A New Year...

2009 has been the hardest yet the most joyful year of my entire life... April 26th our wonderful son Gabriel Isaac was born, he is perfect in every way, we found out he had CF and were devastated at first but now we feel stronger than ever and have full faith in our All Mighty God to heal him. We've had 5 hospital stays since then, a surgery and MIC-key placement being 2 of them, each and every time I didn't think things could possibly get any worse, and it always managed to. But we kept our faith, I told every doctor that has examined Gabe that I believe in miracles, that I believe CF is not a lifelong thing for my son and that God will heal him. Nothing is too big for Jesus! On top of all of this my husband was in training out of state and only was able to visit about 2 times a month. We made it through it all, and now I have a strong feeling that 2010 is the turn around- The thing we've been waiting for- The light at the end of this tunnel. Gabe is doing good now, gaining weight and ahead of game with developement, but something even better is in store for him I know. My new years resolution is to put God first- tithing regularly and the right amount, staying in the Word, witnessing and just plain winning souls for Jesus! Second resolution is family, to be the best wife and mommy I possibly can. Third would be to get in shape, eating healthier like organic foods. Forth would be to get a professional camera and take a photography class at the college, my dream is to have small little business doing photography, it always has been, I just never have time. Other things I want to change are watching TV less, eating meals at the dining room table, making friends we have things in common with, and finding someone for Gabe to have a little play date with.
God has blessed us more than we could ever imagine. We are 19 and have things people don't usually get til later in life. But honestly all of that means little to nothing, all I truly want in life is for my son's miracle and to just be a family, material objects aren't big to me. I feel that when our son was born so was a ministry for us. God knows what we can handle and what drives us (and our son definitely drives us, our love for him is infinite). It's like our purposes were dug up that we didn't even know about. And we are stoked!

So long 2009, someday I'll know why we had to go through what we did but it was all worth it.

Hello 2010, I can't wait.


Also, we will be attending this miracle service in March!
http://www.bennyhinn.org/events/eventdetails.cfm?eid=872


Love,
Mandy, Robert & Gabriel ♥

Little noise maker...

Noise maker

моммy мaиdy ♥ | MySpace Video

Crawling!

Gabriel is crawling now! He learned how to do it yesterday and is now all over the place! I have to childproof my house today. He is such a smart little guy. His teeth are getting so big!

Dec. 14th

December 14th is when Gabriel goes to get his MIC-key button put in, please be praying for him! Thank you for your prayers!

Prayer, please...

In December (don't know which day yet) we go back to the surgeon to see if Gabe is ready for the MIC-key button (a button that goes in the place of his tube to make it more flush to his skin and easier). If he is ready they will probably do it that day. He is most likely getting it done, it looks ready. But anyways, in order to put the button in they have to do it in the operating room and sedate him again... That is the hardest part for me. They sedate him again just in case anything goes wrong they are ready to do surgery again. Please pray everything goes well and doesn't cause him pain. Thank you for your prayers.

Busy, busy, busy...

So I haven't gotten to blog much since we moved, I have stayed so busy with Gabe and when I do have spare time I spend quality time with my family. Gabriel is doing well, he has two teeth now, both on the bottom. He sits all on his own (he has for a awhile now) he rolls, scoots, sits up, points, says "ma ma" and "da da" (but isn't sure what it means yet), naps less, "dances" to his cartoons in the morning, nods his head, eats crackers and baby cookies (knaws on them), takes baths in the "big person" bath tub, makes noises with his mouth, plays peek-a-boo, and makes kissing noises and faces :) He is truly a JOY! I love him so much. Raising him has had its ups and downs, every heartache we've been through has all been worth it, just to sit on the floor and play with him makes me forget all the hard times. He truly makes my heart smile. I love to watch him play with his daddy, sometimes it brings tears to my eyes to see him so happy. God has blessed us more than words can say. Only God knows what's in store for our lives and when Gabe's miracle will be; But until then we just keep praising and trusting in Him. We will be going to Sierra Vista to visit our families for Christmas, so far we believe Robert has it off from work. Rob just put up our Christmas lights on our house last night. It makes it feel so homey.

Starting in January I will be applying to volunteer at the Hospital that Gabe had his surgery at, I will be in the Pediatrics unit. My goal is to pray for people, share God's word and give hope. Just like I needed when I was going through a hard time. I'm excited!

Thanks be to God...

Thanksgiving 2009

Gabriel Isaac...

I was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.

And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away

I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth

No Internet...

We are moving tomorrow and won't have internet for a couple months, it is sad. But it is so expensive! I will keep everyone updated when I get internet again. I am so excited to move into our new big beautiful house! And that my husband is back for good, he will be home tonight! God Bless! Talk to you soon! Bye for awhile!








Gabe learned how to knock over his toy and he does it all the time! He thinks it's so cool!

He is loved so much...

I took these today during a spontaneous nap on the floor. He is the most beatiful baby...

Happy again....

He's now five and a half months old. He is feeling much better, and the old Gabriel is now starting to shine thru again. He was kind of sad and in stare mode alot there for awhile. I am so glad to see him coming back to the ever-so-happy boy he is! He loves his new Exersaucer toy, he is so proud when he makes it sing! And of course everytime it sings, I dance and it makes him giggle! Makes me so happy.

Giggle box...

Gabe gained 1 whole pound in just one week. The docs are wow'd! Here are videos I just took a day ago. It was right before bed and he just wasn't tired at all! Sorry it's dark, the lighting wasn't great.

He's so great...

This was only the day after his surgery and he is so happy and such a little trooper through all of this. He is learning to blab, it's just adorable!

Finally Home...

We are finally home from the hospital. Gabe's surgery went well and it is healing nicely. He is beginning to gain weight, and seems to tolorate his feedings well. Those 25 minutes he was in surgery seemed like forrreverr. When he woke up he was crying a lot, and I felt so bad. He almost back to his normal self though. He is so mad he can't roll on to his tummy. He is a tummy guy for sure! Sleeps and plays on his tummy all the time, before his surgery he was almost crawling. I am so crazy about my little boy, he is my world! God is so wonderful, it couldn't have went any smoother considering the circumstances. I just got home a couple hours ago. Robert had to leave Monday morning, but he will be back for good on the 22nd, Gabe and I can't wait! Thank you guys so much for your prayers and thoughts. It really does help.

Little trooper

The photo's of him in blue were taken today.

God is in control...

We have come to a hard spot in the road... A time where I don't really know what God is doing, but that is why He is God and I am not. Gabriel is going in for surgery to get a G-Tube put in on Friday at 11:30am. A G-Tube is a feeding tube that is placed in his stomach. He still does not like to eat and recently has begun to lose weight from not eating enough. Doctors have told me I have tried everything imaginable and that I'm a fantastic mom.. Which I really needed to hear when I see how skinny my son has gotten. I still trust in God completely, I know I may not understand what's going on right in this moment, but I will someday. I'm not saying this isn't hard, because it's the hardest thing I've had to do yet, in my whole life. I still beleive for his complete healing of CF. Never giving up faith. So I would really appriciate prayer on Friday, while he is in surgery, that he gets a great surgeon and nurses to take care of him and that he recovers quickly. This is not a permanant way of feeding him, just temporary to get him liking to eat. Thank you so much for your prayers, I will keep everyone updated as soon as I am able.


Miracles happen to those who beleive!


I forgot to mention about how the doctors said he is the happiest baby they have seen is a verry long time! He is such a trooper, always happy and active and ready to learn! Alright, just had to mention the good part! He is doing wonderful in every other area!

This is it...

I sign the papers for our house tomorrow at 5pm! Our move in date changed to the 20th instead, cause Robert doesn't even get back until the 22nd. So that is much better. Anyways, God is awesome! The end!

So blessed...

God is just so awesome. That is all I can say. I am so incredibly thankful. So we had sold our sectional couch when we moved from our last house for some extra money... It was in great condition. All we had left for living room furniture was two recliners. Which was fine, but a couch would be nice, you know? So my mom has a client who had bought a new couch just because her cat had scratched her other one up a little; and my mom, thinking of us, asked her if she would sell the couch to us for like 50 bucks, and even 50 I was going to be so happy to get it for. So te lady calls my mom back today and says we can just HAVE it. Wow. It is a Lazyboy couch that is maybe a little over a year old. God is great! Not only that, but Robert has been looking around for another vehicle (that runs) to go to work in so that I can have the Escalade home with me. Just a temporary vehicle for like a couple months, and he told one of the guys he works with and the guy said he can just HAVE his truck! Wow wow. God is on our side! Here are some pics of our couch!

Graduated to the sink...

Gabe had his first bath in the sink last night (instead of the baby tub)! Man, he's growing up too fast! But it's also so fun... He loved it, he is still learning he can splash, I let him play with a toy in the water... Here are a couple pics

October Changes...

October brings big changes for our family, Robert gets back on Oct. 22nd, and on the 9th we will be moving to Vail Arizona. We got a gorgeous house. Vail AZ is just a subdivision of Tucson basically. Gabe is finally 13 lbs, that seemed like it took forever. I am so excited to spend Thanksgiving in our first real house (our last house was a townhouse). I am dreading Gabe having to sleep in his own room though :( Vail is about 45 minutes away from Rob's work, but it will be worth the drive. Willcox (the city where he works) is a crumby town to live in. Here are some pictures of our house!

I'm so excited about our new house and Robert coming home for good! Not to mention it's Fall, my favorite season! Gabe has been growing up so fast, he analyzes everything now. He loves pizza crust and popsicles!

"Gabe is a miracle waiting to happen"

That is what a friend of mine told me, and it encouraged me immensely. I am holding on to that. Because that is what God told me also. Here are some of my favorite scriptures that keep me going.

"And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague." Mark 5:25-29

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases." - Psalm 103:2&3

"Heal me O Lord, And I shall be healed; Save me and I shall be saved, For You are my praise.."

"God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" - Numbers23:19

"O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me." - Psalm 30:2

"He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions." Psalm 107:20

"And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick." - Matthew 14:14

"Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security." Jeremiah 33:6

Not That Again...

Little Gabriel Isaac...

That is what he probably thinks everytime I weigh him! This is the scale I weigh him on everyday. I had to take a picture to show him one day when he's older. He's always such a good boy when I weigh him, he's pretty tolerant and still for me to get an accurate weight. He's been growing and doing well! He weighs 12lbs 5oz and is 25 inches long now!

Labor Day Weekend

Robert was teaching Gabriel to play the piano, it was so adorable! Gabe is so amused with music and noises. He has been so observant since the day he was born! He loves to learn, the pediatrician said he is doing all the things 7 and 8 month old babies do! He has learned how to be mobile already, he rolls where ever he wants to go! I can't take my eyes off of him and he's clear across the room! He's so proud of himself! I go to move him back to his blanket and he just looks up at me and smiles all huge. Speaking of which I just had to get up from writing this to move him! He's a smart cookie! Man I love him so much!

The "Diagnosis"

Two and a half weeks after we came home from the hospital...
I was just doing some chores around the house and Gabe was taking a nap in his swing and I get a phone call. It was a nurse from his pediatrician. She asked for Gabriel's parent and I said 'this is her' and she began to tell me his genetic newborn screening (blood test) they did at the hospital came back abnormal. My heart just drops... I start feeling faint. And I ask what was wrong and she says he tested positive for Cystic Fibrosis. My heart drops even lower. I start to cry, and I don't even know what Cystic Fibrosis is. I ask her about it and she says she's not allowed to talk about that over the phone that I have to see a doctor. So I am balling at this point. I call my mom to ask her if she knows what CF is, and she said she's not sure, so I ask her to go to the library and find out for me (we didn't have internet at this point). Robert is working but I call him anyways because I am so upset. He rushes home on his bicycle, comes in and hugs me. I tell him more about what the nurse said and then my mom shows up. We all sit down and talk and then begin to pray over Gabriel. I decide to just pick up and head to the doc, that was so unethicle to tell someone that about their child and tell you what it is or whats happening or going to happen. So I demand to see the doctor and he sits down with me, Robert and my mom and tells us that CF can test positive even if he is just a carrier and to not be worried yet that we will proceed to more testing. A carrier means that either just Robert or just me has a CF gene. Being a carrier does not effect you in any way. In order for someone to actually have CF the mother and the father must both carry the CF gene. CF is very rare, they say. Only 30,000 some odd people in america have it. CF effects a persons sweat chroride channels. Anyways, about a week later we take him to Tucson to get a sweat test, this tests the salt content in someones sweat, and if its abnormally high it usually means someone has CF. Near the end of the day the results shouldve been back, and the docs nurse keeps blowing me off and says she cant tell me the results over the phone. At this point I'm worried so I drive to the doc office 5 mins before they are supposed to close and ask to speak to the doc and they say hes already left and I tell them I just want to know the results please. So the nurse went back to find the doc and he hadn't left yet and he said that he'd sit down with me. His sweat results were high. Which meant positive for CF. We also did one more genetic screening which also tested positive. I have had 100% faith that my son will have a miracle, I will never stop believing God's promise to me and my family. I do not want pity, and do not pity my son. If you don't have something positive to say then don't say anything. Don't ever say "poor baby" to or about my son; he is not poor, he is healthy and strong. Our words are powerful!


For more information on Cystic Fibrosis and ways to contribute please visit: www.cff.org

I found it!

So yesterday I was watching an older episode of Jon and Kate plus 8 on TV, and they were buying presents for kids at St. Jude hospital, and then visiting them and giving them encouraging words and lifting their spirits. After watching that I was so moved by it! I told God that is what I want to do! That is my purpose! I want to go to hospitals and pray for kids and lift their spirits! Give them faith and hope! Awesome! I cannot wait!

My Son's Birth

Ok so I should have been blogging all of this since my son, Gabriel, was born but I haven't had time, and you'll see why!
April 25th, 2pm, I started going into labor. I got in the car and drove to my husband's work to tell him. Later that evening I started getting everything ready to go to the hospital. This was it! At around 9pm we drove to the hospital for them to tell me I'm only 1cm and to go home that it wasn't active labor. (I knew I was in active labor though, that's why I went!) So we went home, at this point it's 11pm already, we tried to get some sleep because I knew he'd be born soon. My contractions just kept getting worse and worse. I couldn't and didn't sleep at all. And I kept waking Robert up to massage me or hold my hair while I was throwing up.. The pain was bad. By 3am or so I had enough, it was terrible and I knew I was in active labor so we packed up again and went back to the hospital. They checked me again and I was now about 2 and a half cm. They said I could stay and it was active labor.  So they took me to my room, started an IV, and hooked me up to all those machines. By around 5am I was asking for drugs, I tried the IV meds and those did nothing except make me feel paralyzed. After that wore off, I got an epidural. As most of you know, I wanted to do natural birth, but I was in labor for almost 24 hours, I needed some sleep to be able to push well. The epidural went well, I couldn't feel anything from my chest down after that, and your stuck in bed. Time went by, we napped. I was woken by a nurse, they were concerned about my baby's heartbeat, is kept dropping. Scary. Very scary. I tried all the different positions, and nothing worked really. Every contraction his heart rate would drop again. Around noon they checked me and I was only about 7cm. They told me I would most likely need a c-sectioin. I was devastated. They started filling all the paperwork out for it, and brought scrubs in for Robert. The doctor came in to tell me more about the c-section and why we needed it. I was crying. The doc left for a few minutes while the nurses prepared. My Mom and Robert gathered around me and we all prayed deeply that God would intervean, I cried out to Him with everything I had, I did not want surgery. The doc came back, and I begged her to check me just one more time. She told me it's kind of impossible for it to have changed much but said she'd check anyway. She lifted my gown and began to check, watching her facial expressions, she suddenly seemed surprised and asked me to push once. I pushed and she said let's start pushing, you've dialated 2 more cm's! I was so shocked, all I could do the whole time I was pushing is thank God over and over! 40 minutes later, at 1:47pm, my son Gabriel Isaac was born!! God is so amazing!! The doctor and nurses were utterly in awe! And so were we! Because my son was born so quickly, they had to take him to the nursery right away, he wasn't crying enough or something. They hooked him up to oxygen. I didn't get to hold him until 11pm that night. It was hard but that's ok. He had a little hole in his lung from delivering quickly. The doc said it's normal and he just needed oxygen for it to heal up. We got to leave the hospital 2 days later. My son was perfect :)