Stepping Out With My Baby

First, we need to clear up some VERY important matters.

Apparently, the younger generation was left confused by one of our earlier posts.  It seems, the title of the post, Beans Don't Burn On the Grill , from January, left some scratching their heads and loosing sleep at night.  What was the meaning behind that crazy title?  Well, it has a connection to the first sentence in the post and was a reference to the theme song for The Jefferson's.  Needing to explain a reference to a particular sitcom from the past should not make you feel old.  What makes you feel old is when you have to say, "you see kid, back in my day, they had these things called "theme songs" that played before every TV show started".  And to just add some more completely irrelevant and unnecessary facts to this blog post, my favorite sitcom theme song:  #1) Growing Pains closely followed by #2) Family Ties

Now, that we have cleared that up and we are all on the same page, Jeff and I have some updates to share:

Today, we went on our SECOND adventure out of the house since leaving the hospital.  It was once again a doctor appointment, BUT..... this time it was MORE than a half mile from our house.  Jeff LOVES being a passenger while I drive, he dreads the day the doctor tells him he can drive again, especially since my vehicle is out of commission forcing me to drive his truck.  I think I might love it even more than him since I get the bonus luxury of having a state of the art guidance system fully engaged during our rides.  Not only does this "special GPS" tell me when and where to turn to reach our destination, it lets me know if I picked the wrong lane, if I'm going too slow, braking too hard and even picks out the perfect parking spot.  It really has been wonderful... especially when slow drivers pull out in front of you and it says, "just go around and wax them!".  Yep, I don't know how I managed to get anywhere without this fancy guidance system.  On our way back home, I was enjoying it so much I got a little distracted and "accidentally" turned down one of the bumpiest roads in Springfield.  It totally was not intentional because I would never think of such a thing. ;-)

We received news the infection Jeff is fighting is responding to treatment and improving.   Jeff loathes antibiotics and always prided himself with his successful avoidance of them ever since I've met him.  Well, you know what the Bible says about pride?  Jeff's infection could take 4-6 weeks to master which means more antibiotics for him for awhile longer.  The concern the doctor has regarding continued treatment is recent literature has found tendon ruptures to be a side effect with prolonged use of Jeff's type of antibiotic.  While a tendon rupture is small potatoes compared to what he has been through, it is something we've had our fair share of and would rather not revisit.  Returning to drumming at church is a major motivating factor for Jeff, no other injuries are allowed on this journey.

We also got some news we have also been waiting for... Jeff gets to start rehab on Monday!  I'm not sure if he is going to take his hockey stick to wave toward his therapist like he does me when I start barking orders.   However, I do know as the infection leaves his body, his spunky personality is coming back with a vengeance.  :-)  So you might want to pray for the receptionist who will have to register him, the instructor of his first class and practically every individual who will be within a 3 foot radius of him.   The jovial, joking monster is waking back up. :-)

Prayer requests at this point:

-Pray for those in your life this week who have recently received discouraging news.  Pray that while the news may sting, they will not lose heart and they will continue to trust God.

-Pray for continued positive response from Jeff's treatment as his body fights infection.

-Pray for our kids.  I have been careful and deliberate about protecting their privacy in dealing with their specific responses to this trial.  God knows their needs - please lift the kids up for us.

-Pray for strength as the grind of being cooped up in a house during the winter paired with the lack of structure and absence from our previous routines and comfort zone can take a toll on our mental strength.

-Pray for continued healing of Jeff's body.

-Pray and thank God for all the wonderful blessings He has given you.   It is easy for negative news to saturate our minds and thoughts.  One of the things that has consistently given me a boost is when I log onto facebook and see posts from people in our life sharing their victories, their celebrations or just giving us a peek into the fun things happening in their life whether big or small.  For Jeff and I, reading posts about friends enjoying a sporting event or hobby, experiencing successes, hanging out with friends or enjoying a much needed vacation is more evidence of all the good that exists in this world.  Please don't ever feel the need to shield us from any excitement you have going on in your life.   Blessings in our friends and families lives are blessings in our lives as well.

Please never hesitate to to let us know ways we can be praying for YOU.

God is Good!  ALL the time!!!!

-Stacy and Jeff