April 27, 2009

We had a good time at the Walk for Life on Saturday! Thanks to all who donated! We ended up with over $300 for Options. They typically help out over 80 families a year. Two babies were born the day before the walk and 30 some are due! Thanks for helping to keep this vital ministry going. We had wonderful weather. Blaze loves being outside and stroller rides are the best!!! He loves watching people and there were many people out and about on such a pretty Saturday morning. The Sparks family brought their dog and sometimes he was ahead of us. Blaze loved that especially. He thought it was very funny when Mommy and Daddy splashed water on each other before getting in the car. Tim surprised me by pouring a little bit of water on my back while I held Blaze. I returned the favor by throwing a large glass of water on him. Blaze enjoyed the morning very much.

Then Blaze went over to Aunt Karen's so I could finish painting up the bathroom and we could get some chores done. Joyce and Jasmine came down and played with Blaze for awhile. He had a great time there and played hard. He was so tired that night he kept yelling at me when I put him in the bath. He wanted to go to bed! He got to go to sleep in his diaper that night. We turned his heater on, since he still had wet hair and he just crashed. It was so cute.

Sunday morning we went to church with Tim's grandparents. Blaze was a minor celebrity there! It was so nice to know how many people continue to pray for Blaze and lift us up. We are so blessed! During the lesson time Blaze decided to speak those sweet words Tim had yet to hear. In the quiet moment, our son decided to say "Dada! Dada!" Tim smiled down and whispered "Not now!" It was so funny. He kept talking. He wanted Dad, then me, then Grandma and then Grandpa...who took him out into the hallway! After church we went out to eat, where Blaze continuously ate. He kept eating and eating and eating. Later I think he had a bit of a tummy ache, but it didn't hinder him eating dinner! He is so fun.

Tim's parents came down yesterday evening and they got to spend time with Blaze. He had a good time with them. He showed off his walking skills and his favorite book of the moment. He also crashed during their visit so they got to see the sleeping, still boy. When he's awake he is constantly on the go! It was so good to see them!

We've heard that Megan was beautiful at prom, but we haven't gotten to see the pictures yet. I will take their word.

"So what is going on now?" you ask. Well, I am going with Tim today to see a specialist. We are hoping to have some insight on a medical issue Tim has been dealing with. My mom's vision is very blurred in her left eye, she experienced the "black curtain" again, which means there has been more bleeding in the eye. She is disappointed about that. She had laser surgery on that eye to prevent the bleeding from happening again, the next step might be surgery. The anniversary of my dad's death is tomorrow, so this is a difficult time for her anyway. Maggie is acting up around Blaze so we are keeping an eye on her. On a much brighter note, this weekend we are going to a BBQ at Joyce's house. We are looking forward to it. I can't wait for Blaze to meet "Aunt Sue". She has his pictures up in her office, but hasn't gotten to see the real deal yet.

May 10th, aka "Mother's Day", is Blaze's dedication at church. We invite you all to come! I think all of the grandmas will be there with us that day. We would love to see you there!

It seems like there's a lot happening, and there is. Thankfully, though, we are fairly calm and at peace with most of this. There are times where things are harder, but it is so wonderful to have our healthy, active little boy there to remind us that even in the midst of the chaos, God's in control and He has a plan. We couldn't handle any of this on our own, it's only through His grace that we manage. I can't do it on my own strength, thankfully I'm learning to lean and turn to Him to give me strength. Thanks for your continued prayers and support. Blaze is amazing and we are so blessed to have him and all of you in our lives!!!


Joy Gilzow

April 23, 2009

Blaze is enjoying Springtime...except for the allergies. The poor little fellow has been stricken with a nose that just will not stop running! He gets frustrated with us when we dare to wipe it with a tissue! He is definitely not afraid to speak his mind!

He is having fun, though. He is getting to be out in public more often. It is such a pleasure to be able to take him places and see him experience things through his eyes. He is such a charmer. He still seems to think that Dad cannot complete a project or eat a meal without his help. Wherever Tim is, Blaze is sure to be close by...or climbing over things to get to his Daddy! Some days it almost seems like we have two puppies in the house. Blaze crawls behind us or to us, wherever we may go! If I walk from the kitchen to the garage, he meets me at the garage door on my way back. He moves things out of his way, so he has a direct path to get wherever he is going. Blaze also walks across the house with his push toy. He can't seem to figure out how to turn around when he hits the wall, but as soon as he is turned around, he goes right back across the room. It is amazing what you notice as you pace the floor behind a baby!

Tim just took Blaze to Dr. Wherry today for his nine month appointment! Everything looks great. He is gaining weight, she's pleased with how his teeth are coming in, he's on the upswing! Hoo-ray!!!! We go to see the cardiologist next month.

Last night Melissa took Blaze out to Books-A-Million to show him off to her friends at work. She declared he was an "Angel Baby." I'm always happy and relieved when he's sweet in public. He is such a good kid at home, too, but I am so thankful when he's good in public! She had fun showing him off. Melissa will be going home to Nevada this weekend to help her sister Megan get ready for Prom! She is excited.

We will have a big weekend! We are doing a small home improvement project, it is the first time I am painting a house I live in! I have painted sets for plays, art projects, furniture, friends' homes...but this is the first time I am doing my own. We are repainting our upstairs bathroom. It would not be a big deal, but we are dealing with a time crunch this weekend. We are, as a family, participating in the "Walk for Life" for Options Pregnancy Center. If you would like to sponsor us, please let me know! Then Blaze gets to go to Miss Karen’s house so Mom and Dad can paint the bathroom and mow the grass. Sunday morning we are going to Tim's Grandpa and Grandma Gilzow's church. We are going to their Sunday School class. This class has been so faithful to pray for Blaze and they continue to ask about him, so Blaze gets to visit them Sunday morning! We would have gone last week but his grandparents had been ill and we were all suffering from allergies in our household...so we are hoping everyone feels great by Sunday morning. THEN, Sunday afternoon Tim's parents are coming to spend time with us. How fun! A day of Gilzows! We are so blessed to have family!

Good news out of Florida! Baby Joel is coming home today! Praise God!

Thank you for your continued prayers.

Joy Gilzow

Easter

Happy Easter!

This is such a special holiday to our family. I was reading a book last night to Blaze about "Easter coming" and how people welcomed Jesus into town shouting "HOSANA!" It's so wonderful to share that with your child for the first time. It gives a new perspective about what God did for us--He sent His only son to die for me. It's even more incredible to me now that I have a son. I watched him recover from medical procedures, got frustrated over the unfairness of it, his innocence...that's nothing compared to what the Father and Jesus went through. What a loving God we serve!

We are going to celebrate Easter with my mom this weekend. We're looking forward to it! It's been awhile since we were in Nevada. The Gilzows are having a big Egg Hunt and dinner this weekend in Columbia. We were sorry to miss that. We're hoping they have a wonderful time!!!

Blaze is just a delight. Every day is something new. We found out this week how much he LOVES having his teeth brushed. I think he would allow us to brush them for hours, if only we would. It must feel good on his ever increasing tooth filled mouth. He has, thankfully, been such a happy guy since that last front tooth pushed through! Whew! I'm hoping we're completely done teething for awhile.

Blaze is also learning to sleep through the night. We're doing a 2 week trial where we're letting him just cry should he wake up in the night. He's already doing much better sleeping the night away. Last night when I put him to bed he didn't fuss at all. He laid there and acted like he was going to go to sleep. I turned on the video monitor and a few minutes later checked it...he was sitting up in bed, banging two cloth blocks together. The blocks have bells inside them, so he was having fun quietly making noise. He would lay down and rest a bit, then pop up again and play. It was so cute. He has to get everything just right to go to sleep. After he went to sleep a very strong rain storm hit our area. Rain just pummeled his side of the house and knocked against his window...and he just slept right through. The thunder didn't even make him move. It was wonderful.

Speaking of wonderful...there is a lady in my office whose son is just a couple of months older than Blaze. We're getting some wonderful clothes from him! Blaze has several pairs of shoes now and lots of clothes in his closet. We were given so many clothes from the baby showers, this was the fewest clothes we had in any size right now, so it was nice to get that boost! It's such a blessing! Thank you for sharing!!!

We do have some things we would appreciate prayer over. We have such a sweet friend to our family, Connie Lytle. Her father passed away this past Wednesday, her brother found him, started having some medical issues himself, admitted into the hospital and had to have brain surgery on Thursday. Please pray for their family at this time. Obviously that is a lot to have to deal with.

Please pray, too, for Joel Seabrook. He was born with an enlarged heart in February. Heart babies make up a small community and this little guy grips my heart. His family attends church where Pastor Jim & Judy Locke are now. Andrew & Rebecca Gerwitz are a couple I met after Blaze's second surgery. They were touring the CICU, preparing for the birth of their son, Drew, who also has HLHS. Drew was due this week and I haven't heard how they're doing, but please pray for them, as well.

Tim will be meeting with a specialist on 4/27/09 to discuss an upcoming procedure. He will be having an upper endoscopy done sometime. We'll learn more about the date after the 27th.

Please pray about my work situation. We're short staffed right now and trying to help a lot of hurting and frustrated folks. It's so hard to see so many people struggling. We do have a new person starting Monday, so hopefully things will ease a bit.

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers! We're so blessed to have you!

Walking

We have a walking boy in our house! He has a toy with wheels on it that he pushes to go back and forth between mom and dad. He looks at us like he can not quite figure out how he got there. It is so funny! He seems so puzzled by it all. Since he will be 9 months in 11 days, we are rather amazed by this turn of events. Life will never be the same, and we are loving it!

Blaze is also in a sweet phase where he does not scream at us to come get him first thing in the morning. In fact, he was late getting medicines on Saturday, because he let Mom sleep in a bit longer. It was so nice.

We went to Big Lots and bought him a big boy car seat! We are thrilled at how much he is growing and gaining. He is wearing some 12 month outfits now, which just shocks me every time! He was in 3-6 month clothes until the surgery in February! How amazing!!!

Blaze also ate out a couple of times this weekend. That was new for us. We ate with my brother, John, on Saturday. He was accepted into Grad School this past week, so we are very excited about that! Then we ate with Melissa after church on Sunday. It's nice to be able to take him out, but I am very aware of how messy he can be and I keep cleaning up everything.

We left Blaze in the nursery on Sunday morning. I was a nervous wreck, but Blaze did just fine. I must have checked the pager at least 10 times. How funny! I don't know if he interacted with any of the other kids or if he just played with the grown-ups, but it was a good experience.

Blaze was cranky the rest of the day on Sunday. I think he was getting in his last baby tooth...one of the front ones! He still looks a tad like a jack o' lantern, but he is getting closer to having a full mouth of teeth!

Looking forward to Easter!