crew...and that we will all seek that out from the only One who is our refuge.

I hope to be updating a lot while on assignment...stay tuned!

Week at a Glance...

What a busy week this past week was!! Here are some of the highlights!

* Went to my doctor's appt. last Friday...it went perfect! As soon as the doctor put the doppler on my belly she picked up the baby's heartbeat! No searching for it was needed! Doctor said that baby has a strong heart! I go back again in 3 weeks - I am hopeful that they will do a sonogram to determine the sex a little early. I will almost be 17 weeks by then so it's possible!

* We moved! Kyle headed up a large crew of family, friends, and YL kids to move us in to our new home! Unfortunately it's up to us to unpack...ughh!

* The weekend of the big move - I completed 16 hours of continuing ed classes. Figured that I couldn't do much with the move, might as well work on get recertified.

* Tuesday was haircut day! I decided to go ahead and chop my hair off before the baby arrives...figured that I will want to after and I decided to get a little relief NOW!

* On Wednesday, I got bit by a crazy neighborhood chihuahua. It was bad enough to draw blood and it's still bruised! Crazy dog! So, I got to go back to the doctor and get put on antibiotics.

* One of our camp trips took off last Saturday evening to Crooked Creek Ranch. Kyle stayed behind this time and had our part-time staff, Mike, lead this trip. Looking forward to hearing their camp stories upon their arrival home tomorrow! Kyle will be leading a trip to Frontier Ranch at the end of this month.

* I began telling my coworkers and clients this week that I am pregnant! It's been fun to share the news with them! I have been blessed with some amazing people that I get to work with regularly!

I think that's it for now! More to come soon!

Good weekend, exciting week!

We had a great Memorial Day weekend. It all started on Friday when Kyle's mom, Beth, flew in from Kansas City for the weekend. We were so excited to get to show her our "stomping ground". Of course, the time went too quickly, but we enjoyed every bit of it! One of the highlights was going to Fort Worth on Saturday evening and eating at Joe T Garcia's. I must admit, I love this restaurant so much sometimes I am afraid that people will not think it lives up to my boasting...but Beth loved it. We sat outside in the gardens and were even rained on a bit, but that didn't stop us from enjoying our meal! Sunday we headed to church (awesome service by the way....but it always is...), then to LeMadeleine for a quick bite before taking her to the airport. Beth is an amazing mom to Kyle, mother-in-law to me and I know that she will be an amazing grandmother to our baby! We ended our weekend by going to my parents house on Sunday evening for a cookout in celebration of Kyle's and my sister-in-law, Kristy's 32nd birthdays. I am equally blessed by my family. I love every minute I get to spend with them. I am thankful that they are so close.
Then today...we had our final walk through of our soon to be new home!! Yippee!! For those of you who have been in our lives for the past 2 years, you know what a headache it has been for us to buy a house. God made it clear to us at least twice over the last couple of years, that it was not our time to buy a home. Sometimes it seemed as if we were hitting our heads on a very big brick wall. He is blessing us with the home He desires us to have...and we are so grateful! We are supposed to close tomorrow, Tuesday, at 12PM. If you happen to remember, please pray for us as we go about the final part of this process! We are obviously very optimistic that tomorrow will go just fine, but with the luck we have had in the past, we know that we must hold on to this with an open hand. (Heck that's true even beyond tomorrow!)
The rest of the week should be filled with lots of painting...yard work...refinishing furniture and then this weekend - move in!
We'll post pictures and updates as soon as we can! It's gonna be a busy week!

Our Teddy Graham

This last Tuesday we went to the doctor and were able to see our little baby for the first time! It closely resembled a teddy graham at this point with it's extra small body in comparison to the head and then it's 4 little nubs which will soon be full functioning arms and legs! Amazing! My absolute favorite part of the day was hearing the heartbeat! Looking forward to hearing it again in a few weeks!

Oklahoma City Marathon

Last weekend a group of our Young Leaders set out to Oklahoma City to participate in the OKC Memorial Marathon. We had such a great trip! Several of our leaders decided that this would be a great way to raise money for kids to go to camp this summer - and it was! We had 4 in our group run the full marathon, 6 or so run the half marathon, a group of 5 did the marathon relay and then another 5 did a 5K. It was such a great experience and many kids will get to go to camp because of the leaders desire for them to experience Jesus!

Kyle ran the half marathon with the crew finishing with his PR of 2:04. I was supposed to run the half but the doc quickly let me know that I would not be doing that this time around. I ended up doing the 5K. Everyone did a great job!

Guess what?

We are having a baby! Baby J is due in December!

So far so good....I feel TIRED and hungry but that's about all!

We are excited!

April 2, 2007

Today is our 2nd anniversary! We celebrated this weekend by staying at the Westin Stonebriar, relaxing by the pool and then going out for dinner. We had a great time but unfortunately did not take a single picture!
Here's to another fun year!

Be Near

About three years ago as I was going through a really tough time in my life, God spoke to me through song. The song was "Be Near" by Shane & Shane. Many days I would drive to and from work with this song (and the rest of the CD) playing...it was my prayer. It was one of a few times in my life where I felt utterly desperate to be close to Him and to feel His presence...this song provided the opportunity for me to encounter Him each time I listened to it. Since that time, I have listened to the CD occassionally - but this last week God laid the song on my heart and it has again lifted my spirits and ushered me into His presence. Below are the words...I hope that they will encourage you as well...

Be Near
You are all
big and small
beautiful
and wonderful
to trust in grace through faith
but i'm asking to taste...

for dark is light to You
depths are height to You
far is near but Lord, i need to hear from You

be near, oh God
be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good
be near, oh God
be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good, our good

Your fullness is mine
revelation divine
but, o, to taste
to know much more than a page
to feel Your embrace...

for dark is light to You
the depths are height to You
far is near, but Lord
i need to hear from You

be near, oh God
be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good

be near, oh God
be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good, our good

(psalms 73:28; 139)

Update from 2007

Well, we are obviously struggling at keeping this thing updated! I say "we" loosely considering that this is pretty much my (Shalen) reflection of our lives. My computer died a few months ago so we are "sharing" Kyle's work computer which I don't see very often, therefore my time is often spent emailing or checking out YOUR blogs. If you have a blog, post a comment - I'd love to check it out! I promise to update soon with more info!