Love

Love my boy. He is the most precious, sweet-natured, beautiful little thing on this earth. Truly, thank you Jesus.

Giving is the best gift...

So we did something new this year. It was not planned, but we decided to make it into a tradition for our little family of three. We ran into one of those gift-giving trees at a local restaurant, and as I was trying to entertain Noah, I found myself reading the different cards. Kids of all ages and their Christmas lists. One in particular caught my eye--a boy about Noah's age, and his wish list (most likely made by his dear mama) consisted of: winter coat, winter boots, toy truck. It just broke my heart. I immediately snatched it up and put it in my purse. Others on the tree also listed winter coat, or hat and gloves as things they'd like to receive. Later, as we talked, Christian said that things must be pretty bad when a child asks for the basics. And again, my heart broke. How is it possible for me to be in my cozy home with things all around, and for others to be cold and hungry? Now don't get me wrong; I'll be the first to admit that I don't always think this way. I wish I did, but it's simply not the case. However, as we looked for a snuggly winter coat for this precious little boy, I found my heart was filled with joy. I listened and watched as Christian pushed the cart with Noah bear inside, saying "We've got to get this boy the best, warmest coat we can find". And he was determined and concerned as he said it.
Along with this special shopping, we also did some shopping for other members of our family for Christmas. I got super excited over one gift for my nephew because I knew he would absolutely LOVE IT! There were so many toys in the store and we were having a hard time figuring out what to get him. Then I found it. Later that night, I came home and talked to my mom, only to find out that he already has the toy I had chosen for him--what are the chances?!
I'm trying to make a point, and this is it: I could have probably picked up ANY toy in that store, and the child on the card would most likely NOT have had it. And he would have been ecstatic to get it. My nephew, on the other hand, already had the one toy I picked out for him. Don't get me wrong about this--my nephew is the sweetest, most innocent thing you've ever seen. He has white-blonde hair and big blue eyes, and he is shy and kind. His parents do not live in a mansion on a hill, but they are blessed, and so are we. I have realized how much so after searching for a child's only Christmas request: a warm winter coat.
So, next year we are going to be incorporating the gift-giving tree into our traditions. We are going to teach our little Noah (and ourselves) that there are others our there who REALLY need. And that giving is the best gift.

Oh bother...

Never thought I'd find myself quoting Pooh, but when you have kids, the old sayings from cartoons come back to you.
Oh bother. I started shadowing today at a dental office. I've decided to give the hygiene program another go. For those of you not familiar, I applied for hygiene school at Mt. Hood Community College 3 years ago, and then Christian got hurt. I didn't get accepted anyway, I'm hoping because I lived out of state. BUT, now that we're settled and going to be moving to Portland, I'm trying again. So I'm shadowing a hygienist to get some hours accumulated. Hours=points for me=better chance of getting in.
Some of you may be wondering: Why is she applying to a community college when she already has a degree?
Here's why:
1) Not too many "Biologist wanted" ads out there. Actually, NONE. I need a job!
2) I'd like to have a title. So I can say, "I'm a hygienist", like some people say, "I'm a nurse". It'd be nice to go into a town and know that there is at least one of me required in that town.
3) They make $35/hour starting. Beats Biologist pretty much any day, unless you're 75.
4) Way flexible. I can work only 2 days if I want and still make ok money doing it. And that leaves plenty of time for me, Noah bear, and Christian to hang out :)
5) I need to get out. This job can be left at 5:00 pm and not revisited again until 8:00 am the next morning!

Those are a few reasons. I like the medical/dental field. I'm not squeamish about blood, and I think I'm fairly great with people. Especially old ones. They're precious.
Anyway, so I'm excited. I'm scared to be voicing this to whoever's out there, because chances are very very good that I WON'T get in. MHCC is so competitive. Probably 500 people apply each year and they only accept 18. We'll see. If I don't, I'll probably try again next year.

Anyway, so...oh bother. :) I'm a little anxious and nervous about this new chapter. But it's exciting. I'm looking forward to new and exciting things. If anyone gets a chance, say a prayer for me and my hygienist skills. I already have all the other important ones (numchuck skills, bowhunting skills, computer hacking skills....)

EXCITING!

Well, I've got probably some of the best news of our lives.
An organization called Homes for Our Troops has agreed to build Christian and I a home, completely free. Completely wheelchair accessible, brand new. We are beside ourselves. This is the hugest blessing. We flew to Boston, MA this week to go over all the details of the home and to sign contracts. We received lessons on how to deal with media, had a personal interview that was taped for various news shows and for the website, and they took lots of photos for publicity. We were there with 6 other veterans and their wives, some of which we know (one of them is Kevin Pannell--the amputee who visited Christian at Walter Reed and completely inspired us). We cannot believe it. We have been hesitant to say anything until now because we wanted to make sure it's for real! AND IT IS!
We have chosen to have them build in Portland, OR because this is where Christian's prosthetist is, and there are great colleges and schools and many opportunities for us and for Noah. We are so so excited! They told us that the home should be done in about 7 months, so if all goes well, we should be in around July 2009! How amazing!
If you want to check out the website, it is www.homesforourtroops.org and it is a wonderful organization. Read about the founder, John Gonsalves. His story is truly amazing. Just your average guy who wanted to help. And, if you feel called to donate to this worthy cause, you can find all the information about it there!
More later, but we wanted to share this joyful news with those we love. We cannot begin to express to ya'll how we feel. It is overwhelming. Christian will have everything he needs in this home. Complete accessibility to everything via wheelchair! We know that this has come from Jesus, and we are thanking him 100 times over!
Praise the Lord!
Love,
Melissa & Christian

Noah's hair cut

Well we had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of families and food! I have gained all my lost weight back from weight watchers. :( Sad sad. But what's a girl to do?! I went to a holiday bazaar last weekend and discovered the most delicious and heavenly local honey. I have been eating english muffins with butter and honey like crazy. Let me just tell you--the situation isn't good. Oh well though. We have a treadmill.

Anyway, so I said I would post pictures of Noah's little haircut, so here they are. He doesn't look too happy with the end result. You can see it clearly on his face. BUT, he is always cute, and his hair is growing back SO FAST! What a precious blessing he is to me.

Random

I've been taking pictures here and there and thought I'd post a few random ones. Noah got his hair cut a few days ago, and although we did not intend for it to be buzzed, that's what ended up happening. His little mohawk is gone :( I don't have a picture of it downloaded yet, but as soon as I get it on, I'll post it. In the mean time, here are a few random ones. We got him all bundled up last week to go to the Veteran's day parade that daddy was in. Measly parade, measly turn out, sadly. For all those vets have done for us, the streets should have been filled if you ask me. Oh well, we had a good time and daddy looked so handsome in his uniform! We watched with GG and had a great time.

Noah also loves to ride his little zebra toy, and managed to ride it naked one night. Not a care in the world. He was happy as a clam and didn't even notice the flash of the camera (or that he was naked)!

Grandpa and Grandma Eagy took us out for a special Veteran's day dinner and Noah got to eat some ice cream, courtesy of Grandpa. Such a precious picture I was able to get :)

Let us pray!

Well shoot. Haven't had a whole lot going on with me lately. I guess that's a good thing, right? I am blessed to not be forced to work, and to be able to stay home with my precious son, and also my husband! It's a good thing we enjoy each other's company, because we are together 24/7! :)
I have sure had Jodi on my mind a lot. Jodi, my good friend from college, gave birth a week ago to a little guy, only 1 lb 14 oz. She was only 24 weeks pregnant. His name is Micah and he will be in the NICU until March, it looks like. So far, there have been nothing but praises regarding his health. Praise Jesus! Christian and I wonder aloud several times a day about the little guy. We pray for him, and this morning, he was the first thing I thought of when I woke up. Life is so precious, and it's amazing to me that babies can make it this early. But they can! Little Micah is sure a fighter.
Steven Curtis Chapman has a song called "Let Us Pray". It's an upbeat tune and it gets stuck in my head pretty easily. But the message is great: "Let us pray, let us pray, everywhere and every way, every moment of the day it is the right time. For the Father above, He is listening with love, and He wants to answer us so let us pray." Amen! It's a great message because it's TRUE. I used to tell Christian while he was in Iraq that Jesus was right beside him, always. I told him that Jesus was (is) my best friend, and I talk to him all day long. At first I think he thought that was a little strange. Not that he didn't have a strong faith, but I guess for some, that might be a weird way of saying it. But anyway, Jesus IS our friend, God is our father. He is with us always...he is only a prayer away!
So the point of all that is that every time I think of Micah or Jodi or Shawn, I pray for them. Their story is really encouraging many people to pray and bow before our Lord, and it's wonderful.
So I've been trying to pray throughout the day about other things too. I think some people think that prayer needs to be an "on your knees" type of thing...which it is, but it can also be a "while you're driving" type of thing. Or "putting on my makeup and rushing out the door" type of thing. Let us pray, let us pray, EVERYWHERE AND EVERY WAY!
Amen :)

Thank you

Thanks very much to all our veterans and to those who are currently serving our country. Words can't express how grateful I am to be free to make my own choices, to worship freely, to speak my mind, etc. Freedom isn't free, and I am aware.

THANK YOU!

My little dragon!

Noah bear was a precious dragon for Halloween. We took him trick-or-treating downtown and he tired quickly!

He totally took on a different personality in his little costume. He got very quiet and focused. I think maybe it's because he had like zero peripheral vision with his dragon suit flopping around his eyes, so he was really concentrating on walking and seeing people. ha!
We went with his cousin London and also his cousin Max. It was way cute!

All in all, it was a good time. My sister Andi threw a little party where we ate some great chili and cornbread, made smores around a fire out back, and played Taboo. My kinda night!

What we went through...part 1

Note--I started typing this at midnight and realized, soon, that I would not finish it tonight. So, this is part 1. Part 2 to come later.

So, I've been bothered the last few days. And because of this, I've done a lot of thinking and being angry. Then I realized...I don't think I've ever talked about, in length, what Christian and I went through the last 3 years. I don't think a lot of people know. I don't think even my close friends know. It's just usually too much....too much to talk about. To much to delve into over dinner. So it's just never been explained. And if you weren't there by our side, you wouldn't know.
I know this probably isn't making a whole lot of sense, but I'm leaving it at that. I've decided, for my own good, that I should get this stuff on paper (or on screen, or...whatever!) It's important to me. I'm not writing what I'm about to write to make anyone feel bad, sad, or mad. I'm just writing it because it's never been done. And I think it'd be therapeutic for me to know that others out there know what it's like, because I don't really think most of ya'll do, and that's ok. How or why would you? I surely didn't know what things were like in someone's shoes before Christian was hurt. I guess I'm writing to encourage others to be aware. That this stuff is real...it really happens to every day people. For cryin' out loud, it happened to me! To us!
So...here goes.
Christian was hurt on June 3, 2005. We had been married for less than three months. I didn't even have a military ID card. I wasn't in the system or anything! Most of you don't know how significant this is if you're not in the military, but it's a pretty important thing to have or be. We had been physically in each other's presence for a total of 6 days when we knew we loved each other. Didn't take long! But we had been friends long before that, so we didn't need much else. It was a classic romantic story...he went to war, came back for R & R and we eloped in Las Vegas. Then, he got hurt. And it was a whirlwind. I had no idea what I was doing or how I was doing it or was going to do it. All I knew was that I was taking it one day at a time.
The day I found out the extent of his injuries, I was taking things one minute at a time. I went to sleep that night and lay perfectly still all night, and in the morning, Christian called me. He was frantic. Asking me if they'd told me, and I said yes, they had. I tried to be strong and sound brave, but I was scared. Then he asked if I could still love him, and I told him I loved him no matter what, and that we were going to make it.
I then flew to Walter Reed. My dad and I. The whole plane ride, I read my Bible, read "The Power of a Praying Wife"...I searched and highlighted...looking for things to tell him, to reassure him. And I cried, and my dad would pull me close. I tried not to make a scene on the plane. And I thought about the fact that pretty much no one on the plane knew what was going on with me and that my life was changed forever. When we finally got to Walter Reed, Christian wasn't even there. We waited all day at the hospital. I was so anxious. And everyone told me that my first reaction to him had to be perfect...I had to make sure I told him everything was going to be fine, and I had to be strong. It was a lot of pressure.
My dad and I waited forever. Finally we saw the white bus carrying wounded soldiers pull up. My dad suggested that I put on some of my perfume so he would be able to smell me. So I did. Then we were whisked away by someone from the Red Cross, telling us we had to wait until he was "cleaned up". So we waited some more. That was around 5:00 I guess, and it wasn't until 10:30 that night that they told me he was ready. My dad and I had been sleeping in a hospital waiting room, suitcases and all. So we headed to his room, and before I went in, my dad and I prayed. I prayed in my head that I wouldn't look at his legs or notice that there were no feet under the sheets. I prayed that he would see that I was there and always would be. And then I walked in, and Christian smiled and said, "Look at youuu!" then turned to a nurse and said, "Isn't she beautiful?" He was himself. What a precious man. I remember kissing him and feeling stitches from where his teeth had gone through his lip. Funny thing to remember, but I remember it. I talked with him for a few minutes, then my dad came in, and I don't really remember a lot else. We went back down the hallway to the waiting room, and I woke every few hours and went down to Christian's room just to check on him. I remember he was in the ICU and there was another man in the room with him who I think had been shot in the neck. We are pretty sure that man died.
The next few days were a complete whirlwind. Christian was in terrible pain. Bones cut off pain. Bones exposed pain. I can't even fathom. All I know is that his pain caused the deepest pain in my heart I've ever felt. And, from being a mother, I can't even imagine what his mother or father were feeling. But it was terrible. Surgeries, washouts...I slept in his hospital room on a fold out chair, and awoke one night to him screaming at me, trying to wake me up. (I was exhausted) I opened my eyes to see blood everywhere--all over his chest and arms. His left arm was in a cast, and both legs were bandaged and in casts as well. He had one good limb to use--his right arm. His legs had "wound vacs" on them to suck out any leaking fluids from them. Anyway, he had pulled all his IVs out in the middle of the night and blood had gone everywhere. He was hysterical and the nurses weren't responding to his calls. Because he had pulled out all his IVs, he hadn't gotten any pain medication in who knows how long, so he was writhing in pain. Of course I didn't know what to do, so I ran into the hallway and screamed for help. This was probably about day 3.
Sometime around there, Christian told us all about what had happened. I had been so curious but hadn't dared ask. I hoped he would tell us in his time. And he did. He bravely told us. And he wrote about it, too. He told us not to be sad, not to cry. He was brave all the way. How do people do it? You hear all the time about how people are so brave; I could never be. But he was, without even trying, it seemed.
Soon, physical therapists came and started moving Christian's limbs. He was so stiff and he was so anxious to get up and move around. He desperately wanted to get into a wheelchair, but his legs weren't even "closed up" yet (translation--they were in casts and the bone was completely exposed). This is because they have to go in and washout his wounds--pressure wash them and shoot antimicrobial beads up into them so they don't become infected, and to kill any infection they might have gotten from the dirt in Iraq. Side note--terrorists in Iraq actually put human feces, dead animals, whatever, INTO or on bombs in hopes that when they explode, the feces will get into soldiers' wounds and cause them to become infected. Something I didn't know until Christian was hurt.
Anyway, so it didn't make sense for them to close his wounds permanently because they had to keep opening them to clean them. These "washouts" were very painful and required lots of pain meds, no eating, recovery room....they were pretty much a surgery. They removed any dead tissue or infected tissue, sometimes they "revised" the bones (cut more off). So one day Christian was scheduled for a cast change and was told he wasn't supposed to eat anything. Well, we waited and waited and waited, and while I was in the cafeteria, I saw they had boston cream pie. For some reason, I thought I remembered Christian telling me it was his favorite. So I got it and took it to his room. Because we had been waiting for so long, Christian ate the pie. (I think we had been told his cast change had been changed to a way later time). Regardless, he ate the pie, and RIGHT after he ate the last bite, they came and got him for the cast change. And because he had eaten, he couldn't have any pain meds. Soo, we listened to him screaming in agony from outside the cast room as they removed bandages from his legs, without any pain medication. They were pulling off gauze and whatever directly from his exposed bones. It was the most horrifying thing ever. My dad, his parents, and I just didn't even know what to do. We felt so helpless. They were shooting local anesthetics into his legs, but obviously they couldn't do it into the bone, or it wasn't working if they had. We were pacing, praying...at one point I think I actually covered my ears. Then Christian's dad yelled, "We love you son" and Christian yelled back, "I love you too". I will never forget it.
Finally they allowed him a break once the casts were off, and I asked if I could go back. Well, he was laying on the table with legs that were just cut off. I don't know how else to say it. I didn't see them, because I asked them to cover them up, and they got some paper towels and lay them over the ends of his legs. But I remember being woozy because I could see some gray skin underneath and I almost couldn't take it. It was just too much.
I realize that a lot of these details may seem "too much" or maybe insignificant, but everything that I can remember is significant to me, because some day I won't remember. And it's important. Don't get me wrong; Christian and I are doing great these days. And we don't dwell on the past. My emotions have just been stirred up lately and I thought about how I have never gotten it all out. So I thought I would. But I will save the rest for another night, because this is enough to remember for one night.

Crap!

I came down the stairs yesterday with laundry, and on my way to the washer and dryer, I discovered three puddles of what I thought was vomit, only it looked like soy sauce. I turned around and quickly discovered that there were two more piles (and a few dribbles) of the soy sauce (only a little thicker over here) on the carpet. Nooooooo! Diarrhea! Mace has been farting and whimpering a lot lately to go outside, so we've been letting her out. Well, apparently she has diarrhea seriously bad. She NEVER goes in the house--ever. Until now! So we have been taking her out like every 5 seconds, and went out for lunch yesterday, only to come home to another nasty pile, in the same spot that we had spent lots of time scrubbing. Gross! So we debated about what to do with her last night, and finally decided to put her in our bathroom for the night, where there's tile.
I woke up at 5 am to whimpers and weird noises, and opened the bathroom door to a horror scene! There were like 5 puddles of diarrhea, some had dribbles down the wall. It was just outrageous. And Christian was in a dead sleep, so it looked like it was up to me to clean up. It was terrible. How does our body (or a dog's body, I guess) produce so much mucus and froth in such a short amount of time??! So I finally told Christian we had to take her in and get her checked out. AND...the doctor gave us pepto for dogs! :( That was a $55 trip. He said she must have gotten into something. Agghh. Hopefully the meds help. Cause I don't think I can clean up another puddle.

The culprit:

Proud

So I was thinking last night after I posted my last blog that I am really proud of my husband and my family. Different situations in the past months have made me realize how GREAT I have things. I have a husband who, despite being 100% + disabled, refuses to have anyone mow the lawn but him. He wants to work 40 hours a week. He loves playing with our son. He tells me that he "married up". He goes hunting for 5 days and manages to kill three animals. And, he also manages to call me, often, just to see how I'm doing. I know some people whose husbands forget to call, or "don't have time". I just feel really blessed. As Salt n Peppa would say, "I gotta good man". Ha ha. Seriously.

The picture I posted is of his 15 point buck. Apparently, according to my sister Jess, they aren't called 15 point bucks, but rather, 8 point, or in this case, 8 x 7. BUT on the east they're called 15 pointers. Who cares? The thing's got 15 knobs on it's head.

Anyway, I'm proud. I really love the handsome man in all these pictures. :)

Trip to Boise

Well I just got back from a great overnight trip to Boise. We went down for a wedding that was beautiful, and I got to spend time with three of my closest friends. I went down about a month ago for a few days, and each time I go, I come back telling Christian I feel refreshed. It's the best word to describe it. It is such a blessing to have friends who genuinely care for you and also have a heart for Jesus. I love it! I miss you all! There was a little talk of moving back to the Boise area some day...not any time soon; after all, we JUST moved into our new home here. But I'm dreaming...and the thought of being closer to Godly women (with boys! :) ) is really exciting to me. We will be praying about our future plans!
Anyway, gals--thanks for the great time! Thanks for making time for me when I come into town. I cherish our friendships!
Love ya'll!

Beauty at it's best :)

I love my boy. I think he is the most beautiful little baby I've ever seen (I know every parent knows what I'm talking about). Christian took the most precious picture of him, and I wanted to share it. I'm going to have it blown up and framed.

That's all :)

Random stop-bys

I have heard many people talk about how rude it is for a person to just randomly stop by, on a whim. I happen to love the random stop-by. Christian and I were just talking about it tonight. We tell everyone, "PLEASE! Stop BY! Any time! You don't have to call!" (Unless you're a JW) And we mean it! We love company, even if the house is a mess or if Noah is asleep. We didn't get any random visitors in Texas, and we wished we had! We were lonely! Now that we're in Oregon, we feel so blessed to have family literally 3 minutes away, and we are soaking it up! A random stop-by means someone was thinking of you and wanted to say hello (or it means you owe them money, or...whatever). Anyway, we like it! It is so nice to be doing absolutely nothing and have the doorbell ring. We get excited! Christian's parents stopped by today (randomly, unannounced) and we were so pleased. They were so worried they would be bothering us, but not so! We love company. I put a pot of coffee on and we talk. It's great! So, if you're ever in town--look us up and stop on by!

Finally blogging...

Well, Joy said I was "lurking around her blog" without ever leaving a comment, so I finally decided to break down and become a blogger! Now I am officially no longer a creepy "lurker".
Anyway, we are all settled in to our new home (almost) in The Dalles, Oregon where we grew up. I am absolutely loving the weather and family. I have not taken it for granted once yet!
Christian and I are doing great and we love the time we get to spend with Noah. Neither of us is working, however, we are actively seeking part time employment, if it's the right job. We are blessed to be able to stay home with Noah and we love it!
Next weekend we are going to Boise for a friend's wedding. I went to college at NNU with him; he played baseball and I was a student athletic trainer, so I was familiar with him. Anyway, he ended up at Brooke Army Medical Center, where Christian did his rehabilitation, and where I was working with wounded soldiers. He lost a leg fighting in Iraq (or rather, he GAVE a leg). So I went to visit him in the hospital and took Christian along. And now he's getting married to a beautiful gal, and we are excited to go! We will only be in town for one night, but it'll be fun. We're not taking Noah, and Christian is going hunting, so that shortens our trip a lot.
Anyway...gals--Jen, Jodi, Joy--if you're not busy Saturday Oct. 4th, Christian and I will be in town!
Sweet!
That's it for now.