Physical Therapy Complete!

I'm happy to say that I have completed my physical therapy and feel tons better. Thanks to all who prayed for my pain in the butt over the last month. (That's funny to type out!) Of course, my chiropractor did his part, too.

We have 37 days until the due date for Ooh-Ah and I hope to remain (relatively) pain-free as we move forward. I highly suggest you visit your chiropractor for any kind of back/butt/hip pain. I didn't have enough of a chiropractic benefit for my chiro to do all the therapy I needed which is why I was referred out.

I must say the bare-butt massages will not be missed. They were necessary and did the trick, but pulling down your pants for anyone is awkward!

Answered Prayer

Yesterday, I told the story of our oven's carbon monoxide problem. Today, the repairman made a house call to evaluate the cost of repairing our oven. Verdict: get a new oven. The repair was going to cost almost as much as the oven itself cost us 5 years ago.

When Mr. Bean came home, I broke to him the bad news of the broken oven and unwelcome guest who had been or is currently living under it. Mr. Repairman told me it was "a creature women tend to not like" and left it at that.

I threw up a few hail Mary prayers. You know the kind that go like this, "Well, Lord, we can't afford a new oven right now. I suppose you already know that. So, as we set forth on our adventure, please pave the way with good sales and 0% financing for 12 months." Of course, on the way out the door, I updated my Facebook status to read I am "open to any and all of your oven buying advice as it seems we are in the market for one. We can use our old one if we want to die of carbon monoxide poisoning. We are opting to purchase a new one." I had a few replies of suggestions of brands and off we went.

What we wanted at store #1 was unavailable until December 12. We could not gamble waiting that long since we start our parade of holiday parties on December 13 and I have a large amount of baking to do.

At store #2, we settled for the next best thing which did not have all the features we wanted. The price was lower than at store #1. They offered free delivery and haul away. The installation cost was only $20 and we could get 0% financing for 12 months. So, we bought it.

We got home and the following comment was on my Facebook status, "We have one you can have! Ask my mom about it." Figuring it was worth the phone call and vaguely remembering talking to his dad about them having this stove sitting in their garage post-remodeling looking for a new home, I called.

It the the exact brand and color we were hoping for. It also has all the features we want, they are willing to deliver it and take a look at our visitor situation under the current oven. All we have to do is find someone to help us install it. Luckily, a mutual friend of ours is a handyman. Check, check, check, check, check and check. The best part of the whole deal is that its FREE. Oh, yeah. That's my kinda deal.

I'm out $70 for the repairman's fee, but that's a small price to pay for getting the thing replaced. I don't know how much our handyman friend will charge for installation, but it will be much cheaper than the cost of a new oven.

It is amazing to me that even the small things we bring before the Lord matter to him!

The Annointing, cont.

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:13-16 (NIV)

Today after church, Peanut was anointed with oil and prayed over by the elders of our church. Filbert and I sat on chairs in the middle of the room with Peanut on Filbert's lap. One of the associate pastors read Scripture and then spread oil on Peanut's forehead in the shape of a cross. One by one the men who were gathered around us began to pray. We had given them an update on Peanut's progress and our concerns at the beginning so they knew our particular requests for this occasion. They did not limit themselves, though, to just what we asked. What a blessing it was to hear these men ask on our behalf what we didn't even know we needed. Peanut's grandparents were all able to be there and listened in with great emotion.

The Annointing

Most of you will know that my son, Peanut, has Prader-Willi Syndrome. He was also born 6 weeks premature and spent over 5 weeks in the NICU. One of the primary characteristics of PWS in infancy is failure to thrive so he came home with a feeding tube in his nose. We really wanted him to be able to eat on his own and worked diligently to that end, but one of the hardest things to do for me, was to pray about it. How could I pray that he would begin to feel hunger knowing that one day he would never stop feeling hungry. When he was about 3 or 4 months old, Filbert and I asked the elders of our church to anoint him with oil and pray over him, specifically that he would be able to get off of the NG tube. It was really a wonderful experience. A couple of the elders felt led to pray for healing for Peanut and they all prayed that the effects of the syndrome would be mild. It was about a month later that Peanut pulled his tube out and drank enough that we didn't have to put it back in.

However, keeping Peanut's weight up remained an issue until about a month ago and now the pendulum has begun to swing the other way. The weight is coming quickly, now and we're starting to keep a close eye on what he eats. Filbert and I decided that as we enter into this next phase of Peanut's life we should begin it much as we began the first phase. To that end, this Sunday, we have asked our elders to anoint Peanut with oil and pray over him again, that his weight will be able to be maintained and the hunger will not be too severe. Also, we're asking prayer for Filbert and I that we can have the discipline necessary to raise this special child. If anyone reading feels lead to include us in your prayers, we won't turn you down.