Alan's update

We are so thankful that Alan was home to celebrate Thanksgiving! Such a huge praise and answered prayer that he only had to stay 6 days at the headache clinic in Chicago.  He missed his mom at the airport by a few hours as she was leaving after being with us for the week while he was away.  Alan attended the Diamond Headache Clinic and was immediately impressed and thankful for their knowledge and sensitivity to headache sufferers...they have special low lighting, low noise and very caring nurses. After his initial meeting with his doctor he checked into their in--house hospital.  He had lots of blood work, an MRI, met with the doctor daily, as well as attended several seminars on drug education, diet, wellness, and headaches.  He was only allowed outside the hospital once and that was with a nurse accompanying him on a walk around the building (it was really cold, so he was glad to get back inside, but he did miss his freedom.  Since Alan has returned he has had three migraines in the past 10 days and continues to have bad headaches everyday, but the doctor said it would take 2-6 weeks for his new preventative medicine to start working. We are a little discouraged, but not without hope that things might get better.  Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us. Please continue to do so as we fight this battle.  We are reminded as we enter into Advent that we can celebrate Immanuel..."God with us" everyday, not just at Christmas. God is with us during our physical and emotional pain and we are so thankful and humbled to get to experience God's presence in our lives.

1-6 weeks?!

Alan left Monday to go to the Diamond headache clinic in Chicago. It was sad to see him go because we weren't sure when we would see him again...one week, Thanksgiving, or even up to six weeks. When Alan first arrived the doctor said he would be out 5-6 days, but honestly I didn't believe it for one split second. But boy was I wrong and I'm so glad! Alan was discharged today and will be flying back to Orlando tomorrow night! He had lots of blood work, MRIs, drug and health seminars, and he met with one of the top headache doctors in the country daily.   With new medication, better understanding of some dietary and lifestyle changes, and lots and lots of prayer, the doctor thinks we might have the migraines under control -- down to 1-2 a month...we'll take it! Sadly the clinic was filled with 67 other patients, ranging from teenagers, to single, married men and women ( although 75% of migraine sufferers are women). Two patients have had headaches everyday for a year. I CANNOT imagine.  Alan's  roommate was on his third visit to the clinic. Many of the patients have no hope and no joy.  I'm not usually a pessimist, but we've been through so many different remedies, I'm finding it hard not to be these days, yet  I know the reality of what is true -- our hope and joy continue isin The Lord and we will be victorious in this battle; Alan is coming back tomorrow, he will be with us for Thanksgiving; and we have had a tremendous outpouring of love and prayers, around the world,and through our community here.  Alan's mom came to help me this week and it was such a weight off of my shoulders. I am deeply reminded of the Lords loving kindness even during difficult circumstances.  We will let you know Alan's progress with his new medicine.

headache update #1,000

Sometimes I feel like a broken record and I am hesitant to write anything pertaining to Alan's chronic medical problems. I fear that I am complaining or am not sensitive to other people's pain. But so many people are praying for us and are concerned for us and we do not take that for granted. Thank you, thank you! I am learning so much about the body of believers and how much I need each person. It is humbling to say the least. 

Alan received his CPAP machine(constant positive airway pressure) (you'd be amazed how many people have told me they or their spouse use one, but I was clueless as to what it was until recently). 
He has been sleeping worse than before because it is hard for him to get used to.  He still has several migraines a week. At his last appointment with his neurologist she said she she couldn't do anything else for him and suggested he go to a headache specialist. This means Alan would need to check in to a clinic for anywhere from 1-6 weeks.  After many many phone calls and research the earliest appointment we could get was February, but it was with our third choice doctor. That was just too long to wait. We have been praying that something miraculous would open up. God knows our needs and He can move mountains, so we were trusting Him for an earlier appointment. During dinner this evening Alan received a phone call from our first choice doctor in Chicago saying that they had a appointment November 18!! That's in 12 days!! We are so thankful and praise the Lord for His provision for us.  His mercies are new everyday.

Alan's health update

After much waiting Alan was cleared to receive a CPAP machine to help him sleep, which will in turn, hopefully help relieve his migraine headaches. He will go on Friday to pick it up and start using it. whoohoo! Please pray that it is helpful.

After even more waiting and calling, Alan found out the results from a MRI that he has two bulging disks in his upper vertebrae, so now he needs to go back to the neurologist to check on that next week...it might be a relatively easy fix, such as physical therapy or exercises, or surgery :(.

Last but not least, Alan visited an ENT doctor and found out he has a deviated septum and a lowered mouth palate, BUT the doctor is really hopeful that the sleep machine will fix that.

Meanwhile, he continues to have bad headaches and sleepless nights. God's mercies are new everyday and this is something we have learned to not take lightly, but to rejoice in and find strength in Him each day. Only The Lord can sustain us and HE does EACH and EVERY day.


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Update on Alan's sleep study

After waiting for two weeks for his results, we finally found out that Alan does have sleep Apnea. That is an answered prayer that it was confirmed that he does in fact have a sleeping problem. He stops breathing while sleeping, which wakes his body up, leading to never getting into deep REM sleep, therefore waking up in the middle of dreams and remembering all of them...I'm not sure if his nightmares is related to all of this, but it seems likely. So...in a few weeks a crafty mask called a C Pac will arrive and Alan will have to wear it while sleeping. The idea is for it to increase oxygen flow. It sounds like such a simple solution to such a big problem, but we will take it! We are grateful for being able to see a doctor so quickly and relatively easily. Alan is also grateful to not have to sleep in a strange bed with lots of cords all over him. Alan has a neurologist appointment on September 23 as we continue on this journey of healing and hope.
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Dreaming of sleeping well

So for the past year Alan has not slept well. It seems like it would be sort of obvious to know you are not sleeping well, but looking back, it was sort of hard to tell...was it his migraines, his different medications, having kids that seem to constantly up at night for something...wet beds, baby, etc. Nevertheless, he did some research on signs of sleep disorders, and started noticing he had some symptoms of something...nightmares, fatigue, breathing stopping during the night. So last week he had a sleep study and we are anxiously awaiting the results this week. We are hoping if he sleeps better he could have less migraines, but if not, at least he might be able to get some help and not wake up exhausted at the beginning of every day. Sleep is one of those things you don't realize how good it is sometimes until you don't have it. All of our kids are great sleepers so far and I am so thankful no one else in our family struggles with sleep disorders.
Speaking of sleeping, it is my bedtime and I am very thankful to not have any trouble sleeping. Sweet dreams!
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Legoland!

There are some people who,  when you get to see, it feels just like yesterday. Some of our dear friends, who were teammates in East Asia, came through Orlando...crazy...who comes through Orlando? But Danny is from Florida and was going to a high school reunion, so they stayed two nights in Orlando on their way to Ft. Lauderdale.  We took the kids to LEGOLAND (their first park experience here since we arrived) and we all had a great time. With six kids between the two families, veryone had a buddy and we enjoyed every minute.

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Fun with GranC and Papa

We were blessed to have our parents offer to take care of the kids for us, so they divided up the time and first they went to my parents and then they went to Alan'
s parents. Here a few fun pics from their time. We are so thankful for grandparents that love to spend time with our kids. They don't get to see them as often as they would like, but this time they had extra long time with them :) They had fun in Auburn together.

Feeding the fish and other outdoor adventures wioth GranC and Papa this summer

GranC has a beautiful assortment of fish in her pond and the kids love to feed them and watch them. She even named a few fish. They also love to play with Shadow, their golden retriever, whom Laura Cate says is her best friend. Here is a funny line of photos taken of William stealing balls from Shadow, poor doggie didn't know what to do. Not sure which is more amazing, that he was able to get them away from the dog, or that he could carry three tennis balls in his hands!

Laura Cate loves to ride a bike GranC and Papa got for her

Cameron plays tennis with Shadow dog

Gran C and William enjoying time on the swing. I think William looks a lot like her!




brothers just playing around

playing on Papa's Razor

we love it when Aunt Amanda comes to visit!

 

 

Alan's parents church had a watermelon social one Wednesday night and we stopped counting how much watermelon  William and Cameron consumed

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Fourth of July!

I love celebrating July 4th, no matter where we are. People ask if we have " July 4th" in East Asia. Alan always says, "they have July 4th they just don't do anything on it." :))

The last time we were in the States during the summer, in 2011, we were in North Carolina. This year we were here as well and it was so memorable. We began the day by going to watch a parade , then swimming in the afternoon followed by yummy hotdogs, hamburgers and ice cream sundaes, then watchng fireworks outside together with my parents. I'm not sure which was more delightful, being with my parents and seeing amazing fireworks from the safety of a hill on a golf course on a clear summer night, or watching the kids run in the grass and play with lots of other kids before the fireworks. William got into the fireworks as well, which was not surprising since he oohs and aahs at every light he sees. He was a little shocked at first I think, not by the noise , but the sheer vastness of the fireworks as he covered his eyes.

I love how William and Granddad are having a little conversation together while waiting for the sun to go down and the fireworks to begin. William LOVES his granddad!!

Cameron looks about 15 here...it will happen before we know it :(

Perfect night

sweet kiddos enjoying a summer night on the grass

what a joyful, easy-going guy!

at the  parade downtown in my parents' town; we were actually here, in the same spot in 2011, right before William was born.  What a fun time!

Laura Cate showing off a fun American flag painted on  her hand

 

Well, that is all the fun for this Fourth of July!

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Memorial Day

We had a wonderful time with BOTH sets of grandparents!! This doesn't happen very often, but since we just arrived, my parents were anxious to see us. They drove from North Carolina to Birmingham to come see us. Alan's brother Jeff and his family, Alan's sister, Amanda, and grandmother Head came too. We enjoyed playing outside (watching) the kids on the slip and slide and Papa even put a pool at the bottom of the swing set and slide.. So fun Papa! We definitely couldn't do any of this back home in our apartment :)

I tried to explain what Memorial Day was to Cameron, basically a time to say a big THANK YOU to our military, past, and present, especially to Uncle Steve and his family!

slip and slide!

Gran C and Papa put a kiddie pool at the bottom of the slide...super fun!

 sweet cousins enjoying fruit pops 

Grandma and William 

so thankful for these friendships!
(right to left) Cameron 7.5 years old, Laura Cate 4, Molly almost 8, Andrew  5

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Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to three wonderful dad..Alan Head, Ralph Head (Alan's dad), and Ed Duffy (my dad). This year we had the privilege to spend Father's Day in the States celebrating Alan and his dad! We had a wonderful time being with these great men who give so much to their children.

We let daddy rest well today since he had a migraine yesterday, then we enjoyed a wonderful dinner of barbecue at one of our favorite restaurants, with some of our favorite people...our family, GranC, Pap, and Alan's brother, Jeff, and his family.

My dad - he is my calm, level-headed, hard-working daddy who would do anything for me. I love you! He's taught me so much about perseverance. I wouldn't not be who I am today without him modeling that to me. He has a great sense of humor too :) and a really good hand at tennis and golf...watch out!

I am so thankful for Alan and the role that he plays in our kids lives. It is incredible to see how the Lord is molding and shaping him to be like our Heavenly Father... Alan is compassionate, loving, wise, funny, generous, thoughtful, and prayerful. I am soo blessed to be on this parenting adventure with you Alan!! I love you so much and as Cameron and Laura Cate say, "I love you more."

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swimming with Papa

fishing with daddy

Special times with Grandma and Granddad

The kids got to go spend 9 days with Grandma and Granddad in North Carolina this week. They were soo excited. What a special time for all of them. They go on long walks, play Rumikub, read lots, and Granddad loves to have their help picking up pinecones...they do live in Pinehurst, so there are always some to pick up. William has learned how to do it now too. They went to Discovery Place in Rockingham, which they all LOVED! Thanks Grandma and Granddad!


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Their favorite thing to do is swing in the hammock out back. Laura Cate even fell asleep one day, oh the life of a four year old :) 

Dog park

We all went to a dog park today. I was not sure what I pictured but it was fun going. We took Shadow and the kids loved running around with him, watching other dogs, and throwing balls at him. There was also a fun kids park nearby that we enjoyed as well.


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What is new with William

For those of you who were wondering, William finally started walking at 21 months!! Crazy. Not much has changed inside the house, he still prefers crawling sometime, but now he tries to open doors and run outside...he has discovered there is a big world out there waiting for him. He continues to be a delightful, busy toddler which I wouldn't change a thing. Bath times are still highlights of his day...if only this tired momma could do that every day. The water was a little cold for his liking outside on Memorial Day, but it will warm up soon I am sure of that and then our little fish can really swim.


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He loves to swim in the bathtub!

William feels very loved by his big brother, Cameron, as he  helps him  run!

Surprise for the kids

We are life-time tourists according to our visas, so that entails we need to leave the country after a certain period of time. We usually don't mind, as it gives us a little break from the culture, but I will admit it is getting a little bit harder with  more kids to look forward to hotel rooms, planes, trains, and automobiles. Unfortunately, Alan has also needed to see a doctor regularly for his migraines and to get prescriptions refilled, so we need to leave anyways.  This trip we were in desperate need of some family fun, so we decided to surprise the kids with a day trip to Hong Kong DisneyLand!!

It was soo much fun. They had never been before and didn't even have a box to put it in...a big park with lots of rides and princesses?!? Nontheless, they loved EVERY single minute. They never complained about waits in line (the longest was only 10 minutes) and every ride was "the best!" It was really fun for us to watch them enjoy it so much. We are really thankful for that time together. We were there from Saturday at 10:30 a.m. 9:30 , including fireworks at the end. It was a delightful day, we only wished it lasted longer. The next day as we traveled back home Alan had a migraine, which was super hard,  so we would kind of like to not remember that day, and just remember DisneyLand.