Oh My! It's Almost Christmas!

Sooooo. It's been over a month since I posted last. I have been slacking. I apologize to all of our loyal blog followers that have lost any hope of me ever adding more pictures or giving a fresh update on our lives. I'm really not sure where the time has gone, but I'll try to remember...
Let's see. I think we left off in November, before the holiday season even began. Well, to kick things off, my friend Lindsey and I had been training since September for a half-marathon, which was on the 22nd. It was amazing! It took the whole week after for it to sink in that I had actually run 13.1 miles. I had such a great crowd there to support and cheer me on, which made it that much more fun. I'm pretty sure I was the only one there with a tailgate party in my honor -- our friend Donovan had a heated tent set up and a grill on the back of his truck which produced some amazing hamburgers. The Keigley's were also in town from SC, so they braved the cold (it only got up to 42 degrees!) with all of the kids to come and watch me run. I'm not sure if Tori and Jon came for me or the burgers (Just kidding!!!) and Ryan and Gabe were sure impressed that Mommy ran so far.
After that crazy morning, we had our annual leaf-raking party. I'll post a few pictures of it, but you have to actually see our yard and the massive quantities of leaves our trees produce before you can appreciate why we need to invite people over to help us rake and blow leaves all day. Luckily we have some steadfast friends who keep coming back year after year to join in the fun. Maybe it's the chili I promise everyone afterward that makes it not so bad...?
Next came Thanksgiving, which was great! We went up to Ryan's grandparent's house in Front Royal. There was plenty of hunting, plenty of food, lots of great family time (Ryan's parents and brothers were there, his aunts, uncle and cousins, George's cousins...) a smattering of shopping, some running (Aunt Theresa and I had to run off some of our pie) and I got in some practice speaking Spanish. A friend from Spain has been in NYC for a couple of months, so he came down for the weekend. All in all, we had a lot of fun and got in some relaxation to boot.
Time has flown by since then, and I was pretty shocked the other day to see that it was already December 10th. What happened? Now Christmas is less than two weeks away and we have every day until then booked up! My bro Mike got to hang out with us a couple of days this week. Tori and I are going to do some shopping tonight in Roanoke. I need to make some cookies today for a cookie exchange party tomorrow, we have to clear out our little room in the basement so that Jon can move in after Christmas, and Ryan and I are leaving Sunday to spend a couple of days in New York City with Jaime (our friend from Spain). I've never been there before, and I really can't wait to go, especially right before Christmas. Gabe is going to stay with George and Tori, and will end up being there for the whole week, because Ryan's check-up's at NIH are on Thursday and Friday of next week and we'll just head straight there after NY. It is going to be tough to be without Gabe for that long!
I am about to jump out of my skin waiting for Christmas to get here this year! I know it will here and over with way too fast, but my family will be arriving Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and I am so excited to see everyone and have all of them here at our house. It will be crowded and crazy, but I can't wait! OK, that is going to be all for now, and I'll put up some picture albums as well. Ideally, I'll get around to posting before Christmas, but just in case, I'll wish everyone a Merry Christmas right now! Until later...

Oh Deer...

And the house feels empty again! Ryan, our brother-in-law Mark, and our friend Josh went hunting up in Front Royal this past weekend. Mark and Josh both got deer, which means a full freezer for us because they can't take them back to Colorado with them. Their hunting trip ended Saturday morning and they came here to Rocky Mount. It was great to hang out with them in the midst of cutting up meat and making some great buffalo wings! Gabe really loved both Mark and Josh -- it was great to see them interact with him and he loves anyone who will sit and play trains with him...
Mike has some extra time off this week because of Veteran's Day, so he got here Friday night and gets to stay until Wednesday. We'll head to our neighborhood Applebee's tomorrow to get a free meal for him being in a Marine. We are very proud of him and his desire to serve our country. In the midst of all of this political craziness, may God still bless America!
Ryan is slowly but surely recovering. His neck gets sore pretty quickly if he overdoes it, and he is still getting headaches pretty often.
Gabe is learning so much these days! He just got home from the movie store with Ryan and Mike, and he got his little bag of popcorn. He showed it to me and said "I got popcorn lasternight!"
Here are some other cute things he does...
-Instead of asking what someone did, he asks what they 'dood.'
-Somehow he knows the word Saturday, so he'll put it in a sentence acting like he knows what it is.
-When we swing outside, he has me pull him as far back as I can, then he turns around to kiss me before I let him go. He calls it "kiss me and I go."
-When he sings his ABC's, he says "Now my know my ABC's."
I'll put up some more pictures...

Where does time go??

Ryan went back to work this week, even though he is really not feeling much better. He is still very tired all the time, but hopefully he is recovering some stamina. We had a great time with Erin and Henry in town, and it was sure nice that Mike and Abby could come up for a couple of days, too. The house seems empty now...

Finally!

Things might finally be looking up! Ryan is up in Northern VA right now. We got results back the other night saying that he had an infection in his incision. He got an MRIat NIH this morning to make sure that there was no infection under the surface of his skin, and that turned up clear. It also looks like the infection has taken care of itself. They sent him home with a week of antibiotics, just to be sure, but he is already starting to feel better. We are pretty sure that all of this pain and exhaustion was just his body fighting the infection. And hopefully it is almost over. I don't think Ryan remembers how it is to feel normal after months of one thing after the other, so I am excited for him to get some strength back and be able to enjoy life again. Thanks for your continued prayers and thanks be to God for a fast recovery from here on out.

At Last, A Post

I've been trying to figure out why it has been so difficult for me to update the blog. I am going back and forth between just not wanting to (because there is not happy news to report) and the fact that we have been strangely busy lately.
On the report side, Ryan is still feeling crummy. He still has the same pressure in his head and absolutely no energy. With the discovery of Zyrtec D, his allergies are now under control, but that doesn't help out with these other issues. We've stuck pretty close to home and enjoyed this Indian Summer as much as possible.
On being busy...we've had some visitors lately, so that has been nice. A few people from church and some friends from around town have stopped in to check on us this past week. Our friend Bryan from northern VA came down Friday night and just left yesterday afternoon. That lifted Ryan's spirits and Gabe always loves having more people around. There was football to watch and XBox to play, so that kept them busy while I helped cater a wedding and ran my first 8 mile stretch in preparation for a half-marathon. My brother Mike arrived this afternoon and will be here until Thursday morning. Then next week we have my sister and her youngest son coming for the week! It looks like the rest of the month will fly by pretty fast.
Ryan is supposed to go back to work sometime next week, but it is hard to know how that will be possible with the way he feels. The doctor has still just said to wait and see what happens. I guess they are at a loss for any reason he isn't feeling good, so that is kind of frustrating. Last week we noticed some fluid leaking from his scar and went to the doctor in town so they could do a culture on it and see what it is. We still haven't gotten the results of that, but maybe something will turn up that could give us a reason for this. Anyway, I do have some pictures from our trip to post, so I'll get on that tonight maybe. Thanks for keeping up with us and thinking of us and most importantly, continuing to pray for us.

Quick Update...

Just a quick request tonight that Ryan still needs prayer. He isn't feeling any better at this point. Our trip was nice, but he spent most of it on the couch, just feeling crummy. He talked to our nurse yesterday, and they said to call back next week since nothing had changed. There just isn't anything they can do. We are tired of it! We would love a miracle right about now.

On a happier note, Gabe slept in a big-boy bed for the first time last night. He was really "be-cited" about it and did fairly well staying in. It was so strange seeing him in a real bed with sheets and a quilt. No more crib and bumper and blankets. It did make snuggling with him a little easier...He loved that part! Bittersweet...

Home again!

It's 11:30 Friday night and I am about ready to fall asleep sitting up, but I figured I had better throw something on here. It feels like we were in the hospital or the car the entire day...maybe because we were! Anyway...long day, but the MRI looked great and they couldn't find anything wrong. The only possibility of something would be some swelling around the two places on his skull where they screwed in a vice to keep his head still during the surgery. Those spots have been sore for him and they said that sometimes they end up screwing right into the muscle that works your jaw so opening and closing your mouth can be an issue or maybe just exacerbate things. Anyway, they hope whatever it is will just take care of itself in the next couple of weeks. I hope this makes sense...I am not focusing well at this point. We're planning to head to NC tomorrow, so I need to get to bed so I can unpack and repack in the morning.
Glad to be home...

On the road again...

Well, nothing has changed here, so we're getting ready to head up north again. We'll probably head out right after lunch and hope to get there by dinner time. We got a hotel room in Bethesda so that we are close to NIH in the morning. Ryan will have to get there early in the morning and wait around until they can work him in for an MRI. Please pray that he can get in quickly and not have to hang out all day. Tori canceled a trip she had planned to help us out, so she'll meet us at the hotel tonight. ...
I'll take our laptop and hopefully give an update when we hear anything.

In Need of Prayer...

Sooo. It's been a long couple of days around here! Ryan has not been feeling so great--he has a lot of pressure in his head if he moves around at all, so he has just been taking it easy. Sunday night he complained of a headache, then pretty much slept all day Monday. We called the doctor yesterday, and they said that it didn't sound like an emergency, but there could be a possible leak of some kind and that he should just rest for the next couple of days and see if it takes care of itself. So far it hasn't. It hasn't gotten worse, really, but definitely not better. We'll call the doctor back tomorrow and see what they say, but if it isn't any different we'll probably need to go back to Maryland for an MRI on Friday.
Here's the rub with that...We're supposed to go down to NC for the week--leaving Saturday! We got a timeshare on Lake Lure booked as soon as we knew the results of his surgery, and we've been so excited to head down and just relax as a family for a little while. Please, please, pray that this takes care of itself and we can have a real vacation. Ryan's surgery and recovery up until this point have been such a miracle, and we are going to hope and believe that God will continue to work miracles for us.
Thanks for your continued prayers...

Slide Show!

I finally got the slide show thing figured out, so here are some pictures from August...I have an album from September to add, as well, but Tori and I are heading up to Roanoke tonight to watch Footloose in Elmwood Park, so I need to get ready! Later...and enjoy!

Home Safe

We arrived home yesterday afternoon, and I feel like we are close to back to normal. Ryan is feeling pretty good--good enough that he wanted to run some errands with my brother this afternoon, so that is great! It was so nice to be in our own bed last night, and Gabe was very excited for his own crib. We're talking up moving into a 'big-boy' bed, though, so we'll see how long the crib lasts.
I have a few minutes to just lay around for a bit, while Gabe is sleeping and Ryan and Mike are out, so I'm going to say goodbye for now!

Halftime in Washington...

It's a sweltering hot day here, but Tori and Noah had a chance to go to the Redskins game this afternoon, so we decided to stick around here at Noah's until tomorrow morning.  It's been nice to take it easy in the big city, even if it is a small condo...I've gotten to shop at Wegman's and eat Chipotle for lunch today, so we'll enjoy it while we can.  Ryan is feeling better all the time, and it has really been good that we didn't try to get home Friday. 

 I think we'll get to give Noah a birthday hug in person tomorrow before we leave, so that is also a perk of staying.  My brother Mike will be coming to visit on Tuesday.  It feels like forever since we've seen him and it will be fun to come home to a visitor.  We are ready to be back in Rocky Mount, and we appreciate all the calls checking on us.  Hopefully we'll see some of you soon...

Detour...

So we didn't quite make it home...Ryan really wasn't feeling good during the first part of the drive, so we just detoured to Noah's condo in Dumfries and will spend the night here. Ryan felt better as soon as he laid down on a bed--keeping his head up in the car was stressful and he can't lean his seat back far with Gabe behind him in the carseat.
Anyway, we'll rest up here and leave whenever he is ready in the morning. Pray that he feels better tomorrow!

Homeward Bound

We are all packed up and ready to bust out of here! Ryan is resting up for the drive as we speak. We'll be meeting up with Noah for lunch on our way out, and when we get home, my brother Mike will be waiting for us at our house! He had a couple of days off and was really glad that we would be getting home early so that he could see Ryan.
Here are his discharge orders:
-His 40 staples need to stay in for two weeks (Michele, that gives you some time to prepare yourself...:)
-He can't lift anything over 10 pounds for 6 weeks (as much as I love getting piggy-back rides around the house, I guess we will have to refrain...)
-Absolutely no house chores for the entire 6 weeks. (hmm, that one sounds kind of fishy)
-Daily rides on Donovan's 4-wheeler (you can swing that, right D?)
Anyway, we really are excited to be home. Pray that the ride is uneventful and goes by really quickly. Five hours tends to get pretty old even if you haven't just had surgery...
We'll say 'hey' from God's country pretty soon!

Its' been another pretty uneventful day here--we sure appreciate that! Ryan has gotten some good rest today and my mom and I got to spend some time together out of the hospital, which was really nice. Tori hung out with Gabe and Ryan while Mom and I went shopping in Bethesda and got some lunch at P.F. Changs. Happy day! Oh, and while I'm at it, Happy Birthday to Noah's girlfriend Rachel, too.
Last night Ryan told Gabe how proud he was of him for being such a big boy and that he wanted to buy him a surprise when we got out of the hospital. Gabe couldn't tell us enough how "be-sited" he is about a surprise! He has charmed all of the nurses and anyone that he comes across in the lodge where we stay. I'm sure they'll all miss him when we leave sometime tomorrow.
Well, Ryan is out walking in the hallway right now, so I guess I will go find him. He is doing very well and is still just so happy and thankful and praising God for getting rid of the tumor on his brain stem.
I'm not sure when we'll check out tomorrow, but I'm sure it won't be early...I'll send an update on our way out, I hope, but if not, then I'll post when we're home and settled in.
Until then...

Busy Day...

Sorry I am getting this on here so late! I guess time has gotten away from me today. We've been back and forth between Ryan's room and the lodge so many times that I forget you all are out there waiting for news of Ryan. He has had a good day. He slept for most of it, which is to be expected. He got up and walked around some this afternoon, and we had some visitors, which helped to break up the day.
We'll most likely leave Friday or Saturday for home. I guess our doctor had his days mixed up when he said Thursday...which is really fine because I don't think Ryan feels ready to leave quite yet. He loves to hear all of the comments left for him here, and he's actually felt up to taking a couple of phone calls today, but you have to catch him at the right time.
I'll be sure to post something earlier in the day tomorrow...until then!

Amazing Grace!

We got some more great news tonight! The doctor came by this evening and said that Ryan is doing so well they will let him go home this Thursday or Friday! He said that Ryan needs to be up and walking the next couple of days, but should definitely be ready to get home soon. How exciting! We are both ready for our own bed--it feels like we've been here a lot longer than just two nights.
Here's a quick update on Gabe, too...He is having a blast! He loves having his grandmas here to give him so much attention. He and Grandpa George and I played out on the playground for awhile this afternoon. He loves the swing and slide and just running around with anyone who will run with him. He is such a great kid! He adapts very easily to whatever new place he is in or new person is around. He loves to sing and really loves to dance. He is so much fun!
Ok, Ryan is ready to take a walk around the floor so I will close this for now. Good night!

Good Morning!

Things were pretty uneventful here last night...Ryan didn't sleep much, but that is pretty much expected in the ICU. I slept pretty well up in his room and George, Tori, my mom, and Gabe stayed over at the lodge. Ryan got another follow-up CT scan this morning. As far as I know everything is fine there. Ryan has sensory issues with parts of his right side--mostly his right leg, but the doctors feel like that will all work itself out and is just due to them messing around in his brain...(not their words :) He should be moving out of the ICU and back up to his room this afternoon, which we are all excited for.
Hopefully he'll be ready for some chicken noodle soup tonight, D!
Thanks for the comments and thoughts...it's nice to know you are all out there thinking of us.
Until later...

More Praises!!

Wow, Ryan looks great! As soon as we walked into his room this afternoon he got a huge smile on his face and started talking a mile a minute. I guess he had been awake for awhile, but they had taken him down for his routine post surgery CT scan and he was waiting impatiently for us to arrive after that. He is so excited and relieved and grateful that they took the tumor on his brain stem. He had been much more worried about that one than he had let on, and is feeling so encouraged to know that it is gone. The only lingering side affect of the surgery so far is that his speech is a little bit funny--I guess funny isn't quite the right word...it's more just that his voice sounds a little swollen. He is feeling great, though, and is so happy to have all of us in the room with him in the ICU. He'll still stay there overnight and then be moved to his room tomorrow.
The nurse that he has right now is a Christian, and remembers us from a surgery a couple of years ago, I guess right after Gabe was born. She says that Ryan hasn't been too cantankerous so far, so that is a praise, as well :)
A quick prayer request to throw in for the recovery process is that his blood sugar was a little high coming out of surgery, so they gave him a shot of insulin. They'll be monitoring it, but I guess it is a pretty normal side effect of surgery like that.
Anyway, I'm heading back down to see him, but thank you all for your prayers! They are so very appreciated and of course still needed.
With grateful hearts we are praising the Lord!

Sigh of Relief...

Praise God! Ryan is out of surgery as of about 1:00pm. His surgeon came to the waiting room, and said that everything went well! Surprise, though, they ended up taking out the tumor on his brain stem instead of the one on the cerebellum. It makes me so happy to know that that one is out of there! Dr. Lonser went in and drained the cyst from the cerebullar tumor, but decided to head straight for the other one, because he was pretty positive that it was the one causing the problems for Ryan. It was a difficult surgery, but he said that he is glad with the decision to take that one out. We won't know until Ryan is recovered if the other one is causing any symptoms still, so we could have some time before the next surgery.
Wow! This is still kind of hard to digest...I don't think any of us anticipated dealing with the brain stem today, so now we have to get through the next couple of hours wondering if Ryan will be OK when he wakes up. We should know pretty quickly if he is all right. Continued prayer is appreciated! He is in recovery right now and on his way up to the ICU after that so we should be able so see him around 3pm.
I'll post something later this afternoon...

No news yet...

Surgery could be up to 12 hours if they go for the second tumor...They said to plan for the longest scenario, so it could be a crazy day, or he could be out of there pretty quickly. No updates yet, but they took him back about 8am, so who knows when they actually started the surgery. It might be awhile.
Guess I'll add more later...

Heading to Bed...

Counting down to surgery...It's almost 11pm and we are heading to bed, but I figured I'd better put something on here tonight, not knowing when I'd have a chance in the morning...
They will be coming to get Ryan from his room around 7am--my mom and Gabe will head over here so that we can all walk down to the pre-op area together. I'm hoping for a good night's sleep on this pull-out bed-thing I'm on while Ryan gets the cushy hospital bed that conforms to his body as he sleeps...NIH is pretty cool :)
Ryan's parents will be driving up early in the morning--Tori didn't feel great today and didn't want to chance giving anything else to Ryan, so they decided to wait it out a bit.
We had a great dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy for our routine Last-Dinner-Before-Surgery night. Ryan is really using these surgeries as an excuse to get some good meals...Typical!
Well, I guess I'll get to bed. We're pretty wiped out and have a long day tomorrow. If we get an update during the surgery, I'll try to run up to Ryan's room and post something here. Otherwise, I'll just let everyone know when we're in the ICU and he's awake. Surgery will be 4+ hours. Keep up the praying...for the surgeons, for Ryan, for us in the waiting room...and especially for the small chance that they can get both tumors out at once and we can avoid a second surgery.
We love you all...until tomorrow!

Happy 75th Birthday, Grandma Barb!

What a strange sort of limbo we are in! Part of me is just enjoying a couple of weeks without thinking of surgeries and catheters and the ICU and recovery and staples, while the other part is dreading it all and wishing it was over and we were a couple of weeks past the whole thing.
The human side of me would love to know what God's purpose in this is right now--why pneumonia the day before surgery? why so many surgeries in a row? why does Gabe have VHL? why are these two tumors that we're dealing with now in such bad places to operate on? So many questions...So many things we'll never know the answers to this side of heaven. Although I'd love to keep asking why and I know many of you ask why for us, I am confident that God does have a plan in it all. His timing is perfect and all of this is for His glory.

Whew! On a lighter note...We are having a great Labor Day weekend. George, Tori, Ryan, Gabe and I headed up to Front Royal, VA to celebrate Ryan's grandma's 75th birthday. Noah and his girlfriend Rachel met us there and we fixed a birthday brunch for Great Grandma Barb Saturday morning. Gabe got to see the animals on the farm (he likes them all better from far away...) and he loved driving the golf cart with Daddy.
We girls split up from the guys on the way home and we shopped while they checked out motorcycles on the drive down. Great fun was had by all. (and I've found a kindred spirit in Rachel...we both really love shoes :)
Rachel and I did an hour-and-half long yoga workout last night after we got home--and she bought a new pair of running shoes yesterday, so she might join me for a run in the morning. Lindsey, my friend-turned-running-partner, did a half-marathon in Virginia Beach this morning, so I won't have her to push me in the morning...which reminds me--anyone who needs something to do this Saturday morning, you can come cheer me on at my first 5-mile race! I'm really looking forward to it, and am glad to have something happy to think about and work towards in the midst of everything else.
Well, that is all for tonight. Noah has set up a huge blow-up movie screen in the front yard and we are going to watch Transformers outside tonight. Anyone driving by is welcome to join in...

Goodbye Pneumonia!

Sorry we've gone for awhile without any updates...My mom flew back to CO on Tuesday and we've been pretty busy since then. Ryan's had lots of appointments at work and is trying to get better at the same time. He flew up to Maryland last night for his check up and had the xray this morning.

The news is that Ryan's chest is clear of pneumonia. He still has a bit of a cold, so the doctor wants to give him a couple of weeks to get completely better, then they'll do surgery on September 8. He'll be hanging out with his brother Noah in Northern VA until Sunday, so pray for safe travel for him driving back down alone. He's doing well, finally feeling a lot better, and Gabe and I are just having fun at the lake this weekend. I'll post some more pictures soon...

The Skinny

Hello to all of our blog followers! We are back home as of a couple of hours ago, and I am very ready to make it an early night. Hard to say if I somehow have pneumonia, too, but I do feel like I am getting something. Maybe I am just super-tired from all of this!
Anyway--they sent us home with a week's worth of antibiotics, they'll see Ryan back for another chest CT next Friday, and maybe we'll get a concrete day for surgery sometime before then, but we just don't know. At this point, there is a small chance for surgery the week after next, but our nurse just wasn't sure. We'll float along in limbo for a bit...

How Does One Acquire Pneuomonia?

Go figure! Ryan has pneumonia. Crazy. We just talked to a really funny Spanish doctor from the 'Infectous Disease' department who gave us a crash course in the different types of it, symptoms, where it can come from (birds, for one), and what we'll do for it. We'll get the final word from his surgeon, but it looks like they'll give him 7 days of antibiotics, reevaluate him again next week, and go from there. We're trying to figure out right now whether to stay here again tonight, head to Noah's for any amount of time, or just head on down to Rocky Mount. My mom is here until Tuesday and hasn't been to our house for awhile, so we might just head down there and relax for a bit until next week. Guess we'll let you know when we know!

Delayed...

Sorry I'm getting this posted so late, but we just got back to Ryan's hospital room and have had a busy night. Ryan's surgery is cancelled for now. Right after the last post, we headed out for dinner, and just as we were getting back, we got the results from his CT scan. There is something going on in his lungs...they are calling it pneumonia just so they can get treatment started for him, but we'll know more tomorrow what it really is. It could just be a common cold. Once they check it out, they will tell us what the course of treating it will be and then reschedule the surgery. It could be a week, maybe even a few weeks. Hard to say at this point, but I will let you know tomorrow.
Ryan is relieved, because he has been feeling kind of crummy the last couple of days. He automatically attributes everything to VHL because that is what he deals with all the time, but they just took his vitals and he has a little bit of a fever. Hopefully he can kick this quickly! God has a plan...Please pray for health for all of us and continued peace as we wait this out.

Quick Update

We talked to the doctor a little while ago, and there are a couple of possible scenarios at this point.
The first is that based on a little bit of haze on his chest x-ray, he might be fighting a cold or infection. They are calling some technicians in right now to do a CT scan of his chest, and if it looks like congestion, then they will cancel the surgery, put him on some antibiotics and get him totally healthy before doing the surgery next week sometime. If they were to do the surgery with this going on in his chest, then he would almost definitely end up with pneumonia and a lot of other possible problems coming up. We'll find out the results of that tonight sometime.
If all is well and they approve him for the surgery, then 8 am is when they will start. The MRI showed the cysts around both tumors growing, which means that they will attempt to remove both of them. The problem there is that they are both in very difficult places. The one on the cerebellum is very close to the brain stem and very deep in the brain. The one in his brain stem is--well--it's in his brain stem. Not a good place for a tumor. It is also deep in there and most likely very difficult to reach, with a lot of very vital nerves and arteries in the equation.
The plan for the morning is to remove the tumor on the cerebellum first. If that goes quickly and easily, then they will check out the other one and see about removing it. The odds are not very good for getting both of them out tomorrow, because they would not want him in surgery for too long, in which case they would drain the cyst from around the second tumor and close him up to try again in a few months.
Wow--I hope that makes sense to everyone...Feel free to ask questions and definitely feel free to call. We might not have a signal or be in a position to answer, but we do appreciate the phone calls, thoughts, and definitely all of the prayers being said. We serve a very big God and we are trusting Him completely in this situation. Ryan is doing well and besides being tired, is ready for whatever path God takes him on. To Him be the glory!
I'll let you know about the CT scan when we get the results...He just got back from it, so it might even be in the next few minutes.

We are here...

Well, we are here in Maryland! The drive seemed to take forever yesterday, but we got to Bethesda last night around 8 and got all checked in and unpacked. It took Gabe awhile to settle down after being in the car so long, but he finally fell asleep and we got to bed early, too.
Ryan had all of his pre-op stuff this morning, which includes blood work, MRI, chest x-ray, EKG and a consultation with the wonderful lady down at the pre-anaesthesia clinic. (I avoid that appointment at all costs, because 'wonderful' really doesn't describe her...)
We should have the results of the MRI sometime this evening, hopefully sooner rather than later. After we talk to the doctor tonight, we'll get Ryan a pass and head out to dinner with the family at the Rock Bottom Brewery, where we'll let Ryan order the biggest steak on the menu and enjoy a chocolate shake or two...
I'll post more tonight, after we get the results of the MRI and know which surgery we are in for. Please continue praying and trusting God for us and with us!

Catch Up Time...

These last few weeks have flown by! We've just been enjoying our summer. We've gotten to see lots of people and do some hanging out, as well. We made a trip down to SC, which was a lot of fun. Some friends from Northern VA came down last weekend, so that gave us lots of excuses to get out on the lake and even jump off the cliffs again. I'm going to try to upload a video of us jumping, but if that doesn't happen, just know that it was pretty cool!
I should have posted it last week, but there were a couple of big birthdays to celebrate--My sister, Erin, turned 30 on the 23rd and my friend, Lacey, turned 35 the same day! Lacey's daughter, London, also turned 5 on the 22nd. Happy birthday to you gals and also to Ryan's Grandpa Herman on the 29th. We have not been good at keeping up with everyone lately, but know that we are thinking of you!
I've kind of felt like we are in a little bubble lately. Life is coming at us quickly, and we are just enjoying feeling normal for a couple more weeks. We don't think about the surgery constantly, but it is looming and we are not looking forward to it. Well...I guess I'm not, but Ryan is looking forward to feeling better, which is the ultimate outcome of all of this.
Well, I'm going to go help out with Gabe's bath...He is doing very well, by the way. On his way to being potty trained and learning more and more all the time. His questions and new insights amaze me and it is fun to see what he is taking in around him. He sings his ABC's on demand and loves to dance with us in the kitchen. He's got some moves that he hasn't learned from me! Or maybe I'm a better dancer than I think...:)
Oh yeah...We got a few a couple of short days with my brother, Mike. He came up from NC Monday night and I took him back yesterday afternoon. I am so glad that we are close by. He sure misses family and I know he likes a good dose of Gabe. He's very excited to be going to Colorado over Labor Day, which will be the first time he's been back since December.
OK, I think that gets us up to speed for the most part. Again...I'll try to be better at this! And I'll post some more pictures, too.
Later!

Surgery is Scheduled...

I'm still in the middle of a nice long post, but until I have a few solid minutes to finish it, I'll just let everyone know that Ryan is scheduled for surgery on August 13th. They will do an MRI the day before to try one last time to pinpoint which tumor it is, so we will not know until then whether it is the brain stem or the cerebellum. Kind of difficult to be up in the air like this, but I guess it means there is still a chance that we can avoid the brain stem at this point. Ok...that is it for now, but hopefully there will be a more fun post very soon.

I Promised...

Time is flying by and July 4th was already almost a week ago, but it was a great one, so I don't want to let it pass by without at least filling you in on it. As busy as life is, it is hard to keep up with little things that seem unimportant now, but will be cherished later. Who knows what the future holds technologically and if this blog will be around to check out 20 years from now so I can remember all of the fun things we have done (and the hard things we have gone through), but for now, it is a fun way to document our lives and share at least a small piece of them with our friends and family who care about us. With another surgery on the calendar (I filled you in in the last post...), I'm considering making a separate blog for random thoughts and daily life, and keeping one for surgery updates and prayer needs. Who knows if I could actually keep up two, though...I'm not very good at one! I'll let you know if it happens (and would anyone want to read it?).
Anyway, back to the 4th! We had a great week. It actually started last week with a phone call at 11:30 Friday night from my brother Tim, who was in Nebraska with my family. Turns out he had some friends who would be road-tripping out to VA the next morning and he could tag along with them and hang out with us. We had nothing better to do, so said come on out! He got in last Sunday, then it got even better when I drove down to the airport to pick up Mike's new girlfriend from Tennessee. None of our family had met her yet besides Tim, so it was good to finally put a face to the girl that has captivated my little brother.
Mike was driving from NC as fast as he could to get to her (and I'm sure he couldn't wait to see us, either...) He got in as we were finishing dinner Thursday evening, and then we all packed up to leave for our town's big fireworks show at the high school. A fun time was had by all...It wasn't too hot out, there were lots of friends to catch up with, and the Homestead Creamery ice cream truck was out. Gabe really didn't care for the fireworks, but he still enjoyed seeing his buds, especially London, Mosely and Bergen.
Friday morning was very special, too. The Keigley's, who moved to SC a few months ago, came over for breakfast. Gabe had a blast with his buddies and all the kids enjoyed our new toy room. After Gabe's nap Friday afternoon, we all trekked out to the lake to see everyone there. Noah and his girlfriend Rachel came down and some family friend's of the Lester's were also there. Tim and I had jumped off of the infamous cliffs on the lake earlier in the week, so everyone else wanted to head out there, too. The lake was packed and the cliffs were full of jumping kids, so we jumped right in for a nice adrenaline rush! Tim, Mike, Abby, Jon and I jumped a few times, and if it wasn't so crowded out there, we might have kept going.
Saturday was filled with some tubing down the Pigg River, lots of fireworks, lots of food, and lots of friends. A major event was Mike giving Abby a promise ring!
We had such a great time with everyone. Ryan wasn't feeling great all weekend, so that put a damper on things, but just to be with people we love is a great thing. We are sure blessed with some wonderful family and friends.
So...I finally finished this! And now it is so far in the past...no one probably cares to read it. Oh well. I can check it off of my own personal list and that makes me happy.
Gabe and I are heading out in the morning for SC to hang out with the Keigley's this week. Ryan will come and meet us later this week. I need to get packed up now...

Happy 4th of July!!

Wow, I do realize that it has been way too long since my last update. I am not sure how many people I may have left hanging...If you've been checking for news on Ryan, sorry about the delay! I'll give you a quick update on him, and then fill you in the what we've been up to the last couple of weeks.
Ryan called the doctor last week to fill him in on his symptoms and see if there was any plan of action we needed to take. Since his headaches and nausea had not really gotten any worse, and there has been nothing concrete to nail down which tumor we are dealing with, the doctor told Ryan to give it a few more weeks and see if anything else changed. That is OK news for us, because we really just don't want to have another surgery on the books right now. Even though it is looking pretty sure that he will need to get these tumors removed, it is nice to have some more time before going through it all again. This last weekend has been very busy and he's feeling pretty worn out, so hopefully we can take it easy the next few days and get back to feeling more normal. We still appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers.

Well, we have some friends leaving right now, so I will just make this two separate posts and fill you in on our July 4th weekend later on. I have lots of pictures to add and fun things Gabe has done to document, so I promise I will write more soon!

Happy Father's Day!

Wow, what a nice Father's Day we had. Tori and I keep joking that it was a second Mother's Day for us...We might have had more fun than the guys! After church we went to the lake for lunch, then put Gabe down for a nap. George had a movie for the guys to watch, so Tori and I ran for the boat as quick as our flip-flops could carry us! We got to lay around, swim and just chat for a nice couple of hours before Gabe woke up and we went back to add everyone else to the fun. We parked in our own special cove and enjoyed the afternoon. The water was perfect and the sun was bright. I could go for a repeat tomorrow...

Gabe had his first swim lesson this morning. It went really well--he kicked his feet and blew bubbles and of course didn't want to get out of the pool when it was over. He has three more days left, then we'll be heading to West Virginia this weekend for a regional meeting with Ryan's work. Hopefully Gabe can show off his swimming skills at the resort!

Nothing else out of the ordinary here...Ryan isn't feeling any better, but I don't think any worse, either. He'll talk to the doctors later this week. We know lots of you are praying for us and we appreciate every bit of it. We'll keep you posted...

Hot

Wow. It is too hot for the second week of June! When I stepped outside the other day, I was surprised by how completely I could forget that stifling, humid blanket of heat that is a Virginia summer. It was close to 100 degrees yesterday and definitely 100 degrees today. Yuck. I am very much missing dry Colorado right now---I love how cool it gets at night, even in the summer, and that the rain actually cool things off instead of making it even more humid. Ahhh, I could go for a drive through the mountains about now!
Well, it is a lazy Sunday afternoon, after our first busy weekend in a while. It felt strange to have a lot of things to do, because besides traveling, we have had surprisingly few things on our calendar. My brother Mike came up for the weekend again, which was a lot of fun. He got here late Friday night, and I vaguely remember waking up to a hug from him, because I think I was already in dreamland by then. Saturday morning, Gabe and I dropped Mike and Ryan off at Waid Park for the Pigg River Ramble, our county's annual canoe/kayak race/float. You could tell it was going to be a nasty day by how sweaty we got just walking from the house to the car, but the boys were ready to ride!
Gabe and I hung out about 6 miles down the river, waiting for everyone to come by. Our friends have property along the river, so both this year and last we have all gone down to eat lunch and watch the race. It was nice and shady and there happened to be some squirt guns around, so we stayed pretty cool. When Ryan and Mike came floating on by, they made the quick decision to just hop out and join us for some hot dogs---they had forgotten to bring water along, and were feeling pretty dehydrated, so were all too happy to end a little early.
After Gabe's nap, we headed on over to his friend Brodey's 2nd birthday party, but it was so hot out that we were all kind of miserable. There were lots of bubbles and tractors to play with, though, so we hung out before heading back to air conditioned bliss. Oh, and we grabbed some Homestead Creamery Chocolate ice cream AND Homestead Creamery chocolate milk. Cam and Vaughan, if you're reading this...we thought of you when we made the best milkshakes between here and Michigan!
Well, that is most of the weekend for you...it was so nice being back in our Sunday School this morning. It's been way too long since we've been in town on a Sunday (and feeling good...) and it is always such a blessing to be around the great people in our class. Here's a shout out to everyone in class who reads this...:)
Also, a shout out from Stephen, who is hanging out with us tonight...He says hey! To whoever...
Also, a shout out to all the 14 mosquitoes who chose to bite me a few days ago. I am not happy with you.
And finally, a shout out to spring. Even though it is too hot to feel like spring, and we are a couple of weeks away from summer, we have had a couple of great spring thunder storms the last few days. We had an awesome soaking rain yesterday evening that just made me want to run around in my bare feet. Which I actually ended up doing. Beautiful. Mike took a picture of me as I was deciding whether or not to make the leap off of the porch. I'm glad I leapt (spellcheck is telling me that leapt is not a word. I don't really care!) There is something about standing in the rain.
On that note...I hope everyone had a great weekend! If you're far away, we miss you. And if you are nearby, we miss you, too, so call us and let's hang out! :)

The Results Are In...

I really didn't feel like writing this post, so I stalled for a bit and added a bunch of new pictures. Hope you like them!
We did get a phone call from Ryan's surgeon this morning. There are two tumors that could be causing Ryan the problems he's been having. One is on his cerebellum, like most of his others have been. It would be the same kind of surgery that he has had before. And removing it may or may not make things better. The other tumor is on his brain stem. This one is not so pretty. The surgery is very major (not like the other ones aren't...) but they want to avoid it for as long as possible. So the bottom line is...the doctor wants to give Ryan two weeks and then reassess his symptoms to see if we can figure out which tumor is causing him the problems. At that point, we'll talk about surgery.
So we have two weeks for the prayer warriors in our lives to buckle down and help us combat these symptoms and the tumors. We serve a powerful God, and He doesn't want Ryan going through this any more than we do. To Him be the glory no matter what the situation, but if we can avoid this rather large trial, than we will be that much more thankful. I am personally praying for Ryan to have lots of energy, no pressure in his head or headaches, no depression about the situation, and no stress or worry about how to take care of his family. Will you pray with me?

Fun in DC and No Results Yet

Arg! I just had our entire weekend summarized in a really witty and enjoyable fashion, when somehow I erased the whole thing! Unfortunately, I sat here looking at the screen in confusion for just long enough that Blogger saved my draft automatically and it saved it as a blank screen. Well...I am not going to rewrite it now, but I know that a lot of people are wondering about the results of Ryan's MRI. We don't know anything yet, but we should be getting a call in the next day or two and I will update the blog again then. And I might still try to recap. But I might not. I'll post some pictures, at least. And tell you that we had a great time!

We all love chapstick!

I have to say that I am amazed at how much self-control Gabe has shown in the last few months of his life. We have let him "put chapstick on" now for awhile. He says "I want some lips" then goes into my nightstand drawer and gets out my huge tube of Pink Lemonade Lipsmackers, or he digs the tiny tube of Citrus Orange flavored ChapIce from the desk drawer. He really enjoys my super minty and glossy C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine, which is mint-infused for fresh breath. He's also supremely happy with the Original flavored Chapstick. Up until now, just putting a tiny, quick dab on his lips was enough for him. The purpose of this post is to say that my son Gabe, five days into being a two-year old, has just taken his first bite of chapstick. At first he looked disgusted and kind of shocked at what he had just done. Now, he is laughing an evil sounding laugh, and practically sucking on the tube of Mentha Lip Shine. I'd better go check the ingredient list...

Happy Birthday to Gabe!

So Gabe is 2 today. WOW! It's amazing how much he has grown up and changed in the last couple of months. His vocabulary is huge--he can recognize more birds than the average adult; he counted 8 bushes the other day--accurately, I might add; he picks up random bugs--he tried to get a little inch worm to roll up like a rolly polly yesterday(how do you even spell that?). He makes us smile and laugh all day long. (sounds cheesy, but truly, we just grin at each other every time he does something cute--which is all day long, like I said).

Planning parties is just not my thing, so luckily it worked out last weekend that family was in town and we could celebrate then. It was a nice weekend! Ryan and I went down to Cherry Point, NC to pick up my brother Mike from base. They spent all Saturday morning getting our Blazer registered to Mike so that he could drive it back to NC and have a vehicle to use while he is there. Noah came down in the afternoon and Jon was off of school, so we headed to Roanoke, got dinner at the Irish pub, then came home and gave Tori her Mother's Day gift early---a new guitar for Guitar Hero so we can rock out together!! All her wildest dreams came true this Mother's Day :).

Gabe got dedicated at church on Sunday, which was pretty appropriate, because I was actually in labor with him at church on Mother's Day two years ago. Seems like yesterday...We came home and grilled hamburgers and had a cake for Gabe, then Mike had to leave to get back to base and watched my Mother's Day gift, the movie Bella. It was a nice day and great to see Mike, Noah and Jon all in one weekend.

So for Gabe's birthday, we have a playdate with a friend from church this morning, then we'll meet Daddy at McDonald's for lunch and a romp on the playground, and then tonight if it's not raining, we'll take some pizzas to the park in town and anyone who wants to join us is welcome. I guess by the time he's three I'll actually have to plan ahead for a birthday party. Oh, and what do I fix for dessert if he doesn't really like cake?

Hmm, I'm debating on even including this in the post, but we need the prayer, so here goes! Ryan is still not feeling good. He's recovered from the surgery, but is having headaches and feels sick in the morning, which is indicative of another tumor. They want to get him in for an MRI, but the soonest we could get there is June 2, so he's just going to work as much as possible in the meantime. I keep hoping it's just allergies, but I guess we'll find out in a couple of weeks. Pleasepleaseplease be praying! The last thing we want is another surgery right now. I just want him to feel good! We're expecting a miracle, so expect one with us, OK?

Home!

We had a great time in Florida! It was sunny and beautiful the entire time we were there, except for one brief rain shower which produced the most incredible rainbow we had ever seen! The rainbow was out over the ocean, but not too far from shore, and you could see both ends and everything in the middle. It was even a double rainbow off and on. An absolutely stunning gift from God!
Gabe loved the ocean and the swimming pool. Anything to do with water and he is in heaven! He was going underwater like a pro and could even climb out of the pool by himself. Both grandmas had a blast occupying him in the pool. Ryan and I took him in the ocean a couple of times. He would be a little timid, but then you couldn't pry him away from the waves. He could walk up and down the beach forever, just collecting shells and seagrapes and anything else that looked interesting.
One of the highlights of the trip was seeing a sea turtle rescue habitat. Turtles that have been bitten by sharks or caught in traps are rehabilitated and then released back into the ocean. We were blessed to actually see a turtle get released! It was such a fun thing to see, and I even got misty-eyed when they put him out in the waves and he disappeared.

Well, back to normal life next week, which is never fun. Gabe and I get used to having Ryan around all the time and it is no fun to lose our playmate to the office. Oh well, money has to come from somewhere! He is feeling pretty good and is getting more energy every day. Headaches are getting farther apart and his scar looks good. Prayers are still appreciated and I hope this finds everyone doing well!
God bless...

Off to Sunshine! (I hope...)

We are packing up to head to Florida this afternoon. I am VERY excited! It hasn't felt very real until today, but I got out some summer clothes yesterday and picked out which flip-flops to take with me, so I guess I'm feeling ready. This dark rainy weather we've been having is really making me hope for some warm sunny days at the beach.
We had a pretty quiet weekend here. Friday night was a "hair removal party" that I know a lot of people were curious about :). A few girls from church came over (the guys took Ryan off the premises) and we played Guitar Hero, got in the hot tub, ate lots of food, and removed some unwanted hair to get ready for summer. It was a blast! We'll definitely be doing it again, although hair removal is optional because we just had fun.
Ryan and Gabe didn't feel up to church Sunday, although we really wanted to go see everyone from Sunday School and let them know we're doing well. Ryan woke up with a headache and Gabe has had a cold for a few days, so we just laid low and enjoyed being lazy. (Actually, I wasn't lazy--I just started a crazy new workout program and did the first part of it yesterday. A little late for Florida, but Ryan and are going to SO buff this summer :)
Well, I guess I'd better get back to getting ready. If we have internet access anytime on our trip, I'll try to post some pictures!

Happy 50th to Grandma Tori!!!

So today was Tori's birthday, and what a beautiful day it was! I think it got up to the low 70's and everything is getting really green and fresh-looking.
With Noah up north and Jon stuck working at school, and George out of town for work, it feels like an anticlimactic (sp?) birthday, especially for a big one like FIFTY YEARS OLD, but we've got some big plans coming up. Since George was gone, Gabe and Ryan and I took Tori out to lunch, then she and I went shopping at Wally World. Then we came home to make my brother-in-law Marks famous buffalo wings. We had a few friends over to our house to eat them (and help grill them) and I hope a fun time was had by all. Tori and Noah are currently playing Guitar Hero on XBOX Live (Noah is in Northern VA and we are at my house, but we can play online together). She's not bad for an old lady!! (just had to throw in at least one comment on her age...)
Anyway, next week should be great--we've got a trip to Florida planned, as long as Ryan still feels up to it. We had planned on it before the surgery came up, then just put it on hold until we knew what was going on with Ryan. We'll be staying at Tori's brother's condo in West Palm Beach and I just can't wait to go on a real vacation. It will be fun to get Gabe in the ocean and hopefully we'll have lots of time to just lay around on the beach.

We got some really great news last night, too! My brother Mike is in Pensacola, FL right now for his job training with the Marines. We've been waiting to see where he would be stationed and just found out that he will be in North Carolina for the next couple of years! He'll be at Cherry Point for a couple of months to complete his Aviation Ordinance training, then he'll be at New River after that unless he gets deployed. He'll only be 5 or so hours away from us which is really exciting! I hope we get to see him a lot. I'll post a picture of him, Gabe and I from when he went to boot camp last September.
More later...

We are HOME!

Yes, we did make it home yesterday afternoon. We are happy to be in our own space and Ryan is sure feeling good! He's had lots of energy and not as many headaches. Gabe sure missed his toys and his crib. He almost jumped out my arms last night to get into his own bed.
Two fun things since we've been home...Ryan got a package in the mail from his cousin with a t-shirt that says: "I had brain surgery, what's your excuse?" He thought it was pretty funny and can't wait to wear it! Also, our friends Donovan and Michele came over for lunch today with their two kids and Donovan's dad (Pappy). They had made a video for us before Ryan's surgery and Donovan had actually brought it up to Maryland to show us, but we couldn't find any video hookups to play it. We were very blessed to see most of our Sunday school class wishing Ryan a good surgery and sending lots of smiles and prayers our way. Our pastor and lots of people we didn't even know sent their regards and love. It was a wonderful gift and a testimony of the great community we are a part of here in Rocky Mount. Donovan included some humor in the video (his 4 pigs wish Ryan a happy recovery and beg us not to let anyone eat them:) Alas, it was a good thing that Ryan didn't watch it until now, because he would have gotten a headache from laughing.
Well, I guess that's all for today. Now that we are home and getting back to normal here, I'll keep posting, but hopefully it will be more of the fun, day-to-day stuff. (or week-to-week, depending on how much time I have!) We do appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers. Ryan loves phone calls, too! Until next time...God bless!

Wow, Time Flies!

I didn't even realize until just now that I didn't post anything yesterday or today! I guess that means things are going well...We have had a nice couple of days at Noah's. Yesterday, Gabe and I got in some shopping at Target to give Ryan some peace and quiet in the condo. Ryan's grandparents were there by the time we got back (I could easily spend a couple of hours in Target, and a whole bag of their popcorn keeps Gabe busy for about that long!). It was so nice to have lunch with them and Gabe sure loves his "Tractor Grandpa."
While Gabe slept, Ryan needed to get out, so back to Target we went! I pushed Ryan around in a wheelchair until he couldn't stand it anymore :) (Target, not the wheelchair).
After Gabe's nap, he and I went to my friend Ashleigh's house. She has three little girls and I could tell Gabe was in need of some time with kids his own age (in Target he pretty much drooled over every kid he saw and the babies on the diaper boxes ever caught his eye!). We got to play outside and take a nice long walk--Gabe found a ton of sticks, a few motorcycles, a couple of slugs, and there are sure a lot more airplanes to spot here! Rocky Mount must not be a big flying route...Gabe loved holding hands with the Phoebe and Juliet on the walk, I'll post a picture when I get them on the computer. He had a blast!
We got back in time to 'help' cook dinner. Noah's friends made dinner and my friend Rachel (from Rocky Mount but just moved to Alexandria) came down to give Ryan some cheer. It was great to see her! Ryan got enough rest during the day that he could kick some butt on Guitar Hero before the night ended. He even played Halo, so he must be on the mend!

On to today:
Tori and I got to pamper ourselves a bit this morning--we each got a manicure and pedicure to go with the flip-flop weather we are finally having. We got to see Ryan's cousin Ashley and her baby before they flew off to Florida, and we even got some chicken nuggets at "Donalds". Wow, life really is good! Our friend Michael Hillman came over to see Ryan tonight--I know he enjoyed playing some more Halo with him.
Tonight Tori and I took Gabe to see our friend MaryAnn, then we went to the Romano's house, where Gabe had a great time petting some bunny rabbits and swinging on a tire swing. He's not going to want to go home!
We're possibly going to make the trek home tomorrow, but Noah is trying to convince us to stay until Saturday. He is using Wegman's as bait. Hmmm, he knows my weak spots! (There aren't too many of them, but gourmet grocery stores are high up there...)
Weelll, this has been a long one, and it has taken forever because Noah and Tori have been talking this whole time and it has been very been distracting. Now Ryan is in on it, so I'd better be done until later! Hope no one has fallen asleep reading this, but there are so many people we have seen and things that we have done and I don't want to leave anything out. Let me know if I did leave you out, and I'll post another crazy long blog for you next time!

We're Here!

So we're at Noah's house and enjoying the change of scenery. Ryan has been laying low all afternoon and is in bed now. He is feeling well and rejuvenated by being out of the hospital. He thinks he'll be ready to head home in the next couple of days, as long as Noah doesn't get tired of us before that. I think I might be in for some 'retail therapy', with the excuse of Gabe needing to get out of Noah's small condo! There is an IKEA close by and Potamac Mills has all the outlets I could ask for. Noah's friends Rachel and Ashley are cooking dinner for us tomorrow night, so I guess we're set for awhile!
Ryan is ready for an extra blanket in his room, so I'm going to try to post another picture of Gabe and then head to bed...

Busting out of NIH!

So we got the all clear to leave today. We're packing up now and Ryan is resting up for the ride to his brother's condo. Hopefully it is not too bumpy!
His kidney scans looked good. They don't need to see us for a year because things are growing very slowly. I'm going to finish packing his stuff up, but we'll write more later!

A Quick One

As you pray for Ryan, please be praying for a woman who also has VHL and just had surgery today (I'll pass on her name when I remember it). She is from CA and her mom and aunt are here with her. I haven't heard how the surgery went, but I know it took about 12 hours, which is why the doctor never came by today to tell us when Ryan would be going home. He feels like he is ready to leave tomorrow and that would be just fine by me!
The rest of our day was pretty uneventful. My mom left for the airport this afternoon and we will miss her lots. She just called to say she got home safely. Gabe is going to be asking for Grandma Jane in the morning, but he'll be really excited that Grandpa George is sleeping in his room tonight!
Ryan had lots of visitors today--his Aunt Theresa and cousin Adam stopped by and brought ice cream, then a few more friends came by tonight. George's cousin brought us some great chocolate chip cookies, too, so I don't think I've stopped eating since I woke up this morning!
Steve and Leila--Amanda is Ryan's nurse for tonight, so "aloha" from her!
He's got a CT scan in the morning for his kidneys--just his routine check-up so that we don't have to come back for awhile. We'd appreciate prayers that everything is fine there!
Have a good night...

Sorry I Missed a Day!

So yesterday was a long one! Looking back, there were multiple times I could have written, but pretty much the whole day I spent laying next toRyan while he slept. It was very depressing for me! I don't know how much anyone wants to hear in this blog, but it's probably good that I didn't write anything yesterday. Today he is actually laughing at my lame jokes and nagging me for a sponge bath, so things are looking up. He really needed that rest yesterday, but it is hard to go all day with him hardly opening his eyes. Now enough of that!
Ryan is enjoying me reading everyone's comments and knowing you are all out there praying for us. The doctor came by this morning and said by this afternoon we should know if he'll get to check out tomorrow or Wednesday. Everything is looking good with his incision and his reflexes, but they might kick him out because he smells :) He's hollering for his bath so I'll try to post some more later on.

Day of Rest

Hello to all and thanks for all of your encouraging comments. Ryan was moved out of ICU this morning, and has been enjoying the much quieter 7th floor. Gabe was really excited to see him this morning and even got to blow bubbles in the room! He didn't seem to care about the wires on Ryan and wanted to sit on his bed with with him. He actually wanted to push the bed, because he got to ride on the bed with Ryan when they wheeled him down to the OR. He is loving all of the nurses and especially loving all of the attention from his grandmas! They take him to the playground and on walks outside and they feed him lots of great snacks :) Grandma Jane gave him some Coke yesterday and I think he would have followed her anywhere she wanted to go! He really is handling all of this better than I could have imagined and I know your prayers are for him as well as Ryan.
Ryan has gotten some great sleep this afternoon. He keeps waking up with headaches, though. What is up with that?? He looks good, though, and I know this sleep is what he needs more than anything. I'm reading him his comments as they come in, and he appreciates hearing from everyone!

All is Well

We got word from the doctor about half an hour ago that Ryan was out of surgery and about to wake up. Praise God! Everything went according to plan, but we'll hear more about that later. The tumor was about the size of a gummy bear, but the cyst around it was as big as a golf ball.
Because of how many surgeries Ryan has had, there is a higher risk for him to have Cerebral Spinal Fluid leakage from his wound, so the prayers right now are for a quick recovery and absolutely none of that leakage! His scar could heal slower as well. We'll be in the ICU with him until tomorrow, when he'll move to his room. I'm going to go see if we can see him yet, so take care until I write again. Love you all...

Great Night of Sleep at the Hospital!

Just kidding about that...But they did let me sleep in the room with Ryan last night. I had strange dreams about people feeding him after midnight and a nurse coming in to try to force me out of his room. Then we were woken up at 6:10 just for the nurse to tell us that she would come in to wake him up at 6:30. Nice! He has on his nice white hose to keep the blood in his legs circulating, and now we're just waiting for them to come and take him down. When we talked to the doctor last night, he said that they get started a little later on Fridays, so the surgery would probably start closer to 9:30a. They should finish by 2pm.
We had a great dinner last night and prayed in the kitchen of the lodge before bed, then our friend Donovan showed up this morning to be with us. Gabe and my mom just got here so I'll go give him some snuggles with Daddy. Until later!

Checking IN!

Leigh had me write this second blog entry. Hope I don't mess it up too much. As of this moment (2:45 on Thurs) I'm through with all of the preliminary testing and I'm waiting for my pass to leave the hospital. We are going to make our "Last good meal for a while" trip to P.F. Changs. Unfortunately, this is starting to become a tradition. That being said, I really am looking forward to it. Hopefully my family and a few friends will be able to meet us there. After dinner I head back for a wonderful nights sleep at hotel NIH.
The tests they completed today are just routine things (EKG, Blood Test, Chest X-ray). I'm just glad they don't make me take a spelling test:) The operation is scheduled for around 8:30a Friday. I only have a few prayer requests - 1. Pray they only use small needles. 2. That the food has improved 3. and last but not least that the doctors flash lights run out of batteries at around 3 in the morning when they decide to test my functions and I'm dead tired and really really don't feel like waking up for them to check pupil dilation.
In all seriousness, thank you all for your prayers. My one prayer request (OK, my real one) is that the Lord continues to use me and my testimony for his glory. I would hate to think my whole adventure with VHL was for nothing. When I reach heaven, I would love to think that someone would come up to me and say "the Lord used your testimony to change my life - thanks." I love you all - Ryan

First Post Doesn't Equal Fun Post

So in the future, this blog will be a great way to show off new pictures of Gabe and let everyone know what cool things he can do now that he is almost two. I promise to include some of that, but most of the next couple of weeks will be updates on Ryan. This brain surgery has come up kind of quickly, so I'm sure not everyone has the details I'll pass on to you now:

His surgery is scheduled for 8:00 Friday morning. The tumor is on the left side of his cerebellum and the doctor will go through the same scar he already has. It should last 4-6 hours, then he'll spend the night in the ICU. Then we get to hang out with some of our favorite nurses for a few days as Ryan gets back some strength. Depending on how he feels, he'll check out of the hospital about a week later, then we'll make the drive back home when he's ready.
Recovery time for Ryan should be about 4 weeks, which Gabe and I will really enjoy. It is always hard to have him go back to work after having him around every day!
My mom is flying in Wednesday to be with us for the week and Ryan's mom is driving up there with us in the morning. Gabe will have a couple of doting Grandma's to keep him busy--a blessing for all of us!
We are covered in prayer and are so thankful for all of the people supporting us and loving us. We appreciate your phone calls and cards and offers to help out. We are so blessed to have the friends and family that we have. We will keep you updated!