Sneaky P

Random things have gone missing lately. Today I was talking on the phone to my sister and saw something in our Christmas tree. I kept looking. Here's what I found...

Abigail's play phone

The long lost pacifier

The puzzle piece

The Chick-fil-a straw from my favorite diet coke

These items went missing about a week ago, if not longer. :)

The Surgery

We visited the doctor at Emory yesterday. Parker did such a good job in the office. They were able to get him to do more, and get a better idea of exactly how bad the cataracts are. Parker will need to have surgery. We'll have the first surgery on January 15. The next surgery will be about a month later.

I'm still nervous about the surgery, but I am confident that we have found the right doctor. I can't even believe how much God has taken care of P during all of this. One of the biggest surprises is that when we got to Emory, they had already received a call from the doctor in Philadelphia. I can't believe he took the time and effort to call for us to make sure that we were taken care of. I was completely honored. I feel like God is showing favor on us. Every night I pray for Parker that God will grow him "in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man." Through this whole process (a quick process) I'm so amazed at how much good there is in the world. And, I know that good comes from above. I never thought we'd get the help we needed, and get to spend so much time with the doctors who are considered to be the best. We're moving forward confident that God is in control and that he loves our little P's eyes more than we do.

Abigail or Boo?

Parker thinks that Boo on Monsters Inc. is Abigail. I guess I can see it.

I don't know what it is about this picture. I like it!

a rat, a BB, and Eric

Eric just shot a rat on his first shot with a bb gun.

I was laying in bed and kept hearing something. I thought it was an animal in our wall. Then, I realized that it could be an animal outside trapped on our screened in porch. Eric hates having to get up to "check on" things for me. But, he got up. We went to look outside, and I saw the nasty thing crawling up and down the wall. Eric went to get his bb gun. He hasn't shot it since I've known him.

One shot. Boom! The nasty thing fell from on top of the door to the porch. This is Eric enjoying his kill.

One more shot just to make sure he's dead.

The nasty nasty rat.

The Best

It's actually happened! I've been emailing with the best Pediatric Cataract Specialist in the country. He's a doctor in Philadelphia. He recommended that we see a doctor at Emory, one that Eric already got us an appointment with. So, Tuesday we see that doctor. If we are unhappy with the appointment, the doctor in Philly said that he will see Parker. I think we're on the right track now. Thanks to everyone who helped and prayed!

Now for some recent pics...

Parker made his first gingerbread house with Nana. We finished it last night.

Abigail now has pigtails!

Fighter

I keep playing that Christina Aguilera song, "Fighter," in the back of my mind. I'm fighting for my son. I refuse to be a passive mom who just sits back and watches her son go through craziness with his eyes. My house is a mess, I haven't cooked in days, and the TV has been playing children's shows nonstop. Why? Because I am on a quest to get the absolute BEST doctor for my child. I've called foundations, doctors, friends, friends of friends, uncles of friends, surgeons, the list goes on and on. I'm following every lead. I have no idea where my journey will take us.

Yesterday was a hard day. My friend, Vicki, got to hear me in the heat of the frustration. Today has been better. I feel like I have some roads to go down. All this to say... moms out there, be proactive and be aggressive for your kids. A friend of mine reminded me last night that wisdom and discernment comes from God. I really believe that as moms we are called to use what God has given us and to fight for our families. I'll let you know where we end up.

The Scoop

So, here's the scoop on little P. On Thursday, January 8, he will go under general anesthesia so that the doctor can get a better look at the cataracts. If the cataracts are bad enough the doctor will go ahead and preform the surgery on one eye at that time. After removing the cataract the doctor will put an implant in P's eyes. We will go back a week later for him to do the surgery on the other eye.

What we know: P has cataracts in both eyes that are directly in his line of vision. The only way to get cataracts to go away is to remove them. Removing cataracts is a fairly simple procedure in adults, but is much more complex in a child. (If you're curious, give me a call. It's too difficult for me to explain in writing.) The doctor needs to look closer at the cataracts to see if they are bad enough to undergo the surgery, or if they are mild enough to be left alone for awhile. If we don't get the surgery now, the cataracts will get worse, and will eventually need to be taken out anyways. As with any surgery, there are risks involved.

I'm sure any parent can understand that it's hard to choose a surgery that could cause your child to go blind, etc. But, at the same time, P is slowly losing his vision in both eyes from the cataracts. Our choice seems to be more a choice of timing. Eric and I are both in "information overload" right now. And, at the same time, we're trying to gather as much info as possible before the surgery decision on January 8.

Please pray that we can make a wise and informed choice about the surgery and the doctors involved. Pray also that P's vision will not get worse before January 8. (We've seen a decrease in his vision just in the last week.)

Parker P

For some reason we've always called Parker, "Parker P." I was looking through old pictures of him last night, and came across his 7 month picture. It stuck out to me because Abigail is 7 months old.

We found out today that Parker does have cataracts in both eyes. It looks like surgery is eventually going to happen if not soon. It's too much information, and too new of information for me to write about right now.

For now, enjoy the 7 month picture. :)