I'm sorry to leave you all hanging on what's up with my Dad. He was able to be treated at the Melanoma Research Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They had his second surgery there on August 21st and they were able to remove all the melanoma. The prognosis is VERY good, but the doctor told him to thank his daughters for torturing him to have it looked at. According to the doc, that saved his life.
I think he owes us big for this, right Joanie? :)
Here's a picture of his poor little head - they had to remove such a large portion of skin that it was a tight squeeze to put it back together without a graft. We have been teasing him that this is NOT the way to go about getting a face lift. :)
Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement...it has been a huge help.
***WARNING - This post could make you sick - WARNING - Grossness to follow - WARNING***
August 18th - 4:30pm The call came to my cell phone - it was Daycare - Danika was sick and had just thrown up on one of the workers.
It was almost time to get her anyway, so I rushed over to daycare as fast as a mom juggling a newborn infant can, and scooped her up. She was acting as if she didn't feel quite right...but she seemed "better" after getting it out of her system.
On the way home, I snapped this picture to send to her Daddy and tell him she was sick. 5:00pm As we pulled into our driveway I hear that dreaded sound that no mother wants to hear. We were still in the car - she was still strapped in her seat...there was nothing I could do but sit and watch it happen and wait for it to be over.
5:10pm
When she finished tossing her cookies, there was so much mess, I just unbuckled the car seat and pulled her and the seat out of the van still strapped in it. I sat her on the ground and snapped a picture and texted it to her Dad so he would know what to expect when he pulled in from work. Then I left her strapped there while I went in the house to get a bucket of soapy water and some towels and washclothes...and then we worked on extricating her from the seat and cleaning the poor little thing up. She was so pitiful....she just sat there, without complaint, and looking really sad.
She was fine after that, although I kept her home for a day from daycare just to be safe. But it was definitely one of my more disgusting "mom moments" since becoming a parent. That was one nasty smelling little girl, and cleaning her up was an exercise in gag suppression.
God makes them cute so you don't toss them out and start over. ;) Just kidding. I love that little girl!
Doug does not like sweat, crowds, cities, crowds, sand, or crowds. Did I mention Doug doesn't like crowds?
John was born July 28th. And every year Erie holds it's biggest down-town festival mid-August. It is a huge event called "Celebrate Erie" and they always have at least one really big concert with a well-known band. This year, the Saturday night band was Three Dog Night. (Sat Aug 15, 2009)
So...imagine my surprise when my crowd-averse husband said that he would like to go to the concert. I was shocked! And excited! I love going to that festival, and if he wanted to go, I was IN!
We called Dana, arranged for him to watch Danika...and off we went...the three of us. Doug, myself...and our 2-week old son. :)
What a GREAT time we had...I felt great and it was a wonderful night to get out of the house and enjoy the summertime. The weather was warm and breezy...truly a perfect summer night. We parked the car, strapped John into the snugli, slung the diaperbag on my back for balance and off we went. We walked the "chalk-walk" and enjoyed people watching. We ran into people we knew and got to introduce them to John. And we made our way pretty far up in the crowd to find a place closer to the stage with a barrier I could lean on for the concert. And little John was so cute...he slept the entire time...from the moment we got out of the van until the moment we got back in, that kid was out like a light. He just rode around in that snugli strapped to his mommy and was as content as a baby can be. I covered his little ears tightly during the concert to make sure it wasn't too loud for him, and he never stirred. :) The concert was a blast..the music was so fun and it was just a great time. Doug and I both completely enjoyed the evening...I'm so glad we went.
Here's a few pictures of our first adventure with baby #2!!!!!
oh, and just a hilarious side-note, we ended up near 2 of the tallest men I've ever seen in my life...if you notice that it looks like I'm a dwarf compared to the guy behind me in the picture...I was. :)
That is what Danika loves to say about her Daddy. She looks at me and says, "Daddy is a good boy. I like 'im."
Well, Danika, I like 'im too.
Here's a couple of recent pics of that wonderful man.
I have been hoping for a new frame to put my porch swing out in the yard. We got engaged on that swing when it used to hang on my Mom & Dad's porch, and they recently gave it to us to keep. The week after John was born, Doug was determined to get it built so I would have it to swing on with the kids while off work on maternity leave.
However, the day he was finally assembling it, the weather did NOT cooperate and it was POURING. Here is a picture of that wonderful man braving the elements & soaked to the bone, but finishing my swing frame. I use it EVERY SINGLE day now. Thank you honey! And this pic was taken as he walked in the door from an exceptionally hard day at work. It was a very dirty job kind of day. But how I love that man for being such a hard worker. You're the best! :)
My Mom was here to visit - we were standing in the kitchen talking, and suddenly Doug looks at me and says: "I think that we should let Martin outside"....as he holds the door open and the cat darts into freedom.
And as I stood there with my mouth hanging open and Doug grinning from ear to ear.....that was the end of the discussion.
Martin is now an outdoor cat. He is a VERY happy cat. Pretty much he sleeps in our bed, lounges on our furniture when he feels like it, has a warm house to sleep in, but gets to run and exercise and hunt outside every day.
From what we can tell he is on a one-chipmunk-a-day diet. We find the mutilated remnants all over the place on our porch and drive-way. It is a regular Rodent house of horrors when you step outside our house.
And as happy as Martin is, I am a little less than impressed with the "gifts" he leaves for me. I'll write more about that another time, but trust me, it has NOT been pleasant.
When Danika was born, I kind of made it known to my wonderful hubby that I would really like a piece of nice jewelry that I could pass down to her someday. :) I wanted something that would be meaningful.... that I could hand to her someday and tell her, "Your Dad bought this for me and gave it to me the day you were born...and now I'm giving it to you." I love jewelry, and I just really wanted to be able to share something meaningful with my daughter like that.
So...being the fantastic man that he is - my hubby gave me this when Danika came into the world. I love it. I wear it often, and it always reminds me of this precious little life that changed our lives forever when she danced into the world on December 29, 2006. I hope it means as much to her someday as it does to me.
So, when we found out this next little bundle was going to be a boy, my mind started racing...what do you give a man that he can pass down to his son? I wanted to return the sentiment to Doug and give him a gift when this precious little boy made his entrance that would be meaningful for a father and son. But considering my husband doesn't even wear a wedding band, jewelry was out of the question. A gun was actually the first thing to come to mind. In a hunting family like ours, that would be very appropriate and meaningful. But my budget was a little modest to get something like I would really want, so I kept pondering....and I decided on a knife.
If you know Doug - he is obsessed with pocket knives. He loves them. He carries one ALL THE TIME. He had one in his tuxedo pocket when we got married...to this day, he has one in his pocket when he works, when he preaches, when we travel, when we are just hanging out at home...he always has a pocket knife. And he is picky about them...he likes certain features and brands. It is just one of those things that makes Doug "Doug".
As a matter of fact - a pocket knife is the very first gift he ever gave me. :) June 2002 - We had only been dating a few weeks and I was coming home with him to meet his parents for the first time before I left on a long trip for the summer. In the car, he pulled out this little package and gave me my very first pocket knife. It may not sound romantic to you, but it was actually this very unique, cool, personal thing that could not have been more meaningful to me. It was just so "him." I still have this great knife...I have carried it often, and it completely reminds me of this man who protects me and loves me and gives of himself so much for me.
Anyway - the more I thought about it, the more that it settled in my mind that a great knife would be perfect. I found one that was similar to the one he gave me in 2002....a little bigger, a different color, but the same brand and style he loves. But I wanted to engrave something on it. I really wanted this to be meaningful...and I was somewhat stumped as to what to do. Engraving John's birthdate didn't seem like what I was looking for...and something that only had meaning for Doug would defeat the purpose of the "passing down" of the gift...so I had to think. I started searching scripture for a passage that seemed right.
Proverbs 23:15-16 "My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad; my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right."
This is the passage that resonated with my heart on many levels. Someday, I know that this is what we both would want to say to our son. We want him to know how important it is to be wise and to "speak what is right." We want him to wisely choose to know and love the God who made him and died for him... to live his life in a way that speaks with his actions and his words that God's Truth is the only treasure that matters in this life and it is the only thing we will take with us to the next.
I also chose this scripture because I have no doubt in my mind or heart that this is what Doug's parents have communicated to him and have seen come to fruition. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that his Dad is proud of him...that his Mom was proud of him...because he has embodied these words as an adult. I know that when I met his family that first time in 2002 they both just beamed when they talked about him because they were so proud of the man he had become...a man who honored God, chose wisely to follow him, and who spoke rightly of God's Truth with his lips and his actions. I know that all the way to her core, Susan rejoiced at the man Doug became. I know Dana's heart is glad to have a son who has chosen rightly to honor God with his life. When I read these verses for the first time, they resonated so deeply within me because I saw the passing down from one generation to the next of this wisdom and joy already: from Doug's parents, to him, and someday to our children. I pray it continues for generations to come.
When Doug's mom was first diagnosed with cancer, I remember very specifically her looking me in the eye and saying, "How can I be upset? I have lived long enough to see my daughter become a godly woman, marry a godly man, and live a life serving Him. I have seen my son become a godly man, marry a godly woman, and live a life serving Him. I have total peace not only about where I am going when I die, but about the family I would leave behind. Anything else is just a bonus." When I read Proverbs 23:15-16, it was like I could hear Susan speaking it: "My son, because your heart is wise, my heart is glad; my inmost being rejoices when your lips speak what is right." There was no doubt - it had to be that passage for the engraving.
On July 28th, we went to the hospital for a planned c-section and Johnathan Douglas Bierer entered the world. It was a fantastic day. And when we got settled back in a room and they brought John to me, I gave Doug his gift. It was so fun. He loved it...and everything was just so cool.
And then he had to totally out-do me. :) He pulled this box out of his bag and gave it to me and told me he loved me. I opened it and there was the most beautiful ruby bracelet I have ever seen. It was perfect...my husband just knows me so well. It was completely my style...as if I had picked it out myself. And it was meaningful on many levels. Rubies are John's birthstone for July. Doug also knew that when his mom died his sister graciously let me have a ruby ring that had belonged to Susan. The bracelet would look beautiful with it. It was just the perfect symbol to tie together John's birth and Susan's life and to remember this emotional roller-coaster summer that we have survived hand-in-hand together. Awesome gift.
The bracelet.
The ring. John and my very emotional and meaningful jewelry.
Thank you Doug for the lovely, fitting gift. I hope yours meant to you even a portion of what mine meant to me.
Thank you, God, for the blessings of family, marriage and kids. Sometimes I'm not as grateful as I should be.
How is it that it was only a little over 7 months ago Danika was opening her birthday gifts and got to this one....
...and now we have this adorable little guy???
In some ways it seems like those months have flown by - but in other ways it seems like a lifetime has passed. I am fairly certain that this year will go down as one of our most difficult......I pray that when we look back, we can honestly say that we navigated it well and that our marriage and family are closer for it.
Thank you, God, for all you have brought into our path. It has not all been pleasant, but I pray it has made us more like you.
Can I just say that the second kid is so much less scary as a parent? You feel like all these "firsts" are familiar...like you are less likely to totally screw up and damage the child for life. I can honestly say I don't miss the fear that went with figuring everything out as a first-time parent. I like that I feel more confident this time around. I can also say that someday Danika will likely be in counseling for all the "practice" we did on her so that we could get it "right" for her little brother. :) That would be the flip side of what John will be in counseling for - the fact that his parents were so laid back for him as the second child that he is convinced we were negligent with him. But that is for a different time.
Today's entry is about the first bath. :) John wasn't real impressed with the whole ordeal...but he was all better once it was over and he got to cuddle with Daddy. I have to say - the cuddling is the best part of this stage. It is great. :)
After we got home from the hospital with John, my Dad arrived to spend the weekend. Mom was already here so Dad rode out on the Amtrak. He said it was an interesting experience. :)
Anyway - after he got some rest and we all got a little stir crazy from being in the house, we thought that it would be fun to get out of the house and go down to the beach to watch the sunset one night.
I love the beach and the sunset and these kids and my family. What a fun night!
My little beach bum. Danika and Papa Jerry. Danika loves having Nana and Papa Jerry around. She gets spoiled! The beach isn't Doug's favorite thing, but he was kind and we all went together.
SUCH a Daddy's girl! So far we have had no jealousy - she just loves her baby brother. That's been pretty cool, too.
Johnathan Douglas - we are so glad to have you in our little family. In a summer that seemed filled with emotional rain, it has been such a blessing to have the brilliant shining sunlight of your birth to pierce thru those clouds.
We love you so much....I have no doubt God put you in our lives at this exact moment and I am grateful to be holding you in my arms.
So far you don't really look like Danika....not really sure who you look like yet, but I'm hoping it's me. :) You have the cutest little flippers for feet...they are SO long! You are so cuddly and so cute...a little bit of jaundice, but not bad enough for the glow-worm light like your sister Danika had to have. I can't tell what color your eyes are going to be yet, but one thing is certain...you are beautiful. :)
