Worldwide Premier

I'm trying out iMovie for the first time. This video was inspired by Jude's recent hospital stay.

Another Call

Jude is looking very well. I'll take him to see the surgeon on Friday, and it sounds like his appendectomy in December will be outpatient surgery. Owen came home from Kentucky on Sunday, and we are all happy to be together in the house again. It was a discombobulating couple of weeks.

Speaking of discombobulation, Ben has received a call to a congregation in Nebraska. Here's the announcement Ben wrote for Sunday's bulletin:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This week I informed St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Matteson, Illinois, that I am declining their call to be their Associate Pastor. I do so with prayers that God will raise up the right man to serve them in this capacity; please keep our brothers and sisters in your prayers as well. I will now move forward in considering the call to be Associate Pastor at Peace Lutheran Church in Columbus, Nebraska. Peace-Columbus also is asking me to consider working with Youth and Education. We plan on deciding about this call by mid-December. Please keep Susan, our boys, and me in your prayers while we take steps to figure out where God is leading us to serve Him. Thank you to those of you who have shared your thoughts with me and your encouragement that you have given me as a pastor. As I have been saying and will continue to say during this process, during this time of prayerful consideration of these calls, my heart is very much in the ministry at Immanuel, serving the Lord together with you as we tell others the Good News of Jesus Christ.

In Christ, Pastor Ben Squires (pastorsquires@immanuelbrookfield.org)

Calls are a curious business. We believe that God has called Ben to serve at Immanuel, where he is now, and we want to stay here unless we become convinced that He is sending us elsewhere. A call from another congregation is like an invitation to consider that God is taking us elsewhere. So, we are praying and considering and investigating. We'll keep you posted.

Recuperation Week

Jude is having a good time being at home. Today we went to the zoo, and he was very happy in the stroller chatting about the animals.

The hardest part of our day is the morning/bedtime antibiotic routine. Jude reminds me every time that the antibiotic is YUCKY! This morning Sam was eating breakfast while I dispensed medicine, and he tried to fight me to leave Jude alone. It's a pretty brutal sight, since I have to pin Jude down while he screams and shoot a teaspoon of medicine in his cheek. I appreciate that Sam wants to protect his brother.

Thankfully, Jude doesn't hold a grudge.

I am still pretty tired. Every day Jude is a little more independent, and I am very thankful. Two weeks of having him on my lap most of the day took some of the fun out of cuddling. He has graduated to being physically separated from my body, but wanting to be in the same room at all times.

Sam is showing more maturity than I'd expected. He has been calm about all the special things Jude is getting (cards, small gifts) and is still very happy to go to school every morning. I'm very proud of him.

Jude's Home!

Jude came home from the hospital Saturday. It is sooo good for us to be back home. Jude, Ben, and I all slept a lot in the last 24 hours.

Jude made it home with no tubes or drains attached to his body. He just has one little gauze bandage that we can take off as soon as he is emotionally prepared to separate. :) He is very tired, and still in a fair bit of pain, but all in all he seems to be himself. He will have surgery to remove his appendix on Dec. 7. When I told him the plan -- he'll take medicine (antibiotics) for a couple of weeks, and then we'll visit the surgeon to see how he's doing, and then after Thanksgiving he'll go back to the hospital to get his appendix out -- Jude cheered. I suppose the pain associated with the hospital is surpassed by the abundance of attention he received there.

We're in for a quiet week. My parents, God bless them, are hosting Owen at their house for the week. Sam will be in school, and we can move at Jude's pace for several days. I'm sure that will be good for all of us.

Hospital Trick or Treat

Children's Hospital has a fantastic group of staff and volunteers who make sure the kids can have some fun here. Today they planned a trick-or-treat to the nurses's stations on this unit. Jude was delighted to wear his skeleton costume and get little toys.

A skeleton on IV fluids.

Now it sounds like tomorrow is the earliest Jude will come home. His appetite is still very small, and it's important that he be eating and drinking well before we take him home. So far, Jude has displayed no homesickness. He seems to think the hospital is a pretty good arrangement.

Sam had a special day at school on Wednesday -- a character parade, and everyone in his class dressed up as Clifford the big red dog. I didn't make it to school that day, but a friend sent me this great picture.

Jude & His Smiles

Jude is looking good today! He's in the playroom across the hall right now -- where he walked on his own! He is excited with all the fun toys and seems completely distracted from his leashes. Praise God.

Jude & His Appendix

Jude is doing very well today. I took this photo yesterday after his procedure, and he was still sleeping off the sedative. Today he is playing in his bed, chatting with us, smiling and laughing. It is so encouraging to see his sweet personality again.

The procedure went very smoothly yesterday. The infected fluid was drained from his abdomen, and it looks like his recovery is going well. I hope we'll go home on Friday, but this is a one-day-at-a-time process. The goal now is to take antibiotics and give the infection time to heal, and then have surgery to remove his appendix in about a month.

Jude's had visits from three pastors (a perk of being a pastor's kid!) and has a happy little collection of get-well cards and some balloons from Grandma and Grandpa. The pillowcase is a "prize" the nurse gave him for being such a brave patient. It's fun to see him smile over every card or gift. He is a compassionate little boy and seems to appreciate being cared for.

The next hurdle in recuperation is getting Jude to walk somewhere. He made it ten steps to the couch by his bed and back again. We have told him about the playroom that is across the hallway, but so far he's deterred by the pain of walking.

Thank you for every prayer, e-mail, phone call, or kind word you've given us. It is so reassuring to know our family is loved and cared for.