a little discouraged... a little encouraged

Today I had my first appointment w/my G.I. doctor here in Dayton. Well, I shouldn't say first appointment because he was my doctor prior to moving to Boston. I saw my doctor in Boston just before moving home, and everything has been terrific with my health. I just needed to start my follow-up/routine care with this doctor. I am incredibly thankful that I get to see him; he is a wonderful doctor and has all of my records!

So, today we talked about what has happened over the past couple of years since last seeing me as his patient. Long story short, we talked about me having a baby and how I changed meds due to nursing. I told him about my flare after Isaac was born and about how my doctor changed my meds so I could nurse. He respected her opinion on everything. (I actually called him when I was in Boston to get his opinion on continuing my meds during pregnancy. They were always on the same page!) The only thing he is concerned about, is my current medication. It's not as "potent" if you will, as the medication that I was on for years and years. Again, the only reason I switched was for nursing purposes (actually relactating, but we don't need the details of that!). I have done so well so I didn't go back to the old med. Are you following? Sorry if I'm confusing you! (It's late, and I'm not with it!) Anyways, Crohn's is such a chaotic illness. It's up and down, up and down... just like the weather. It's hard to predict how I might feel months from now.

Dr. Romeo (cute name, hunh?!) feels okay with me staying on this med. right now because I did have a colonoscopy before leaving Boston, and it revealed that I have NO active disease! Whew... a huge blessing! He just didn't want me to be convinced that this medication will always be strong enough... but maybe it is! So, for now I'll stay on it (Lialda) and hope I continue to stay in remission. We'll keep the old med. (6-MP) in our back pocket. Also, if I do become pregnant, we'll have to decide which med. I should take. There are so many factors, and the goal for pregnancy is remission. We don't want ANY flares during that time, but we can cross that bridge when needed.

All in all, I am happy with our visit today. Dr. Romeo is supportive and very knowledgeable in his field. I have another appointment in 2 months, and we'll talk more about my med. then. For now, I'm grateful I'm doing so well. I owe it ALL to the Lord. I know I am in good hands!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Mmmm... yummy cut-out cookies!

All of them nestled together, ready to eat!

This tree and stocking are my favorite

A tuckered-out and chapped-cheeked Isaac sleeping in his car seat on the way home from Grandma Linda's and Grandpa Chuck's... late on Christmas Eve!

Opening one of Daddy's presents

Wow! A sweater!

Merry Christmas to all.... AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!

Our (impromtu) Christmas Photo

Matt tried to get this photo printed at both CVS and Walgreens and didn't have any success. Apparently, the machines are/were malfunctioning. I'm resorting to posting our photo/Christmas card/holiday wishes on my blog. Matt is out right now trying yet again to get some prints. We'll see! If I don't get my cards in the mail, or if they get to you in 2012, please know we love you all and will do better next year. Merry Christmas!

the happenings...

Life around the Nelms' household is wonderfully pleasant! Matt is officially finished with school for the quarter. I'm not supposed to brag about him on here, but I'm going to because I'm so proud of him! He did amazingly well this quarter. Moving back and starting school, all while looking after a toddler is challenging. I'm happy to report that despite all of the changes, he still proves to be the smart and dedicated man I know him to be. Shhh.... don't tell him I told you all this!!! So.... we're now just hanging out and soaking up all the free time on our hands. We had dinner with the Zeunes the other night, and then my mom came up for a few days. I've loved all the free time so much that I've slacked on some of my housework. Now, I'm playing catch-up, which is totally okay with me! Today, we're off in search of some furniture for our basement and lodge area (think of it as a cozy den with a fireplace!). I do hope to find some decent prices. I'm more than ready to have all of our house in order! Boy, it sure takes a long time, doesn't it!

So... there you have it. A short little account of our lives over the past week or so. I'll post some photos soon, but for now.......... thanks for reading my random paragraph!

Mary's Song

I read through this the other day and wanted to share it with you straight from the Bible.

Mary sang this just after Gabriel appeared to her with news that she would deliver the Christ-child. How beautiful that the baby she delivered would later on deliver her! Mary loved the Lord and was humbled knowing God desired to use her in such a powerful and glorious way. Mary was certainly blessed, and we can learn much from her praise-giving song.

And Mary said:

My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.

And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.

He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.

He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,

As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever. (Luke: 1:46-55)

May God be exalted this Christmas season in our lives. May we stand in humble awe of his Son and what He did for humanity through Jesus' birth, death and resurrection. I don't know about you, but I am eternally grateful that Christ came to live. And not just to live, but to live righteously and holy and to walk through every temptation without sin. This baffles my mind. He didn't deserve the cross; we did. Yet, He laid down his life for the joy set before him. For in the end, he knew His righteousness would bring us life. Let us bow before the Baby in the manger and give praise to God for sending us His beautiful Son.

Spiderman with Uncle Sean

A Child, A Mother - Two Separate People

More from Why Pro-Life? Caring for the Unborn and Their Mothers by Randy Alcorn (bold emphasis mine)

Many supporters of the pro-choice (abortion) movement argue that a baby is part of his mom. This is untrue:

"A body part is defined by the common genetic code it shares with the rest of its body. Every cell of the mother's tonsils, appendix, heart, and lungs shares the same genetic code. The unborn child also has a genetic code, but it is distinctly different from his mother's. Every cell of his body is uniquely his, each different from every cell of his mother's body. Often his blood type is also different, and half the time his gender is different.

If the woman's body is the only one involved in a pregnancy, then consider the body parts she must have - two noses, four legs, two sets of fingerprints, two brains, two circulatory systems, and two skeletal systems. Half the time she must also have male genitals. If it's impossible for a woman to have male genitals, then the boy she is carrying cannot be part of her body.

A Chinese zygote implanted in a Swedish woman will always be Chinese, not Swedish, because his identity is based on his genetic code, not that of the body in which he resides.

A child may die and the mother live, or the mother may die and the child live, proving they are two separate individuals. "

He writes more on the inconsistencies we see in our society:

"At the Medical University of South Carolina, if a pregnant woman's urine test indicates cocaine use, she can be arrested for distributing drugs to a minor. Similarly, in Illinois a pregnant woman who takes an illegal drug can be prosecuted for 'delivering a controlled substance to a minor.' This is an explicit recognition that the unborn is a person with rights, deserving protection even from his mother.

However, that same woman who's prosecuted and jailed for endangering her child is free to abort that same child. In America today, it's illegal to harm your preborn child, but it's perfectly legal to kill him. "

"Being inside something isn't the same as being part of something. (A car isn't part of a garage because it's parked there.) Louise Brown, the first test-tube baby, was conceived when sperm and egg joined in a Petri dish. Did she become part of her mother's body when she was placed in her uterus? No more than she'd been part of the Petri dish when she lived there.

Human beings shouldn't be discriminated against because of their place of residence. There's nothing about birth that makes a baby essentially different than he was before birth. There's no magic that changes a child's nature when she moves twenty inches, from inside her mother to outside."

My Pappy

My Pappy is one of my favorite people in the whole wide world. He has taught me so many things about life and the purpose of it - to bring glory to God in all I say and do. He isn't a perfect man, but He knows the One who is perfect. He prayed daily for my salvation when I was lost and for those in our family. Many have received God's gift but others still need to know His love and grace. Pappy prays and prays, and I will always admire this quality about him. Pappy is devoted to Jesus; I'm grateful for his leadership in our family. (Can you now see where Isaac gets his large-shaped head? I've always said, "Isaac has Pappy's head"! It's definitely a Withrow trait!)

My wonderful and loving Pappy. I took this picture when we moved back to Ohio in August.

Isaac and Pappy laughing! He is such a gentle man.