Reflecting

Amazed by the World Around Her

Daddy's Girl


Doting Cousin



Why Oughta!




My Reflective Pose

My Cousin Kim Visiting Me From Connecticut!

Hanging out with my Bro before Bedtime and After my Bath

Our Ladybug!

I think my Brother Loves Me!!!!

Yup! He Does and I Love Him too!

I used to think that that our family was immune to the woes of this world. I would watch different families around us suffer different tragedies while our family seemed to have a hedge of protection around us. I do believe there was a hedge of protection around us. Did we suffer sadness? Yes. But it was more of the normal kind...not the big stuff that some had to deal with...until this year. 2008 will be a pivotal year in the history of the Gerdis family, well at least in my heart and mind. I thought that between Maia's HRHS diagnosis, mom's dealings with cancer, my dad breaking his arm, and parents almost getting obliterated by a semi truck. That would be it you would think. Right?

Well, we have one more notch to add to the Gerdis 2o08 list before the year is out. This is actually a mixed bag of good and bad news. My brother, Micah, and his longtime girlfriend, Gina, just found out that they are expecting a little girl. Gina has been very sick with lupus symptoms and has been in and out of the hospital this year for treatments on her liver and recently on her kidneys. With all the pain and symptoms she has been experiencing she did not know she was pregnant. She has been on different medications throughout the pregnancy. She only has 9 more weeks until her due date, however she is 75% effaced and the doctors think she might go into labor in the next week or so. She is a little over 31 weeks and the doctors really want her to make it to 34 weeks if possible. Please be in prayer for this little baby, for Gina, and for Micah! This is a difficult time for them. May the Lord surround them with his love and healing during this time. The baby will have many issues when she is born according to the doctors. Development of the lungs and bleeding on the brain are some of the major concerns.

Now, I don't want you to think that all of a sudden I am bitter. I am not. I am just realizing that this hedge of protection that I have always felt from the Lord and taken for granted seems to have lifted for a while. I am not sure the reason, but His reasons are always sovereign and for His glory. Lord, I pray that our family will only be used as a testament for You.

My mom had her head shaved tonight. She has about a quarter of an inch of hair now. What was very special about this night is that Joel shaved his head and goatee as a symbol of support and solidarity with my mom as she fights this battle. She did not know that he was going to do this. Many of the ladies that are such a support to my mom came to the hair salon tonight. Toby showed up and handed my mom a bag and told her that this was from Joel. My mom opened it up and there was all this dark brown ugly hair in the bottom of the bag. My mom thought..."Why would Joel send me such ugly hair? It isn't even my normal color!!!" Then at that moment Joel walked into the salon in all his bald-headed glory! The salon of ladies erupted in laughter, whoops, and claps! They said they took many pictures and hopefully I will get to post some of them on this site soon. Mom said as she was going through the process that many of the people were crowded around her saying that she looked really cute and that she had a great round head. It was pretty nerve-racking for her though. She got her wig fitted and she said she feels pretty comfortable with it.

I wish I could have been there tonight! Oh this darn distance! I told her that I would have loved to have shaven my head as well, but since I just spent money on a haircut, style, and color, I better hold off for a while. :) I think my boys, Kenny and Gideon, might want to shave their heads as support for her as well. If they do, I will make sure to share the images. Dad wanted to know if he should shave his head for my mom, after he found out what Joel did. After trying to picture my father without hair, my mom told him definitely not! :) I agree. Hee hee.

Oh by the way, Toby, Joel's wife, was trying to prepare their son, Ethan, for his daddy's change in appearance. Ethan is 2 1/2 years old. She told him that Daddy had no more hair. So all the way home from daycare tonight, Ethan kept saying..."Daddy no hair, Daddy no hair". Well, when he got in the door and saw Joel, Ethan started laughing uncontrollably. Too funny! Thanks for the comic relief, Ethan!

Maia had her cardiology appointment this past Tuesday. She is doing well. Her right ventricle has grown a millimeter. Her blood flow out the heart has improved. The ductus between the two sides of the heart is still about the same size as it has been for the past month. Her oxygen levels were okay. I asked what the blood flow of a normal hearted baby was and Dr. Rivera told me that she doesn't and won't compare. I guess I will have to do my own research, but Maia's was (at the highest) 31. I am not sure what that means, so I will have to bone up on that and get back with you all. Maia is also gaining weight like a champ and is now a whopping 8 lbs. 11 oz. You go, girl!

Dr. Rivera did mention that sometime later on, Maia will probably need another valvul0plasty (the catherization and balloon procedure she had her second day of life outside the womb). She told me that this is typcial with HRHS babies who have had this procedure so early on in life. I was comforted by this, since Dr. Rivera did not mention the Fontan or Glen procedures that open up the chest. I will have to ask Dr. Rivera if these are still possibilities later on in life for her or if she thinks this might be all.

I will be going back to work next month on January 5th. I have mixed feelings about this. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at home with Maia, but at the same time I have missed my school family and try to stop in and visit with them whenever I can. I don't have a caregiver for her yet, so it is still up in the air, but I am trusting that the Lord has the right person out there. Please continue to pray that the Lord will provide the best person to watch out little ladybug.

Please also pray for this transition time. I know it will not be easy and also trying to get back into the swing of things might be difficult.

I thank the Lord for all his blessings. Thank you, Lord, for all You have provided, but more importantly for all that You are. May all your attributes be magnified as I ineptly try to point towards you in my life!