Battle Drum
Eli's birthday festivities are over for now...till next year. He had a great birthday this year. For the first time he understood the concept of presents and that they were for him and a ton of fun to open. He got so excited about throwing the tissue paper up into the air and watching it gently glide down with the grace of a snowflake in December. (Living in Florida I don't know much about snowflakes- but it sure makes for a nice poetic line)
Eli got many wonderful gifts this year. He was blessed by them all and will surely enjoy exploring the ins and outs of all his new toys. One toy in particular has already provided hours of stimulation for his imagination and cranium. It is a Noah's Ark set made by Fisher Price. A cute replica, all though quite a bit smaller then the original and it is made of plastic instead of the super boiant gopher wood.
When Eli first started playing with the ark, A FEW WEEKS AGO, I was naming all the creatures that came with the ark- you know the usual: giraffe, elephant, zebra, lion, peacock...when we got to the little man I confidently told Eli his name was Moses. Eli was very conviced by my confidence that this man was indeed Moses. So for weeks we reinstated the names of every creature on His plastic boat, including Moses.
It wasn't till A FEW DAYS ago that the thought donned on me that this is NOAH'S ark! I guess Noah must have been busy with the whole exodus of the Isrealites, surely he must have asked Moses to drive the boat for a while to help out, after all they both have white hair, no one would notice the swap!
Moses was definately the guy that came with Eli's Ark, wait- Moses's Ark oh I mean Noah's ark! Who's ark is it anyway- this is confusing!!! It must be so hard to be two years old. I hope Eli has good sunday school teachers who can clear up all this mess!
Like Jekyll and Hyde I must change subjects to a more serious note I must share upon Let's make it more of a minor chord:
F#m
For the past month Eli has started having seizures again. We have had over a year and a half of no seizures and now here they are again! He hadn't had a seizure since he left the hospital after the accident. I honestly didn't expect him to ever have one again, he had been doing so well. So when this started happening I was quite surprised.
At first onset the seizures were suddle and very short. The type of seizures Eli has are petit mal seizures. They are not characteristic of the general more violent common siezure which cause the whole body to shake. Eli's type of seizure does more of the opposite, it cause him to freeze up and to stop all activity- often including breathing, which makes this quite dangerous.
There were times when Eli was still in the hospital that he'd start to have a seizure and the nurses would rush in and ask me to leave the room so they could give Eli oxygen and tend to him- it was always very scarry to see this happen- but I always had the nurses there who were in control of the situation. I think they wanted me out of the room more so I wouldn't panic then for their own sake of having enough room to give Eli what he needed. My point is that it is a scary thing to see happen to your child.
The good thing about petit mal seizures is that they are usually brief so they don't generally cause much long term damage. Usually the effects are more short term. Since it takes so much energy for the brain to have and recover from a seizure it leaves little left for growth and learning. This causes the child to be very tired and to function poorly. It can also hinder the childs ability to continue to mentally develope properly.
When the seizures started happening again I didn't notice them at first because they were so short. I thought, oh Eli's just tired, or he must be just staring at something. It wasn't till they lasted longer and got more intense that I began to be alarmed. Then last week while I was having lunch with Peter, my brother in law and Abby, Eli's cousin, I realized this is serious and I need to take action.
Eli had the longest seizure I have seen since he's been home from the hospital, he turned very pale so pale even his lips turned white. I kept trying to snap him out of it and nothing worked, well not immediately. It was very disheartening to say the least.
Dissappointed is a good word to describe it all. I am not disappointed in Eli, he's awesome and such a strong fighter. I am disappointed in the situation- I just thought we were not going to have to deal with the whole seizure thing. Eli's been taking medicine ever since the accident for the seizures but it has always worked. I thought it always would and all would be well.
All this has done for me is given me a call for action. I want to step up my defenses and rise up for Eli. I am asking you to do the same. Eli needs us to fight for him. How do we fight for him? He needs our prayers. We both need prayer, Eli and me. Satan is not going to steal our joy. Satan is not going to have victory in our life or over Eli's brain. Eli is already a mighty man of God. Everyday he is growing more and more into the man God has called and created him to be, I want nothing to hinder that.
Please join me in praying for Eli- for his complete healing, for his restoration and for his protection. Pray for his spirit and his heart- that it would be safe through out this whole process- through out the new waves of tests and questions this raises. As he is more and more aware of all that's going on around him, I don't want him to be crushed in this but rather let this only make him stronger and more useful in the hand of God. This is the story Eli has and may it give God all the glory for all eternity as it is a testiment of His healing power.
We go tomorrow, Monday, to have an EEG done on Eli's brain. As I have written before, these are very intense and frustrating procedures if you are two years old, if you are any age really. Eli will have about twenty five wires attatched to his head and then he must fall asleep! (Crazy, I know)
Actually, the hardest part is not getting Eli to fall asleep, it is getting all the electrodes attatched. Usually he cries so hard that by the time they start the test that he is so worn out that he zonks out with impecable timing and speed threatening even the best of sac artists.
Pray for grace for Eli as he has this EEG. Also pray for Dr. Kojic and the whole team caring for Eli. Pray that they will have wisdom as they assess Eli's situation and decide the best way to care for Eli. Pray for me also, that I would know how best to care for Eli and mother him through this.
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthian 4:8-9
Let's rise up together and fight. I was at a red light the other day behind a car with this bumper sticker, it's one that makes you go hmmm: 'There is no peace without war.' We have the ultimate victor on our side fighting with us. Let's got to war!!! The battle is already won. If God is with us, who can be against us!!!
"Dear Jesus, there are no words right to pray. I am at a loss for words. I place all my hope and all my confidence in you. You have the power to heal Eli and you have been so gracious to protect him. I beg of you to continue this work in Eli and be glorified in his life. Heal him completely. Make him into a man after Your own heart. I ask you for a complete healing and restoration of Eli. Set him free from anything that would hinder him from doing the work you have created and called him to do. He is Your child, you are his Father. Thank you for the finished work of Your cross. Now I ask that you would release more of Your power over Eli. Pour out Your Spirit upon him and bring healing to every part of his being. And if I may be so bold, let Eli be a vessel of Your life and healing to the world. It is in your powerful name I pray, Amen"
posted by Kellie # 11:48 PM
