Jonathan's Got Back

Most of you already know that Jonathan had surgery on Thursday, June 28 for a herniated disk. His back became sore over Memorial Weekend while shingling a roof. Then we drove to Arkansas and did a lot of sitting which aggravated the problem. He was having numbness in his right big toe and sometimes up his shin. And his foot was weak. The pain was in his ankle and hip. So when we returned to Ames, Jonathan went to the doctor and they did an MRI. It showed a herniated/slipped disk, but not recommendation was made. So Jonathan did physical therapy for a little over 2 weeks, and nothing was improving. So our friend and physical therapist, Rob, asked a doctor to get Jonathan a referral to the neurosurgeon, Dr. Perera.

So we were off to the neurosurgeon on Wednesday, June 27, and he suggested surgery. And after we saw the MRI, we agreed. The disk had herniated out and had fallen down into where the nerve is supposed to be. Dr. Perera didn't want Jonathan to suffer permanent damage and said that surgery needed to be done as soon as possible and he had an opening tomorrow...Thursday. WOW! What a whirlwind!

Jonathan signed the consent, had his pre-op information taken care of and we were at the hospital at 7:30am on Thursday. At 11am Jonathan was taken to surgery. At 1:40pm the doctor came into the waiting room and told us that everything went well and that it was the biggest chunk of disk he and the staff had ever seen. He was surprised Jonathan wasn't having more pain or weakness. We were thankful that we caught it in time and that he won't have foot-drop.

He was released from the hospital on Friday afternoon and is now recuperating at home. He still has some numbness and weakness in his right leg, but we've already seen an improvement. We pray for continued blessings through the healing process and patience as Jonathan learns to let his body heal. We've also been praying for my strength as I'm taking care of Jonathan, Asher and a pregnant body. I know that God will give us the things that we need and we don't need to worry.

Jonathan will have some recovery time: no lifting greater than 10 pounds for 2-4 weeks; no driving for at least a week; no bending over; lying flat on his back most of the time, up to sit only for meals (because sitting is the hardest on his back), and up to walk several times a day; and he has a lifting restriction of 40 pounds for 3-4 months. He will be doing some physical therapy to help him get back into shape. His goal is to be ready to sign up for the next Hy-Vee Triathlon (June 22, 2008) by the December early-bird deadline. And I know he can do it!

Thank you for all your prayers...keep them coming!

This is a picture of a herniated disk. Jonathan's looked similar to this, but his disk had slipped way down (the pinkish stuff), almost to the next disk. We are thankful that he didn't suffer worse damage. The human body is an amazing thing!!

Prime Time Unplugged

Prime Time is our high school youth group. We meet on Wednesday evenings for fun and a time of study. It's been a great summer so far. The group's done some really fun things!

June 6: Prime Time at Brookside Park
Some of the group played volleyball, snakes on a ladder and they made s'mores. Asher even got in on the fun!


June 13: Prime Time at Lin Mar Mini Golf


June 16: New York Training at Church
They learned some new praise songs for VBS, trained for sports ministry and evangelism. They spent a lot of time cutting up stuff for the crafts portion of VBS. It took many hands!


June 20: Prime Time at Peterson Pit
They used cardboard boxes and duct tape to build a boat. It was supposed to float with one person in it. They didn't do too bad, I guess.


It's been a great summer so far. Jonathan (and Brent...and all the volunteer staff) and taking about 100 students to Brooklyn, New York this summer for a mission trip from July 21-July 30. Be in prayer for their hearts as they prepare to minister to a huge city. Pray for the VBS program and all the children that will attend. Pray for the sports ministry that they can reach out through basketball, soccer, etc. And pray for those who will evangelize in the neighborhood and Central Park. It's a great leap of faith to lead students on a mission trip. But God can do mighty things and we know He will!!

Summertime

The weather has been great here. Hot and muggy. Usually I wouldn't consider that to be "great weather", but seeing things through Asher's eyes makes things more enjoyable. For example, we have been spending afternoons in his little blow-up pool in the yard. I fill it in the morning and by the afternoon the water feels great. It makes the heat bearable. And Popsicles have never tasted so good as when I eat them outside with Asher. He loves them and he's finally getting the hang of holding it by himself. The hot weather is so much more tolerable when you're experiencing it for the "first time."

The pregnancy is going well. I had another check-up today and the doctor said everything is looking great. I'm in the 15th week and the baby's heartbeat sounded strong. It's such a relief to hear that little heart beating at the doctor's office. My belly is getting bigger. It's not huge...yet, but there is definitely a baby bump. I lost a few pounds (due to the vomiting) but I try to distract myself during the day with activities and snacks. It's the worst in the morning, but some days the nausea is there all day. So on those days, I try to nap when Asher does so I can sleep through some of that yucky stuff. But things are going well and the baby is healthy and that's what's most important to me.

Jonathan's back is ok. For those of you who don't know, he's seeing the neurosurgeon tomorrow (June 27) to look at his lower spine. He had an MRI done and it showed a disk that wasn't normal (it's bulging or herniated, or something). We should find out more tomorrow at the doctor's office. They're going to see if some cortisone shots or epidural will help before they decide on surgery (as a last option). You can just be praying that Jonathan's spirit stays up. He's a very active guy and so this has been hard on his heart. No disc golf, no running, no golfing, nothing. He even gets sore some days walking. The pain is in his right hip and goes down his leg. He has some numbness and tingling in his right foot and sometimes up his calf. It just depends on the day. So you can be in prayer for his health and his spirit.

For the most part, things are going great. We are loving having a toddler around our home. He's such a joy. And puts a smile on Jonathan's face even when he's down about his health. Jonathan will lie on the floor to rest his back and Asher always crawls onto Jonathan's belly. It's really cute!

To Arkansas and Home Again

On May 31st we began our adventure to Rogers, Arkansas. Our friends, Clint and Jessica Alexander, moved down there over a year ago and we thought it was time to check out their new home. It was great to see them and their church, where Clint works as a Children's Ministry Leader and Jess helps out in the offices of the youth ministry. Here is a little about our journey to Arkansas and back.

May 31
Traveled to Cedar Rapids, IA for insurance business and stayed in Kansas City, MO for the night. Asher did not do well sleeping in the same room as us and we attempted to separate him from us with a "blanket wall." But it didn't work too well.

June 1









Arrive in Rogers, AR and tour the church. They had a huge rocking chair in the foyer of the children's building. Jonathan and Asher look so small in it. Clint's auditorium was decorated for "camp". Asher liked the little tent. Clint also played some of his kids' favorite praise songs. They were a lot of fun!

June 2
We visited a park and played on the swings. It was the first time Asher was big enough to really enjoy the swings. He was so cute in the swing! He fell on our way to the car and got a rock "stuck" in his forehead. That evening we went to the "Catfish Hole" for dinner. They are known for their fried catfish and hush puppies. It was really good and we met Clint and Jess's friend who have a little boy named Asher. He's about 6 months younger than our Asher. And they dressed up like Batman and Robin for Halloween too. It was bizarre. Oh, and they just let their church know that they are expecting another baby in January...and we're due in December. It's crazy! Also, at dinner we found out that there were two Jessica's, two Asher's and four Jon's. And only four other people with different names. It was really funny.


June 3









On Sunday we went to church and visited Clint in his true element. It was great seeing him interact with the kids. He did a wonderful job. In the afternoon, we went to Andy's for frozen custard. It was delicious. Asher and I shared a straw-ana sundae. He mostly just picked out the strawberries and bananas and didn't eat much custard. Then later that evening we went to the lake. It was beautiful. Asher wasn't scared of the water at all. He just walked right into the lake with his clothes on. Mom was right with him, but it didn't stop him from getting all wet. He just loved to splash around in the water.

June 4
We visited the Springdale Aquatic Center. It was amazing! It was $4 for adults and children and $2 for children 4 and younger. They had 2 regular water slides, 2 other water slides, a high dive and a low dive. They had an area for swimming, and intermediate play area, and a toddler/baby area. We spent most of our time in the toddler/baby area. The water is only a few inches deep and there were little fountains and things that squirted water. It was cute to watch Asher play. The sun was warm, but when it disappeared behind a cloud, the breeze was really chilly. After the pool, Asher went to Randy and Pat (Clint's Dad and Mom) and we adults went to play mini golf. We played an 18-hole round at Lokomotion and then two 18-hole rounds at Gator Golf. Jessica V got 7 holes-in-one and Jonathan got 6. It was so much fun to play mini golf at great outdoor courses. We would love to have mini golf like this in Ames.

June 5
We headed back to Ames. We had a great time in Arkansas and it was so much fun to see our friends again.

For more pictures of our trip, you can click on the picture of Asher in the right hand column. There are pictures in our family album and our friends. Check it out!