Sing, We Will

Thanks to everyone for your emails and comments encouraging us to keep on singing. You're right. Deirdre's comment was right on when she mentioned that Zoe obviously responds to Jen's presence in the room. Whether it's vibrations from Jen's voice or Jen's magnetic presence, we might not know. But her daughter knows when mom is there.

Jen and I have already contacted St. John's asking for an opportunity to sing, so we'll see how that goes.

Greg - Associate Creative Director

Greg just was promoted to Associate Creative Director at his job, Avicom Marketing Communciations. It's been an incredible arc. God is good.

An Old Picture Resurfaces

BNS archives have uncovered a picture of Isabel from about ten years ago. The picture was taken on 35 mm film on an old camera purchased at a Goodwill.

Six Degrees

I think the BNS allows Greg on Fridays to have a link to something somewhat insane and possibly not completely Batblogesque.

But this was too good to pass up...Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you...Six Degrees Of Stark Naked. Discuss.

Where Are We Going And Why Are We In A Handbasket?

A twentysomething year old guy walked into my office the other day. He said he was on the other side of the building talking to a co-worker and heard that I knew something about Christian music. Could I help him learn what are some good bands out now?

I waited for him to smile or laugh or cuss. Because people at my work are cynical about Christian music. Actually, the most cynical people at my work are the Christians.

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Latest Kellen Stats

Kellen's game on Friday vs. St. John's Delafield: 28 points, 10 boards. They won, and the team scored a total of 50 points.

Selah Update

This blog won't be about Selah, but frankly, it's turned the BNS into mush as we all try to reassemble and assimilate the new rules.

What's happening is this: Selah's immune system has turned on her own body and is in the process of killing all the cells inside her that create insulin, the substance that helps to process sugar. Thanks to the attentiveness of Selah's mom, we were able to catch her body in the process of doing this. So Selah's body is still in the process of losing all its insulin-making cells. When they're all gone, they're gone.

In the "old days," diagnosis of diabetes would mean that the child was admitted for a few weeks into the hospital as the child and her family became accustomed to what was next. Today, the child goes home and there are a series of vital meetings with the diabetes clinic as they get you used to what is to come. Shots begin right away. Selahs was put on a rigid diet (rigid specifically about total carbohydrates) (you can find those on every label of food you find) and her blood sugar is monitored, recorded, and reported.

The hospital takes all this info and begins to see a pattern of how the kid will react to certain levels of carbs at certain times of the day. She'll end up with a more flexible eating arrangement capable of allowing for everyday life.

The blood test stick hurts more than the shot, and both are pricks. In a way, the hardest part is the constant nature of the sticks and shots, not the individual ones. In Selah's first ten days of pricks and shots, she's already acquired some bruises from what is and will be her daily routine.

Selah is doing ok. She lost a week of school and getting used to the rigidity of the diet along with catching up with the schoolwork has her a little frustrated and lost. And she keeps getting a lot of attention she isn't sure she wants or knows what to do with.

All Selah's family can tell you is that it's your prayers that has lifted and buoyed us through this time. We are strengthened by the positive realities of this disease -that it is treatable and manageable.

This life isn't about Selah and not about her family. But we are grateful that God loves us like it is. And we're going to keep trying to make it through because He wants us to.

Selah's Diabetes

On January 7th, Selah - Greg's fourth - was diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes, meaning her body does not make insulin. The insulin has to be injected into her throughout the day and night to meet her needs. This is an enormous change for Selah and her family. There's no more casual snacks, no more grazing throughout the day. Ever. What goes in to her body needs to be accounted for so that the proper amount of insulin is placed in her through injections for the rest of her life.

The good news is, her condition was caught at very early stages and damage to her body by extremely high glucose levels was nonexistent. The good news is that Selah is now in the hands of doctors who can guide her dosages to make sure she remains healthy and grows to the beautiful woman she will be.

Pray for Selah and her family as she and they deal with all the changes that will occur.

The Missed Opportunity

(this is Greg's little editorial comment, also found in the link at the right)

First of all, let me come right out and say that Pastor Dorth's sermon on the Christmas story from Gabriel's view was really good. It opened my eyes to a bunch of thoughts, none more powerful than that if Mary was my daughter and told me she was made pregnant by the Holy Spirit, not only would I not believe her, I'd never believe her and I'd call her a liar.

That's the kind of unrest that very well could have been going on at Mary's home the first Christmas. (click here for more)

Why Carry More Burdens?

BNS reports that as Jen lay getting her ultrasound, Zoe swatted repeatedly at the stupid whateveritwas squishing her. The ultrasound showed her tibia and fibula, her kidneys, her brain. Her spine. Her right hand which is always close to her mouth (sucking her thumb like her daddy?)
So, it was disconcerting to hear the doctor, when talking about potential chromosomal damage, talking about "managing the pregnancy." He wasn't advising, mind you. Good guy, great doc. Just...you know. Making sure Jen and Greg were going to manage the pregnancy.

The above is a sign that our buddies at Planned Parenthood are distributing in Nigeria. I knew you wouldn't believe me, so here's the link. You see, you don't want all those burdens. Maybe you want to manage the pregnancy.

Third Day Jars of Clay Christmas Concert Pictures

Jen and Greg attended the Third Day/Jars of Clay Christmas concert, which concluded with Jars and Third Day appearing onstage and performing together. Mac sang "Love Song For A Savior" while Dan sang "Love Song" and they joined in on Blue Christmas. Wonderful show. Enjoy the pictures.

Ethan's Christmas Program

Here's some great video of Ethan's Christmas Program. BNS reports that St. John's West Bend is smart and has its program melded with an Advent service.

Christmas Tree Tales PICTURES

BNS has received this link to pictures that would help to illuminate the previous Christmas Tree cutting post....

Christmas Tree Tales

BNS reports that Greg and his family had been wandering the aisles at the Christmas tree farm and had gathered around a tree. It was perfect. They call their trees "he." So, he was perfect - not those itchy, toxic needles, a nice straight top. Full on the bottom, well shaped. No bad side. "What do you think?" Jen asked. There was a lot of silence.

They walked back to the other one, the one that they had just walked from. It had, as one of the kids described, a "Dr. Seuss" top, as if when you weren't watching, a town of needle-high Whos might start singing and dancing on it. Parts of it - er, him - looked like he had just woken up and didn't have time to quick run some water through his branches, which were growing kinda sideways. And there is definitely a bad side. Of him. It's the side they spun towards the corner when they put him up.

He made them laugh when they found him, and he makes them laugh when they look at him today. He fits right in with everyone else in the house.

BNS also reports that Christa came home with a beautiful tree that Phil helped put in the stand. It was the right kind of tree, with the needles that don't hurt when you touch them. Unfortunately, the needles also all fell off. All of them. BNS thinks that when you return those trees to the farm, they must be lit on fire and left on the front lawn.

Beethoven's Ninth

Jen's brother, Josh (Greg's Brother-In-Law), just performed Beethoven's Ninth with the Milwaukee Chorus this weekend - he even had a small solo part and has received accolades for it. That's an 80 minute piece with several movements. All the Batiansila News service can confirm is that the fourth movement is at the end of "Diehard." Here's a newspaper review of the symphony and choir's performance.

OOPS! The Taste That Didn't Click

I fixed the bad link on the links to work that Greg does. If you encounter something hinky like that, let the blog know.

Magnifique

Teia and Izzi (Greg's Oldest Two) and Brennick (Deirdre's 3rd oldest) just performed with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in an elite chorus comprised of a group of choirs from around the state of Wisconsin. Their A Capella choir was chosen through an audition process and performed selections from Handel's "Messiah."

Wow. Really proud of them, and really impressed by the sound. That's the real deal.

I'm enclosing some of the details from the Milwaukee Symphony website...

clipped from www.milwaukeesymphony.org 2007-2008 Teen Series Masterworks Recommended for grades 7 through 12 Programs are approximately 1 hour in length Handel's Messiah November 27 at 10:30 a.m. Featuring guest choruses from Wisconsin high schools Soloists, tbd Lee Erickson, conductor Explore the power of classical music with the most famous oratorio in Western classical music, Handel’s Messiah. Composed in just 24 days, this masterpiece moved its own composer to tears with its beauty and majesty. Rediscover this Baroque showpiece, from its stirring orchestration to the majestic Hallelujah chorus. Handel - Selections from Messiah Connections: Music, Visual Art, Language Arts

Zoe Update

Today we met with a cardiac specialist at Children's Hospital in Milwaukee. The doctor looked at Zoe's heart and confirmed her condition, which is called Tetralogy of Fallot. The doctor says that this is a "very" treatable condition, and indicated that a single surgery performed at some point from age 6 months to 12 months would be needed, with an outside chance of another when Zoe is older.

The visit with the doctor was strengthening, just because we could talk about legitimate problems and solutions. But I still ask for your prayers for Zoe and her health, since the spectre of other chromosomal problems is a real possibility.

Basically, a two vessel umbilical cord in and of itself means little, as does Tetralogy of Fallot. But the two things together are sometimes signs that there are more problems we are unaware of.

I pray for a healthy baby, and even a special healing of anything that is ailing her now. I put this all in God's hands and ask that you pray for Zoe, her health, and that she has a normal and happy and healthy life.

Next up: an appointment with our ultrasound specialist physician on December 13. I pray that we continue to see signs of a healthy kid. (Today she was AGAIN hard to scan because she's so active)

Pray For Zoe

In January, Jen and I were walking around KMart and she mentioned as she passed some baby girl clothes that she wished she could have a baby girl. But then she said she knew that I didn't really want to have any more kids.

I told Jen we're already broke. We already don't fit into a minivan. We're still changing diapers, and we owe everyone. When I wake up in the morning, there's always at least a few kids in there with us. Another baby won't change much. So if she was serious, then we should be serious.

We continued to walk through the aisles of KMart.

Jen countered. She said if God would give me a raise, then, we'd have a baby. We told each other we'd pray about it separately, and a few days later we agreed that was our prayer.

In a matter of a few weeks, I was given a raise. Trouble was, it was nominal, not really a ton, but then again, we hadn't specified how much of a raise. Let that be a lesson to all of you out there.

Jen called me at work and asked me what we should do. I told her I didn't think it was a very big raise. Gideon had put out the fleece twice. We should, too. I wish I could tell you that we put it out and asked for Powerball, but we didn't. We just asked for a substantial increase.

Within weeks, I was offered a position at my current employer, Avicom. The entire organization, from top to bottom, man to woman, is a blessing in my life and I am so blessed to be there.

And it was a substantial increase.

Jen and I vexed because God had pushed the chips into the center of the table and said "Call." What was our hand? A lot of fear. We didn't do anything at first. But then we had a scare with Selah, and Jen and I talked again, and we strongly believe that Selah's health issue was a little reminder to us that God was God, and we, to quote my woefully underquoted ancient sister, are middle management.

Then, I read this devotion. I actually forwarded it to Jen. She read it and agreed...that we should follow God recklessly. Like a scene out of a movie, the phone rang. It was Walgreens, with a friendly reminder that Jen's prescription was ready. Her month's worth of pills. We decided she wouldn't take them. Six weeks later, Jen was pregnant.

This is typically where people pop the jokes about me and my indomitable procreative abilities but the truth is, none of them ring right in light of the story I just told you. God told us to have a baby, and we listened.

So, Jen and I are pregnant and we're due around the end of March.

This week we found out that our baby is a girl - what did you think it would be? - and that she has a heart defect. The doctor seemed quick to indicate that the heart defect is treatable and my read on him is he wasn't worried about the surgery it will take to repair the defect. But his voice was different when he talked about other potential problems. Zoe's heart defect and her two-vessel umbilical cord are sometimes signs of further problems.

Right now, she looks like a little kid. Her kidneys, brain, and spine are fine. She can't keep still. She looks fidgety. Please pray that Zoe Elizabeth continues to grow. It's the best sign that she is ok. Pray that her organs and limbs and her body grow and that this is just one little blip, the first way she'll break her daddy's heart.

Right now, there's nothing Jen and I can do, which is fitting and beautiful. I can't hold Zoe, and even when I try, I find I can't hold her. This isn't for me to hold. It's for you and me to hold up so that God, who called us to follow him recklessly, will hold and in His goodness, will do what He knows is best.

Klahn Update

I had the opportunity to visit with the Klahns just this past Saturday. Their oldest child, Ali, turned 18 and they surprised her with a big ole fashioned party at a barn which featured squaredancing.

I may as well have been an alien. Did you know there are 64 square dancing moves? And these kids, some as little as 8 or 10, were doing them. Incredible. A lot of them. Actually, all of them except mine, who just stared blankly at the group. With their dad.

Ted updated me with little news on their potential call to China. He said no news, but that the "company" he would be working for is focusing now on North Korea. I'll keep you posted and you keep him and his family in your prayers.