When THANK YOU is NOT enough

 

Good Evening Prayer Warriors,

 

Slurpee success- check out how far the lower jaw is over the upper.

The extended pin site- indented.

Playing :)

More playing and REAL clothes.

This is Wyatt's new Smile-:) and the cutest CURLY hair ever!

 

 

I will end this entry discussing Wyatt but first I have spent sometime over the last few days humbled on my knees with tears of gratitude. We received so many generous donations toward Wyatt's medical and travel expenses, prayers, messages and texts, and most recently we were offered the opportunity for Tony to stay and our Aunt from Florida would fly in to help with the boys, then we were sent nice cards to the house, then someone bought us a new dryer as ours broke down on Christmas day, then a leak under our sink and a broken dishwasher fixed, then as we sat down to dinner tonight we were greeted by a pastor at a local church who knows a family at out current church and he wanted to offer his prayers and support. All of these thing unprompted but gifts that were needed and appreciated beyond words. All signs of God's Glory. Angels sent directly to us by God.  What do you say or do when THANK YOU is not enough. I spent some time this evening researching this and I came across this quote from John F Kennedy.

 

 

 

 

Please know we do. Everything we do is to give Thanks. We live our life for God alone. We believe the best gift is in giving not an receiving. We wake up each morning saying THANKS and we go to bed every night giving THANKS. We know that all we have has been provided is by God and all we have is his and his alone. We know we are acting on his behalf and in everything we do , we do for him. This is always in the forefront of our minds. This is how we form our relationships, this is how we parent, this is how we love, this is how we grow our marriage, this is how we live our lives. Gratitude is important to acknowledge, express and teach. We hope those that encounter us, know us, are related to us, or just read about us know we are not just Christ believers we are Christ followers.



 

Thessalonians 5:18 says: Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

 

Even in the darkest hours I know it is God's will. I may not understand it but I know it. I know I will learn and grow from whatever we experience and to be honest I like who I have become because of him and him alone.

 

So for all those who have helped us in one way or another we are GRATEFUL, APPRECIATIVE and HUMBLED. It has always been difficult for me to receive as I like to be giving but I have humbled myself over the last few years to realize it is okay to need help, and you grow as a person to be able to gratefully receive. THANK YOU!!!

 

Now for Wyatt:

 

Wyatt has had his best day yet. He is walking really well and actually trying to run (kinda scary). He is able to pull himself up from laying down with assistance and can walk up and down the stairs with assistance. We were able to play 2x today for about an hour in the playrooms and we had a 45 minute bath which he thoroughly enjoyed. He laughed and smiled more today than he has total in the last week so I would say this is like 10 steps forward. The mornings and evenings are the toughest. It takes us about an hour each morning and evening to do all that needs to be done, turning the pin, cleaning the pins, cleaning his mouth, medicine, feeding tube, antibiotic cream, suctioning.... He hates every moment of those 2 hours and it takes both Tony and I to hold him down and take care of things.

 

On Friday evening as I was cleaning one of his pin sites, I noticed the swab went from the outside to the inside and was bleeding quite a bit and the pin site had indented his chin and become much larger. We had feared he had an infection. After a visit to the Doctor we were informed that this is normal and will most likely get worse as we keep turning. I know this was god news, but it made me so sad. Those pin sites where the distractor is pulling the jaw forward are so painful for him to begin with and now to see it pulling apart his skin just melted my heart.

 

Wyatt wants to do things on his own, he wants to eat and drink but 9x out of 10 he can't and he needs our help and he does NOT want it. I feel so bad, Tony and I always let him try but we watch and feel so bad when we see his frustration.. Yesterday he had a slurpee by spoon at Target and fed himself and enjoyed every minute. We loved watching him have success, so much so that we are going again tomorrow to allow him that victory again. You can see by the picture how far we have already extended the lower jaw. It is truly amazing and explains why he can't eat or drink and has trouble swallowing and speaking. He is becoming harder to understand everyday. I bought these Yes and NO buttons to help him tells us what he wants. They say Yes and No 10 different ways. They are funny and LOUD. He loves them, we are getting a little sick of them. He doesn't use them to communicate he uses them for play. We are trying to teach him their purpose but he just laughs. We are trying to give him choices visually, do you want to wear this or that or watch this Dora or that (LOL). This is giving him some of the independence he so desires. Plus he still has his basic signs so that helps as well.

 

I will end this with one of my favorite Psalm's:

Psalm 28:7

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

 

God-

Today and ever day I give thanks to you and all you provide. You have unveiled yourself in so many ways over the last few weeks, making your presence known all around us. This could not have come at a better time. It is wonderful to know when we need you most you are there. I marvel in your existence everyday and on my knees in praise. Thank you for giving us a day of victory. Please continue to make yourself known in our lives. Let us serve for you alone. Please look after Wyatt and help everyday to improve. Help me to not look to far ahead and take things day by day or minute by minute. Please be with the boys and surround them with your love and the love of Tony, Wyatt and I. Please look after everyone at home in MI that will be driving in the Winter storm, and help Tony and I to continue to grow as parents and husband wife. In you name. Amen

 

Love from Cincinnati,

 

Tony, Melissa, and Wyatt Geers