Mercies are New Every Morning

 I thought I would take the time to share both the blessings that have flooded our family during this time and also the prayers that we still are praying. Thanks for following our blog and for loving us so well through this tryimg time.
 Over the past few weeks I have learned in a new light the meaning to "mercies being new every morning." Each day brings about stress and questions as well as many answers to even the smallest details. God has carried us through each day and lavished us with surprises and blessings of love. As I was rocking Andrew before I put him in his crib the other night, I kissed and just said, "We made it through another day and God's mercies will be new in the morning." He helped us that day and will help us tomorrow no matter what may come. Here is the brief list of some of the amazing blessings!!
  *Andrew's health right now....his eating, sleeping, playing, and basically seeming normal
 *Luke- sleeping through the night in his new crib in Andrew's room
 *Madi- doing great in school/ wonderful friend that is willing to help her with her therapies while mom is "out of comission."
 *Becca-has been offered a complimentary Musikgarden class and transportation to and from
 *Nanny and Papa- retired grandparents that selflessly give up their time, energy, and resources
 *Aunt Robin-selflessly gave her time and energy to come stay with us these past few days/adores our kids
 *an IV nurse who happens to live 2 streets over from us that comes over every night to give Andrew shots, draw his blood, take it to AMC, and help with our questions and concerns
 *a mom of 4 that I have never met who willingly makes two meals for us, drives them to our house, and spoils my kids with AWESOME craft supplies
 *meals from friends
 *people that clean my house better than I do at times
 *a surprise of a wonderful pillowtop mattress and boxspring that showed up at our door because someone had heard we were in need of a comfortable nights' sleep (it is AMAZING for two exhausted parents)
 *unexpected money and gift cards
 *friends from church that know cancer, cancer research, side effects of chemo and ways to prevent them in Andrew. Their time, love, affection, and pursuit has humbled us
 *a friend that gave up her comfortable bed to have a slumber party with me in the hospital room
 *friends that kidnap me for coffee
 *emails of encouragement and support
 *hats for Andrew
 *transportation to the airport for my mom and to the hospital
 *friends that are willing to babysit Andrew so I can go to church
 *a nurse from Grottoes that works on the 7th floor of UVA hospital
 *Grace Christian families that have been amazing
 *our dear babysitter Ash, who took our girls last Saturday and spoiled them with dress up clothes, the Little Mermaid, library time, lunch and love
 *a sweet doctor that was willing to do a house call to check Luke's ear's for infection
 *phone calls from old friends-their pursuit and reassurance
 *the Gilmartin Assistance Army and the "GENERAL" who rocks my world

--These are just some of the ways our family has seen the Lord through this trial. We would love for it to be over and go back to "normal," but if we have to keep walking this dark path it is wonderful to have friends and family that remind us our Shepherd is still by our side. Thank you to all who have cared, prayed, called, emailed, and shared your lives with us. You are NEVER bothering us. We love to hear from you and thank you for just allowing us to be who we are through this. It has been so freeing and comforting to know I can be at my weakest and still not scare you all away.

  As you know though, our journey with cancer continues. We have another week at home and then we check back in on the 28th (I think) for round 2 of chemo. Andrew has done well with this round, but the next one may be worse because his body will be more tired. Please pray for the side effects (hair loss....a mother's heart as I watch this happen, mouth sores, sickness, fatigue, and anything else that may rear its ugly head). Pray for our time as a family that we can love on one another often and forget the things that don't matter. Pray for the girls as they prepare to have mom and dad away again. Becca is already anxious if Rick and I just go out for a soda. Pray for caregivers while we are gone and a short time away from home. Pray that Andrew doesn't get sick in anyway and have to return to the hospital. Please pray that a miracle might happen and we would only have to do a few chemo cycles and nothing else. It could be possible. Pray for sleep and peace for our hearts and bodies.
 Please also pray for other decisions our family has to make on top of the cancer decisions. We are trying to shepherd our girls' hearts through this time. Their fears are real as they wonder how Andrew got sick, if they will get sick, and if mom and dad will leave again. We need wisdom to give simple, yet meaningful answers to their questions and concerns. We are also dealing with discipline issues as they have had several caregivers and a world thrown upside down. Rick and I want to be consistent, yet also full of grace knowing that their stress is real too. The last thing we are praying about, and covet your prayers, is schooling for Madi next year. Right now she attends Grace Christian School for pre-K. She loves it, her teacher, and her friends. We have seen her grow in ways that she would never have grown at home (socially, emotionally, godly) and feel like this would probably be a great situation for her next year. However, with the medical bills that are beginning to come in, we are not sure we will be able to pay for private school for her and/or Becca who will be in preschool next year. We are trying to decide what would be the best for the girls. Madi will need some therapies for speech, OT, and PT in the months to come so that will be a cost consideration. We don't think that home schooling is the best for her at this time or for me with all we are still involved in so public schooling is possibly a consideration. Anyway, please just pray for wisdom, direction, and guidance during this time. Each child of ours has specific needs that we want to meet the best we can although we know that during this time we will all have to sacrifice. We need the Lord's guidance to help us with all these decisions.
 We love you all and will keep you updated on the next steps.