Have I mentioned how difficult it is to take a good picture of two little boys! We managed to get a few good pics! Below is our Christmas letter - a recap of the events of 2010.
Christmas Letter 2010
Christmas Letter 2010
The year of 2010 was full of blessings and unexpected challenges for our family, each making us stronger and affirming our belief that God is faithful to those who love Him.
In January we had a wonderful trip to Florida where I attended the North American Veterinary Conference, we took Andrew to Disney World and visited with Grandma and Grandpa Shaffer. It was a magical vacation, I learned a few things and we all had a great time!
In early March I went into pre-term labor (29 weeks gestation) and after a short hospital stay was placed on bed-rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. It was a challenging few months, especially while caring for a rambunctious toddler at home, but with the help and support of an amazing husband, family and friends we made it one day shy of our due date. On May 29th Isaiah Timothy arrived after an uncomplicated, natural delivery - our second, healthy, beautiful baby boy! He was perfect and we were so thankful to finally have him here. It felt wonderful to be back on my feet, but just 6 days after Isaiah was born we were back at the hospital - I had experienced several minutes of paralysis on my right, which was pretty scary. They worked me up for a TIA, but all the test results indicated that I was perfectly healthy. About 3 weeks later we were back in the ER, I was unable to walk or even hold my head up. After three days of hospitalization and a complete medical work-up I was sent home with a walker, still unable to balance without support. We went from doctor to doctor and got several different “diagnosis”, none of which seemed to make much sense. Finally, we met with a neurovascular specialist who listened to what had happened, evaluated me, ran several more tests and put everything together – I had experienced a stroke that damaged my cerebellum. After 8 weeks of physical therapy I was able to start doing things that I had once taken for granted (balance, walk in a straight line, carry my new baby, drive, etc). It could have been an agonizing ordeal, but with God’s help and some very special people, we now look back and see many blessings - most importantly we know what happened and how we can prevent it from happening in the future. We also feel very fortunate that the events occurred after Isaiah was born – we know God had His hand in that as well. Thank you again to everyone that prayed, drove, fed and supported us through my recovery. What a blessing you have been to our family!
David continues to work hard at Rolls-Royce, but lives for coming home to play with his sons. He works late into the evening (after we are all sleeping) on schoolwork, as he is just about finished with his MBA. I am now fully recovered and feel so fortunate to be a stay-at-home Mommy – Andrew and Isaiah make each day an adventure! We keep very busy with friends, shopping, cooking, cleaning and playing. I have the opportunity to work every other Saturday and always love caring for my furry patients, especially when daddy is home to care for my boys! Andrew has grown up so much over the last year that it is hard for us to believe… what happened to our little baby? He loves sports and spends hours shooting hoops and swinging the golf club with his dad. He has enjoyed seeing the world around him with his new glasses – we think they are absolutely adorable! Isaiah is a bright, bubbly 6 month old who can’t wait to chase his brother, but is still working on sitting up without falling over! He is a happy little guy and loves to laugh. He recently started eating “real” food and loves his homemade apples and pears with cinnamon.
We are so thankful for our Savior who gives us hope each day, during times of trials and blessings. We celebrate His birth this season. Have a very Merry Christmas and may He bless you in the coming New Year!
In January we had a wonderful trip to Florida where I attended the North American Veterinary Conference, we took Andrew to Disney World and visited with Grandma and Grandpa Shaffer. It was a magical vacation, I learned a few things and we all had a great time!
In early March I went into pre-term labor (29 weeks gestation) and after a short hospital stay was placed on bed-rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. It was a challenging few months, especially while caring for a rambunctious toddler at home, but with the help and support of an amazing husband, family and friends we made it one day shy of our due date. On May 29th Isaiah Timothy arrived after an uncomplicated, natural delivery - our second, healthy, beautiful baby boy! He was perfect and we were so thankful to finally have him here. It felt wonderful to be back on my feet, but just 6 days after Isaiah was born we were back at the hospital - I had experienced several minutes of paralysis on my right, which was pretty scary. They worked me up for a TIA, but all the test results indicated that I was perfectly healthy. About 3 weeks later we were back in the ER, I was unable to walk or even hold my head up. After three days of hospitalization and a complete medical work-up I was sent home with a walker, still unable to balance without support. We went from doctor to doctor and got several different “diagnosis”, none of which seemed to make much sense. Finally, we met with a neurovascular specialist who listened to what had happened, evaluated me, ran several more tests and put everything together – I had experienced a stroke that damaged my cerebellum. After 8 weeks of physical therapy I was able to start doing things that I had once taken for granted (balance, walk in a straight line, carry my new baby, drive, etc). It could have been an agonizing ordeal, but with God’s help and some very special people, we now look back and see many blessings - most importantly we know what happened and how we can prevent it from happening in the future. We also feel very fortunate that the events occurred after Isaiah was born – we know God had His hand in that as well. Thank you again to everyone that prayed, drove, fed and supported us through my recovery. What a blessing you have been to our family!
David continues to work hard at Rolls-Royce, but lives for coming home to play with his sons. He works late into the evening (after we are all sleeping) on schoolwork, as he is just about finished with his MBA. I am now fully recovered and feel so fortunate to be a stay-at-home Mommy – Andrew and Isaiah make each day an adventure! We keep very busy with friends, shopping, cooking, cleaning and playing. I have the opportunity to work every other Saturday and always love caring for my furry patients, especially when daddy is home to care for my boys! Andrew has grown up so much over the last year that it is hard for us to believe… what happened to our little baby? He loves sports and spends hours shooting hoops and swinging the golf club with his dad. He has enjoyed seeing the world around him with his new glasses – we think they are absolutely adorable! Isaiah is a bright, bubbly 6 month old who can’t wait to chase his brother, but is still working on sitting up without falling over! He is a happy little guy and loves to laugh. He recently started eating “real” food and loves his homemade apples and pears with cinnamon.
We are so thankful for our Savior who gives us hope each day, during times of trials and blessings. We celebrate His birth this season. Have a very Merry Christmas and may He bless you in the coming New Year!
