Busy Bees!

The hive here is buzzing with excitement as we get further and further ahead with renos! We have just LOVED the people who have been involved in this project. I will be posting a special thanks to the team a little later when I can get accurate contact info (and their permission, of course!).

I have been busy patching our gloriously "character" plaster walls (oh if only you could detect the tone of sarcasm in my voice). I may have a future career in taping & mudding! The best were the two walls with wall paper... and those of you who have experienced wall-paper removal have just groaned, am I right? First it's peeling off whatever bits you can by hand, then it's scouring the paper and spraying it with fleecy/water mix, then it's peeling the remaining chunks... followed by washing the walls with TSP then you have to wash the TSP off... SHEESH! Then it was patching, sanding, patching some more, sanding then priming... anyone else getting tired? Finally (oh finally, finally, finally) it's taping along all the windows and edges and yes, the glorious moment of ACTUALLY painting the walls (which is what I wanted to do a whole week PRIOR).

Sigh...

Can you guess why I have NOT been able to blog lately? And the only time I could get the work done without the little ones trying to climb the ladder, or dip toys in TSP was after their bedtime so I often spent my nights working until 1 or 2 in the morning.

But you should see how beautiful the den and living room look... ok, minus the two walls that are in the process of getting "reno-ed". They look like brand new walls! And yes, I will likely cry the first crack I see. But for now, it is BEAUTIFUL!

I have many blog entries i hope to post including "the art of loading my children into a vehicle" and "the first of many yet to come"... I will have to leave you intrigued by the titles in hopes that I will have the chance to sit and write some more. Afterall, I miss you when I don't make a point of connecting via the power of intention!

But life feels so good these days. Sometimes I feel guilty for the many privileges we know here... good wholesome food, a beautiful house, warmth, freedom, space, running water, electricity... I could go on and on and on. We are so richly blessed! I am free to express myself and to journey in my faith without fear of persecution. I can even SHARE my journey with others, connect with you via the internet... it truly is amazing.

So here's hoping that you have missed me, too! And that we can delight in this connection together. Even though I cannot see or know each one of you connecting with me through these words, there is great peace in knowing that God does... and if we are all created in His image, then somewhere deep within me, I, too, know that it is you. God bless you deeply and fervently!

A little compassion goes a long way

My sister sent me this link and I really felt inspired by it. It's been a prayer of mine since I was little for all of us to love each other for the simple fact that none of us exist outside of God's creation. His will is why we are here... surely that means that ALL of us are deserving of LOVE... even if we ourselves have not quite figured out how to be loving. I guess that's why they call it UNCONDITIONAL. At any rate, it is wonderful to discover that many others share this same hope. So if you have a second, check out the Charter for Compassion.

Recycle old cell phones & accessories

As promised, I will continue to share whatever info I find on how to recycle those household items that end up in landfills. Today, I have found something helpful regarding old cell phones & their accessories.

Manitoba Telecom Services has a recycle your cell phone program. Unfortunately, this means it is only applicable to Manitobans but I am thinking that perhaps most cell phone companies would have a similar program.

At any rate, I have about ten cell phones to recycle that date back to the ones that looked like computers held up to your head! Bless you all out there!

"Open" house

I am sitting at my kitchen counter typing away on our computer... kitchen counter? You wonder? Yes, our home addition for Isabel is well underway and my little tiny office space is now a big gaping hole into the new addition... a hole that will soon lead to our spacious entrance with 3-foot wide door and no lip at the base of the door for Isabel's wheelchair to bump onto. I anticipate the many people who will be welcomed into our home and I am sooooo looking forward to loving every one of them in hopes that they will feel God's love for them and from us.

The home I have always desired... not filled with "stuff" but with the "stuff life is made of." My sincerest desire is to make our home a place where others feel welcomed, invited and appreciated.

I think that's why all of this allergy stuff has hit me so hard. Here I am at a phase in my life when I finally have the space to host and have people over (and for the longest time, there WAS always someone here) but with my fears of harming Ethan with his allergens, our home went from being wide open to feeling like some bio-hazard closed off area!

But as he gets older, stronger and we see first hand that his allergens are not "killing" him, our hearts are becoming more peaceful. Once he is weaned, we will likely reintroduce some foods into our home (I really cannot live without garlic) and I will be able to cook my meals again and feed others.

I miss feeding others...

Even with the construction crews around, it feels wrong not to invite them in for hot bowls of chili with fresh bread and homemade butter. Or to offer fresh cookies or muffins. There is such a sense of love when you can nourish others. I love it! (Except when I flop with a recipe... then I just feel like an idiot!). :)

After my last post, I believe that brought us to day four of Ethan's skin clearing up miraculously. And staying true to form, after those magical four days, Ethan's skin began to deteriorate again. What is the culprit? I have no clue... could have been the gluten-free elk sausage that we tried (garlic in it?), could have been my cinnamon roiboos mate (the first I have had in many, many months), it could have been the olive oil on the chicken I baked for him... or something in the celtic sea salt... Maybe it was the stress of all the clanging and banging...

I really don't know.

Melina was wise and said to me yesterday, "Mom, I feel as though God has given me a sentence to pass along to you... 'when you accept it, things will change.'"

Wise words that I have known in my heart all along. Once I let go of thinking I can control Ethan's outcome based on my research and efforts, the sooner I can let go and give room for God to do His bidding. And who better to heal Ethan than His very own Creator? I know this in my head but my heart just won't let go yet. And that delay makes me feel as though it is at Ethan's expense. But even Jesus praised God in Matthew 11:25 "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children." No amount of knowledge and education can outsmart the will of God.

Sigh.

Always a journey of humility and submission. "Let not mine but your will be done." Can you imagine Christ's intense faith and submission? Knowing what was about to unfold, the pain he would have to endure? And in his moment of pleading with our Father in the garden of Gethsemane, He catches himself wanting "this cup to be passed" from Him, and CHOOSES to submit... submit fully... letting go of all control over the situation and trusting that God's Will encompassed more than the immediate future.

And indeed it did...

Why then, with a most perfect example of submission under the most intense of situations, should I even STRUGGLE with letting go and trusting God?

"But what if I don't like His outcome?" Ah... but I cannot imagine that Christ was too keen on the immediate outcome following his prayer in the garden. And yet, the outcome was far greater and for a purpose more grand than anyone could have fathomed.

So perhaps my prayers should not be for miraculous healing. Perhaps it should be for submission and trust. Faith. Trusting that Ethan's suffering is for a greater purpose. Perhaps he is meant to touch many other people's lives as Isabel has done in her state of suffering. Perhaps always fearing pain, suffering and hurt are fears that keep us from fulfilling a bigger picture.

So as I watch Ethan worsen yet again, I praise God and give thanks for the moments He grants us of health, rest, laughter and renewed faith. Because life would be much worse if those moments did not occur at all.

And in the wise words of my daughter, I will continue to work towards accepting where we are all at in this and praise God as Jesus did in Matthew for revealing His truth to the beautiful hearts of our children that we may learn from their unconditional love and reverence for all of His creation.

In Jesus name, I pray... Amen.

A whole new Little Man

And by that, I do not mean that we traded Ethan in... although it almost feels that way! I am telling you, miracles of miracles, he is the most beautiful, the most calm and content he has been since birth!

Days into our therapeutic doses of iron, I noticed his attention span getting better. A few days after that, he decided to start walking! And a few days more, he finally began using sign language (all of my repetition and diligence was ACTUALLY registering in his over active brain!).

He is so delightful! Busy... oh dear Father, is he busy, but truly delightful. He walks all over the house yelling "daddddeeeee... daaaadeeeee". He chuckles and chases Anika.

These days, he eats like a horse! I do not even want to imagine what his appetite will be like when he is a teenager!! I think my father hit the nail on the head back when he was three months old and everything started going down hill: "the poor kid is starving! Feed him meat & potatoes."

I thought he was crazy! But I have been boiling our grass-fed beef short ribs, freezing the broth in ice cube trays to blend with his food and feeding him the delicious meat with most meals, and I tell you, he is a whole new little man. He LOVES meat. That's all he wants to eat... that and grapes... just like Mina did.

I have even been able to sit and READ books to him! And I am not talking about the lightning speed reading of yelling out random words as the pages fly by my face due to busy little hands who couldn't be patient enough to WAIT for me to turn the pages.

My little Ethan is coming out of his itchy shell. Iron deficiency and garlic have been the major culprit all of these months! Goes to show the blatant denial on my part... garlic was one of the only remaining food items that I consumed in large quantities on a daily basis... you'd think I would have made the link but nope. I had it in my mind that no one could possibly ever be allergic to garlic! It's practically an herbal gift directly from the creator!! I mean, c'mon!

Sigh.

But alas, meals have certainly become simplified and I think Ethan is starting to wean himself. He actually slept for a seven hour stretch last night!

Joy of joy! Your prayers, our prayers have been answered! More answers that have finally led us to Ethan's basic needs. And the successful protocol? He is on a hypoallergenic probiotic called EMF Super Powder, Licorice Root extract, L-Glutamine, Iron, and Baby Ddrops. Foods consumed daily are bananas, applesauce, avocados, grapes, yams, beef, chicken, beans, carrots and zucchini. He gladly gnaws on raw red pepper so his vitamin C consumption is finally greatly increased.

Lastly, we add a scoop of Metagenics Ultracare for Kids (food supplement) and have truly loved the added nutrients, prebiotics, and amino acids he gets from it.

It has taken a LONG time (or so it feels that way) but we finally have our son back. He is beautiful, pink, plump (he gained a pound and a half these past three weeks!) and he is exploring his surroundings and communicating so well. He signs: grapes, banana, more, all done, milk, hat, wind, train, tree, shoes, help and eat.

I should really reflect and structure this entry a little better instead of blurting out my excitement as though I were yelling out instructions to a babysitter while trying to run out the door! But I am so grateful to you all for keeping our son in your thoughts, your prayers and your healing intentions.

We are so richly blessed and we thank you for your part in that. God bless you all!!

Anything but that!!!

That does it! I am going to have to sell my poor Ethan on Kijiji or something. I told God "I am willing to give up everything except garlic" which I should honestly know by now is an invitation to have that very thing you are UNWILLING to give up forcefully taken from you.

I am talking about this morning's appointment at the allergy specialist's office. We skin pricked him for Vegenaise (our egg-free mayo), Hemp seed (because I am DETERMINED to find a source of Omega-3 he is NOT allergic to), tomato, honey, turmeric (super incredible healing properties), lime, Agave Nectar (only form of sweetener he does NOT seem to react to), red pepper (a non-citrus source of vitamin C), onion (cuz it goes in everything we eat) and our beloved, sacred, creme-de-la-creme... GARLIC.

Surely he wouldn't be allergic to garlic but I figured the kid still hasn't cleared up despite eliminating just about everything else. His allergy to garlic is as high up there as milk and eggs and fish... ARGH!!! At least now we know WHY he hasn't been clearing up all this time.

But seriously... garlic? C'mon! That's just mean! Anyways... just thought I'd update you on the newest developments: severely allergic to garlic & vegenaise, highly allergic to hemp seed, tomato, honey and turmeric, NOT allergic to lime, agave nectar, red pepper, onion & mushrooms. Take care out there! And enjoy your garlic!!

Vaccines, H1N1 shots, etc...

It amazes me how we (Duane and I) are treated as parents when Emergency staff or other medical professionals learn that our children are NOT up to date with their immunizations. It disgusts me that we are suddenly treated with curtness and deal with the occasional out-of-line comments on our parenting skills.

Wow, what a way to sell a family on vaccinations!

We stand where we do BECAUSE of the research AND because of the testimonies of people we KNOW. Follow this link to an autism conference (1 minute clip) and see for yourself the families who have witnessed the "death" of their child as they knew him/her because they had faith in the medical system's vaccination requirements. I just feel that vaccinations are a game of russian roulette on our kids because you just don't know who is going to have a life-altering reaction. Is it really worth it?

And what of the annual flu shot? Here is a short commical clip on the ingredients used for the common flu shot. Why do we read labels of food we ingest but do not ask to see the ingredients of what is being INJECTED into our bodies?

I have particularly appreciated Dr. Tenpenny's website (among others). She offers great info on the flu & H1N1 vaccines' ingredients along with studies and other information confirming what seems to be kept away from the public. And why is it not being made public knowledge? I just don't understand! If you love your fellow-man/woman, would you not want them to be as well-informed as possible? Why remove the information that may allow them to sway from your convictions? Isn't that manipulation? ARGH! I feel so disappointed in those whom we are told we must blindly trust.

Blindly trust.

Duane's friend delayed getting his daughter vaccinated until she was two years old... that's our Anika's age. When she received her vaccination, he watched his little girl slip away only days later. She now has autism. I cannot fathom that pain, that anger. Perfectly normal little girl and she whisked from the rest of her life. I cannot fathom the rage.

So please, medical system, be accountable and just admit "yes, sometimes they go wrong, we don't have all the answers, take them at your own RISK." At least let the public know there IS a risk! And give them OPTIONS... do we really need to give our babies so many vaccines?

Jim Carrey & wife, Jenny McCarthy, on this Larry King clip confirmed for me that DIET plays a KEY ROLE in the issues we are encoutering with our children today and the critical role, we as parents, have in educating ourselves and demanding NO toxins in our vaccinations and to limit them.

I am passionate about our little ones' rights and pray, pray, pray that our world will thrive on the TRUE wellbeing of our children, rejecting greed & profit and rejoicing at the sanctitity that is our innocence... because Jesus warned what would happen to those who threatened the Little Ones. Let's do our part to be AWARE and WISE in our choices concerning them.

I love you for allowing me this freedom of expression, I love you for disagreeing with me if you so wish, I love that you are passionate about what is best (regardless of whether we align on what we think that is) and I love that together we have the power to do something. God bless you all out there! And your beautiful children!