Praise the Lord for another awesome month. This time of year is our favorite. We've created a lot of wonderful memories this month. Time is flying by and Aspen is 19 months old.
This picture reminds me how fast this month has gone by. "Gobbled up" just like Aspen's bagel. HA!
Aspen is so independent. He's much too big to have his bagel torn into pieces. :) He'll just take bites when he wants one. His Mama was generous enough to share her yummy pumpkin bagels with him.
Aspen got his 3rd haircut. He wasn't a fan but he made it and we decided to get frozen yogurt afterwards. You can tell he was pretty happy about that.
We visited Burt's pumpkin patch and it was so much fun to watch Aspen. He truly seemed amazed by all the pumpkins.
It's almost like he was saying, "Mama…Can I really pick out ANY pumpkin?"
He picked this one out all by himself. He tried so hard to pick it up.
It's hard to believe that Lindsey is 7 months pregnant and that this time next year, Bennett will join us!
Memories to last a lifetime….
Such a sweet, innocent face!
It was almost like he REALLY thought he could push the three pumpkins we picked out.
We had a super busy weekend but what a great time we had. The day after the pumpkin patch…Lindsey, Aspen, Danny and I left for the Ritz at Lake Oconee. I was SO glad they could come along with us. The weather was awesome and Aspen seemed to really enjoy himself. I know Lindsey and I enjoyed getting away and hanging out for a few days.
Aspen wasn't much into smiling for the camera until Dee Dee was attacked by a bee. He couldn't stop laughing. These pictures make me smile!
We played ball…
We walked around by the lake...
We sat and took it all in...
And we swam in the pool…
Our room looked out to the lake…
And we ordered room service! Let the spoiling begin (in a good way of course).
I love, LOVE how he will smile for the camera these days! I'm pretty sure he thinks his Dee Dee is cray-cray! :)
It was time to leave the Ritz and it started raining. We got a little stir crazy in the car. I love being silly!
When Aspen is outside playing, it's hard to get him to stop long enough to "pose" for a picture. He is so active and never slows down.
Aspen loves playing with his Daddy!
This is the first year that I'm not really excited for it to get cold outside. Aspen loves playing outside SO much, it will definitely be a change of pace to be inside more.
Our family loves Chipotle. We're so glad that Aspen does too!
A trip to one of our favorite stores wouldn't be complete without a Trader Joe's pumpkin pic!
CHEESE! He loves to smile for selfies! :)
It seems impossible that in less than 2 months, Aspen will be a BIG brother! He had fun getting Bennett's crib and room ready with his Mama and Daddy.
A lazy morning watching Thomas the Train with his Daddy!
"Mom…Are you being for real?"
What's going on in the world of Cystic Fibrosis?
Lindsey and I had the opportunity to go and listen to some scientists and all that is going on in the way of research. The North America CF Conference was held in Atlanta this year. We were able to speak to one of the scientists. It's so exciting to hear about the trials that are on-going and coming soon. Just one of the quotes made:
“Together we have dared to dream and the dreams are coming true,” Collins said. “With the CF Foundation’s support, you have continued to make remarkable progress advancing the science and the treatment of CF. You are helping to transform lives.”
You can read more at this link:
http://www.cff.org/aboutCFFoundation/NewsEvents/10-10-NACFC-Anniversary-of-CF-Gene-Discovery.cfm
We continue to pray that a CURE will be found before Aspen's lungs suffer any damage. We BELIEVE!
In other exciting news, Aspen had the honor of being chosen to be an ambassador for the fundraiser, "A Wish for Wendy." Aspen was one of 17 children chosen to represent a team in an effort to raise awareness and money for a CURE. These are the children that shared their stories to help make a difference in the world of Cystic Fibrosis. The teams raised over $310,000 for a CURE. What a PRAISE!
We visited Asheville, NC this week and saw the coolest wall. This wall was repeated over and over down the main street…."Before I die I want to _____________." Our answer…. CURE CF. We hope it's much sooner than later. We pray for the scientists and doctors. We pray for those making a difference. We pray for a CURE.
Lung disease for those with CF, begins at birth. You can't "see" the problem, however. Lung damage is a progressive thing. Obstruction (because of the thick sticky mucus) leads to infection which leads to inflammation. The inflammation leads to lung damage and the cycle begins again. After so many infections, the damage leads to scarring and the scaring leads to poor lung function.
So many people ask us why Aspen looks so healthy. They want to know why he doesn't "look sick." CF is a progressive disease and no two cases are the same. The symptoms of CF typically don't show up until children are a little older. What we do know….
* Aspen has the most severe mutations that you can have
* Aspen's pancreas doesn't work at all
But… we also know that genes and genetic makeup have a huge impact on the progression of the disease. We've learned that having the most severe mutations doesn't necessarily mean he will have "severe" symptoms because there are SO many more factors…more factors than I believe even the scientists can determine. We know that Aspen has an awesome immune system. We know that some people do really well with these genotypes (mutations) and some people don't. We are praising the Lord that Aspen has done SO well since his original stay in the hospital. And we know that the Lord has ALL of our days numbered. He sees. He knows! Worrying won't change a thing because God has a plan for all of our lives.
It’s so easy to fixate on the very real dangers and stresses that come with life’s problems. And yet our loving,
powerful heavenly Father calls out to us: “Look up here; it’s going to be okay. I’ve got you, and I will bring you in safely.”
As the old song says:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,Look full in His wonderful face,And the things of earth will grow strangely dimIn the light of His glory and grace!
It's comforting to know, that looking to the SON is where our strength comes from and gives us peace that can only come from HIM!
Our prayer is that Aspen lives each day to its fullest. We never know what tomorrow will bring for any of us. We have seen God's powerful hand in Aspen's life and we know He sees and He knows.
There's so much more to Aspen than Cystic Fibrosis. Yes, CF is always in the back of all of our minds but we never want to lose focus on who Aspen is.
Aspen grows so much from month to month. He is full of energy and is into climbing on everything, people included. We're shocked he hasn't climbed out of his crib yet. He goes through an "energetic" stage every night where he runs and jumps and rolls around all over the place. He laughs at himself and he laughs when you laugh. His personality is the best. :)
He makes a mess in his diaper and says, "Mom - diaper - GROSS." Yep! He's usually right. It's GROSS! He loves to give "orders." He told me while we were in Lake Oconee…"Get UP, Dee Dee." He raises his hands and we all say, "SCORE"…or he claps for himself when he does something great. He'll scream, "YAY." He loves to throw our black walnuts in the driveway. They are like little balls to him. He throws them for Bow Valley to fetch. If Aspen sees ANYTHING that resembles a ball he will scream BAALLLLLLLLL until you give him one or assure him what he's looking at really isn't a ball. He also loves, LOVES balloons. He can play with one for hours as he screams… Baaaaloooooooon!
He's going to be the best big brother. He can say Bennett and he points to Lindsey's stomach and says, "Baby." It's so funny the fluctuation in his voice. He says, "baby" so softly…"Dee Dee" with such passion and force, "Pops" with such tenderness and "Mom" in this Northern accent (yes, I might be responsible for that)... I joked with Lindsey when he was much younger and "talked for him" by saying…"MOM." Who knew such a little baby would grow older and imitate everything. :)
He's testing the limits these days by throwing food, hitting and picking up things he knows he shouldn't. Lindsey and Chris do a great job of making sure he knows right from wrong. You can see the curiosity in his face of wondering how much he can get away with. He's learning and growing so much every day.
It's so much fun to watch Aspen. He's full of JOY and happiness, laughter and curiosity. He loves to make us laugh and he does a great job of that. He's a little dare-devil that isn't afraid of anything. He has a passion about life that I pray he always keeps. He's talking away, understanding everything and putting many words together at the same time.
We would appreciate it if you would join us in praying for these requests:
* As we go into the cold and flu season that Aspen would stay healthy.
* Aspen will adjust to being indoors a little more than he's been used to.
* Bennett is due in 8 weeks. Aspen was 2 weeks early, however… so he could be here realistically in 6 weeks. Please pray that he will be healthy and well and that Aspen will adjust quickly. Please pray for Lindsey as she goes into these final weeks of her pregnancy. Praise the Lord she has done SO well.
* For a CURE!
November will go by in the blink of an eye. We have some fun things planned. Until next month, as Aspen would say…"Love you. Bye Bye."
Thanks for caring! Thanks for praying! Thanks for supporting our family in this journey. If we can pray for you… please let us know.
